Ryan Chartrand
I hate to say it, but I can’t continue to write this column. I just have too much work to do.
I think I first realized it when my column on finding housing was printed in the Open House edition of the Mustang Daily. Next to the column was my picture and a caption that read “Daniella Orihuela-Gruber is a journalism sophomore, Mustang Daily reporter and an online columnist.” When I saw it, I thought “Wow, I’m a really busy person!” Later on that week, I learned how busy.
Under the workload I currently have, I’m working all night long on one or two homework assignments that are the most urgent. I’m staying up later than I should and not getting the sleep I need to function properly.
So, I’m taking my own advice and cutting down on what I can. Unfortunately, that means this is my last How to Survive. Why? Because I don’t get paid for this, I have a job that already eats up a lot of my time. I don’t get any school credit for writing this column either and I already am working for the Mustang Daily this quarter to get that credit.
Pretty much all I get out of this is about 20 articles to put in my portfolio, the joy that comes with being a published writer and the chance to be mistaken school-wide for one of our talented book reviewers, Emilie Egger.
I don’t mean to complain, but just like everyone else, I have a lot of work to do.
I decided to try out for the columnist position because a lot of people told me I gave good advice. I figured if I could give good advice, then I could write a good advice column, open people up to ideas they might not have thought of before. After all, no one can think of everything.
Coming up with ideas was pretty hard because my subjects had to apply to almost everyone on campus. Writing for 18,000 people isn’t as easy as it looks. You have to think of every single situation that could be possible and then debate whether it’s really worth mentioning or not.
Let me tell you, it’s a lot easier to sit down with your friends and listen to their problems than give them detailed, personal advice.
Before I go, I have a few last pieces of advice. This Saturday is Cinco de Mayo, another one of those famous drinking holidays. Chances are you have midterms coming and, well, drinking too much can get you in massive trouble, so go easy on the margaritas, hombres.
Next week is Mother’s Day. It falls on a Sunday so go get your mom something nice and send it in the mail AHORA (now). It has to get there by Saturday at least. Don’t forget a nice card. You can make one yourself out of folded printer paper if you don’t want to dish out five bucks for a hallmark card.
Listen to people, you’ll learn a lot that way. Don’t forget to relax and talk to someone about your issues every once in awhile. Get seven to eight hours of sleep a night, eat a good breakfast and make sure to get some exercise in.
Oh, and thanks for reading.