Letters & Opinion
A Woman’s Intuition: It’s the final countdown!!
The Pointer
ssuch489@uwsp.edu
After working at a newspaper for a while, you start to think of your life as a sea of never-ending deadlines. In academia they like the phrase “due date.” Not to discredit the phrase, but “deadline,” the word used in the world of newspapers, is much scarier. It has the word “dead” in it, for goodness sake! It carries with it the subtle implication that if you don’t get this done, you’re going to die and that’s it. If you don’t meet the deadline, you will die a slow horrible death of shame and dishonor. Okay, maybe it’s not that bad. But it’s awfully close.
It dawned on me last night as I was writing down all the deadlines I have to meet before I can graduate, that after May 18 I don’t have any deadlines. It’s a strange realization to have after living the last four years of my life in a constant blur of activity and deadlines. The idea of not being busy for a while simply baffles me.
I’m sure that my feelings are nothing new. Everyone feels a little discombobulated after graduation with the sudden influx of free time before that first job. And if it isn’t free time, it’s adjusting to a life outside of academia. If you’re going to grad school…well, I guess you’re a special breed. Most of us need a break from the deadlines and due dates at least in the academic sense.
I’m looking at my battered and worn planner that I so reluctantly bought at the beginning of the year with a sense of dread. I remembered wondering to myself if I had it in me to finish one more year. I can see May 18; it’s right there. There’s a hell of a lot to do between now and then, and I feel that I’ve been living under a rock for the last couple weeks, but nevertheless, it’s right there staring at me. And you know what, I’m so freaking excited I can’t stand it! After spending my entire life in school, I can’t wait to have a degree in my hand and the world before me.
So that’s it; I’m out of here! The University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point has been a pretty spectacular place. Good people, good town, good bars and good times. I am leaving this publication in the very capable hands of Ms. Katie Leb. She has been our fantastic news editor this year and was the co-editor of the Pointlife section the year before that. She is an outstanding journalist and an outstanding person. Be nice to her, or I’ll come back and yell at you.
You all-those of you that will be here, that is-also have the brand spankin’ new Pointer Online to look forward to. We just launched it a few weeks ago, and let me tell you, the sky is the limit for how amazing we can make this site. And on that note, if you are tech savvy or interested in Web design, we’ll be looking for a Web weaver to guide our lovely site into greatness. In the mean time, check it out at http://pointeronline.uwsp.edu. It’s pretty darn cool.
Well, I’ve just about overstayed my welcome and I’m running out of things to say and space in which to say them. Thank you all for a wonderful year of covering student news and events; we would feel pretty stupid if we didn’t have you out there to write about. For those returning, hang in there and for those graduating, congratulations and good luck. Remember to always be kind and true.
See previous issuses of the PointerOnline!