BWW BLOG: How I Intend to Survive my Sophomore Year at OCU: A Proposition to the Gods of Karma

Jess here. So here I am, the first day of my sophomore year at Oklahoma City University. I, quite literally, have not been this excited for school to start in a WHILE, and I know exactly why: I am a workaholic. I kid you not. I am working four jobs this semester, in addition to taking 18 credit hours. But don't fear. I believe I have a (semi) functional idea as to how I'm going to manage the weight of it all, depending on how bad karma wants to treat me this year.

First, an explanation for my madness. My issue is that when I'm not busy I tend to get...impulsive. I'm referring to the second piercings I got in my ears this summer and the numerous haircuts I've given myself in between classes (sorry mom). But then it dawned on me; if I need to be busy, then why not find a way to be busy ALL THE TIME? So that's what I did. And that's why I'm working four jobs. And taking 18 hours. And starting my minor. And planning for when I'm an old, wealthy Broadway producer.

I'm not exactly sure WHY I inflicted this life of suffering upon myself, but I can only trace it back to my roots. I was raised in a household where hard work was the only work. But don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining at all, in fact, this ethic is the reason why, deep down, I'm a 40-year-old man (with the grey hairs to prove it). However, never in my life have I had THIS many tasks to juggle on a daily basis. So here's my obligatory blog post to try and prove to some hypothetical higher power that I, Jessica Claire Vanek, should not be burned at the stake, but rather, rewarded for trying to manage the workload of three fully grown dairy cows.

This past semester I had two obligations that truly inspired me to do my best: music and writing. Practicing music is one of my favorite things to do. Having a brand new song to perfect is an agonizing battle that I willingly volunteer for time and again, and will continue to do until the day I end up in a retirement community (preferably the new Margaritaville themed one that Jimmy Buffett just announced).

Practicing grants me the luxury of being able to go into a rehearsal room for like three hours and do nothing more than sing every song I know, because, WOW, I JUST LOVE TO PRACTICE! ISN'T IT GREAT?! And the under rated bonus is that it's SO DISTRACTING FROM ALL OF THE HORRIBLE RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD! So, I'll sing for hours on end and then be like, "Huh. I wonder why I just want to sleep for two days, but OOPS, I have to go to work." I'm not saying that practicing a lot is bad. But I AM saying that singing every song that pops into your head does NOT equal efficient, or effective practice. Learning that lesson was tough, yet invaluable. Sitting in a practice room for decades and just kind of vocally putzing around wasn't actually helping me. At all. And neither was my job. I needed to reboot and this reality was what led me to the weird idea that maybe having less time is better.

Although I do love practicing, actual paid employment is a requirement in my world. I was working a job from 3-11 pm every weekend, but it was in no way challenging me as a human, or as an artist, or even as a grumpy old man. So I changed gears. Re-evaluating the way I was spending my non-academic time inspired me to search for something a bit more meaningful. As a general rule I can't stand still, so I ultimately decided that I should seek out some type of distraction with benefits. Conquering my initial urge to get my belly button pierced, I began soul searching. Looking for weaknesses I could strengthen seemed like a good place to start AND since I'm a starving college student with a love of money, it was obvious that including something financially lucrative might just be the key to achieving the best of both worlds. So in the end, picking up four jobs to cover all my bases offered the perfect solution.

For motivation, I sought out things that could potentially make me a better "people person." I am, as I can best describe it, an extrovert with a social battery, but I'm also severely socially stunted. In order to make sense of my conflicted psyche, I found jobs that forced me to step out of my comfort zone and directly interact with the two kinds of people I tend to dislike the most: customers and kids. I don't like customers and I don't like kids. But you know who does like customers and/or kids? EVERY SUCCESSFUL ADULT OUT THERE. Or at least they're awfully good at acting like they do. And I'm in no way saying that ALL customers and ALL kids upset me. But. You know. I'm a Virgo.

So determined to face my fears, I found work in a food service job that I love more than ANYTHING in the world, and I also found employment as a, get this, REAL. LIVE. PRINCESS. That's right y'all. I'm a princess for children's birthday parties. What followed was a shocking realization: pushing myself to do things that I don't like has actually (*gasp*) forced-me-to-grow-and-develop-as-a-human being. PLUS I GET PAID TO DO IT! This truly is a mind-blowing concept.

So when I'm not practicing, or dealing with customers, or leading a double life as a princess, I fill my time with my other two jobs, both of which involve writing. I use writing as a creative outlet. Not only does it intellectually challenge me, it also encourages research and participation in activities that I may not have come across on my own. Being a columnist for my school's student paper AND picking up my new fall job as an essay editor are employment opportunities that I can't WAIT to get started on, especially since they align perfectly with my new minor in Mass Communications.

Although my main downfall as a workaholic seems to be that I honestly can't tell when I'm exhausted, with time (hopefully) I'll figure it out. Just think, a packed schedule with deadlines and quotas might push me to function like a semi-adult AND force me to learn effective time management skills. That way I'll be able to focus on efficient practice and successfully create a realistic balance of work, play and academics, all the while keeping a pained smile on my face.

SO TO RECAP:

I will survive; maybe even thrive this year by:

1. Earning money doing honest work

2. Doing a lot of work

3. Forcing myself to be more open

4. Utilizing efficient practice techniques rather than strenuous practice techniques

5. Keeping a concrete schedule

6. Sacrificing a lamb to the Gods of Karma and hoping they won't destroy me this year.

So that's what I'm testing out this semester.

"A vision's just a vision if it's only in your head. If no one gets to see it, it's as good as dead. It has to come to light!" -Stephen Sondheim

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