Is it just me, or does it seem like midterms always come at a bad time? Take this past week, for example. How is a kid supposed to spend the weekend studying when it also happens to be NBA All-Star Weekend?
Don't get me wrong. I'm trying to get all midterms cancelled. If that is the eventual result of this powerful column, I would understand.
All I'm asking for is a little more prudence in the scheduling. Forcing a student to choose between NBA All-Star Weekend and studying just isn't fair. Do you realize how hard it is to pass up the Friday night celebrity game featuring luminaries like teen dreamboat Ryan Cabrera and \Blind Date"" host Roger Lodge?
But alas, it was books over basketball for me last weekend. That's what happens when you don't start your online nutrition lectures until the week before the exam. Don't feel bad for me, though. I'm too resilient to let a little midterm salt my game.
Thanks to the miracle of wireless Internet, my friends and family kept me up to date the whole time. With the help of AOL Instant Messenger, my little brother Sam and my friends Bill and Kimmel kept me abreast of all the All-Star festivities. From the celebrity game to the dunk contest, they had me covered.
Without question, the best report of the weekend came from Sam. On Sunday night, he came online to report he was watching the halftime show, which featured, among other things, a 6'5' Spanish-speaking rapper wearing a cowboy hat and a midget on crutches. Never in my life have I wished more for one of those little portable TVs.
Between Sam, Bill and Kimmel's newsbreaks, I actually probably spent more of my weekend chatting online about the All-Star festivities than I did studying.
Here's a little sample of the depth we reached with these online conversations. This came shortly after Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash won the Saturday skills competition.
Bill: Steve Nash is a hologram. He isn't real.
Me: Huh? What does that even mean?
Bill: Aren't you watching the skills competition?
Me: No, I'm studying ... You know, I used to have hair like Steve Nash.
Bill: Really? I can't see Joe with Steve Nash hair.
Me: Well, in all honesty, I'm a little surprised how well Steve Nash looks with Joe hair.
This sort of thing went on for much of Saturday night and started again Sunday. So you can probably imagine that I didn't get much work done. Did I ever consider turning off my computer? No way. Because as much fun as it is to watch the All-Star weekend, it may be even better to live it vicariously through the Internet.
As for the nutrition midterm, well, I got a B. Not bad considering the circumstances, but I can't help but think it would be higher if I'd spent less time talking about T-Mac and more time learning about the nutritional value of mac 'n' cheese.
Joe is a sophomore majoring in journalism. He can be reached at jphasler@wisc.edu.
