Reflections in History Class

Russian History ... blah!


I'm sitting in Russian History class and I am amazingly bored. Like boredom that I have never ever experienced (except for the last class period, and the one before that, and the one before that ...). And sadly, the information could have been interesting. Well, interesting to a history major.

My professor is Dr. Mavies (names, as always, are changed to protect the innocent). This man is one of the most brilliant that I have ever met. During a presentation on gypsies I made in his Historical Methods class, he refuted nearly every piece of information I had. Apparently, everything I researched was wrong. And yet, he gave me a B.

So, since I had successfully avoided European History until my last semester, I figured I take Mavies in hopes of the B. Thus far, I have it. We've got one grade, and I managed an 85.9 (can anyone explain how I lost one-tenth of a point ... on an essay test??). But this "B" is costing me a little bit of my life, twice a week.

For being so brilliant, this man is not the best lecturer. He floats around topics and doesn't follow any outline or general direction. The chalkboard at the end of class is either completely blank or a jumbled mass of random Russian words and dates. And no one is quite sure which part of the lecture is important and might end up on the final.

I've talked to Mavies outside of class before to get information ont he paper that's due someday soon. It is here (and in class, too, if you can manage to stay awake) that you realize the man is one of the smartest you will ever meet. His ability to recall large amounts of information and somehow link it to events in some other civilization, or "not be an expert" on something you've researched but talk for 30 minutes on how he can see how you got that, "but no."

And here is where it occurs to me what a friend once said to me: "You can't be good at everything." Such a simplistic statement and one that everyone has heard. But, I've lost sight of that lately. I've always tried to be the best at everything I try. If I'm not, I just won't do it anymore. It's not the best policy, but it is one of self-protection: If I don't do something I'm not good at, no one can make fun or joke about it.

I have to remember that I can't win everything. I have to accept that some will be better than me at some stuff. I have to realize that I excel at things as well.

I'm awesome and you should consider yourself lucky to know me! :-) (cause I am lucky to know you)

And so goes the life ...

P.S. In response to a certain Millie's blog, I have killer calves. And word on the street is I've got a nice ass too.