It’s the most arduous time of the year

At about this time every year, I despair. I start to wonder how I am going to finish what seems to be a never-ending list of assignments and tasks. I start to wonder why I even came to this school; I must have a masochistic streak. The stress gets to me and I find myself resisting the urge to RSVP to a number of preposterous Facebook events (Dropping out of school to become a potato is a viable life decision, right? RIGHT??) To make matters worse, the rest of the world does not seem to have gotten my memo. Don't they know that I, along with all of UofT, am a big puddle of exam nerves? All I do is wake up, go to Robarts, go to class, return to Robarts, go home, and sleep! I am not feeling the Holiday cheer. Yet, everywhere I go, I hear sickeningly joyous holiday tunes, everything is pretty and sparkly and lit up, and there are tons of amazing events going on. Why is all of Toronto rubbing its holiday cheer in my face? I feel personally victimized by all this hollying and jollying and carrying on.
Pictured: My Christmas tree and some Christmas records
The cheer is even invading my own apartment!
I know what you're thinking; this girl is a classic Scrooge. You may be right. I'll have you know, however, that I have been trying to embrace the spirit of the season. Last night, I went to Christmas High Table at Trinity College. Despite my best protestations—"I have too much work to do," "I hate carolling," "I don't like cranberry sauce"—my roommates would not take no for an answer and they dragged me along.

Education at its best: Limnology in Algonquin Park and ornithology in the Caribbean

I had always thought that my dream job (naive as it may sound) would involve being on-site somewhere,  perhaps with my afternoons spent deep in the archives of a foreign library, scrolling over the brittle vellum of a medieval manuscript;…