On Relaxing, and why it might be capitalized

A book I once read [specifically one of the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher] contained within its glossy pages some acerbic wit. However, I maintain that the storyline was the main draw: really. Regardless, in the course of some banter, a soldier exclaims that it is a soldier's sacred right to complain. This has stuck with me, and been transformed to the student's sacred right: after all, we may work just as hard as the so-called 'working' individual, but we are often viewed by adults as lazy, or if not lazy, at some inferior level.

Unfortunately, in that role as student, it is easy to become embroiled in the realm of competition, especially at the high school [college competition] or undergraduate [grad school competition] level. We are prone to seeing people as potential competitors, and to choosing our actions by virtue of what others around us might be doing, or not, as the case may be. Indeed, as we all define ourselves by looking to the sides, I believe we end up in one big line of people not looking where they're going, but that's content for another post.

Moving away from competition...in my own role as student, I rarely take vacations. Even during the so-called designated vacation times during the year, I am prone to working to catch up, as I suffer from a chronic lack of balance. Unfortunately, I am not a robot [much as I find the idea intriguing], and do need some rest. I take it in small doses over the year, but suffer a mini-cycle of burnouts: by the end of the academic year, I'm exhausted. The problem is therefore how to relax over the summer, so as to be recharged for the next one.

I've found this summer to be a great deal harder than last summer, by way of relaxation, for the simple reason that I have applied to college now, and must do so again. I remember that the contents of this summer will be laid out and dissected by the admissions officials, and my activities weighted against those of my friends. It is difficult then, to justify jogging and swimming and playing video games, when it will be used against me. Even my limited pursuits [read: teaching myself SQL and JDBC to round out my knowledge of the Java programming language], and holding a part time [read: 20-30 hours/week] programming job in Ruby seem to me lacking...I feel like I should be pursuing other things, and doing great stuff, like my classmates who are traveling the world, or my classmates who are enrolled at the Harvard Secondary School. And yet, my success over the school year depends on my ability to perform, and that ability depends on my restedness at the get-go. Especially given that next year will be at UMass Lowell -- an actual college, with hypothetically challenging classes.

Oh well - I strive for an optimistic attitude! I shall overcome. In the short term, that'll mean fixing my laptop [which has come down with a bad case of Oracle's SQL server >.> ] with more RAM, and an adjusted keyboard, and in the longer term, pursuing the sale of my product, Nebula.