finals: from good to great to bad to worse

So it's final's week. The week the previous semester has allegedly prepared you for. And you are probably feeling like me right now: COMPlETlELY AND oVERlY oveRWhELmEDD.

But that's okay, because here is a story of how my finals week went via gif-meme-storytime.


FINALS WEEK:

During the week before Thanksgiving break, you look ahead at your life and laugh. All that finals stuff is so far away.









During thanksgiving break, you laugh in the face of homework.







But then, on the Sunday before classes start, you look at Blackboard.









So. Much. Homework. "Okay, no big deal. I can do this."

















2am Monday morning:





















Monday morning, you walk into class like








And your English professor asks if you want to take the test in class, and you're like










But then you figure out your science professor has decided to do the test online, and you're all











But then you get the assignment sheet for your poetry class and it calls for six pages and six poem analyses and it's like











But you're still determined to do well.











You're trying to get your group presentation together and you're partners aren't answering their emails, so you just











But you still nail that presentation, thanks in no small part to yourself.












You finally finish the last week of classes and head home for a weekend full of homework, but you're still pretty optimistic because you only have to go to campus once next week.











But then you check your email on Friday and your English professor has finally sent out the final assignment, and you see it's still due Tuesday of finals week.










And then you look at the four essay prompts and realize you have never seen these topics before in your life.












Suddenly, your entire easy week of finals is in flames.












You throw yourself into homework and books and internet searches in an attempt to get ahead of things.









And then you realize that 'tis all in vain. Finals are swallowing you.










In denial, you studiously work away...









Until you finally have a breakdown.







There is no saving you.









You walk around on campus looking at your friends like








And they look just as traumatized as you.










Eventually, you get to the point where nothing matters. What do you care if you don't graduate?








But you still lie awake at night like

Teacher: "How dare you plagiarize?"













You start lashing out at your family in frustration.




















Your siblings know you're going through finals, yet they still ask if you want to go see a movie.









But you go anyway, crying the whole time about how badly you're procrastinating.












Kinda like I am right now.















Yeah, that's right. Blogception.






Bye.

New Look & News

I promised a post on writing "risky" topics like racism, genocide, substance abuse, etc. via Twitter, and I will not disappoint you, faithful readers. However, I thought it best to explain the new look (and why I haven't been present in the past month).

A new look was promised in October via Twitter, but I did not deliver...so now, I present to you the new and updated INKSPOT. Inkspot is now a fully functional artsy-looking blog with it's own hashtag (#inkspot) and even a fancy new FAQs and EDITING page set up on the top taps bar. I changed up the design of the blog in an attempt to make it look more clean-cut and professional without being too girly (ahem the pink of the last design) or too amateur (ahem the pink of the last design). It took a few hours to finish the look; I even tried downloading fancy blogger templates, but obviously that didn't work out too well. I was forced to design it based on my limited technical abilities and the extremely small gallery of blogger templates/fonts/colors/designs. I'm pretty happy with the result.

With a new look comes a new focus, and that focus is simply re-stating the previously developed purpose of this blog--to provide fun, insightful, unique, and quality informational posts on all things writing. Based on some of the comments I've received over the years, I've learned how to hone the strengths of this blog to create something my readers have referred to as "non-preachy" and "relatable"--which I think are awesome words to describe what I'm trying to do. My purpose is to provide thoughtful help and tips with a fun twist, not to preach to the masses and demand to be respected. We're all in this writing adventure together, and I'm positive I have as much to learn from you as you have to learn from me.

That being said, welcome to Inkspot. Thanks for hanging with me for these three years. I hope you plan to stay a little longer, because there are some fun things up ahead!

Sneak Peek into the Future:

• Post on including risky topics like racism, genocide, addiction, abuse, mental illness, etc. even in your fantasy/sci-fi/non-modern-based novels
• Post on appreciating movies separately from their books
• Writing contests, polls, prompt games, and more
• New editing offer--send your stuff to me to get edited! (see EDITING page)
• New FAQs page
• Posting more of my own writing--including poems and excerpts
• Posting more of YOUR writing--via contests and prompt games

It's gonna be a fun year, ya'll.

Until next time!

~Ana

Ana has Joined the Twitter

Behold, I have joined the Twitter. Yet another social networking platform has been invaded by my insanity.

But there's just one problem...

I CANT FIND ANYONE ON THERE!!!

Where are you guys?!?!??!

YOU HAVE TO COME FOLLOW ME SO I CAN HAVE FRIENDS!!!

My username is @anacrossbooks so come find me so I can find all you lovely peoples. Follow backs are promised, I just want some more awesome people I can follow. :)

I promise a real post will come very very soon. Until then...

SIANARA, SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG.

I Apologize for Everything

So here's the potato.

My computer has thus far been a drift in the sheltered harbor of my patience. However, recent events have forced me and m
y computer into a great and terrible quest to end each other's lives.

In short, my computer is mean.

Ever since I don't even know when, the day I upgraded my Mac from Snow Leopard or whatever cat-themed operating system was popular at the time to Maverick, my computer has been naught but a raging hell beast.

At first, it was just really slow. I was like, "Aw, how cute, my three year old computer thinks it's old haha." Then, suddenly and without warning of any kind, without necessary preparation from myself, my internet died.

"Oh," you're probably saying. "That's not a problem. That's your wifi." I'm here to tell you no, my friend. Just no. My computer, as far as I can tell, is connecting to my wifi just fine, as is my family's devices and even my own non-computer internet doodads. However, does the internet actually work on my computer? If it was I wouldn't be painstakingly typing this post out on my sticky-screened iPad. (Apparently my little brother ate a poptart and then decided that was a good moment to take a thousand pictures of nothing with it.)

My computer is showing all signs of being connected to the Internet. Five bars, green lights and all. But does it connect on safari? Can I Skype my friends? Do any of my incredibly important emails come through? I think you already know the answer to these questions.

I've tried to fix it. My computer competent brother has looked at it numerous times. I've tried virus checks and wifi settings and all the advanced coding that goes into fixing computers. I even broken-heartedly wiped my entire hard drive, deleted all my backups, and started from scratch. That worked for about a month before my computer returned to its former state.

I honestly couldn't tell you what happened to my laptop. It's a three year old Mac. In all reasoning it should be in perfect shape. But alas, the terrors of outdatedness have probably grabbed hold of it for the worse.

So, I have a system. I have a little USB drive thingy that I use to switch files between devices. It's painstaking but it works. However it really stinks to have to go on my little brothers computer to attach documents to emails and stuff.

I could use this giant post as my excuse for not posting anything for years. But that would be irresponsible. I know I am lazy. You know I am lazy. The muffin man knows I am lazy. So let's all just be lazy together.

Now I must fill out an invoice on the slowest desktop computer in the universe. Excuse me.