Don't Go without the Jo

I have been such an idiot today. It's been one of those days that starts out kinda' down and then only gets worse. I was going to go to campus a bit earlier today, to talk to one of my professors about grad school and one of the classes I'm taking. This means that I have to get up early so I can catch the 7:30am bus to get to campus by 8:30.

I of course over sleep while my wife is out walking with our neighbor. My oldest daughter wakes me up at 7:18. (I know it's sad that my daughter is up before me, but, hey I tend to be a night owl. Honestly so does she, so I'm not sure what she was doing awake that early anyway.) So it's one of those running around with my head cut off mornings. When I get to campus to talk to my professor, I realize that I've left everything that I wanted to talk to him about at home. AAARRGGHH!

Oh well, I think, I can call my wife to get the syllabus so I can get a book I need for a report in that class from the great OSU Library. I must say that the OSU library is really quite good. Only a few times have I not been able to find what I needed there. Usually when I have problems I'm looking for the English translation of an article written in German and they have the German article and the Hebrew article, but not the English. But today, I'm looking for a text that was written in English, they should have it right? Wrong! I think, well maybe I can get it on Amazon or something. I sure can, if I want to pay $227.05. $227.05! That is not a typo! See!

Scratch that idea. I try to order it from an inter-library loan, but I really need it earlier than they can get it to me and I can only get it for 28 days. It occurs to me that there are several seminaries in the great town of Columbus, OH that just might carry this book. I look them up and viola! I can get it tonight and renew as often as I need it. Slight problem, though, I owe them $10 because I'm a slacker in returning things...the price I pay for convenience!

Now I'm nearly late for my 9:30 class. Yes, I spent a whole hour trying to find this book and now I've missed the office hours with my Rabbinics professor and I'm late for my class on the Prophets. Actually, I get to the Prophets class right on time. But everytime I get called on to answer a question, I totally cannot remember a darn thing! And this is an undergraduate course being taught by the man who will determine if I get to teach these courses next year in graduate school. Not looking good.

Bell rings, and I'm off to Greek! It's all good, I did the homework on the bus this morning, I'm feeling good about everything we've covered. I volunteer to do the first translation.... And then I get The Face. The Face says your close, but wrong (at least it wasn't the Where-The-Heck-Did-You-Get-That-From Face; which is the face I got in the previous class.) The short of it is that I got close to the right translation for all of the sentences but not exactly. Good enough for now.

Bell rings, off to Hebrew! This is taught by the same professor from this morning's Prophets class. At least here, I get some things right, but mostly....I'm strugling. I can't even remember that it was Titus who sacked Jerusalem in 70 CE (ala the Arch of Titus; basic 101 of Jewish History here) no...I say Timothy. Close, you know Titus is also a name of a book in the New Testament like Timothy, but close doesn't count here. This is a Graduate level course. I suck...

Bell rings...who cares? I go to work. I'm thinking to myself...what the heck is wrong with me today? Suddenly, I remember...dude, you got up way freakin' early and you didn't have time to get any coffee all day! I walk to work make a fresh pot of coffee (which I am currently sipping delightedly), and I am now reflecting on the deep, deep connection that has just occured to me:

If you have to choose between being late and drinking coffee or being on time and being idiot....my friend, drink the coffee.