I Am a Fucking Idiot.

I had planned to study on Wednesday night for a quiz in my Sociology class. During class on Tuesday, the prof had borrowed my textbook to lecture from - and when I left the classroom I forgot to get it back. When I realized this, I went to the library and checked out an older edition of the text so that I could study.

I stayed up well past my normal bedtime, going over the first three chapters of the text. I didn't feel completely prepared, but I thought I had done a fair job of covering the material.

When the quiz was handed out, I immediately realized that I was screwed. The first two chapters I had studied were on the types of Sociological thought and how they were shaped by historical events in various countries, and the third was on the works of Auguste Comte. The quiz, however was on the work of Hobbes, Locke, and Kant. I assumed that it must be because the version of the text I had (2nd edition) was significantly different from the version for the class (6th edition). I fumbled through the quiz, patching together what I could remember from philosophy classes that I took back in the 80s. It wasn't pretty.

Once the quiz was over and I had my own book back, I checked the chapters. There was no mention of Hobbes, Locke, or Kant. In fact, there was so little difference between the versions that I understand now why the library didn't fork out the $75 for the most recent edition.

Finally, I returned to the syllabus. There I discovered that the material covered by this quiz was not the first three chapters, but it was in fact the first three assignments. These were additional readings, available on line. Naturally, they were on Hobbes, Locke, and Kant.

I was so angry at myself that I could hardly speak. Even now, I so deeply wish there was someone else to be upset at that when I think of it my mouth becomes dry and it's all I can do to unclench my jaw.

I can cover the material that I missed for future testing.
I can still get a good grade in the class, despite these lost points.

However... I can't undo how idiotic this makes me look in the eyes of the instructor, and that is what is truly galling. Call it vanity, but I am unaccustomed to being the stupid kid in any class. Fuck I hate that feeling. I wish the next quiz would hurry up and get here so I can redeem myself.

15 comments:

Unknown said...

Three things:
A) You are not the stupid kid and this incident does not change that.
B)We all need a little humility tweak from the universe sometimes. They're like booster shots.
C) What were you doing studying when you could have been thinking about me dancing naked?!?!

Linus said...

A) Thank you.
B) I think I'm very well inoculated now...
C) How am I going to get ANY work done now?
:)

Mayren said...

it's a real bummer to come and check you out online and see you completely defame yourself with negativity.
You have never and will never be "the dumb guy"!!!!
EVER!
Ok.
I take it that you're upset that you received less than a perfect score on your quiz?
I can understand your perfectionist views on acedemia, but Linus - if not for falling, how would you learn to get up and walk and run again?
You already know you aced this class, now just let yourself catch up to that eventuality.
*huggles*

Linus said...

Thanks for the positive vibes. I mainly posted this rant because I was so frustrated with myself for not reading the syllabus more closely that I had to do something with all the angst. A day later, I am pretty much back to my cocky, overconfident, egomaniacal, messianically complected self.
;)

Flynn said...

Yeah, that sucks... Now about this dancing naked thing...

Linus said...

Yeah, about that...
I believe the only thing that would really lift my mood and get this whole botched quiz off my mind would be pictures - nay, VIDEO! of WNG dancing naked.

It's such a small thing to you G, yet it would bring such happiness to your favorite writer/artist duo...

;)

Unknown said...

Riiight... would this be the same favorite artist/writer duo who couldn't get me a free thong? And put some other fan's a** on the website??? I think not...

Linus said...

Hell hath no fury like a woman's ass.. um... unthonged?

Unknown said...

Damn straight!

Mayren said...

Ok guys.. i think it's time to pony up a Thong for Ms. G. aka Wild Thang. Until you do produce the Thong in question, i think everyone's fave and Excommunicating Duo are completely S. O. L..
Meaning no thong = no naked pics/video of G's dancing.
As "Wild Thang" aka WNG's Agent I of course get 10% of all profits, with feature length movie options in the future.

Linus said...

Ok... I believe my associate and I are willing to negotiate on this.
What size would this hypothetical thong be? Additionally, I would like to know more about the proposed nekkid video; duration, setting, soundtrack, frontal or not, etc.

Unknown said...

Size is small. As for the rest, I will have to talk over the setting, lighting and amount of nudity with my agent...oh and music selection, of course. I do beieve, in this instance that Mayren's fee should be a thong as well because, let's face it, 10% of a thong just wouldn't do her justice!

Linus said...

Mayren's fee is negotiable. As for music, I insist that there be no hip-hop of any kind - that's a deal-breaker for me...

Professor Noob said...

So...I hate to say "I told you so," but...no, wait, that's an effing lie. I TOLD YOU SO! I told you you'd get absolutely no sympathy. Know why? Because the rest of us (or at least me) pull that kind of shit on a weekly basis!
That being said, I'm glad to hear you're feeling better about it. You were kind of scaring me...mostly because you really, really, REALLY sounded JUST like my sister. Weird, very weird...
Oh, and I think the video should be done to classical music. Be different, no?

Becky

Levi said...

this whole thing reminds me of the american realism class we had together, when, by the end of the semester, i asked pete when the final was, and he said, quite sarcastically, "well levi, we have this wonderful thing called the syllabus, let's just check it out? oh yes, it says right here when the final is. how convenient!" i mean, it's nothing compared to your snafu, but getting shamed in any way isn't very much fun, ya know? i'm sure you'll wow them all with your vast knowledge soon. or you'll wow them with your vast wang. whichever gets the job done.

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