I'm taking a class this semester for my teaching recertification - I never intend to return to the classroom, but having a feasible fallback plan is essential to my peace of mind. Once renewed, my teaching certificate will be good for another five years and I figure in that amount of time surely I'll have figured out what I want to do with my life. Um, right.

Anyway, we are supposed to keep a reflective journal each week, which we turn in midway through the semester, and again at the end. Midway through the semester is this Thursday. We should have six journals to hand in this Thursday.

I have....none. So far. Well, I sorta started one a few minutes ago, right before switching over to this post. Priorities, people.

The thing is, with most school stuff I'm not a procrastinator. In college I studied days in advance of a test. And I would start a paper two weeks before the due date, writing multiple rough drafts and editing like only an OCD perfectionist can, and then giving myself several days to step away from it before returning to tweak the final draft.

But with reflective journals (which are quite popular in education programs), I have always waited until the last minute. Because they seem so easy. I mean, an assignment to critically analyze a work of literature is intimidating; it requires time to be properly polished. But a reflective journal? Pfft, I think. It's a journal. One in which I reflect. Page here, page there. Piece of cake.

Except when you wait until the last minute to write your six reflective journals, suddenly you have 6-12 pages of content to create. On multiple topics. Topics you can't even freaking remember because those classes were weeks ago.

Still, how bad can it be? I mean, you're a smart person. You have thoughts. You reflect. And you write well, so 6-12 pages shouldn't take more than....what? Two hours, maybe? And this is only Tuesday night, after all. Thursday is, like, so far away. There is plenty of time to read blogs and catch up on email and watch tv. Tomorrow evening you can write the journals. Right after you pick up the car from the mechanic and bake scones for the bread share and call your best friend. Seriously, the time? You are luxuriating in it.

Well then. I think maybe I'll turn in early tonight.