WINTER CHALLENGE
six weeks. six books. twenty dollars.
the challenge
it happened upon a fall night at the university cafeteria:
me: "i'm going to read all the novels before next semester."
dear friend chris munekawa: "no you're not."
me: "yes i am."
chris: "no you're not. (a bunch of stuff about how long those books are)."
me: "i'll bet you twenty bucks i will."
chris: "alright." (handshake). "i just made twenty bucks."
something to that effect.
now i don't entirely think gambling is a good way to spend your time or structure your life. so i'm not condoning this as a means to make a living, but as an effective incentive for me to get ahead on my studies this semester. it's just like parents giving out a sum of money for every "A" their kid makes (this never happened in my house, but i was particularly jealous of the kids in whose homes it did), except it's sealed by a handshake. twenty dollars are going to change hands no matter what the outcome, so they might as well come my way.
the books
the "novels" are the reading list for our class next semester, YMDT 325 Nineteenth Century Thought, the sixth leg of our eight-semester general ed honors program.
1. Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice (405 pages)
2. Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre (521 pages)
3. Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights (406 pages)
4. Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities (390 pages)
5. Fyodor Dostoevsky - The Brothers Karamazov (776 pages)
6. Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina (807 pages. holeeeeee crap)
i've never Pride and Prejudice or Wuthering Heights (yes, i'm still a female). i read Jane Eyre and A Tale of Two Cities in high school, but it's okay, i don't remember any of them; also the sort of class this is doesn't allow for skimming. so it's ON.
the reasons
a. getting to look forward to a relaxing semester, knowing i won't have to cram ten zillion hours of reading in every week but that i already have them done (this is a sort of Christmas gift to myself).
b. obviously, twenty dollars.
the catches
there's two small things standing in the way:
a. family, friends, and festivities
b. a three week trip to Spain in January (i am really counting on the airplane rides for most of this reading)
c. a TRUCKLOAD of pages (3305 to be exact OHHHHMan that's like reading Infinite Jest three times. God help me).
i am really not sure i can do it. but i'm going to try. it will require many many gallons of peets coffee.
i will keep you updated on my progress.
cheers! happy holidays!
the challenge
it happened upon a fall night at the university cafeteria:
me: "i'm going to read all the novels before next semester."
dear friend chris munekawa: "no you're not."
me: "yes i am."
chris: "no you're not. (a bunch of stuff about how long those books are)."
me: "i'll bet you twenty bucks i will."
chris: "alright." (handshake). "i just made twenty bucks."
something to that effect.
now i don't entirely think gambling is a good way to spend your time or structure your life. so i'm not condoning this as a means to make a living, but as an effective incentive for me to get ahead on my studies this semester. it's just like parents giving out a sum of money for every "A" their kid makes (this never happened in my house, but i was particularly jealous of the kids in whose homes it did), except it's sealed by a handshake. twenty dollars are going to change hands no matter what the outcome, so they might as well come my way.
the books
the "novels" are the reading list for our class next semester, YMDT 325 Nineteenth Century Thought, the sixth leg of our eight-semester general ed honors program.
1. Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice (405 pages)
2. Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre (521 pages)
3. Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights (406 pages)
4. Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities (390 pages)
5. Fyodor Dostoevsky - The Brothers Karamazov (776 pages)
6. Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina (807 pages. holeeeeee crap)
i've never Pride and Prejudice or Wuthering Heights (yes, i'm still a female). i read Jane Eyre and A Tale of Two Cities in high school, but it's okay, i don't remember any of them; also the sort of class this is doesn't allow for skimming. so it's ON.
the reasons
a. getting to look forward to a relaxing semester, knowing i won't have to cram ten zillion hours of reading in every week but that i already have them done (this is a sort of Christmas gift to myself).
b. obviously, twenty dollars.
the catches
there's two small things standing in the way:
a. family, friends, and festivities
b. a three week trip to Spain in January (i am really counting on the airplane rides for most of this reading)
c. a TRUCKLOAD of pages (3305 to be exact OHHHHMan that's like reading Infinite Jest three times. God help me).
i am really not sure i can do it. but i'm going to try. it will require many many gallons of peets coffee.
i will keep you updated on my progress.
cheers! happy holidays!
Comments
Keep us updated on progress!! :D
$5 to buy myself a bread bowl at Panera
$6 to pay off Biola debt
$2 into mutual funds investments
$2 to Tithing
That is how I plan to spend my $20.