If there’s one thing that has stayed constant throughout all my years of school, it’s my ability to turn in an assignment one minute before it is due. After all, there’s nothing like the inevitable march of time that causes everything besides the assignment to become fascinating. In the hours leading up to deadlines, I have explored practically everything, so I figured for my final article, I would cover some of my pre-submission activities.
Right now it’s 8:32 p.m. on the day this article is due, which means I have around three hours and 30 minutes. Here I go!
Video essays
I think my YouTube algorithm has it out for me. Why does it always seem to recommend the most interesting hour-long video essays the night I have a project or paper due? My favorite videos were about a man who faked the discovery of an element and a video detailing the mystery of Jack the Ripper. At this point, I’ve watched a video essay on more topics than I can come up with myself.
Learning how to upgrade instant noodles
I consider myself to be an instant noodle connoisseur. It’s the only thing I can cook (I’m working on it) and shrimp-flavored Maruchan cup noodles have always accompanied me throughout all parts of my life. However, in high school, my go-to instant noodles on deadline nights has always been the Carbonara Buldak. I’ve tried many a hack to upgrade the noodles, from incorporating mayo to the sauce to adding a chili oil fried egg.
FNAF lore
I’m going to be upfront here, I’ve never played a single Five Nights at Freddy’s game or watched a single FNAF movie but what I have done is watch every single Game Theory video about the franchise (thank you MatPat). To be honest, the storyline is so convoluted I still don’t know what’s happening exactly but I’ll get there someday.
Deep philosophical phone calls
Would you pull a lever to divert a trolley, killing one person to save five? What started as a late-night interest in a famous ethical dilemma turned into a deep dive into the field of philosophy, extending to other topics such as normative ethical theories and moral luck. I sincerely apologize to all my friends who picked up my calls expecting a regular conversation before getting roped into a multi-hour discussion about life’s burning questions.
In my four years at Northwood, I have yet to turn in an assignment more than a day early. However, what I have done is dive down more rabbit holes than I can count, coming out the other side having learned things I never expected to learn. And when I look back on my high school experience, it’s not the individual assignments that I remember, but rather these small journeys I’ve embarked upon before completing them.
