Maybe these cat photos will cheer you up this finals week!

I'll admit it: finals week is getting to me. I've been spending hours watching videos on the Big Cat Rescue Youtube channel. I think my favorite one is where they play with Christmas trees and presents (seasonal!). It's not that any of my finals are particularly difficult (except my philosophy final but we're gonna pretend that doesn't exist for now). It's just that I've gotten lazy and tired and done with finals.

I mean, I only have one paper and two in class finals to go. So I shouldn't be complaining. I'm more than halfway through (3 papers down; 2 finals down; 2 classes totally completed). I just have an overwhelming desire to sleep and watch New Girl all the time now. I keep dreaming of my study abroad in Italy (just 2 weeks away!!). Right now I look like my cat Smokey who doesn't want to deal with responsibilities:

Mostly, I'm having writer's block for my last paper. I don't know how it happens, but each and every time that I have writer's block, I always end up miraculously pulling through with a paper, even when I've resigned myself to failure of the course because I won't hand in a final paper. Maybe my brain works best on adrenaline, short notice, and lack of sleep. A perfect combination for genius.

All I keep telling myself is to keep on keeping on and it'll get better in a couple of days. I find that a good way to think of finals (or presentations, or papers) is as a brief period of time in your life. Let's say you're super worried about your final exam. The way I like to think of it is that in two hours, this will all be over. I try to think of the future, past that exam or paper, either to right after the exam or a day after the exam. It keeps me from having tunnel vision about assignments. It's really easy to fall prey to the idea that this exam or paper is so important that it will stop time altogether. This is one of many exams or papers you will write. It's easy to fix a date in your mind, but life will continue after that date. Life will go on after you hand in your paper. It's just another day.

So I'll tell myself now: in 4 days, you will be done with all this craziness, on a train home to see your family and cats. You will be relaxed and happy and done with finals. And it will all be over. And you will be so close to going to Italy. And you will look like this:

Photos courtesy of my obsessive need to take pictures of my cats every single time I think they are doing something cute, which *hint* is always. Hopefully these cat photos will cheer someone up this finals week.