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Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Unleashing my inner "Brunette"

I am a natural blonde.

Meaning, I was born blonde, had light blonde hair until I was 12 and even now my natural color is that ashy, blah color - still blonde though but dull as dishwater. Of course, the hair color I have now is fake but I am truly a blonde genetically, if not at heart.

Apparently though, I am also a brunette. Being a blonde you get to be the brunt of all the blonde stereotypes, ei; you are flaky, dumb, stupid, an airhead etc. Brunettes are always seen as the smarter, reponsible, dependable types.

I fight the blonde stereotype all the time. Maybe because I have an impish face, or that I am of short stature or that I have curves. But people LOVE to assume I am an idiot.

I know, of course, I am not an idiot. Yes, I can be a major flake at times but that is due to just not paying attention. I also forget a lot of things (but surprisingly, remember the random or significant, personal stuff). I do know I am smart, I have a lot of knowledge of odd things that I like to unleash on people - I used to impress my last boyfriend with this all the time. Maybe it's because I used to read all the World Book Encyclopedias from front to back when I was a wee lass.

Anyhoo, lots of people in university and high school thought I was setting myself up for failure by doing things at the last minute. Here we have a blonde who also slacks off and doesn't get anything done until a deadline is breathing down her neck. Didn't look like a very smart equation to some.

Now you all know I love to do things at the last minute because it is the only way to get things done. I have been given half lectures on, "maybe your work would be better if you didn't do things at the last minute" - but you know what, I don't have to do better work. Sure, if I spent the time, maybe I would have gotten an A in International Media or I could do it with minimal effort at the last minute and get a B. I tend to pick the latter. I'm lazy.

So, as you know, I felt some "procrastinator's revenge" when I completed my Early Modern European History course.

I asked for one extension and never used it.

I finished a 5-month course in 5 days. A HISTORY course, to boot. While working full-time, no less.

During those 5 days I read 4 dry history text books, sheets of notes and excerpts, and wrote 3 essays. Oh, and a three-hour exam.

It. Was. Brutal.

I swore that I would never do anything last minute again and I sat in worry, wondering how badly I botched the whole course.

"As long as I pass, as long as I pass," I kept muttering it over and over like a mad woman.

Then yesterday I got my mark in the mail....

.......
....

I got an A.

Like I said before, if God wants me to stop doing things at the last minute, he really, really should stop rewarding me like this.

19 comments:

Neily said...

When I have a essay/assignment/test coming up my house is the cleanest house you'll ever see. I hunt down and clean every nook and cranny to avoid my study.
My ex gf would love it when I had an essay due b/c that meant the house would be spotless!

Mummerina said...

I am exactly the same...leave things til the last minuet and they get done better than if you did something a few weeks before its due...because than we start to analyze it...

Indiana said...

2500 words, 20 references, what ddo you do...easy: pull an all-nighter and still get a GPA over 3.5...~lol~ who said school was hard?

WiscoBlonde said...

Dear, you should hang out with my Romanian. You seem to have the same philosophy when it comes to school. It kills me how he can leave things until the last minute and then do them brilliantly!

P.S. - It's one of my life goals to defy stereotypes - in 10 years, I'll be done with med school and be an established surgeon. Walking around seeing patients in chic suits and killer heels no doubt!

Sean said...

i've gotta say. i don't have the stamina to procrastinate like i used to...

The Stormin Mormon said...

I am the same way when it comes to most things, except school which I do in reverse. A college prof once made the mistake of giving out the entire quarter's synopsis, complete with every days assignment and reading.

I was finished with the entire class work load in a week and a half, and spent the rest of the quarter using the class time as a lunch break. Fuck calculus...

BecsLifeOnline said...

I'm also a true procrastinator, and just today I changed my course from full-time to part-time because I thought I had left it too late to complete. Maybe I should have read this post first! :-)

surfercam said...

Apparently you can tell a woman's natural hair colour by the colour of her eyebrows (which apparently are the same the colour as "downstairs")

Todd said...

Procrastination + Internet access = Blogging!

brandy said...

Wow! Good for you! I'm the same way. I wait to the last minute, and I always do well. The times I plan out time, color code my notes, make pie charts and index study cards... I bomb. I agree, the big G does need to stop rewarding this behavior. It's like giving shoplifters free shoes when they get caught!

Steph said...

Amen Sista! I too am, or was, a natural blonde, I've gone that awful mousey, ashey blonde now, so yeah, it comes out of a bottle.

I love that people think I'm stupid. It gives me the upper hand when I crush them like ants. Muahahahaha!

Unknown said...

Honors students are not smarter than other students, they are just better bullshitters. Add in a great procrastinator and BOOM! Its a winning combination.

I hate that people think blondes are more stupid. Ugh. Like you though, mine is bottled now. Sucks.

Rosanna said...

Woohoo! Congratulations.

I'm a blonde too, and short.

But my hair is also 'light brown' when I want it to be, or more to the point - when I am the brunt of blonde jokes.

Cupcake Blonde said...

Wow, you are an inspiration to all of us who procrstinate at everything. But I work best under pressure.

Wanderlusting said...

To All - I am procrastinating on replying ti your comments. I may or may not get on it shortly...

To Sufercam - Apparently? You mean you haven't checked?

surfercam said...

Umm, yes I'm pretty sure its true....

Susanne said...

Yay for smart blondies! Congrats on the A.

Cupcake Blonde said...

Hey, I tagged you for a restaurant meme to pick the top five restaurant in your area that you love to go to. Read my post for all the details.

http://lifevegasstyle.blogspot.com/2007/05/food-my-favorite-thing.html

Melissa said...

Lol I just wrote my marketing groups 25 page report in three days. I am a chronic procrastinator by nature and I do not have the blonde hair to blame! (If only).

On the note of stereotypes - I can't say I've ever been discriminated against for my hair colour (I'm a straight brunette), but I do often get pinned for being dumber than I look. The reason? I have a very self-deprecating sense of humour. I don't take myself too seriously, and as a result some (not all) people refuse to take me seriously at all.

I've noticed it's especially so with the rougher, no bullshit types. There's a girl at my work who swears I'm a moron. I'm pretty sure she's under the impression I got into uni on a mental disability grant. I think if she read some of the stuff on my blog she'd try and have me sued for plagiarism.

All because I walk in and give her a cheeky grin and start chatting about Angelina and Brad, and then share an anecdote about how I got dressed in the dark that morning and that's why I'm wearing brown socks with black shoes.

It's funny how much people base nearly their entire image of you on a few small impressions. If she'd tried some of the stuff I've done, she'd drown. Same if I tried some of the stuff she does. Everybody's different, no body's stupider.