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Hello TL,
This weekend is probably one of the most important weekends of my life. It is the last weekend before the end of the school term. I am in 4th Year Mechanical Engineering, and this has by far been the hardest term to date. Now, it all comes down to this. Accomplish what I need to accomplish and I will have jumped the highest hurdle; everything after that is easy by comparison. 48 hours for a lifetime of opportunity.
The reason why I am posting at all this weekend is because I need some measure of accountability. I need to tell people of my progress or else I will fall into my usual trap, which is to be lazy until the very last minute (i.e. Sunday and Monday morning). There is no chance of that here - I have too many things due at once for that to be possible. I have to accomplish much each day or risk having it all on my shoulders in one night. So, I am posting my progress in this thread to track my work and make sure that I don't screw this up.
The work that I have to do is as follows:
- 1500 word history essay on the Teutonic Knights being responsible for Prussianism. Halfway done.
- Final design project report on engine cooling in a hybrid. Should be around 5000 words. Due Monday at 4:00pm.
- Research project on a steam plant at the school (partnered). Should be 4000+ words. Due Monday.
- Fluids assignment (partnered). Due Monday.
- Fluids laboratory report (partnered). Due Monday
In addition to this I also have my intramural hockey semi-final game on Sunday night, which further cramps my time.
With that, I go to the school to accomplish all that I need to accomplish. I'll post updates as I finish things, but other than that my focus is entirely on the prize. This post being the only exception. My motto this term has been this, and I am going to make good on it:
I am going to do it ALL.![[image loading]](http://www.makigumo.com/n_img/gurrenlagann-00.jpg) WHO DO YOU THINK I AM!?
+ Show Spoiler [UPDATE 1] +UPDATE 1:- Halfway done Fluids assignment. Modeling hydraulic flows.
- Nearly done Fluids lab. My partner basically one-manned it without asking for help. The third man on it is a ghost.
- Steam project relegated to Google Docs until tomorrow. Template already written out in full by yours truly. (I write BEAUTIFUL projects.)
- Going home now to eat a fast lunch (made chili last night that should last me all weekend).
UPDATE 2:
So I got a little screwed last night due to the fact that a crucial library that I needed for my essay was closed. I then went to another library to look for an epic source, but I couldn't find it. As a result I worked on my essay at home until 4am and I'm still not done. Started work today at 12 (slept from 4-11). This is going to get... interesting, but I'm optimistic. I don't plan on sleeping, so that buys me some more time.
Also did I mention I have a hockey game tonight, and it's the semi-finals? The finals are tomorrow night. UPDATE 3:- Fluids assignment is done and printed. My friend had a bit more time than me so he took the reins and got it done while I worked on something else.
- Fluids laboratory report done. That guy in my group did the whole thing himself, God bless him.
- Working on Heat Transfer Project now with my partner.
- Working on Design Report now at the same time.
- History essay is more or less done. Just gotta shore up some references.
UPDATE 4:
Glorious news! Just got an email from my Heat Transfer TA saying that the report is now due any time before Friday. I can now focus on one project (and my essay, lol) between now and 4pm tomorrow. UPDATE 5:Still going! I went home to have a late snack and did a bit more work at around 1am. By 3:45 I was getting tired and instead of trying to power through I decided a small sleep would probably be better for me. I guaranteed that I would wake up by getting my dad to call me in the morning. He's an awesome father like that. I didn't want to sleep too late like I did earlier this week. So, I got up at 8am with a a little rest in me, and now I have a partially complete project and 7 hours to go! I basically have 2 large sections to complete, then Summary and Conclusions, and then final editing. Printing at 3:30. On my way back to the school now to get this shit done! UPDATE 6:So I I finished my report not 6 minutes before the deadline at around 5500 words. It's complete but not my best work; mostly fluff but I should get an ok mark. I then grabbed a meal since in the last 48 hours I'd eaten very little, and went back to the school and hammered out my essay. It's late, but really good, which should offset the late penalty for a decent mark as well. Got 9 hours of sleep last night, and I feel fantastic. My room is clean and I'm ready to study for exams and finish my last 2 projects.  ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/y4bfj.jpg) But first, I really should take care of this beard...
P.S. If you comment that I've been delaying up to this point then you will have given me a good laugh. I have already had a final exam this week and written a 7200 word report. I've pulled two all-nighters this week alone and yet still played two hockey games in between one of them. Last week I had a very important presentation to do that required 5 days straight of work, plus a mini-project. This engineering program is the hardest in Canada, and it is not for the faint of heart. We have been working non-stop for weeks.
 
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Be thankful. I have a similar workload and I'm a Freshman. You're not alone.
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And you haven't started any of these things by the first?
Well, g'luck.
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The reason why I am posting at all this weekend is because I need some measure of accountability. I need to tell people of my progress or else I will fall into my usual trap, which is to be lazy until the very last minute (i.e. Sunday and Monday morning).
tbh it seems to me that you have done that already, just that the "last minute" is this weekend and not Sunday/Monday. by the sound of it, you should have started much earlier. gl anyway that you get it done
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Now I feel a little less guilty for my time management. I have a lab report due weds, and then exams very soon 
Good luck, I'll be trying to plow through my work as well.
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There was a quote of bill gates.can't find it now. It goes something like that. Engineering students that leave their exams and their reports for the last minute take great experience of how to deal with a ton of last minute problems!i hope i lifted ur spirits a bit!
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I use this trick of accountability too. Works like a wonder. Good luck.
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good luck! hope this works out for you. i am terrible when it comes to actually getting shit done
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fml i should be sleeping or studying now. You just reminded me. Good luck and good night lol
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You're a boss. You're a champ. You're going to do this, and then you're going to eat victorious, victorious cheesecake, and you will revel in your glorious success as the creamy filling dances on your taste-buds with its rich flavor.
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On December 04 2011 04:33 chomsky wrote:
Waterloo?
You bet.
Also OP updated. Made some progress already.
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Wow, you're going to do that all in one weekend. I feel a little ashamed of myself making a big deal about a 2200 and a 1500 word in 1 week. You make shit look easy LOL.
Edit: Little tip if you already don't know, if you make ALL your periods size 14font instead of 12, it'll give you about a 1-2 page boost depending on the length of each of your sentences. The more sentences the more space gets eaten up by the little "boost," haha gl.
Edit2: Don't do this if you have to hand it in electronically. Only on hard copies, it goes unnoticed.
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On December 04 2011 06:04 zZygote wrote:
Wow, you're going to do that all in one weekend. I feel a little ashamed of myself making a big deal about a 2200 and a 1500 word in 1 week. You make shit look easy LOL.
Edit: Little tip if you already don't know, if you make ALL your periods size 14font instead of 12, it'll give you about a 1-2 page boost depending on the length of each of your sentences. The more sentences the more space gets eaten up by the little "boost," haha gl.
Edit2: Don't do this if you have to hand it in electronically. Only on hard copies, it goes unnoticed.
It definitely doesn't go unnoticed. I've known dozens of people failed out of classes for doing this. I go to a very middle-of-the-pack four year institution and every professor checks for this on every paper. The OP mentioned he is in a very challenging and seemingly prestigious program... so I'm 100% sure they check basic stuff like this.
Also, if anyone out there is deadset on cheating, stop doing it in such a stupid manner. Increasing period size only increases the gap between the lines (it also lengthens lines by a very tiny margin, but the big change comes from the line spacing), something that can be done in the formatting options. This will have the exact same effect and you won't have oversized, obvious periods.
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On December 04 2011 06:51 RANDOMCL wrote:Show nested quote +On December 04 2011 06:04 zZygote wrote:
Wow, you're going to do that all in one weekend. I feel a little ashamed of myself making a big deal about a 2200 and a 1500 word in 1 week. You make shit look easy LOL.
Edit: Little tip if you already don't know, if you make ALL your periods size 14font instead of 12, it'll give you about a 1-2 page boost depending on the length of each of your sentences. The more sentences the more space gets eaten up by the little "boost," haha gl.
Edit2: Don't do this if you have to hand it in electronically. Only on hard copies, it goes unnoticed. It definitely doesn't go unnoticed. I've known dozens of people failed out of classes for doing this. I go to a very middle-of-the-pack four year institution and every professor checks for this on every paper. The OP mentioned he is in a very challenging and seemingly prestigious program... so I'm 100% sure they check basic stuff like this. Also, if anyone out there is deadset on cheating, stop doing it in such a stupid manner. Increasing period size only increases the gap between the lines (it also lengthens lines by a very tiny margin, but the big change comes from the line spacing), something that can be done in the formatting options. This will have the exact same effect and you won't have oversized, obvious periods.
The method I was mentioning is the one you just said. The period trick we speak of is so hard to notice on a hard copy, but obviously it's going to be noticed electronically.
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Updated again. How can I properly use some kind of caffeine-enriched supplement to keep myself awake through the night? Earlier this week I had an extra-large coffee and for the entire day afterward it fucked up my digestive system.
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Hong Kong9179 Posts
On December 05 2011 02:38 TheGiz wrote:
Updated again. How can I properly use some kind of caffeine-enriched supplement to keep myself awake through the night? Earlier this week I had an extra-large coffee and for the entire day afterward it fucked up my digestive system.
Did you eat at all? That stuff is bad on an empty stomach.
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On December 05 2011 03:42 itsjustatank wrote:
Did you eat at all? That stuff is bad on an empty stomach.
I had like... a muffin. It clearly wasn't enough. I've made some executive decisions in that I think I'm going to go for 5 hours of sleep tonight no matter what, since it's nearly impossible to work - even with caffeine - past about 7:00am on no sleep anyways.
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I'm also an engineering student, so I feel your pains. I know how bad crunch times can be.
During those periods of time, I live without sleep (or minimal sleep when I can find time for it), and my diet mainly consists of pizza and other forms of junk food (I'm in Ottawa, and shawarma is everywhere). It's a huge shock to my system, considering that I normally have a pretty healthy diet, but I manage somehow.
I also drink a lot of redbull, iced tea, and coffee (I'm have a friend who works for redbull, and I can get it at a wicked discount through her :D).
One thing that really helps me is to mix some alcohol with whatever I'm drinking (vodka in redbull or iced tea, or baileys in coffee, or whatever). Not much, but enough where it makes it easier to keep calm and focused. Something like 3-4 shots over the course of 24 hrs, so I'm never drunk, but never without alcohol in my system. I'm also a pretty big guy (6 ft 3, ~250 lbs), and I can drink a lot. 3-4 shots is basically nothing for me, so if you're not a heavyweight, I'm not sure what to suggest. All I know is that it works for me.
Good luck with your endeavors this week!
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Holy shit man that's brutal. Good luck to you. (I am procrastinating right now)
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On December 04 2011 09:49 zZygote wrote:Show nested quote +On December 04 2011 06:51 RANDOMCL wrote:On December 04 2011 06:04 zZygote wrote:
Wow, you're going to do that all in one weekend. I feel a little ashamed of myself making a big deal about a 2200 and a 1500 word in 1 week. You make shit look easy LOL.
Edit: Little tip if you already don't know, if you make ALL your periods size 14font instead of 12, it'll give you about a 1-2 page boost depending on the length of each of your sentences. The more sentences the more space gets eaten up by the little "boost," haha gl.
Edit2: Don't do this if you have to hand it in electronically. Only on hard copies, it goes unnoticed. It definitely doesn't go unnoticed. I've known dozens of people failed out of classes for doing this. I go to a very middle-of-the-pack four year institution and every professor checks for this on every paper. The OP mentioned he is in a very challenging and seemingly prestigious program... so I'm 100% sure they check basic stuff like this. Also, if anyone out there is deadset on cheating, stop doing it in such a stupid manner. Increasing period size only increases the gap between the lines (it also lengthens lines by a very tiny margin, but the big change comes from the line spacing), something that can be done in the formatting options. This will have the exact same effect and you won't have oversized, obvious periods. The method I was mentioning is the one you just said. The period trick we speak of is so hard to notice on a hard copy, but obviously it's going to be noticed electronically.
I think you misread my post. I'm saying that changing period size is a bad idea because A) most professors check it and B) it just artificially creates space between lines, something that can be done ANOTHER WAY in the formatting options (in Word, you can just right click -> paragraph -> Spacing -> Before/After (increase these)) to do the exact same thing without having oversized periods. Again, both are always checked by every professor I've ever had, and it is very noticeable on a hard copy by simply putting your paper next to someone else's who hasn't cheated, because the spacing between your lines will be larger.
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Good Luck with all that work x.x sounds like a nightmare to me Personal battle of Waterloo =p lol
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On December 05 2011 11:35 OmniEulogy wrote:Good Luck with all that work x.x sounds like a nightmare to me Personal battle of Waterloo =p lol
I'd prefer to think of this as my Austerlitz. 
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Keep up the good work, I'm so thankful I don't have final projects and I studied well this semester so my final exams will be easy.
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Update 5 posted. Did you think I stopped? I WILL NOT STOP.
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EPT
