Unit 7? Where does the time go?

That's a rhetorical question. I know where the time goes. It goes flying by while I'm sleeping and working and talking to my kids. This week sure hasn't started the way I wanted it to. I can't even remember for sure what day it is. I woke up sick Thursday morning, and haven't been out of bed since. And yes, that is 'Thursday' as in 'Thanksgiving'. (frustrated sigh) Like it isn't bad enough to get a stomach bug out of nowhere, to wake up with it on Thanksgiving morning? That is just totally unfair. I didn't get to eat anything! Not that Thanksgiving is really all about the food, and I was thankful for plenty of things that day...but eating wasn't one of them.

It's okay though. I'm just having Thanksgiving part II next week. I'll cook a turkey and some dressing and a scaled down Thanksgiving dinner and have the kids over, and it will be lovely.

Between now and then, however, I have a lot of writing to do. I need to finish my draft so I can edit and get my final project done. I have peer reviews this week, which are not my favorite thing, (not even on the top ten list, to tell the truth) but like it or not, I do believe it is a useful task. I need an objective eye or two on my paper.

So I need to read a couple of other papers and review them (that's the part I don't like) and I need to finish my paper and I need to do the same thing in my other class, and I need to throw off the remnants of this stomach bug that is still pestering me and then I can have turkey with my kids.

Notice how I am not even talking about Christmas shopping? That is NOT an oversight.

First sentence struggles

Every time I write a paper, I remember that old movie Throw Momma From the Train. Does anybody else remember that? Billy Crystal is an author who can't get the first sentence of his book just right. If he can only get that first sentence, the rest of the book will flow with little effort. LOL The first sentence is always the hardest. It has to grab the attention of the reader, it has to inform, it has to lead to the second sentence. Should I use a question? 90% of the time, a shocking statistic is more effective. I'm attempting different sentences to see what works best, and I'm struggling against my perverse sense of humor and an unfortunate tendency toward really bad puns.....I am here to say this. I promise my first sentence will not be "Obesity is a growing problem". :)

I have entire paragraphs composed, I like the way my paper is going, but getting that first part exactly the way I want it is a continuous struggle. I probably spend more time trying to get a title and a first sentence than I should, but the beginning is very important. I know that I never judge a book by it's cover, but sometimes I do judge a book by it's title. The first couple of sentences will determine if I do or do not buy the book. (This is a little off topic, but I would like to point out that it's also important to never judge a book by it's movie.)

I'm off to work on my paper, and all I have to say is this: The night was sultry, and obesity is growing problem. :)