Universal Mysteries

...are based in mathematics.

Yes, I realize there are math geniuses out there (or even people for whom math makes sense). I always joke that I am not a math person. It could be because (as my mother believes) I resign myself to failure and so fail. It could be because I'm used to Excellents in other subjects, and I am below my own standard in maths.

But, for whatever reason, math mystifies me.
And I'm not even taking a math class involving NUMBERS.

Logic, for those of you who have not had this experience, is a discipline where English sentences are transcribed into a symbolic language for the purpose of a) preserving the truth of the argument and b) determining the validity of the argument. It can be fun on a basic level and mind-bogglingly complex on a higher level.

I have my final this Thursday. Help!

When I apply myself and descend into a state of rigid concentration, my brain relaxes and I click along through the problems just fine. Sometimes, however, stupid things happen. I flunked my last exam because I copied a problem down wrong, flipped the parts of others, or just flat out got lost doing my derivations (think Geometric proofs).

I cannot afford for these stupid things to happen this time.

Grades and GPA aside, I want to do well in this class. Balancing that is the strong antipathy I have towards studying. Logic is a skill, not something you can memorize and regurgitate (or BS, as I usually do for my other exams). I hate studying; for years I've managed to scrape good grades without much studying (if you put me in a library cubicle, I read the graffitti others scrawl on the desk).

Logic works in odd ways for me, which heightens both my confidence and fear. I can stare at a problem for hours and be completely confused, only to figure it out in ten seconds the next morning. I can unravel complicated sentences without even thinking about it, only to get lost in simple ones. My brain has decided that, rather than be helpful and organize itself in a way that makes sense, it shall do as it's always done and cheerfully disregard order in favor of fun.

Thanks, Brain. Thanks so much. I love you too.

I don't really know what the point of this post is. Beware math? Take Logic as a throwaway course? Our brains are smarter when we don't control them? (That's a terrifying idea.)

Maybe everyone could just wish me luck on Thursday? I'd appreciate it.
WolfGrrl