The Tuesday of a Johnnie

By Cameron Byerly

 

I wake up at 8:10, which gives me time to pretend I’ll exercise before having a shower and cereal before going to class at 9.

 

My first class is Mathematics. We’ve just completed the works of the geometer Apollonius, and we’re in a wonderful transition point between geometry to algebra. Reading the first formal explorations of algebraic reasoning is enormously interesting, and the confidence written by our author, Viète, that math is now complete and every problem is now solvable is one of the most hilarious things I’ve read all year.

 

10:20 I attend my language class, where after months of Greek translation, we are analyzing the poetry in Shakespeare’s Richard II, which I highly recommend: a real gem by a surprisingly consistent author, that guy does not release poor material.

 

After a lunch with particularly nice tomato soup, I go to the library to get my reading. This particular reading is some selected essays of Montaigne, an essayist I had read before in freshman year of high school for fun. I was shocked at how little I understood before having the skills and context of the college to help me. Montaigne is a fantastic example of this actually; his writing is peppered with references to previous authors in the program, and his writing tends to make me laugh quite a lot, while I previously had just been confused and didn’t realize his comedic tone and brilliance. A confused mind is often closed to humor.

 

Book gotten, I find my preferred reading spot at the local coffee shop in a special spot that allows me to look over Annapolis and get free refills of tea, which is better than coffee. I will not share specifics of my location, for as a true Johnnie, I understand that a good reading spot is priceless and I would be a fool for sharing my special spot with anyone but my closest friends, and certainly not the internet.

 

I read Montaigne’s fantastically wise essays for about three hours, complete math homework for another hour, and return for dinner at 5:30. After dinner, me and two friends meet to for a formal video game meeting. Tuesday night from 6:00-8:00 is when we show one another games from our childhood. Having completed Zelda: Wind Waker, they are showing me the wonders of the Playstation 2, playing a ‘Shadow of the Colossus’. Gorgeous game, the time flew by.

 

From 8 to 9, we attend waltz lessons, and hilariously, I’m making progress. My first lesson was the harrowing experience of disappointing 6 dance partners one after another; yet over time I have evolved to become only mildly awkward with my waltzing form. I have gained the confidence to finally impress my fellow Johnnies at the coming Waltz party.

 

I fall asleep after listening to Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion for music class tomorrow, taking small notes on the sheet music. I’d recommend it; this school is really just stuffed with quality art.