This coming week I have four tests - two tests on Wednesday and two on Thursday. On both days, I will have only ten minutes between tests.

You may think this is funny by itself, but it gets better. This Tuesday, the PC game Half-Life 2 comes out, and I have no doubt that it will be the best computer game I have ever played. I've been planning to buy it for a long time. There is such incredible magic involved with waiting in line for a new, revolutionary video game and then quickly becoming lost in it until the wee hours of the morning, sometimes all night. Sounds nerdy, I know, but my fellow nerds know what I'm talking about...

There are a few different ways I could make this work. I could, theoretically, buy the game and try to balance my gaming and studying - basically by giving up sleep. I could just play the hell out of the game and study very little, which would make my grades suffer. Or I can give up, I can study and buy HL2 only after I've finished my tests.

I know you're probably thinking "It's just a video game," and you're right. But don't you see? That's not what this is about. It's about nothing ever going the way you want it to. All your life, there will always be someone who can screw up your plans. Your friends, family, teachers, boss, or maybe just fate and the hand of God Himself - there will always be someone above you who can make you do things according to their plans instead of yours.

If you can realize this, and be lucky enough to fully accept it, then all of these nuisances just become so annoying that they're almost funny. Almost...