Let's get literary

Rise from bed.................................................6.00.................A.M.
Dumbell exercise and wall-scaling.....................6.15 - 6.30.........."
Study electricity, etc.......................................7.15 - 8.15.........."
Work............................................................8.30 - 4.30........ P.M.
Baseball and sports........................................4.30 - 5.00.........."
Practice elocution, poise and how to attain it.....5.00 - 6.00.........."
Study needed inventions.................................7.00 - 9.00.........."

No wasting time at Shafters or [a name, indecipherable].
No more smoking or chewing.
Bath every other day.
Read one improving book or magazine per week.
Save $5.00 [crossed out] $3.00 per week.
Be better to parents.

I've always been a big fan of this schedule. It pleases me that Gatsby was so organized. He had a plan for his success. He made himself, life didn't just give him things. Pragmatism is a quality I admire. I bring this up because I recently made the discovery that I made a Gatsbyesque plan for myself way back in freshman year, before I had even read the book.

Gatsby's goal: to woo and wed the lovely and horrible Miss Daisy. My goal: to get the lead in my senior year musical. I remember watching chorale at the spring concert that year and thinking, Step one.

I would join chorale, then work my way up to chamber, do every musical, take voice lessons, and do whatever it would take to reach my goal. When our new music teacher came in and held auditions for solos, I figured, so much the better. I auditioned for everything and- I'll be honest- became a kissass on a grand scale. In two day's time, we'll see if my grand plan worked. If it hasn't, you can bet I'm going to be angry, but I hope I'll be able to admit defeat more gracefully than my Jazz Age counterpart.