Nobody's Perfect

Nineteen and twenty year olds are not the only students struggling to finish assignments while in the fog of one too many alcoholic beverages!  When summer parties and barbecues are introduced into the already complicated life of a full time adult learner, assignments can appear less than appealing.  The thought that "after the party the work will get done" does not account for the sunshine, patio and glasses of wine that precede the undertaking of homework.
I have been sitting in front of the computer for several minutes trying to focus on questions from my current assignment.  Not only are the questions swirling and spiralling through my brain but I have no idea of the expectations or vocabulary necessary to complete this project.  I realize with a sense of defeat and disappointment that I am a little too tipsy to tackle this homework right now.
The disappointment is followed by awe and an envious admiration for the students who have confessed to writing an essay while "three sheets to the wind" (as my mother always says).  I am not sure how they were able to focus or type as this paragraph has taken me ten minutes and plenty of spelling errors to get through. I was hoping, while I rationalized my ability to do schoolwork following a party, that a couple of glasses of wine would not impede my ability to finish this assignment.  I was gravely mistaken. I do not think my professor wants my inebriated translation of the poem "The Sorrows of Young Werther."  Werther had enough problems in the story, my interpretation right now would only further depress the reader.
So what is the difference between myself and my twenty year old student cohort??
I know when to throw in the towel and finish it tomorrow, when my sentences make sense and my ideas are coherent.  I have given myself an extra day before it is due and tomorrow I do not have an plans to party on the deck with friends and alcohol.
Lesson learned. After a couple glasses of wine, proficient and intelligent, I am not.