One time we got a dog from a shelter and they told us she was a lab mix but it turned out she was a boxer/pit bull mix and so we gave her away to the Mexicans who fixed our roof.

This is it, guys.

The calm before the storm.

Standing at the line waiting for the starting gun to go off.

That moment when you've hit the putt-putt ball and it's hovering RIGHT at the edge of the hole and you're praying to God, Baby Jesus, Kali, Allah, Odin, Zeus, Apollo, and that Native American god that has clicks in his name that it'll go in so you can beat your brother for the first time ever at mini-golf.

That's right - It's The Week Before Finals Week.

That unholy time where all your professors assign next to nothing just to torture you further before the final exams. They enjoy watching all of their students, who have suddenly inherited a windfall of hallowed Free Time, wander around the halls having nothing to do but torment themselves imagining the hell about to befall them the following week.

Some of these poor students make the rookie mistake of premature studying. As every college student knows, the most effective way to study for exams is to wait until the night before, then furiously read every single one of the professor's online notes. (Also, if you're a professor who does this, we thank you from the bottom of our poor ramen-saturated overstressed hearts.) But when you decide to study simply out of an excess of spare time, you will fall into the following situation.

... You shut the book, yawning. It's 11:00 P.M., and you've finished all your studying for the World History test. You start to reach into your stock of 5-Hour Energies and Red Bulls, but then you remember: You don't need to stay up all night again! The test isn't for another week! You smile, turn off the lights, and go to sleep.

... It's the day before the exam. All the material is deeply ingrained within your mind. You know exactly what the War of 1812 was about: Canada, and trading, or something. It doesn't matter! You studied. And that's what matters, right? You shrug and go back to stalking Natalie Portman's Twitter feed.

... You're at the desk, staring at the exam. The Code of Hammurabi? Didn't that have something to do with samurai? Man, last night you got around to watching that ninja movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" or whatever it was called. You loved it. What? RIGHT, EXAM. Um. Well, we can skip that question. Next one: "What catalyzed World War I?" Catalyzed. Hehehehe. Cats. Cats are so crazy. When you were five, you went to the zoo and one of the tigers stood up and walked across the enclosure to the shady part and went back to sleep. That was so much fun. And remember that .gif you saw on Reddit that had the cat with mittens on its feet and they made him walk funny? WAIT STOP GIGGLING YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING A TEST. What's going on?! You studied! You studied so hard you knew EVERYTHING, and then you still had time left over to watch movies and browse Reddit and stalk Natalie Portman!

But it's too late now. By studying early, you let yourself fall into a false sense of security. As the information slowly drained out of your mind, you busied your brain with other, less exam-related things, dulling the sparkle of your intellect. By the time the exam rolls around, your escapades have occupied your mind for so long that the effects of your hard work have been entirely negated.

Also, don't be the guy who can't stop laughing in the middle of the exam. Even if the mitten-kitten .gif is REALLY funny.

In the end, there is a simple solution: Study at the last minute.

And stalk Natalie Portman now, not later.