So, I just got tickets to Death Cab for Cutie at Assembly Hall on Oct. 12. Tickets went on sale today, and already they're half gone. Not bad for a Sunday night concert.

If the ticket sales keep going like that, this little alternative band who's been signed with Barsuk from the beginning (though recently co-signed to Atlantic) will sell out the place. At least for me, this concert could be big. Maybe even epic.

And why shouldn't it be? My favorite band, touring their new album, playing within three miles of my house and within two weeks of my birthday. It can't get any better than that, right?

Wrong.

If I were at another school, I would jump at an opportunity like this. But I'm not. Check the calendar for the week of Oct. 12. The day after is Columbus Day, so we're off school. Yay? Maybe not; the Illinois Music Educators Association auditions will be held that day in Bloomington. Well, if that's all, it's not a big deal, right?

Wrong again. That Friday is the end of first quarter; I'm bound to have a test or two. I already know I have an oral presentation that Friday. Upon closer inspection, it turns out that the PSAT is that Wednesday. So can I afford to take a few hours off to go to a concert?

Can I afford to enjoy myself?

Even now, only a week and a half into school, I'm already overwhelmed by homework. If there's not enough of that, my extracurriculars take up the slack. When it comes down to it, I've got no real free time. Who's to blame for that? The school, my parents, or … myself? Uni students are notorious overachievers, that much is true. Don't get me wrong, that's a good thing, but …

When you add it all up, the homework, the projects, and the tests, it's a pretty big sum. Staggering, sleep-deprived students aren't a rare sight around here, and most of us have been in that position more than a few times.

And the ends of quarters are always worse. The fine line between studying and cramming is fully explored, papers fly off the printer as fast as we can type, and chronic hand cramps become just another part of life (carpal tunnel, anyone?). Uni is a lot of work, and that's an indisputable fact.

So yeah, I'll go to the concert. It's too good an oportunity to miss. My tickets are front and center, it's my favorite band, and you can all expect a glowing review coming from me the day after. I'll probably study up until the moment I leave; I'll probably fall asleep the moment I get home. I guess it's all right, though; after all, I did sign up for this. But it'll be hard.

Ticket information here.

Watch the video for Death Cab for Cutie's single "I Will Possess Your Heart" from their new album "Narrow Stairs" here and here: