Ticking Backwards

Wow.  Has it really been nearly two months since I’ve updated this thing? That makes me feel slightly guilty.  Not because people actually read this, but because I told myself this is something I would do regularly and I haven’t been holding myself to that.  Sometimes it’s nice to put your life on paper…but I haven’t been.  I suppose I simply haven’t been in the mood to sit down spew my thoughts onto a page and feel some sort of accomplishment as a result of it.  However, this moment in time is a very different story.  I’m in the mood to spill my guts. 

I’m at home now in my own room, in my own bed.  As of last Friday I finished my last final and made my way back to this tiny town I’ve come to harbor a wee bit of resentment towards.  I now have about a month of break to “enjoy.”  To be completely honest I’d much rather be spending my time back at school in my cozy dorm room with the friends I’ve become quite close with over the past few months.  That’s not to say I don’t love my family.  I wouldn’t trade spending the holidays at home for anything…it’s the weeks following that have me concerned.  The word “boring” comes to mind when I think of being cooped up in a house with my family until the 19^th of January with nothing to do.  Maybe I’ll get a few good books for Christmas.   Or maybe I’ll just buy some out of desperation.  Maybe I’ll get back into my writing.  There’s something about this place that puts me in the mood to write, and when I say mood I should really say “funk.”  This place puts me in a funk.  I’m thriving at college, I love it.  Being stuck back here for a month feels like taking a step backwards.  I hate to be a cynic though so let’s focus on the silver lining, shall we?:  I can shower without flip flops. I can eat home cooked meals. I can burn candles. I can straighten/blow dry my hair in my bedroom without the risk of tripping the fire alarm. I can play my music before noon and after midnight since there are no “quiet hours.”

See, it’s not all bad….right?

Music of the moment:  Cloudy Day – Play for Keeps

College Conundrums

So…I told myself I would update this thing much more often, especially since I’m now  in college and things are different and changing and blah blah blah. I figured I’d have a lot to blog about.  However, once I got here I realized I hardly have time to myself to sit down and just write.  Today is Friday, so I’ve got some time on my hands AND I have a bit to rant about.  So I here I go.

What is it with the boys here? Well I suppose it’s not just the boys, but with them I seem to notice this most…holding the door. What ever happened to being polite and holding the door for someone? I’m not talking about opening the door completely, standing there, and waiting for someone to go in ahead of you (which I appreciate but certainly don’t expect).  I’m talking about simply tapping the door open as you walk into the building so the poor person two feet behind you doesn’t have it shut in their face (THAT, I expect). I don’t think it’s a difficult or challenging concept.  It takes a split second and hardly requires any energy.  Maybe my guy friends back home have spoiled me with their polite and chivalrous ways.  Maybe I’m asking too much here…but I don’t think I am.   It’s something I do for other people, and when other people do it for me I certainly say my ‘thank you’s. Today not a single person I crossed paths with bothered to hold the door even slightly. Where did these people learn their manners?

 

That’s my two cents about that. Tell me if I’m crazy. 

 

I suppose I should update a bit more since a ton has changed since my last blog entry.  I’m at college now.  Niagara University to be exact, majoring in marketing.  My roommate is amazing , as are the girls next door.  I’ve made some great friends and the only complaint I could possibly have is about the food (it’s not bad, it’s just really unhealthy, unless I want to live on turkey wraps and fruit salad). 

I’ve been here only a couple of weeks and we’ve already had an incident of a mystery substance in the shower.  It’s impossible to explain exactly what it was, because we have no clue whatsoever.  It’s hard to describe.  It looked almost like hair, but not human hair, if it even was hair. It sort of looked like someone had shaved a fairly large sheep dog in the shower (sort of…).  It’s really a total mystery and it’s probably better that way (I don’t know if I want to know what that was).   Along with the mystery substance in the shower there is this mystery tapping.  A fairly loud tapping noise has been randomly coming from upstairs.  It sounds like someone is repeatedly hitting something against the floor.  I can’t fathom what anyone could possibly need to hit against the floor that many times that loudly.  We’ll probably never know unless we decide to march upstairs and demand some answers. 

Another fun little moment happened yesterday when a friend and I got in the elevator.  The doors opened and two ninjas stood on either side.  Yes. Ninjas.  Two boys dressed in all black ninja outfits, face masks and all.  We really don’t know why they were there but it was amusing nonetheless.  I whipped out my phone to take a picture but they scolded me for using my phone in the elevator.

 

 

music of the moment:  jason mraz – if it kills me.

Green light: go.

        And so it begins…well…almost. Seventeen days and counting until one chapter of my life comes to a screeching halt and another starts pounding the pavement (and I couldn’t be more pleased about it).  It’s a chapter called “College.”  I feel that I’m prepared for it (the overwhelming clutter of new stuff on my bedroom floor serves as evidence of that).  High school ended and brought more change than I could have imagined.  At first it was a bit much. I denied it. I resisted it.  Now I’m embracing it.  I love it.  I can’t get enough of it.  No longer being forced to sit through 8 a.m. homeroom with the same set of faces every day was more eye-opening than I had prepared for.  It gives you a lot of insight.  You figure out who values you and who doesn’t; who you need and who you don’t; who you’ll keep in touch with when you leave this tiny town and who you certainly won’t look forward to seeing at the 10 year reunion.  Sure, a few foiled friendships seemed like a sad and somber thing at the time.  But now, staring a fresh start square in the eye, I’m thankful for it.  I’m thankful that my experiences here have left me with a clean slate.  Never have I ever felt more like I can be myself than I do now.  I’m no longer afraid to step outside of the box I’ve been put in.  I have an amazing opportunity to meet new people that have no idea who I am, where I come from, or what I do.  I can be myself.  I’ve embraced a new attitude.  I refuse to worry about being judged.  I’m putting myself out there, take it or leave it.

music of the moment:  Until you – Dave Barnes