That Thing You Do

It's 11:47.  You're walking down the hallway to the printers after a long day of classes and homework.  All you can think about are the piles of books and articles on your desk and how much you would much rather be in bed.  Someone walks by you.  You don't even take the time to look at them.  Then you hear a shuffle behind you.  They've turned around and are coming your way.  They point at you and say "you look like you could use a hug", give you a big bear hug, and walk away.  And your day just got better.  Suddenly one of those days just became one of those great days.

You know what I'm talking about.  Those little things people say or do that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  The things that can change your day from the absolute worst day ever to one of the best days that you just have to tell everyone about.   In the past couple weeks, I've either watched this happen to a bunch of people, or I've been the lucky recipient!  Only problem is, I don't think I've been able to make anyone feel the same way from one of my awesome and much needed comments or gestures.  Oh well.  I'll work on that.  In the mean time, I thought I'd share a few of the lovely things that have happened around me these past few weeks.

So the example I gave you is actually a real story.  My roommate Nicole was having a pretty rough day the other day.  She was on her way to the printers in the basement when someone stopped her to hug her because apparently she looked like she needed it.  She came back with a short story in hand and a huge smile on her face.  She couldn't wait to tell me the story.  Her day was instantly made, and mine got better just from hearing about it.  Props to the guy who hugged her.  I never would've thought to do that.

The next thing happened to my good friend Holly.  Holly was at Thursday Night Story Hour sitting on the floor right in front of the chair for the storytellers.  She has one of those super encouraging smiles that take up her entire face and make you feel like it's a gift to see it.  Apparently one of the story tellers noticed, too.  As we were leaving, the storyteller rushed after us and tapped Holly on the shoulder just to tell  her she had a beautiful smile.  She was so flattered she cried.  Not that this was tremendously out of the ordinary since she cries at practically everything, but it was still awesome to watch.  Right away she called her mom to tell her about it.  It was adorable.  She couldn't stop smiling all night.  Go storyteller, you made a night better!

Okay, last example.  This one is super simple but it always makes me feel great.  My friend Cody is the best at telling you how nice you look.  I'll admit, a lot of the time it's just something that I threw together five minutes before class and the comment really only makes me feel good that it worked out.  But every so often I've actually taken the time to look nice, and Cody always notices.  Those are the days I get the "wows" and "damnnnns" that are silly enough and great enough to put a smile on my face and make me feel great for the rest of the day.  Yay Cody! 

I've figured out why I love these so much.  The best thing about these gestures and comments is that people don't even know the effect they are having on someone else.  Heck, someone told me they were glad they met me and I was instantly ecstatic.  They probably didn't have a clue, though. That is what makes them so great!  And they're easy too!  A quick smile.  A short wave.  A little wink.  These are day makers!  And people do these things just because they feel like it, not because they think people will actually need it.  I guess it's just one of the wonderful things about human kind.  On occasion, we just like being nice to each other for no reason at all.  We rock!  Keep it up humans!

But This...

So let me tell y'all about one of the best nights ever.  I laughed so much I surprised myself.  If you know me even a little bit then you know that has got to be a hell of a lot of laughing.  

Here's how it started:

I walked back from band and rushed into my dorm.  In the hall there was a circle of giggling girls standing directly in my path.  At first I was frustrated because, well hello, there was a group of giggling girls in my way and you know, people.  So I tried to squeeze by the best I could when I realized there is a cat!  Someone's mom brought their cat for everyone to pet!  Ah!  So, of course, I pet the kitty and continued on my way in totally the best mood.  Just wait.  It get's better.  

Then it was time for a hall RA event: Wednesday Write Night.  It was all planned out with a theme and everything (Bad Poetry) for 9:30.  Only question was where the heck was it happening?  I went to find Julia and head over to the event, but since we didn't know where we were going, we decided to send an email and wait it out in her room until someone told us where to go.  We were too lazy to go look around ourselves.  Oops.  As we waited, Julia gave me a cider mill donut and a mug full of apple cider.  Ain't nothin' wrong with that.  I happened to be sitting in front of her mirror, so obviously I couldn't stop looking at myself.  Of course this led to a conversation about Narcissus, and then of course Narcissa Malfoy, because Harry Potter.  30 minutes later and we finally knew where Wednesday Write Night was happening, delayed!  The lounge! 

So we headed to the lounge.  While we waited for the now 10 o clock RA event, we decided to watch the next episode in Julia's DW adventure.  As Sally Sparrow ducked, we realized no one was showing up.  We checked our emails again and of course, wrong lounge.  

So we headed upstairs! And here's where the night really gets good!

A few of us shared some of what we considered to be "bad poetry".  I shared a poem that I had read for AP Lit and totally not gotten (Howard Nemerov's The Lobster) (Sorry Mrs. Tay but it was just really bad).  Didn't like it then, still don't like it. Then we listened to a few bad high school analogies about trains and hummingbirds. There were some definite gems in those.  And then... we wrote our very own bad poetry! And when I say bad, I mean it.  All of us had to write about a kid named Dennis and Julia's braid.  We all worked very hard, and we definitely all succeeded in writing some of the worst poetry out there.  We read them aloud, laughed our faces off, then traded poems so we could read them again.  Because that made sense. They were still just as good and still just as funny.  We laughed so hard we cried.  Of course, being a narcissist, I loved hearing mine read most.  I got to hear it in slam too!  Golden!  Then we found out the whole time had been recorded by one of our lovely hall mates who I still don't really know what to call (Dandy?).  Excellent!  We listened to them for a third time!  STILL JUST AS FUNNY!!!  Every.  Single. Time. So. Funny.

Then I walked past a girl talking in another lounge.  She was telling someone about her day in the sun and she said, "I sat out in the sun today!  I think I photosynthesized!"  I don't know if she was trying to be funny, but seeing as I was already in the laughing mood, I found it hard to contain myself.  Sorry girl if you read this, but really?

So over the night I laughed so hard for so long that by the time I got back to my room I had a bad case of the hiccups and the after-laughs.  You know those laughs that happen because you started thinking about something that was funny that happened earlier in your life.  It was great.  My roommate thinks I'm insane.  But this...

Interested in reading my bad poem?  You're in luck! 

Dennis and the Braid

Dennis's name was like a boy's name called Dennis

He sat on the floor when I met him

Right by a girl

Who had a braid

Not just any braid

A braid on the side of her face

The left side.  That means not the right

It had a pink hair tie

I guess that's significant

Dennis wore a green hat that was green like grass, not the yellow dry kind.

His hair was long like long hair

It will be donated to people who don't have hair

Maybe the girl with the braid will donate her hair

She probably won't because she likes her hair

Like a kid who likes cake, likes cake

She isn't as nice as Dennis is

Because she won't donate her hair

That's not nice

Like a boy with a magnifying glass being not nice and killing ants

That kind of not nice

P.S.  I laughed when I typed this out again.  What a night.

P.P.S.  Title brought to you by my RA's bad poem.  What a great one.  

In the Eye of the Beholder

Yesterday I was doing that thing called homework off and on all day.  I was having a pretty rough time with it because the weather was that dark overcast that Michigan has just perfected.  And it was raining that kind of mist that makes you a little sad it isn't just a bit colder so that it's snowing instead.  I really love this kind of weather.  It makes you feel cozy and warm, even if it isn't like that outside.  I know that I am in the minority with these thoughts, but the safety created from an overcast fall day is one of the best feelings you can have.

At one point I was working on a surprisingly difficult response paper in one of the lounges by my room when I looked outside to take a break from staring at the computer screen in front of me.  I'm so incredibly happy that I did, because at that moment the clouds had taken a break from their windy rampage and the sun was setting just right that there was a bright pink-orange lining just at the top of one group of clouds.  It was downright pure beauty.  I tried to capture the moment on my phone, but of course you can't capture certain things on camera.  I know I say that I want to be some sort of photographer, but even I have to admit that sometimes it is better to just take it all in.  I can describe it to you now and you're probably reading this thinking that it sounds pretty nice, but you don't even know the half of it.  Then the clouds got swept up in the wind again and the scene disappeared before my eyes.  At first I was sad, but those clouds left me feeling so much better about everything going on yesterday.  I finished my response paper and spent the rest of the night relaxing and enjoying some free time before another busy week would start, no doubt in perfect cloud-free, rain-free sunshine.


I was right by the way.  It's been sunny all day. 

It's Always The Hardest Right Before You Begin

I'm in a weird mood right now, and for a lot of today, so I wanted to put pen to paper and create something.  But drawing sounded wrong and my hand cramps up when I write in a journal.  Instead, I've decide to start typing.  And I figure if I'm gonna type something I might as well do it here because otherwise I just forget about this thing for far too long.  So I'm sorry if this isn't the most interesting post ever and I jump from topic to topic without giving any of them a whole lot of thought.  That's just where I am right here, in this moment, staring at the cursor blink at the end of each word as my brain tries to come up with some sort of excuse for creativity.

Topic number one:  Rules. I've decided that I'm not too big on rules.  I won't list the ones on my mind now but they keep causing problems for me.  And didn't someone once say that rules should be broken rather than followed anyways?  And if we are breaking rules than who's to say what else we can break?  Like boundaries?  And we can easily break bones and easily break hearts too.  But then who does the fixing?  Who comes with their hammer and nails to repair all the broken things?  I think I'd like to be a person that fixes things. I'm not sure how I can do that, especially since I'm the one writing all about how I want to tear down those rules that cause the broken things, but being a fixer sounds like a lot more fun and certainly a lot nicer. 

Topic number two:  Proficiency Exams.  They are dumb.  So far I've only taken one, but I've done it twice so I think it should count for more.  Both times I did horribly but it didn't quite make sense because my scores in the class weren't half bad.  I thought I would pass.  I got all the credits so it technically doesn't matter, but I can't put it on a resume in case someone checks my transcript.  I don't get the special piece of paper that announces to the world that I am proficient in the eyes of my professors either.  It doesn't bother me all the time, just sometimes.  When someone shows me an opportunity I missed I get pretty upset.  Or when I walk past my professors and they give me that look like they think they know me and I just have to lower my head and avoid eye contact until they turn away.  It's not a topic I generally like to discuss but somehow it keeps coming up.

Topic number three:  Creativity.  You know how some people are just so creative you immediately get jealous when you see them because at list one time in your life you have listened to their work?  I know at least two people like that right now, probably more, and I seriously can't handle how amazing they are.  I don't understand how their brains work the way that they do but I'm immensely jealous.   And every time they speak my mind feels like it needs a second to recover from the blow it just got.  One day I'll be like them too and people will have to recover when I read them some of my work.

Today Julia is responsible for the title of this blogpost.  She told me to just start writing so I did and this is the result.  Thanks for the push.  Sorry it wasn't everything you had hoped for.

Be Ready For Inspiration

So I know it has been an obnoxiously long time since I've posted anything, but hey guess what!? I'm back!  I've actually been inspired to write again! 

Basically my week has pretty much rocked.  I've had homework but I'm totally not stressed so that is pretty awesome.  I watched and read The Graduate for the first time!  I even vlogged with my friend Julia on our new vlog (which you should totally check out!)!  To add to all of that amazing, I had my first creative writing piece returned to me and my professor really liked it!  He said I had great voice even the the topic was super weird which I thought was very funny and super exciting.  I'm starting to thing this whole big pretend dream of me becoming a writer someday could maybe totally actually a little bit happen!  Then tonight, my roommate decided to go to Poetry Forum and she was inspired by all things rhyme and wonder.  She was sad though because her poems weren't "long enough" or "good enough", so my RA decided to challenge us to write some poetry and basically not hate it.  Of course, being super competitive, we decided to accept.  Okay okay.  It wasn't a real "challenge" per say, but it definitely had potential.  So we came up with a theme (the moon) and a time limit (15 minutes) and just sat on the floor with a pen and a college ruled notebook and wrote wrote wrote!  It was awesome! 

My message to all of you wonderful people who have stuck with me and actually kept up with this thing:  GET INSPIRED!  Go do something spectacular and have the best time of your life!

Interested in the vlog? This here nifty link will take you right to it.  You're welcome! http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOKtpQKyLmusWsVmzMmV5Iw

Now I will leave you with the poem I wrote earlier this evening.  I don't care if you don't like it.  I would never claim that it's anything like Shakespeare or Dickinson, but I enjoyed writing it and I hope that you enjoy reading it as well.  

The Moon

Darkness
The sky is black except for the singular light of the moon
A glowing orb of hot white light streams to the ground
No clouds, no stars, just the moon and the people there to see it
They watch as it shines and shows them the after-hours world
A cricket chirps.
A frog bellows.
And the moon glows.
The grass moves and whispers to the river
The river answers as it rushes over smooth white pebbles
The moon shows it all with its hot white light

Cold
The night is cold with no sun to warm it
But the light, the illuminating light isn't cold
It isn't warm
It's hot like coals stuck under a mattress
while the little boy sleeps
and the mother and the father too
and the moon shows it all
with its hot white light

It was full
Then it was half
Now the moon is nothing but a sliver
Soon it will be nothing at all
And then there will be nothing to show the people the after-hours world
Until tomorrow when it beings again
It grows and grows 
Until...

A glowing orb of hot white light streams to the ground
And the people see it
And the crickets.  
And the frogs.
And the whispering grass and the answering river see it. 
And the moon shows it all with its hot white light and its glowing orb
And its man who smiles as the face of the moon looking down at the people that look up at him.
The moon

PS. This title was lovingly inspired by my good friend AGS. Thanks for the inspirational text the other day!

Adios Barcelona, Bonjour Paris! (Monday, June 10, 2013)

Today we woke up, had breakfast, and went to our last class at IQS.  Then we had some free time so my roommate Erica, Sara, and I took the metro to the Picasso Museum.  We heard it was a must see in Barcelona, so we figured we would take advantage of our time and hit that up.  We got there only to find out that the museum is closed on Mondays.  We were all pretty upset but my roommate was probably the most upset.  I felt bad that we didn’t make it.  Now we tell people, “Oh yeah, we went to the Picasso Museum.  You didn’t?” And no one (except you lovely readers) needs to know that we didn’t actually get to go in.  How perfect! 

Then we hit up some tacky tourist shops and a pharmacy to get some goodies to bring home to the US.  After that we took the train home.  We made the same mistake as yesterday and got on the wrong train, in fact the same exact wrong train that we had gotten on yesterday, at the same exact train station.  Someone told us we were going the wrong way and how to correct our error, so we were only lost for a few minutes instead of hours, but it still cut into our free time just enough to annoy us a little. 

Once we got back we went to the produce store and the market by our hotel so we could get food and water for the train ride to Paris.  Then we got our luggage from the hotel, loaded onto the bus, and got to the train station where we all waited in a huddle next to the tracks.  Someone dropped her wine bottle and it shattered with a splash of Cava, but otherwise that part of the day was pretty uneventful.  We just sat there trying to be sure no one got pickpocketed or stolen from. 

Then we got on the train and squeezed into these tiny little 4 person cabins with all of our luggage and backpacks.  It was crowded but honestly it was more like a cozy little Hogwarts Express, only not.  Plus once they pulled the beds down it was perfect.  All of FN had 3 full cars in the back of the train (mine was the last car) so we could be as loud and annoying as we wanted.  Obviously, with this group, we were pretty ridiculous.  We danced and ate and partied it up.  I also got to have some great conversations with the other people on the trip and blog a bit for when we had Internet again.  Then I went to sleep and woke up to the weirdest doorbell wake up call and the frigid air of the city of love: Paris!

Paris in the Rain (Tuesday, June 11, 2013)

This morning we arrived in Paris.  Ah!  It was way colder than Barcelona, and very cloudy, but everyone who knows me knows that I would always rather be cold than hot, and that this weather was perfect for me.  Then we got off the train and headed for the bathrooms to change and brush our teeth.  We had to pay to get in which really sucked.  And then they wouldn’t even let me brush my teeth because the sinks were for hand washing only (what?!), I wasn’t allowed to get my clothes out of my suitcase to change, and I forgot to go to the bathroom with all the hustle and bustle.  Oops. 

Then we grabbed our first French pastries and loaded onto the bus for a little tour of Paris!  We drove past all of the major landmarks before ending our tour at the Eiffel Tower to take pictures.  I know everyone always says that the tower is way less cool in person, but I disagree.  I still love it.  It was beautiful!  And yes, not as tall as I had imagined, but still taller than any NBA player I’ve ever seen.  We took a bunch of pictures and went right up underneath the tower.  I was sad I was still in my train clothes, but oh well.  It drizzled a bit, which was great!  Paris in the Rain was on my checklist of things to do and I got it out of the way the very first day (and every day after). 

Then we went to our first Parisian professional visit at OECD.  Everyone who went fell asleep as three speakers just kept on talking in a monotone for hours and hours.  They called us out for it too!  How rude!  We had just gotten off a train where we had hardly slept a wink and they were incredibly boring!  Give us a break!  And at least try to be a little engaging!

After that we went to our hotel.  Ty, Bowie, and I had dinner right next to the hotel and it was one of my favorite meals.  I had skirt stake, potatoes, and a crepe.  Yumm.  Also, in France we can ask for tap water, AKA we can cut out between 3 to 5 Euros off every meal! 

Then we went back to the Eiffel Tower with a bunch of people to take pictures at night with the tower all lit up.  It was beautiful!  We went up the tower, practically jumping out of our shoes with excitement.  The very top was closed because I guess they are renovating the tower, so we only went halfway up, but it was still pretty spectacular.  After a few hours up there, we took the stairs down the tower.  By the last step our legs were shaking and they couldn’t stop.  It was so strange. 

Then we went to take the metro back to the hotel.  Since the others didn’t have any crepes before they got some off the street.  My friend from Montreal asked for her crepe in French and the mean old man made fun of her for attempting to speak French.  Then my other friend tried to order her crepe and asked the one from Quebec how to say it in French.  She told the crepe man and he pretended to help her pronounce it, but instead he was actually making fun of her and calling her mentally ill for trying.  That jerk. 

Then we went back to the hotel.  I had new roommates now. Then I showered and was so exhausted that going to sleep on the rickety old roll away bed felt more like sleeping on clouds and bubbles.  Perfect first day in Paris!