habitat habits

funny how habits can persist despite location.

i went to throw a napkin away, so i walked into the kitchen and opened the cupboard beneath the sink to toss it in the trash can. nope, not there. i looked, feeling very perplexed and thinking to myself, who moved it? i found the trash can in the corner across the kitchen, still wondering why i had this feeling like it wasn't in its usual place. well, that would be because at my house in michigan, we believe in the dutch trash storage place beneath the sink.

even the operation of the microwave got me--why isn't it resuming when I close the door? ah, again, different. tap water? different. but it's been hilarious playing with my puppies and seeing the ol' sights of bellflower.

and how about those CBS commercials/PSAs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkuI4oU250s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4jbmAJ44Po

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fun9s4lsPI8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjLsQ4r5mbc&feature=related

don't think that's what i want for christmas (or want to give for christmas).

christmas will be here and gone before you know it--i hope all is well with all.

speakerphone.

exams are done, and even better, the semester is done. finally. it was a long and tedious semester. with no homework assignments hanging over my head, it's time to restart my mind and enjoy the little bit of nothingness ahead of me.

i'm at the airport now. i always have a hard time leaving GR, even if it's just for 10 days like the trip i am headed on now. nonetheless, i love airports. more so than that, i love people in airports. for example, the lady flight attendant sitting 30 yards away for me. She finds it socially acceptable to check her messages and make phone calls on speaker phone. is it that hard to hold a phone to your ear? "to hear your messages, press 1." well, "to have your face punched in, keep using speakerphone." it just doesn't make any sense. seriously--speakerphone; for the past 30 minutes--and for the past 20, it's just been her checking flights through an automated system. i'm not exaggerating.

at the grand rapids airport, it doesn't take long at all to get through security... especially when you have a flight at a B gate, as i did today. i was the only one around as i went through security. the guy helping at the xray pulled out my guitar (that i'm bringing it home for my mother) and began to play it. he then told me about his gig last night. he's 76 years old. true story.

one more... there's this guy who's sitting across from me. he's reading--pretty normal. but instead of his eye's moving to scan the text, he moves his entire head back and forth. you know when a cartoon character eats corn like a typewriter? ya, like that, only it's a human reading. i can almost hear the "ding" before he heads back to the beginning of the next line. and by the looks of it, he's a fast reader.

i'd like to give a little shout-out to someone who represents 1/3rd of my readership. roomie--there is a lady wearing a bedazzled space boot. no joke. you should try that.

Catching On

I see that people are catching on. In honor of that, I will let y'all in on the studying adventures as of late.

Last night, Lindsey and I went to a coffee shop in GR called Wired. With lots of studying/cramming to do, Wired had what we needed: food and caffeine, available 24-hours a day. We ended up staying there until 2AM... and to let you in on the experience, here are a series of text messages that I received from Lindsey (who was sitting 10 feet away, supposedly studying) describing the other people in the coffee shop at such an absurd hour:

"I think those three women are wiccans... the black clothes and hats and being up freakishly late. Mostly i think it's the hats."

"And why in the world is this couple awake? My theory... he wanted to get freaky and she said 'no! lets go do something.' That's how it always happens."

"The guy by the window had to get some fresh air. The mold from his mom's basement is really affecting his respiratory system."

"And the lone man in the middle of the shop... he is attempting to complete an assignment for an online class. He hopes that if he can get a better job, he can start wearing some age-appropriate shoes."

For the record, Lindsey--who is very sensitive to caffeine--was on her second caffeinated drink of the day. And of course, I had to do my best to keep my chuckles to myself. Needless to say, studying was accomplished to a certain extent and the exams we were studying for are done and over with.

No Cups.

One of the reasons i stopped posting was the overwhelming feeling that I had nothing to talk about--i got sick of writing about what was going on. It didn't feel like anything too exciting was happening, therefore there wasn't anything to exciting to write about.

But this new internship that I've been a part of for a few weeks now--this is an exciting experience. I've been thrown in to the cubicle culture. As an intern at Grand Rapids Magazine, I go in twice a week. Cubicles and business dress are the newest things for me. It might just be me, but I think the cubicle walls are extraordinarily high. I have no idea who my neighbors are. I know they have voices... voices and fingers, cause i hear their fingers typing away--in fact, I made a game out of trying to guess male or female based on what the typing sounded like. I still haven't seen my neighbors, so i can't say how accurate I am. Other than voices and fingers, my neighbors have no other known characteristics; maybe they have faces? Bodies?
And it's so quiet on the main floor that I'm afraid to move let alone sniffle or cough. This mentality made my having hiccups last tuesday rather stressful.
I tend to stay in my cubicle--but in my second week, I made the trek to the water cooler. What a proud moment as I turned the corner and had the cooler in sight--though it was rather anticlimactic because nobody was standing around the cooler chatting up some company gossip. Even more disappointing was the realization that there were no cups; back to the cubicle. As pointless as the trip was, it was still a thrill. Next time I'll bring a cup with me.

it's baaaaack.

if you are reading this, you have probably figured out the hint that i am getting back on blogger.

i don't know why i decided to take such a long break from it. part of it was the fact that i wanted to actually write stuff down rather than type it out. another part of it was that i was just plain old lazy.

either way, i apologize for those of you who actually read my stuff. i've missed it a bit, and hopefully i can get back in the swing of things pretty quickly. let us begin with a little post.

blizzard conditions outside right now. all this snow is great--i made my first snow man, though it was more of a snow woman, what with the snow bosoms and all. classes are finally done for me, and i am preparing for exam week. actually, in all honesty, i am taking a few days off--exam preparation will start on saturday or sunday.
living off-campus is great. all grown-up, doing chores, paying bills, fixing stuff... that's life right now. i'm in one of those spots again where i can't help but grin when i realize where i am. for that, i am thankful.
a little more leisure will be mixed in to that once interim rolls around. ice skating and sledding are top on my list of fun stuff to do that i've never really done or haven't done so in a while.

i hope all is well with everyone.