Master of Metal

My first week of classes for this semester, I sat down in my new bean bag chair to do homework. About an hour later, I woke up choking. It turns out that I fell asleep with my head back, and I started to drown in my own drool. Lesson learned: Don't do homework in bean bag chairs without a swimming buddy.

I've recently been stocking up on security devices for emergency cases. One of the items I bought was a small LED flash light. It came with a cute little strap for wrapping my fingers around. Unfortunately, the flash light does not come with a place to attach the strap, thus rendering the strap to be utterly useless to me.

The Ice Bear moved out before winter break, but a new specimen has replaced her: the Shower Hog.  I waited for fifty six minutes to get in the shower because she decided the morning was when one takes luxurious, 35 minute showers, despite the fact that the girl in the shower before her only took twelve.

I had a very interesting customer come through my line a week ago.  When he came up, he awkwardly started blathering on about how he didn't know a thing about hairspray, and how he couldn't understand why his wife asked him to purchase it for her.  His hair happened to appear meticulously groomed.  After he finally realized that I didn't give two shakes of a broken ipod's worth of care about his hair spray, he then had to set in on the freshly raining icy weather:

"I hope it clears up out there. I can't stand the idea of a tiny little thing like you driving around out there. I'd hate for you to get in an accident.  You need to be very careful in weather like this, and sometimes that's not enough. Why would they make such fragile, young creatures such as yourself come to work on days like this?" Blah blah blah.

It was all I had not to say, "Sir, I grew up on the Mississippi. If I can't drive out there, there's a snow ball's chance in hell that anyone else could."  Instead, I just nodded and mm-hmm'd.

A little while later, a woman wearing sandals and those foam toe separators used for pedicures came through my line, so my guess is, it wasn't as bad as he made it sound to be.  And, since I had driven to work that morning, and had no problem then (with the exception of fish-tailing perfectly into my parking spot), I'm just gonna go on ahead and assume I'm right.

A chick that I went to high school with recently posted a status about moving to a city, and being lonely. This is the same city that a friend of mine moved to several years ago.  I sent a text to my friend saying that this chick was new to the city, and that she was lonely. Her response?

"Hahahahahaahahahahaha!"

Oh, I should mention that this chick was incredibly mean to me and my friend while we still went to school together.

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." -David Brinkley

Betrayed Pup

I am lost,
Crushed forever beneath the weight of a thousand seas.
Gone is my breath and my beauty.
As the water crashes down upon my blouse,
I cannot help but feel the drowning.

Forbidful Sprite

Many people, in an effort to show support of things their religion reject, share a statement to summarize their philosophy.

Hate the sin, not the sinner.

My own philosophy was based off of this statement, but not quite in the same way. I found this statement to not only seem close minded, but also a tad pessimistic.  I felt that it was a glass-half-empty idea. As a result, I formed my own idea of how to take people in, using a statement I've borrowed from my friends.

Love thy neighbor.

Let's first address a possible thought that would immediately spring to mind should one read this: I understand that my friends did not come up with this statement, but instead it is from the Bible. Let me make clear: The Bible is part of my friends; indeed, it is the very heart of their beliefs, and thus it is my friends. While it may not define their every thought, it is still a part of them as though it were a limb; one's arm does not define their body, but it is vital to their identity as human.

After having watched a film in a class about the emotions and actions that take place to soldiers while stationed over seas, I have realized that my own philosophical summary is rather closed as well. Not being familiar with the context of the quote, I looked it up.

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:18

Love thy neighbor as thyself. But what does one do if thy neighbor does not love thee? There is no address of this. Do we simply respect those who wish or inflict harm, despite their actions? Or do we treat them as they treat us? My small amount of research says both; the two main interpretations of this are conflicting with each other. Human emotions call for the latter, yet divine expectations call for the first.  Humans are flawed.

"I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind it." -Albert Einstein

Queen of the Crawlies

Awesome is the ability to put down all notes on a single note card in an organized manner. Wonderful is being able to find said note card each time you have a new note. Horrendous is losing the note card shortly before writing a new blog post.

Looks like I'm doing it by memory tonight.

At work, a little girl came behind the register and watched me while I checked out her mom's groceries. After some time spent examining me, she exclaimed "She has a tiny head!" Her mom tried to cover it up by saying, "Yes, she has a beautiful head."

Recently, in one of my classes, my professor handed me a stack of papers to pass back. I handed a few copies to those on my left, as there were only three people, and handed the rest of the papers to my left.  A few minutes later, I realized I forgot to give myself one. And as I realized this, I said it out loud.  My professor, having heard this, announced it to the class so she could procure another copy from the back of the room. This was incredibly embarrassing.

For the past couple of days, I have become detached from the world. This is one of those occasions where I am not all there. I realize it, but there is no fixing it. I have to wait it out, and hope that my peers understand and accept it.

These are the most valuable times for me, though.  It is in this situation where I can understand the actions of fellow humans the most.  This is when I can observe, predict, study, and conclude about the reasons behind behaviors.  It is because of this odd detachment that I am most attached to the subconscious minds of others.

It is incredibly odd, though.  This gift allows for me to understand things about others that they themselves are only just realizing.  A simple twitch can denote anger if in the correct location. I see it, and then I retreat while they start forming defensive strategies.

This is not to say that I understand everything. Proof of this is that I still have yet to understand why so many become aggressive, and even violent, while discussing their religions with others. I myself am of a highly harassed belief system, yet I do not attack with Biblical quotes or ostracization. I rarely even talk about my beliefs, as I have discovered that by even mentioning them in an academic, historical context, there will always be others around who attack. 

The title of this blog is not in the spirit of Halloween, but merely a reflection of a student of mine, who recently caught a praying mantis only to have it stolen and destroyed by another student.

"All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers. " -Francois Fenelon

Terpsichore

I'm gonna dance dance dance
Without pants pants pants!
I'm gonna dance dance dance
Without pants pants pants!
I'm gonna do the twist
And shake my butt!
I'm gonna dance dance dance
Without pants pants pants!

This wouldn't let me go to sleep last night.

"Dance like there's nobody watching." -William Purkey

Flatter Fawn

When I was at work the other day, a little girl said to me "Oh, you are so beautiful!" While it made me question her eyesight, the comment made my day.

While doing homework, I glanced at my fish tank.  Something caught my eye, and I noticed that my black snail was slowly getting on top of my gold snail.  I sat in fascination as the black snail climbed to the top of the gold snail's shell, pushed the gold snail off the glass, rode the gold snail all the way to the gravel at the bottom, and then move away as fast as a snail can move. Snails are incredibly ninja.

I would love to bring a squirrel to class, just to see how the professor would react.  How awesome would that be? You sit down, take out your books, hand a peanut to the squirrel on your desk.  Everybody's staring at you. The professor walks in, sets up the computer, begins to lecture, and suddenly, "Miss Water? Is that a squirrel?!" And you will say "I'm pretty sure, yeah. He followed me here."  That is the moment I'm waiting for.

And I'm getting closer to it. The other day I charged a squirrel and it didn't run away.

I'm no longer on medication, and I seem to be doing fine right now.

I went to get a soda in the vending machine downstairs only to find someone crammed $4.20 in it and jammed the basket with seven cans of Seven Up.  I told my RA about it, and once she unstuck them, she gave me some. It was pretty awesome.

This weekend, Chief, my mother, and I were driving around a very large city.  The directions said to take a certain highway. The sign on the overpass said, "Certain Highway, Left Lane". I got in the left lane, drove a little bit, and saw that the turnoff for the highway was on the right lane...

There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept. -Ansel Adams

Banjo Brain

A few weeks ago, I had ordered a package. When the online tracking thingy said I got it, I checked my mail, and found it wasn't there. The next day, I checked again. Knowing from lots of experience that there is another Little Water on campus (same first and last name as me), I went to the campus post office and told them what was going on. They realized that they did in fact put it in the wrong mail box. I gave them my information, they said they were gonna call her, and things would be taken care of.  Later that day, I had a voice mail from them, and my package. Being lazy, I never checked the voice mail.

Well, two weeks after they left me this voice mail, I decided I was finally going to listen to it. I found out that they called me to tell me that I was incorrectly given a package that belonged to the other Little Water, and that I needed to return it.

They called the wrong Little Water. Because I gave them my information for nothing. Me thinks I shall change my name.

And crank the heat up in my room. It's freezing in here.

For my education class, I was told by my professor that I would be helping out a nearby middle school with standard tests.  She said it would be a one time, two hour thing.  I got to the school, and found out that really she had volunteered me to be at the school twice a week for two and a half hours each time for the rest of the semester.  The principal was confused when I said I had no idea what he was talking about.

Yesterday, she emailed my class telling us that if we had any questions about the assignments we'll soon be given, we can talk to those who were already assigned to the middle school. She told my class that I was assigned to the middle school before she told me.

But I work with an amazing six grade class.  I really work with three separate math classes, but the kids so far are great. The class is really small, so it's a bit awkward being this wanderer through the mere five rows of students. But I've already helped a kid figure out something he couldn't get. It was awesome.

About five years ago, I was terrified of going to bed because my pillow would tick loudly like a bomb, and I was scared of it.  I started sleeping more in the day and less at night. It's strange how when these things happened, I didn't think there was anything wrong with my mind, but now I question every thing. Today, I was walking to my dorm, and my head started ticking, like I had a clock inside.

"Look deeper into nature, and then you will understand everything better." -Albert Einstein