Quotes

I'm on a big quote kick right now. Thought I'd share some...
"The more I see, the less I know for sure." -John Lennon
"Sometimes you have to forget what's gone, appreciate what still remains, and look forward to what's coming next." -Unknown
"Sometimes you'll never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory." -Unknown
"Go for someone whose not only proud and glad to have you but will also take every risk and effort just to be with you." -Unknown
"I think we spend too much time wondering why we're not good enough. We waste too much time putting ourselves down, that we don't ever stop to see that we are good enough. We spend too much time with our heads down and hearts closed, and never get a chance to look up from the ground and see that the sun is sun shining and tomorrow is another day." -Unknown
"Never compare your journey with someone else's. Your journey is your journey, not a competition." -Unknown

So I thought I'd share those with you.
If I shared all the ones that I liked/related to this evening, you'd think me very sappy.

Funny How Things Change

You know how people always suggest that as soon as you stop wanting something, you'll get it?
You know how people always say that you should just relax and go with the flow?
Well, apparently those things work.

But then you fly half way across the world and your thoughts start getting all mixed up again.
Not that this will make sense without the full story of my life, but I don't think that I'll ever be "normal" when it comes to relationships. If there is even a norm for that. How can there be a norm for relationships...? I mean seriously. So many variables play into each one, every single time. How in the world did someone enforce some kind of formula for "This is how a relationship should happen."? I don't get it.  

Brain Blocked

Geez, I finally have the desire to write a story but have absolutely zero solid ideas to expand on. I guess I could go through my old stories (the unfinished ones) and continue them, but those are always hard to continue so long after the inspiration for the story has run out. It's really annoying.
Besides that, I'm having a really good time in Germany so far. We've been shopping and done a little bit of sightseeing. A realization occurred to me, though: I'm a really bad tourist. I don't really care about the experience anymore. I feel like I'd rather go to Rome or Paris or wherever and just explore...not go see the things that you "have" to see. Hopefully I'll have the courage to do that if I ever start traveling by myself.
I don't know how much traveling I'm going to be doing past this Christmas. It's all up in the air, about where my parents are moving to next. Also, this summer is still six months away...I have a lot to think about before I get this summer figured out...But that requires thinking power, and mine is diminishing quickly....

More of a Diary Entry than Anything

It's hard to feel this lonely and to be surrounded by people.
It's confusing to want and be scared at the same time.
It's hard to fulfill expectations when you don't know what the expectations are.
Sometimes distance is good...sometimes it makes things a lot harder.
Sometimes I wish I'd led a different life.
Right now, I really want to cuddle. 

France for a Day

So the nice thing about Germany versus Italy is that Germany is much more centrally located. Sure, the tourist spots in Sicily are great but it takes a lot of time and/or a lot of money to get anywhere outside of Sicily. But, from where we are in Germany, it's only about an hour drive to the French border. 
Now, I had a bad thought process before leaving the house this morning. My thought was, "I'm going to France and don't want to feel completely unfashionable all day long." So I did a very silly thing and wore a pair of heels. Never, ever again will I do that. My feet hurt super bad right now, after about six hours of walking around.
However, the actual being in France was pretty fun. We ate at this really fancy French place. My favorite part was my dessert...it was basically a hollowed out chocolate cupcake that was then filled with warm, melted chocolate. It was super yummy! After lunch, we went to see some fancy church. I feel really bad about every church I go to; I've seen too many of them so I care very little about seeing another one. Then we window shopped for a while. Surprisingly, that was all we did. It feels like a lot more than that...but that's probably because of my poor shoe choice.
Tomorrow, I have some serious shopping to do. I still have to buy presents for a whole bunch of people...whoopsie! Don't tell them that I'm so late. Then packing the next day and Virginia the day after that. Wow, I'm gonna be busy.

Auerbach Castle

For those of you who haven't heard yet, there's this boy that I have a crush on. Riveting, I know. Something really cool about it, though, is that his last name is German. Not only that, there's a castle here with the same name.
And it's actually my favorite castle that I've been to so far. No, that's not because I like this boy. We could actually explore the castle. I'm really used to the castles or temples that I go to being all blocked off. Basically, you can stand in the court yard and that's it. Not at Auerbach Castle...we got to climb up into the watchtowers and look out over the valley. There was exploring we could do and almost no gate was locked and shut. I felt like I was ten years old and playing "Saving the Damsel." Well, almost. Mostly, exploring was just really great. We saw these gliders (planes that catch the updrafts to stay in the air) and had fun waving to them. Lots of pictures were taken and silliness happened.
We spent the rest of the day looking around other little towns, places that my mom used to visit when she was studying abroad here. It was pretty cool, actually.
Besides all of that, I finally have another story idea happening in my head. :D (That smiley cannot be big enough!!!!) Finally, finally, finally, yessssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas

Christmas always ends up being a funny time of year for me. The first few weeks of December are always full of excitement and, admittedly, a little bit of anxiety. When it comes down to it, those weeks are probably my favorite. All of the preparation--trying to find presents for everyone, getting ready to head home, having some of your favorite songs turn into the most annoying ones because they're played so much--ends up being so much fun. I like to think that I'm really good at giving presents so it turns into a game, trying to locate the perfect presents for peoples.
But this week at home has actually--sadly--been really stressful. Don't get me wrong: I absolutely love my family. And they are great to hang out with. But, like I said in a post a couple months ago, I feel really inadequate when I'm in a room with three or more of them. They don't do it on purpose but I rarely feel on par with them as we're sitting around and talking. I find that I self-promote a lot and bring the conversation back to my own life a lot--at least, a lot more than I feel like I do when I'm with my friends. My theory behind that is that I'm trying to put myself on the same shelf as my siblings. Since I earn my place among my friends, I don't feel the need to try and prove myself to them; they've already accepted me into their ranks. With my siblings, they didn't get a choice in my joining their ranks--it happened. Every once in a while, I feel like I've earned my spot among them but, almost inevitably, that feeling comes crashing down and I'm left on the bottom rung (at least, in my mind.) Holidays always end up being a little stressful because of that; lots of time in close quarters with people that I feel the need to prove myself to.
Luckily, I supposed, Christmas itself is on its last day this year. And we've just got a lot of sightseeing to do before I head out to Virginia. Then I get to spend five days there, catching up with some old friends. I'm really looking forward to that. It's been two and four years since I've seen these friends. There should be lots and lots to talk about.
Anyway, for those of you who celebrate, Merry Christmas.

It's End of the World

December 21, 2012. I've been told that the world is supposed to end today. While I completely doubt the truth of that, I will be very sad if there's no world to wake up to tomorrow. (Though, if the world ends, I supposed there won't be a 'me' to be sad about it.)
I also came to the determination that the world couldn't end on one single day. With the way that time zones work, the world isn't ever on the same day at the same time. (At least that's my understanding of the way it all works.) So! If the world was supposed to end on "December 21", I'm forced to ask "December 21 where?"

Anyway, last night at dinner made me really sad. We got to talking about reasons to not travel to certain countries. Apparently, Delhi is the rape capital of the world. That's the only hard bit of conversation I remember because I spent most of it in a sad spiral of realizing that the world (and the people in it) do seem to be predisposed to be terrible. Suddenly, I'm not so shocked at why some people are surprised when they find out that they consider me a "good person".
Wow, jet lag makes me all babble-y. Not that what I'm trying to say isn't something I believe, just that I'm doing a very poor job of saying it.

Cinderelly, Cinderelly, Night and Day...

Okay, I'm not actually watching the Disney version of "Cinderella." But I do love that song that the mice sing when they're fixing up her dress for the ball.
They always keep her hopppin'
She go around in circles
Til she very, very dizzy,
Still they holler
Keep a-busy, Cinderelly! 
I am, however, watching the Hilary Duff/Chad Michael Murray version "A Cinderella Story" (yes, I know; it's a really ridiculous movie for me to watch but, let me tell you a secret. I tend to like movies that are just the feel good type...even if that means that the intended audience is probably eleven years old.) We can discuss my poor taste in movies later, I promise.
Watching a telling of Cinderella got me thinking...I almost had this big rant about how unbelievable the narrative is but, now that I sit down to tell you guys about it, I've had a change of heart. I read this quote one time about the Disney version of "Cinderella". Of course, I can't remember it verbatim but it basically said that Cinderella is a girl who has a dream and does what it takes to see it come true. The more I think about it, the more I can believe that. No matter which version you watch (and my personal favorite is the one with Drew Barrymore that has been mentioned at least twice before here), "Cinderella" has something that she desperately wants to achieve. I guess the reason that the Drew Barrymore version is my favorite is because the boy isn't really the end goal. In that version, the goal is to save her father's estate from her greedy step-mother. In the other versions that I've watched/read, Cinderella is a girl who just wants to be out past curfew and happens to meet this guy who apparently believes in love at first sight.
Okay, I guess I am still a little bitter towards the story. I guess I'm just partial to the "Beauty and the Beast" story. A smart girl who looks past appearances to find the man inside... That's totally my cup of tea.

Well, See

Three weeks away from school seems like a long time.
Two weeks in Germany and one in Virginia seems like a very, very short time.
I guess life really is all about perception. 
I'm proud to say that I've done absolutely nothing productive for the past two days. I forgot how nice being lazy can feel. Except I know that I've been lazy and feel like I should really do something about that. Well, I guess I did tune my violin, which isn't something I was completely convinced that I could do. I should practice some Christmas tunes...
For those who haven't heard the whole story, my parents move from Italy to Germany this summer and, while I lived in a temporary apartment with them for a while before going to school, I wasn't around to help them unpack into their house. Over these past few weeks, whenever I've thought about what being back overseas would feel like, I always thought it was feel like vacation. Now that I'm here, I realize that I was wrong...it feels like home. I guess I'm not kidding when I tell people that I have at least five homes; I'm a big believer in the phrase, "Home is where the heart is." A little part of me wishes that I didn't feel so at home; I feel like I'd be more inclined to go out into town and explore if I felt like I was on vacation. But, since I feel so at home, I'm really comfortable with snuggling up in front of the computer and playing Sims.
My brother and sister are flying in tomorrow, so more adventures should kick up in the days following. Apparently, all of us kids have been invited to the party that's happening on Friday for my dad's students. :) That makes me feel kind of silly, and kind of happy. I haven't been to a middle school holiday party in, like, four years.
I'm really excited for it to be Christmas. It always ends up being fun: way too much food, parties, silly music and cheer. Oh, and presents ;) Speaking of which, I still have shopping to do (but that's a secret so don't tell!)
I guess I have a lot to do while I'm here...I have to complete my RA application. I should clean out my closet. Oh! That's one of my amazing discoveries...my closet is soooooooo ridiculously full. I can't believe that I ever thought I didn't have enough clothes. At this point, I think that I have way tooooo many. I'm coming to realize that my goal of making all my possessions fit into a couple suitcases and a few boxes is probably impossible. "Pack rat" is a term that applies to me. My other amazing discovery is that I could actually tune my violin. I was terrified that I was going to snap the strings; and that would've been terrible because I wouldn't have been able to play. Anyways, back to my to-do list: there's cooking, baking, and sight seeing to be done. And, since 2013 is the first year I'll be doing taxes, I'm hoping to get a little help from my parents. Ugh, growing up is hard.
Seriously, it is. In some ways, the difficulty is really, really wonderful. But independence comes at a price; in some ways, I wish I could stay a kid forever. Kids are impossibly carefree. Being financially stable would provide some freedom to be careless, but I'm an Elizabeth Bennet at heart so I won't marry with money as the reason. (Plus, I'm 18; getting married probably isn't advisable just yet.) I guess that means that I'll have to become rich with my writing.
...
...
...
It would be nice if my writer's block would stop. I don't know what I'm going to do if I don't write. This first quarter at college (I survived it!) revealed a lot more about my personality than it did my possible careers. I know that I won't major in Art History and probably won't major in Anthropology. I would say theatre but, the funny this is that I found myself focusing on the narratives and characters more than the cinematography or lighting design. Maybe I am a writer. I do hope so. I want to be.
On the other hand, though, being an undecided major has its perks. It means that, for now, I don't have classes that are required. Sure, I have requirements to fill but there's a wide range of classes that I can use to full 'em. Once I declare, I'll have classes that I must take and I don't always like the things I must do.
Let me tell you a secret about Robyn...I'm really easily influenced. I'll have made up my mind about something then someone will express their doubt and send me into a spiral of questioning. I said earlier in here about how I need to do my RA application. Well, everyone at school is encouraging me to do it and, while I'm there, I feel really sure about my desire to do it. But it feels like everyone here is telling me to be extra cautious. How cautious is the right amount of cautious? What should I be worried about? Will it really impact my life that much? In a bad way, I mean. The coin trick! I should try the coin trick...Meh, I'll do it later. This chair is pretty comfortable. 

Trying Very Hard to Stay Awake...

I make no promises that any of this post will be coherent. Even with four hours of sleep on the plane, I'm exhausted after my trip. My eyes do not want to stay open at all. But I'm trying to stay up until at least 8 Germany time. Hopefully, that'll work out because I have some people to call stateside.
Dead week and finals week at school were kind of crazy and totally not what I expected, but wonderful all the same. There was tons of dancing, a fair bit of cuddling, and so much silliness. All in all, that equates to a lovely time. It's a little sad, though, because I feel like I was just starting to make really good friends and now I'll be away for three-ish weeks. I'm gonna miss the lot of them.
Wow, I really want to write more and make this post a lot more interesting but my brain is not functioning enough to do so. I will say that I'm planning on writing a lot more in the near future so don't wait too long before coming back to see what's up here.

Blues

So I realized today as I was laying in bed and delaying my studying that, come the 15th of December, I won't be able to dance blues for like 3 weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to swing dance (since my brother is coming to Germany too) but he doesn't blues.
Yet.
Maybe I could teach him.
But he's been taught different dance styles before, and always dances them with a little swing flavor. Mostly the reason I'm scared to teach him is that my blues form is still pretty poor. Trust me, all of my leads like to tell me ways I can improve. "Tension, tension, tension." Do you know how hard it is to keep tension when leads don't try to take my weight?! Dear leads, if you want your follow to lean into you, try to take some of her weight. It shows her you can be trusted! Sincerely, a forming blues dancer.

Dead Week

Wow, finals are almost here. I really should be studying right now but I haven't been able to talk myself into it yet. There's a reason for that, I promise. My exams aren't about everything we've learned over the quarter; they're just another test. So I only feel the need to study as much as I would for any other test this quarter. Really what I need to do is get enough sleep so I have the proper motivation and energy level to study... Note to self: don't stay up until 2 again this week.
The funny thing about "needing to study" is that it makes everything else so much more appealing. I'm writing letters, maybe going to start reading a book today...Actually, I just need to work reading into my life because I really go enjoy it. For some reason, sitting on Facebook always seems like a better idea in the moment.

Dinner, real homemade dinner.

One really good thing that's come of dead week so far is pasta. Yup, I made pasta for a bunch of people in my stack last night. And it was absolutely great. We have delusions that we're going to cook real food every night this week and, while that'd be great, I doubt it'll happen. There's too many small things that go into actually cooking. I mean, pasta is simple and I'd be happy to eat that every night this week but I doubt all my new friends would share that opinion.
I really missed cooking. Now I have a deal with my parents that I'll be in charge of dinner for about a week when I go back to Germany. Their school will still be in session when I arrive so I thought it'd be nice to cook for that week.
I'm really excited about the next few weeks. This is dead week and lots of fun things are happening: swing, blues, shopping, maybe a party. Then next week is finals, which isn't exactly optimal but I'll be done on Wednesday and am maybe going to see "The Hobbit" on that Thursday. Maybe. I head down to Seattle on the Friday to hang out with my sister/help her pack before flying to Germany the next day. Then I get to spend two weeks in Germany and celebrate Christmas with my family. This is the first year in a while that I've felt "Christmas-y" so I'm really excited about it. After that, I get to spend five days in Virginia, hanging out with some friends that I haven't seen in years.
The next month should be great!! :)

I Hate to Wait

You know what's really ridiculous? A bus being an hour late. I disapprove. My legs are still cold and I've been on said bus for almost a half an hour already. I was supposed to get into Seattle around six this evening but now I'm doubting if I'll get there before seven. :(
But that's not the only thing I hate to wait for. As much as I love most things about Facebook, one feature that really sets me on edge is the ability of Facebook to tell me when someone has seen but has no replied to a message I sent them. It sends me into this crazy little whirlwind driven by the question of, "Why are they ignoring me?!" Granted, I know that some people check their Facebooks whenever they have a spare second and that my messages generally require more attention than that so maybe that's what is happening right now. I really hope that's what it is. Otherwise, that makes me really nervous. I start wondering if I said something too much in my message, or just the wrong thing. I don't like being nervous. I want to know what this person has to say but they're being quiet. Not that I can totally blame them but it's still happening.
The other thing on my list that I seriously hate waiting for it friends. That sounds silly but I'm not exceptionally good at making them. I think I'm finding my niche with dancing peoples, but I don't think I'm really good friends with any of them yet. I really want to have friends who want me too.

A Little Bit of Life

I don't know what it is about this month that makes it so difficult to actually sit down and write.
But, first off, have you guys ever teefury.com? You should check it out if you haven't. They sell a different funny t-shirt every single day. I think it's a wonderful idea.
So, I went to visit my brother and sister-in-law for Thanksgiving. My flight got delayed from my town to Seattle, which made me miss my connection to Boise and the airline put me up in a hotel. 

 It was a really, really nice hotel. But I didn't end up spending all that much time in it. You see, my aunt lives near Seattle so I called her, and ended up over at her house.
I'm trying to persuade my cousin to come to my college, which is going pretty well so far.

 Oh, yeah. I had a balcony.

















Anyways, Boise was really fun. The first thing my oldest brother (TB) said to me was, "I keep forgetting that you're a grown-up. In my mind, you're still eleven." -_- So I made jokes about that all weekend. I guess I probably shouldn't be so amazed since we weren't together hardly at all when I was growing up. Sometimes I forget that he's married and responsible and all that jazz.We had real Thanksgiving food, which was amazing compared to the dining hall food that I've been eating for the past two months. (I've been in college for two months, how crazy is that?!) On Friday, we all went shooting and I made a deal with TB that, when I have a boyfriend that I'm serious about, he has to take him shooting so as to (a) intimidate him and (b) protect me--in the event that "serious boyfriend" becomes "husband". Though, granted, I could protect myself.
I guess I should mention that, because of the delay on the way there, I made a bunch of new friends at the airport. I hope that I'll see them around campus soon (yes, all of them were students too).
What else? What else?

 

This was waiting for me (all boxed up, of course) when I got back from Thanksgiving break. It's a care package from my friend Kris. I'm really excited to have books to read again. The on campus library doesn't have a centralized fiction section so I haven't been doing much--that is to say, any--reading since I got to school. The white package is my Christmas present but he sent it way early and I'm impatient so I opened it. Remember back in September when I posted a picture very

similar to this one? The movie is called "Ever After" and it's what Kris bought me for Christmas. I'm really happy about it. :) Thanks again, Kris!

 I guess the only other thing to tell you guys is that I finally went downtown yesterday. My suitemate and I went to get brunch at The Daisy Cafe. Their hot chocolate is really good. We also wandered around and went into a couple interesting shops. The real motivation for going was so that I could find my way this Friday when I head down to Seattle. (I'm going to go visit my siblings again.) 

But, yeah, that's pretty much all that's going on in my life. Finals are coming up, which is kind of scary. I have to register for next quarter classes tomorrow. I'm going to Germany in December and Virginia in January! I'm sending a lot of letters recently. 

I will say that sometimes, when I'm walking around campus and I see all these people in big groups (and I'm walking all by myself) I can't help but wonder if I'm doing something wrong.

November is Going Quickly

Apparently, I'm celebrating "No Write November." Sorry, guys, I don't know what's keeping me away from this but I guess college will do that to you.
I've been busy making friends, going dancing, and doing homework. Oh, and working. I wish that I was writing more but I'm also having a marvelous time having my own college experience that I don't want to spend all of it holed up in my dorm room, writing. However, I do want to document it.
On that note, here's what I've been up to: swing dancing, learning to blues dance, going contra dancing (that's basically square dancing), doing homework, admiring the cute boys around campus, trying to work up the courage to actually talk to said boys, and working at the desk.
Blues and contra (and swing but I've already talked about that a lot) are super much fun!!! Oh. my. gosh. Contra is a once-in-a-while thing but blues will become a weekly habit. The people who do blues are amazing. And a lot fewer people do blues so I feel like I'm actually making friends there. Except I avoid Kris (not the cool Kris who sends me Navy Diver postcards; the 50-year-old Kris who likes to dance way too close together).  I wish he would dance a little farther away from me because he's a good lead; he's just kind of creepy.
Anyways, that's pretty much everything exciting I'm up to at school. Well, I'm attempting to flirt with this guy but I'm really bad at being normal enough to flirt well when I'm attracted to someone (and, therefore, nervous). Boys make me nervous...or, boys that I'm attracted to do.
On a completely different note, do you know how hard it is to try to get to Virginia? (I have friends over there that I'm trying to go see.) It's hard!
My adventure of this week is that my flight to Boise (to visit my family for Thanksgiving) was delayed and I missed on connection in Seattle. But so did this boy from my school so we hung out a whole bunch. I mean, I hung out with a bunch of people while we were delayed in the airport but, after we got to Seattle, I caught a shuttle to the hotel with this boy and then we had breakfast this morning. And now we're Facebook friends... Anyways, the point is that it was really nice having a traveling buddy to help me deal with the fact that I'd missed my flights. And I proved to myself that I am able to actually talk to guys. (Yes, by the way, I was a little bit in doubt.)
But, yeah, now I'm chilling in Boise with my brothers, sister-in-law, and my sister-by-extension (aka, my sister-in-law's sister.) Having real food for dinner was absolutely wonderful and I discovered that I actually do like apple pie.
OH! I'm a really hilarious/really typical college student and brought laundry "home." My sister-in-law laughed pretty hard when I asked if I could do laundry. Speaking of which...I should start on that.
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. I hope your day is/was wonderful.

Oh, Life. You're Great.

Hey everybody. I know it's been a little while since I've written anything and that's mostly because I've been preoccupied with a couple things recently. I'm working on not being all caught up in my mind drama at the moment but, anyways, I have some excitement all built up inside me and thought I should share.
You know how I've been going to Swing Kids all the time since school started? Remember how there's a lead named Forest who is a really good lead? Well...this past Wednesday he asked me if I was going to blues. (A blues group meets about an hour after Swing Kids, down in my dorm community building). I told him that I'd never been blues dancing in my life, which really surprised him. Apparently, I'm a "bluesy" swing dancer. (At the time, I didn't really understand what that meant but it does now). So, with a little persuasion from him and these other girls that I'm becoming pretty good friends with, I went to blues. And, when I say "I went to blues", I really mean that I hung out with all the blues people for the time lapse between swing and blues, danced once or twice then went to get dinner because it was late and I hadn't eaten. Quiet honestly, I just wasn't feeling quiet as confident with blues as I do with swing.
But, remember those girls I just mentioned? Well, they know about a place in town that does blues lessons and a social on Thursday nights. After spending a while debating, I mustered my courage and went with them. Turns out, after a little instruction, I'm a pretty good blues follow. In my mind, swing dancing is really loose and easy (pretty open to a bit of improv) but blues is like that times five. And it's so much fun. Plus, I was playing around as a lead last night and am not half bad at that either.
My favorite thing about blues is actually the stance. It's practically required that almost the entirety of your bodies are touching a majority of the time you're dancing with someone. Granted, there are always exceptions but a lot of the people I danced with last night do dance really close. And that closeness allows me to be a little be delusional. During each dance, I get to pretend like I'm someone really important to my lead; the closeness makes me feel special. (This is probably driven in part by the fact that most of the new leads at Swing Kids are really scared to get close to their follows; FYI, boys, closeness helps) Feeling special is really nice right now--considering a few things...
The point is that blues is wonderful and I'm actually kind of sad that Thanksgiving is next week because now I have to wait two weeks to go do it again with my blues friends. Maybe I'll just have to teach my brother over Thanksgiving break...
Oh, here's another wonderful thing that happened last night. You all know about my friend Kris, right? He's the one who keeps sending me Navy Diver postcards. (Thank you, again, by the way.)  For some reason, I've really been wanting to call him for, like, a week. We text practically all the time but I realized that I hadn't heard his voice in about four years. That made me kind of sad...so I called him last night. And had an actual conversation with him. Then he started being the "confident" (his word; mine was "egotistical") boy that  he is and I felt the need to hang up on him to put him in his place, as it were, but I don't think he really cared. It was just really nice to talk to him. (please note: he and I joke around a lot). I've missed him.
Then, today, I got to watch half of "Hunger Games" with RA6, attended an amazingly hilarious Psych class, had an awkward moment with this boy I have a crush on (which wasn't actually as awkward as the moment from Thursday morning), somehow managed to bend the metal part of the lanyard that my keys were on (and, therefore, had to buy a new lanyard), found a book about writing and publishing that was 40% off when I went to go buy said new lanyard (so excited to read it), and apparently have actual plans for the weekend.
Really, what I'm trying to say is that life has been absolutely wonderful for the past couple of days. And I really hope that it continues to be like this. :)

Tonight's Going To Be Historic

A few things before I talk about how today's Election Day...
Firstly, I had an impromptu trip to Seattle this weekend and it was amazing!! I got to go to Zumba with my brother; eat at the restaurant where my sister works; play videos game with my brother's friends; and get a tattoo. Yeah, that last one kind of hurt but it turned out really nicely. I super like it. It says "Sogno Scrivo Vivo" in really nice script down my thigh. (That's Italian for "Dream Write Live", by the way).
Secondly, I managed to write a paper between the hours of 9 pm Sunday night to 5 pm Monday night. BOOM! I cannot tell you how surprised/happy I am to have achieved that. Finishing that means that I don't have to do any more big things for that class until the final; it's just reading and quizzes for a while. :D
Thirdly, the questions swirling in my mind right now is "Why did I wait this long to start going to the gym?" Granted 'going to the gym' is a subjective...I'm not doing running on treadmills or doing weights (though I kind of want to learn how). I'm going to the classes that the gym puts on. Tonight was the first night I've done anything not Zumba...I did Cardio Combat. Honestly, it was kind of an accident. the schedule posted online isn't the right one so I thought I was going to Ab-Lab (yes, it's a core workout) but I actually ended up in Cardio Combat. I'm kind of deciding that it's really fun to go do things that you know nothing about. Like, last night, I watched 'V for Vendetta' for the first time. Oh my gosh, it was so good. All I knew about the movie before I watched it was that it was based on Guy Fawkes' story. I didn't have any built up expectations and, for the first time in a few months, I didn't get bored halfway through the movie. 
"Remember, remember the 5th of November. 
The gunpowder treason and plot. 
I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot." 
Fourthly, it's cold season and I don't like it. I'm very seriously considering going to bed as soon as I get back to my dorm. But I have a few chapters I'm supposed to read... The debate between academic responsibility and health responsibility shall continue.
Fifthly, I'm going to Boise for Thanksgiving to see my brother, sister-in-law, and my sister-by-extension (aka my sister-in-law's sister). I'm really excited to get to spend this Thanksgiving with family. Although, I do have to figure out how to get to and from the airport in my town. I'm thinking taxi.
Okay, I think that's all of my interesting news for now.
Onto the fact that it's ELECTION DAY!!!!
I've been misleading, I don't actually have much to say about the fact that it's Election Day. Just that it is and I'm really excited to have voted; and that I feel sorry for all the nation's mail carriers because the past few days have probably been insanely busy! When I wake up tomorrow (actually, just after I fall asleep tonight) we will most likely know whom to call "Mr. President" for the next four years. And I was a part of that. It's so exciting when you think about it.
Besides all of those things, here's what has been on my mind today: do you ever wonder what makes people important? I don't mean the president or revolutionaries...I mean what makes people important to you in your life. Sure, "nice" and "funny" are probably on the list, but tons of people are nice and funny. My theory is that it's shared experiences (at least in part) that make people important. That theory is influenced by the fact that I've made friends at the gym the past two days after enduring an hour of torture--I mean, cardio--together. Yes, other things play into making people important but I really think that shared experiences is high on the list.
Okay, the other question that I've been thinking about while I'm walking around on campus is "What if I just walked past the best friend I could possibly have and don't know it?"
Seriously, think about all the people you walk past in a day. That's so many lives and experiences you're not ever going to know anything about. But maybe you should know things about the people you pass; maybe you don't know that you have just the right about of things in common and could be best friends for life. I'm do believe in fate and the idea that if someone is supposed to be in your life, somehow they'll manage to be there. It's just funny to think about all the people around me as I walk through campus every day, how I know nothing about them but how they still have all the experiences that make them who they are.
Food for thought.
And good luck to all the candidates, presidential and otherwise.

I Spy A Cool Costume!

October 31, the one day a year when you can where whatever you want and not have people question why you're doing it.
I'm going to Swing Kids later tonight and expect to see tons more amazing costumes but here are the really cool ones that I've seen so far today.

1. Ash (Pokemon)
2. Peter Pan
3. Pirate
4. Waldo
5. Artemis (I think)
6. Green Lantern
7. Several Flower Children
8. Harvey "Two-Face" or a Zombie (not quite sure which but her makeup was amazing!)
9. Flo, the Progressive girl
10. A blue M'n'M
11. Rafael (TNMT)
12. Frog
13. Johnny Depp from "Sweeney Todd" or "Dark Shadows" (again, not sure but amazingly done)
14. a vampire, possibly Sooki
15. Harry Potter
16. Referee
17. A raven
18. Tigger
19. A really creep scarecrow 
20. Giraffe 

Now I'm hoping to see a bunch more at Swing Kids

I am My Mother's Daughter

For those of you who don't know my mom, she has a few nicknames. "Madre." "Larry." "The Camera Ninja." The last was bestowed upon her by a family friend during one of our many European extravaganzas together. My mom likes to take lots of pictures; she always wants to document what we're doing. And she always has to take five versions of the same picture to make sure one of them turns out right.
I giggle at her a lot for that quirk.
Anyways, I'm trying to do a better job of documenting my life with pictures because, well, pictures are fun to look at. Here's what I've been entertained by over the past few days. Well, maybe "entertained" isn't the right word. But these are thing I want to remember.

Count Dracula guards my door. Be afraid.

 I got home from "Rocky Horror Picture Show" Saturday night (or Sunday morning, depending on which day you consider 2 am to fall) and found Dracula drawn onto my dry erase board. It's quite a wonderful rendition, which really means that I giggled for a while after I saw it. The artist is actually my suite mate, and she's had to redraw him once already because people think it's amusing to erase bits of him.

Courtesy of the UGCH

There's this place on campus called The Underground Coffee House and it's one of the the places to hang out. I've been hearing about it since school started but didn't know where it was. Today, I got out of my first class early and had an hour before my next one. That seemed like ample time to go find it. I had a delicious hot chocolate and finally (finally!) got some serious writing time in. It was amazing. I want to make going there a thing but I can't afford to buy something every time I want to go there. And it's culturally unacceptable to go and just sit in an establishment, right?

"Excuse me, sir, can you tell me where I might find Platform 9 3/4?"

Look at it!! Isn't it great? This has been my project at work for the past (maybe) two weeks. We're supposed to theme the desk and, since we all like "Harry Potter" it was a unanimous vote.
Or maybe only two of us care and the others are just happy it's being decorated. Either way, ta-da.
So this is Part 1 of my contribution, the "9 3/4" sign. Originally, I thought it was going to go above the desk but it's super big so, for now, it's going to go behind the desk. It might have to move somewhere else but I don't know yet.

There's a couple other things on campus that I really want to take pictures of so I'll probably be posting those every once in a while. Plus, tomorrow's Halloween. You never know what I might see...

Speaking of which, here's wishing everyone a Happy Halloween.

Boo. :)

Well, This is Awkward

Let me tell you about a little something that happened today at the end of my group meeting for my theatre project...
Somehow, as things were wrapping up, we (the girl and the boy that I was talking with) got on the topic of self-destructive tendencies. The girl said something like, "I don't know why people do that, or how they get to that point. It's so strange to me. I hope they know they're not alone." The boy nodded, adding "Yeah, I knew these two guys who talked about how they had to cut and I told them that we couldn't be friends anymore." (That sounds a lot more harsh than the way he made it sound; I just can't remember what he said verbatim.)
Normally, I actually forget about the scars that brand my arms but I instantly pulled my sleeves to my wrists as this conversation continued. I don't think these two noticed--people tend to see what they want to see as opposed to what's really there--so it was weird, sitting there and feeling attacked as they talked.
It makes me wonder if people notice and--if they do--if it makes them avoid me. I'm not scary, I just had some hard times.
I was relieved that, a few minutes into this whole conversation, everyone had to leave. I'm all for listening to people's opinions and, if you were brave enough to ask me about why I did it, I'd explain it do you. But having to sit there and knowing that they probably would judge me if I owned up just made me kind of scared. They're some pretty great kids and I like hanging out with them.
"Well, this is awkward," was exactly what was running through my head as I fixed my sleeves and hoped they wouldn't notice my fidgeting. I don't want to think that they'd be the types to stop hanging out with me if they discovered something they didn't like about my past. But maybe they are.
Awkward.

"Rocky Horror" and other strange occurances

Okay, so the Costume Ball was a little bit of a let down. It was a little too 'high school' except that I didn't know everyone on the dance floor.
Saturday was much more wonderful than Friday. On Saturday, work was a little ridiculous but I got a lot done. When I say "ridiculous" I mean that a couple residents were asking for their mail as soon as I pulled up the gates of the desk. It was the first time I've ever been really grumpy at anyone whilst at work. This was my thought process, "I just opened. You can see the packages--the unsorted packages--sitting on the ground. What do you think? Do you think that the mail is done yet? If you do, you are unreasonably expectant and I don't appreciate it."
But these also came when I was at work.

My packages from the family :)

The flowers are from my Mom and Dad; the box is from my brother. The flowers are because this weekend was family weekend and they are, of course, far far away. The contents of the box were some things I forgot at my brother's house (a cardigan, my hairbrush, my laptop manual) and a couple presents (a scarf, a hat, a box of milk chocolate pretzel balls, and yogurt raisins). I wasn't aware that I like yogurt raisins. And I don't. I love them. They're amazingly delicious. And they go very nicely with the chocolate covered pretzels. (I'm betting that my brother planned that). I'm also refusing to think about how many calories I consumed over the weekend.
After work, I went to see "Pitch Perfect" with RA6. We're becoming quite good friends, he and I. Anyway, the movie was amazing. It was secretly sexist and mean but also quite hilarious. It was a bonus that it contained a bunch of guys who choose to dance and sing a capella in their spare time. I thought it was a great time. I do not, however, plan on going to the movies very often. I miss movies costing $3. Maybe I'll try to find a second run theatre in town somewhere--somewhere that I can bus to. That'd be nicer than the $10 or so it costs to go to the real theatre.
Then came my (possibly) favorite part of the weekend. Once we got back from the movie, I spent about an hour trying to get in touch with some friends that live on North campus since we were supposed to go to "Rocky Horror Picture Show" together. For this and that reason, I couldn't get reach them until I was all dressed up and walking across campus. I debated going for a little while--just because I didn't know if they were still planning on going--but ultimately decided that going to see RHPS would be a good college experience for me. My friend that I was supposed to meet called while I was walking across campus, saying that she was sick and therefore not going. Instant reaction from me was "Major sad face." But my friend was quick to add that a bunch of cool people from her floor were going so I could just tag along with them.
That I did.
And I would have to say that RHPS is probably my favorite experience since arriving at college. It was two hours of complete ridiculousness. I'm so so so happy that I went. I had a great time and made some new friends. One boy that I walked back to my dorm with gave me his jacket because he wasn't cold and I was freezing in my Rocky attire.
Sunday was comprised of homework and laundry for the most part. I did get all dressed up and go to the Haunted House in my dorm community with a few friends but that was all. Haunted Houses aren't really my thing but the girls didn't want to go trick-or-treating so majority wins.
Today was been pretty productive and wonderful so far. I got up early, did some homework, almost fell asleep in both of my classes today, went to work, watched a bunch of "Sherlock", submitted my first ever college project/paper thing, and have almost finished the "9 3/4" sign for the desk.
My slight annoyance right now is that my speakers, they like to make this weird little crackling noise that I thought was just from my headphones; I hear the sound the most whilst I'm wearing those headphones and they really need to be replaced. 
Now, considering that I have a test on Friday and a midterm paper due next week (I think) I should probably get started on the homework side of my evening.

One of Those Moods

I've spent pretty much all week looking forward to the Costume Ball that's happening in, like, an hour. I went costume shopping today with one of my friends (thanks again, RA6!) and spent an hour helping my suite-mate decide what to wear. I've been soooo excited for sooo long.
Why is it that, all of sudden, all I feel like doing is going back to my room and watching Netflix: Instant all night long?
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I forgot to eat dinner...
But it just makes me sad that I don't feel like going right now. I'd rather be excited to go than simply knowing that I will be going. I know I'll have a good time...three hours of music, dancing, and costumes!
I guess it's just one of those moods...

Words to Live By

I was taking a quick study break today, which, of course, involved wandering around on Facebook . Whilst there, I ended up finding a link to a blog, which led me to another blog post, which inspired me to write. Really, this is a wonderful development in my morning. I can only take so much of the funness that studying provides, ya know?
Like I said, I found this blog post...here, go read it really quick. It won't take long.
Click on me, please!
You clicked on it, right? And read it all?
Do you think it's amazing advice? Or is that just me?
"Don't worry about the idiot who didn't text you back"
"Start getting enough sleep"
"Stop. Bad. Stop. Stop the bad."
"Start getting enough sleep."
"Start eating tasty things."
New personal goal: incorporate all of the things on the "Start Doing" list into my life. I feel like it would make my already wonderful life even more wonderful. And I'm all about things being wonderful.
Other new personal goal: finish watching "Sherlock." My suite mate got me addicted but all the episodes are an hour and a half and I have midterms that I'm supposed to be studying for! Sad face times a bajillion.
I guess the "start trying new things" might get put into action over the next few days. I'm supposed to be going shopping tonight, along with a movie (maybe). Tomorrow is the Costume Ball on campus and I haven't been to a dance since prom, and never with tons of people I don't know. Saturday might involve "Rocky Horror." I ran into some friends last night who said they were going and said that I should come. Sunday will include trick-or-treating in my dorm community. I's so excited. Free candy! Then Wednesday is Halloween and more Swing Kids.
Oh! Speaking of Swing Kids, Ben's in trouble. He skipped out on the birthday dance last night. -_- Not okay. Other than that, Nelson has been added to my list of favorite leads. Yes, he's an older fellow but he's such a good lead and such a good dancer. And I found a friend at Swing Kids who is also in my Psych class. Macy or Marcy or something like that. And I got tons of compliments on my dress that I wore. It was nice. :)
Okay, I should return to the studying now.

Another Sign that I'm an Adult Now

Okay, maybe this one is silly but I've not had one of these before so I feel grown-up.

My Haggen Card

It's kind of exciting to have my own grocery store card. :) Maybe that's lame but oh well. I feel special; I'm getting discounts on things now. Is it weird that having one also makes me like part of the community? Almost like I know I'm going to stay here for a while so it's a good idea to save money by getting this card.
Today was a good day. I kicked butt on my studying this morning (thank goodness my Tuesday-Thursday class doesn't start until 1 pm) then took my first Art History exam. At this moment, I'm feeling pretty good about it. Then I got a hot chocolate and PB&J bagel from the bagel place on campus, which was so amazingly delightful. One of my group members shared part of their Pop-Tart with me in Theatre. Theatre was just good all around today, now that I think about it. For some reason, the computer wasn't working so it just turned into a big discussion rather than a lecture, which was actually really entertaining. I think I'm going to try to take another class with this professor later in my college experience; he's hilarious. Another thing that made Theatre so great was because I caught this guy looking at me a couple times; he's cute. I know, I know, I'm ridiculous. And I'm trying not to make anything of it but it's always a nice confidence booster.
After Theatre came my run--I'm trying to make running a more regular activity but it's getting cold!--and my weekly excursion down to S. Village for apples and bananas. I'm kind of obsessed with having fruit available to eat at any moment I want it.
I worked the closing shift, as I do on Tuesdays, and am almost finished the with the sign I'm making for the desk. It's Harry Potter themed :)
I don't know why I feel so nice about today. But it feels good to feel nice about a day. I guess I'm finally settling in to college life and am feeling pretty good about it.
Tomorrow should, hopefully, measure up to today. I'm supposed to go Halloween shopping with my suite-mates. Fingers crossed that it actually happens. And there's Swing Kids to go to. Today is actually my friend's birthday and he's a lead so I'm excited to 'encourage' him into the Birthday Dance tomorrow. I'm also just plain excited to dance with him tomorrow; he's a really good lead. My favorite leads so far are Ben, Forest, Nathan and Michael. They're all fun to joke with and they're all really good leads. Forest and Nathan are really good dancers, as well. Ben and Michael are good but not quite as good as the other two. Yes, by the way, there is a difference between a good lead and a good dancer.
Anyway, I should probably do some more review. I have two more tests this week and one on Monday. Can I get a "Boo!" for midterms?

One Month

Today's the day. I've been at college for a month.
Geez, it feels like a lot has changed since I moved out here.
Maybe a lot has changed. I mean, I have a job for the first time in my life. I'm attending a university. I almost enjoy studying (sometimes!). I've met some amazing people while I've been here and been exposed to some things I really didn't know about before. I'm really starting to learn about me (what I like, what I'll tolerate, what I want to do). I get to go swing dancing every week. I'm actually looking forward to Halloween.
And, do you know what?
I'm having the greatest time with all of it. Almost everything since school has started has been "no worries, man" so I'm basically just hanging out. (Don't worry, Mom and Dad, I haven't missed a class yet.)
I'm surrounded by tons of people who are trying to decide which is the right step to take next. I'm learning all about myself. I'm being introduced to tons of new topics and ideas. I get to vote in the upcoming election. Everything's crazy different than what I'm used to but I really like it.

Oh, let me tell you about some interesting things that people have said to me over the past few days. I was telling RA6 about how people are surprised when they find out that I'm a freshman. (I don't think their surprise will ever cease to surprise me.) He said something to the effect of, "Maybe it's because you look like you know what you're doing." The fact that I might be presenting  that notion to people freaks me out a little bit, if I'm being honest. Sure, I work at the desk. Sure, I'm not afraid to go to meals by myself. But I don't know what I'm doing yet; I'm only a freshman. :P (By the way, thanks RA6, you've many, many, many good insights.)
I don't know if I've told you guys this bit but it's making me excited: it's suggested and encouraged that the DAs decorate the desk with some theme each year. Last year, I've heard, they did a forest theme. Since all of us DAs are at least quasi-into Harry Potter, we settled on that. Somehow or another--mostly because I like decorating--I'm the one making our "Hogwarts Express" sign, which is almost finished. I just need to finish the rest of the Hogwarts crest. My RA--RA1--was at the desk last night while I was working on said crest and she made a comment about how I'm really creative. DAE told me she was glad that I was in charge of decorating because she has little faith in her own artistic ability (I wasn't aware that I was in charge of it but okay). Anyway, the point is that it's been really fun, so far, making this sign. And I'm really appreciating the recognition for my efforts. Plus, I like being called creative. That makes me feel good about myself. :)

All right, time for work.

Lyrics

Do you ever have this experience: you're listening to music and, all of sudden, you feel like the lyrics were written for the exact situation that you're in?

Is that just me?

If it is, that's weird because it's been happening all afternoon. 

Generally, I try to avoid saying that a certain song describes my life perfectly (because there's always some big point that the song makes that isn't part of my life) but some lyrics just get to me. 

Right now, it's a line from Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved"...
It's not always rainbows and butterflies
It's compromise that moves us along, yeah
It's a simple enough notion but sometimes the simple ones are the most powerful.

Jumpy

Observations, for multiple dates

1. A girl in my Anthropology class was watching a soccer match on ESPN
2. Humans vs. Zombies is an intense undergoing. Campus the past few days have been hilarious.
3. Sorting 50 packages takes a lot out of me

So my observation lists are getting shorter, I know. But I've been a little too jumpy to document things.
Let's see...what's happened since Wednesday?
I watched American Beauty in my Theatre class. Oh my goodness, that movie is intense. Honestly, I really want to watch every movie from now on with my Theatre professor; the movies seem more meaningful. Everything looks different when I'm in that classroom, subscribing to the "31 flavors" doctrine our professor preaches. He also talks about how every single thing that you see in any given frame was discussed and thought about for several hours before it was put in the scene. It's amazing the amount of work that goes into movies.
I also came to the conclusion that crushing on someone before you're friends with them is a really bad idea. It's not bad for any particular reason, it just sucks when you see them around and you don't know them well enough to talk to them.
You know, sometimes I wish I wasn't such a hopeless romantic. I think that my life might feel simpler if I didn't romanticize every situation I found myself in. I wonder what my life would be like if I was a cynic instead.
But then I remember how much I actually enjoy life and how much I enjoy being that silly girl who dreams up tons of possible futures. "It could happen, it might happen. Who knows? If it doesn't, oh well. There's a thousand more ways that life could go."
Speaking of enjoying life, I'm having a really good time at college. And I'm learning a lot. Not just in classes (I have a test I need to study for...yikes) but from interacting with people. I'm learning a lot about who I want to be and, in some ways, what I want to do. It's a good feeling :)
I guess all that's left to tell you at the moment is that I need to do some serious shopping at the thrift stores in town. There's lots of Halloween stuff going on within the next week and a half so I need costume supplies. I also feel like I don't have enough dresses to support my swing dancing habit so I need to add to that collection.

Rain, Hot Chocolate, and Voting

It's looks prettier in real life.

Can you tell that it's raining?

 This is what campus looks like right now. It's full of colorful leaves and it's just great.
I've made a couple people smile and shake their head at me because of how enthused I am about the rain. I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THE RAIN!!
I haven't seen weather like this in a long time. Sure, it rained in Italy. But it was hardly ever at this stage beyond sprinkling but still light enough to walk through. It was never like that in Italy. If it rained, it poured. I like this weather better.

Do you like-a my boots?

I finally got to wear my rain boots. Rain boots are basically a fashion statement on campus. It's kind of funny. I might need to get another pair...
But, anyways, it finally rained hard enough for me to need them yesterday. I had to go meet my director for our theatre project and it was raining really hard on the way there. Walking through it was actually wonderful. I find the rain peaceful and view it as something to be enjoyed.  Unless there's a hurricane going on. Then get inside and stay there.
I expected that it would be raining just as hard on my way back to my dorm so I stopped into one of the coffee shops on campus and got a hot chocolate for the walk home. That was wonderful as well. I'm betting that's going to turn into a habit when it gets really cold and really rainy.
Honestly, I love the rain. The sound of it. The smell of it. The cleansed feel I get after walking/running/dancing in it. It makes for a wonderful time. It's been raining off and on for the past three days and I've been smiling like a maniac. I think that's what my psych professor would call a correlation. It can't be a causation because there may be other variables contributing to my happiness.
Would you look at that? I'm learning things!

I'm an adult now. I can vote.

That's right, I get a say in who becomes President this term.
Now I just have to figure out who I want to be President this term...

Observations: Oct 15/16, 2012 

1. I was sad when someone referred to "Herbie Fully Loaded" with Linsday Lohan as a Herbie movie
2. I love that hot chocolate is served on campus
3. The hip-hop crew that practices during my Tuesday work shift makes me happy
4. Someone stopped me as I was walking toward the bus stop at S. Village and said, "I just saw a sticker that said, '667, the Neighbor of the Beast.'" He was incredibly amused by it and we proceeded to have an incredibly awkward conversation. Well, awkward from my point of view. He seemed perfectly content; he even called me a pretty girl before he left... Okay, maybe "creepy" is a better word than "awkward."
5. I want to know what kids do when they don't go to class
6. I talked to someone in my Art History class today. That's a step toward friendship...maybe
7. There was Captain Crunch in the cereal bar at dinner...I hope it's still there at breakfast when I'm actually in the mood for cereal 
8. I never noticed the dips in the pavements until it rains and they become huge puddles
9. 20 pages of reading as homework doesn't seem as bad as it did in high school

Also, I want to thank a friend of mine. I was telling him today about my goal to do the Freshman Fifteen backwards and he asked me why I wanted to lose weight. I replied that it's better than the alternative. He asked, "Why not just stay the same?" I told him that I'd just prefer to be 140 than 160 (which is partially in hopes that any future boyfriends will carry me around; silly, I know). He gave me a little pep talk about how 160 isn't that heavy; how I should just date a ROTC boy (because they're all in shape...) and how he believes that I can achieve my goal of losing fifteen pounds this year. So, thank you, friend; not only was that conversation most amusing, it was a confidence booster. :)

New Life Goal

Over my extensive eighteen years of life, I feel like I've met a lot of individuals who think that people in general are inherently bad. I'm one of those types that subscribes to the "a person is good until they prove me otherwise" doctrines but a bunch of my friends seem to believe the opposite.
In short, that makes me sad. Sure, some people are insanely annoying but I like those random people that smile at me as they walk past or hold doors for me or come over in the dining hall to ask if they can sit with me. I feel like the human race has lots of potential for good and that potential needs to be realized.
It's a new life goal of mine to prove to that there are good people in the world to as many people as I can.

This College Girl's Favorite Things

Here's a list of some of my favorite things right now:
(in no particular order)

1. Running in the rain
2. Ritz crackers and peanut butter
3. Bananas
4. My earliest class being at 10 MWF
5. That fall exists in Washington
6. That my suite mates are two of the coolest people I've met on campus
7. My job
8. Meeting new people almost everyday
9. Waking up three days in a row with a happy feeling
10. Eggs and toast 
11. "Pitch Perfect Riff-Off" clip
12. Pandora: Internet Radio
13. Professors who let class out 20 minutes early for no particular reason
14. Being able to text people all over the country
15. Continuous dining hours and an unlimited meal plans (Thank you, Mom and Dad!!)
16. That it's raining
17. Netflix Instant (Thank you TB and CB!!!)
18. Being able to leave my class as soon as I'm done with a test
19. Dancing in the rain
20. Psychology class

It's Fall All of a Sudden

Let me tell you guys about my new favorite spot to be: the lounge in my building. I first came down here because it's really hard for me to study in my room and it's just grown on me. Very rarely is anyone actually down here with me and the couches are super comfy. Even if someone is down here, they're usually studying too. Or watching a football game but that's just super entertaining so it's all okay. It's nice and quiet but it makes me feel better to be lazy down here rather than be lazy in my room. Plus, my roommate has company over now so I just feel insanely awkward in the room.
Anyway, I had a study group today for my Anthropology class. Since my class has at least 100 people in it, I was expecting a big group to show up. But, no, there were six of us. That's probably in part because college kids think 10 am is too early to be somewhere. (Seriously, I was in the main computer lab in my community before I went to the study group and no one else was up; it felt like I was the only person who believed in Sunday mornings.) While I was in the study group, I was really pleased with how much I felt I was contributing to the group; I knew things and could discuss the concepts. Talk about a confidence booster. I guess that's probably how I should feel about it but, hey, there's no shame in liking that feeling to be renewed.
Fun fact: Jousting is the official state sport of Maryland. I found that out last night while eating dinner with this boy named Rob. He wants to teach, and he's really into ancient Greece and Rome. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it was really easy to talk to him, which was nice. I like comfortable connections. Plus, he lives in my building so maybe we'll hang out sometime. Maybe.
I see what people mean when they say, "Sleep; grades; social life. Pick Two. Welcome to college." I mean, I'm being plenty social but I haven't made tons of friends. Granted, I'm not really a "tons of friends" kind of person anyways. I'm mostly having a good time meeting lots of random people. Like at meals; I can almost always find someone at a table by themselves. Between that and working at the desk and going to class, I feel like I'm actually getting lots of social interaction. And I think my anthropology project will help me get to know some more people. Ugh, I really don't want to do that project.
You know autumn? That picturesque scene where all the leaves are turning colors and falling to the ground and it's starting to rain just a little bit? Well, that's what campus is turning in to now. I cannot even tell you how happy that makes me. I haven't seen an autumn like this in about seven years. It's beautiful. The only downside is that it's harder to convince myself to go running outside when it's raining. Ah, well. I guess that's motivation to go to the gym.

That's kind of what campus looks like right now. I'll try and take a picture to put up soon but, right now, it's time for homework.
I've been doing lots of homework this weekend.

Satisfied

Happy, happy Robyn.
Do you ever have those days when you wake up and you just know it's going to be a good day? Well, that's exactly the feeling I woke up with this morning. Since I put off a bunch of my studying until today, that's what I have to do all day (that and work) but it should be good. Getting things done always tends to make me feel better about myself and about life.
Let's talk about last night because last night was super great. I honestly love Friday night shifts at the desk; they always end up being a lot of fun. Except for the brats that were complaining about RA6; I wanted to punch those guys in the face. Anyways, I'm getting better about joking around with people and making conversation at the desk, which is a really good thing. Remember Joaquin? Well, I actually met him yesterday; his name is Justin. My friend is really proud for being relatively close with his name. And I'm really excited because now I can talk to him. Or, at least, say 'hi' when I see him in classes. Other good things that happened...RA6 came by and hung out for a while; I finally got a start on my Art History flash cards; and I sang "That's Amore" with RA2.
I know I haven't written much since Wednesday so let me just say that life is going pretty well. We watched "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" in Theatre. I like that I'm being exposed to "classic" films in that class. What else? What else?What else? Friday was really great because we were supposed to have a quiz in Anthropology but our professor lectured for too long and we ran out of time. Friday was also really scary because I had my first ever college exam. Hello, Psych 101. I'm really not sure how I did but I survived it so here's hoping for the best.
Oh, tonight's "Open Door Night" in our community, which I'm really excited about. Maybe I'll be able to make some new friends. And it's "Bigger or Better" too so that should be fun. I'm always excited to meet new peoples.
I'm really curious about the people on the other side of this wall. I'm in one of the computer labs and it sounds like there's band practice going on next door. It's kind of funny, really.
But I should try to get more of my Anthropology study guide done before I have to go to work. Yay, homework.

(Late) Observations and SWING KIDS!!!

Okay, I've been really bad about doing my "Observations" section for a few days now. So here's all of those plus my excitement about Swing Kids tonight.

Observations, Oct 5-10, 2012

1. Awkward eye contact is aptly named
2. I'm really jealous of this girl in my Psych class who was wearing a Batman shirt and Converse
3. I'm really proud of people with disabilities 
4. Americans have a thing for logos
5. Other people sitting on tables instead of chairs makes me happy
6. Humans really are social creatures
7. The doors in my dining hall are my favorite doors on campus; I can push them open at the same time and walk through them like I'm someone important
8. People are pretty consistently surprised that I'm a freshman
9. How cool is it that modern technology allows me to text people across the country?
10. So far, my moving seats in Art History class hasn't gained me any friends
11. Being in my room alone all weekend put a damper on my thinking/observing abilities
12. It makes me smile whenever anyone steps over chairs in a row to get up to a higher row
13. I missed how running makes me legs feel
14. I love when I turn my head and catch a guy looking at me
15. My Anthropology professor talked about Italy today; and got it right

Okay so those are the observations I think you guys will actually be interested in. I've been spending a lot more time in my room so I haven't seen as many of the funny things that makes college so entertaining. Except for the shirtless-shoeless guy in the game room. That was weird.
So, anyways, I really want to tell you guys about Swing Kids!!! Last week seems like so long ago all of a sudden. Anyway, I had the most amazing time tonight. I'm hoping I'll say that every Wednesday. The lesson was really fun, which I attribute to the good attitudes of my leads. It's not as fun when a lead is being pouty. If they're up front and say, "I'm not super good at this." I say, "That's totally good; I'll help you out." I was even pleasantly surprised with some of my leads.
But, anyway, the lesson isn't the best part of the evening. The best part was the Social--when everyone and anyone can dance with whoever they want. I danced with Michael, Brian, Ben, Nathan, Boy Whose Name I Forgot, Boy Whose Name I Never Got, Boy Whose Name I Think is Emory, Boy in the Striped Shirt, and two girls during Snow-Ball. I feel like I'm missing someone but I can't remember for sure.
ANYWAYS...Michael loves to spin me (and asked me to dance twice). Brian was fun to talk to (and was surprised that I'm a freshman). Ben's really confident (it's only his second week but he's already a pretty good lead). Nathan is insanely, insanely good. (He gave me a couple tips and complimented me on my following skills.) I danced with Boy Whose Name I Forgot last week and he was just as good tonight (he loves style steps). Boy Whose Name I Never Got was better than me, which I knew from watching him before we danced during Snow-Ball. Boy Whose Name I Think is Emory is new at dancing but I danced with him last week so it was easy to invite him to dance again. I danced with Boy in the Striped Shirt during the lesson and I think it's good for the new boys to dance during the Social so I asked him. The girls were fun to dance with but a little awkward since I ended up leading for a second and wasn't prepared for that.
Geez, I feel bad for all these guys who are just now coming out and having to lead.
"Kurt! That's the one I left out. God bless Kurt."
Not really.
But points to anyone who can name the movie that line is from.
Zach (I think) is the name of the one I missed. He was new too but I mostly remember his cologne. It smelled really good.
Let me explain Snow-Ball really quickly. Four or five couples start in the middle the dance floor, surrounded by all the other dancers. Music plays, the four or five couples dance--la ti da, life is wonderful. Someone yells out "Snow-Ball" and the couples all break up. Then, each person who had just been part of a dancing couple pulls a new partner out of the crowd. Music plays, eight or ten couples are now dancing--la ti da, life is wonderful. Someone yells out "Snow-Ball" and the couples all break up. Then, each person who had just been part of a--yeah you get it. Until everyone is dancing.
Everyone should dance. It's wonderful. And so happy making. I love it.
Another observation, I say "anyways" a lot when I'm excited.

Rewards

Yay, chocolate. :)

I was surprised to find these Lindt balls when I went to the grocery store today. It's rewarding in two ways: it's chocolate and it reminds me of home. Yes, home is Italy in this case.
So, let me fill you in about what I did over the weekend...I watched "How I Met Your Mother". All weekend. I think I must've gotten through three seasons. This activity was mainly because I was the only person in my suite all weekend and, therefore, could laze around without truly feeling lazy.
Here's what I should've been doing all weekend: homework.
But, luckily, since I think I've finished almost every episode that exists of HIMYM on Netflix Instant, I would be distracted by it anymore. It's a great show with some hilarious characters and an endearing premise. But it's been six seasons, and I'm a little bored of watching the protagonist go through girls that may or may not turn out to be his wife. So there's another reason to stop watching it. Another reason to stop watching it is that I start acting like the characters. It's weird. And I'm betting there's a psychological reason that I do it.
Anyway, I managed to do a little bit of homework on Sunday but I couldn't get through my Psych chapter. It's all about the neuroscience of the brain and body. It sounded way too much like a biology textbook. Ugh. Not fun. So I meant to read that on Monday along with a few other readings but I was tired and distracted all day so I couldn't focus at all.
Thus, I went to bed early and decided that I'd get up early to do the homework I needed to do.
Well, getting up early didn't work out as well as I'd hoped because my roommate was still asleep when I woke up and I didn't want to bother her by turning on the light or making much noise. So, instead of getting up at 7, I got up at 8. And, sadly, a headache came with consciousness. Again homework was delayed because I went to get breakfast so I could take some pain meds and then I had to wait for said pain meds to kick in before I felt like I could focus.
Then, finally, around 9:30  I settled down to do my homework. By noon, I'd read four chapters (each of my classes) and done one online quiz for Psych. I'm super impressed with myself. And I felt a lot better because my stuff was all done.
Then came lunch, where I made a couple friends. One thing I'm noticing is how often people are surprised when I tell them that I'm a freshman. I don't feel like I look that old so I'm guessing it's because I work at the desk that confuses people. I think it's more typical that my position goes to a returning student, someone who knows about the school and the town. On that note, I'm trying to learn about it.
Funny story, this girl just showed up at the desk, asking questions about this new thing that Obama Administration is putting out: the Shopping Sheet. Apparently, like no one knows about it; it's supposed to help college students understand their options when it comes to financial aid. But the point of me mentioning it is that it reminds me of my Anthropology project that I have to do. I have to interview 6 people about their political views...
Where am I going to find 6 people willing to talk to me about politics?
Back to the original point, after lunch I had classes: Art History and Theatre. Did I tell you guys that I'm the producer in my theatre group? Well, I am. I'm actually really excited about it at the moment. That's probably because I have a lot of respect for the director and I think we'll get along really well.
After Theatre, I managed to get the rest of my homework done in the computer lab (which was delightfully warm after my chilly walk) before I headed down the hill to the grocery store. I think Tuesday afternoons might become shopping afternoons. I probably wouldn't have to do it once a week if I didn't buy and eat all my fruit.
Since I wasn't really in the mood for dining hall food (or the last half-hour dining hall rush) I decided to get dinner at Wendy's. There's one across the street from the grocery store. That probably won't become a Tuesday afternoon habit but it was nice for tonight. Now I really need to go for a run, though.
Work has been pretty good so far. RA2 came by and shared a little thing of ice cream with me. She's really nice. Also, I found out from a few residents who just got tattoos today that "Old School Tattoo" is a good place in Bellingham to go. Maybe once I have $100 that I feel comfortable spending, I'll go get one. :) Hopefully it won't actually be that much (the design I have in mind is pretty simple) but I feel like it's a good amount to have set aside, just in case. And, if it's cheaper, then I have extra money all of a sudden.
I'm going to do today's observations in a different post because this one's already long enough. So that, a run, shower, and (fingers crossed) Downtown Abbey are on my list of things to do this evening.

My New Purple Hat

My New Purple Hat

Fun fact about my weekend: I am the only person in my suite.
Yes, that's right. All three of suite mates have gone home for the weekend.
Since home is far far away, I'm here alone for the weekend.
Tomorrow and Sunday are intended for studying but tonight was completely full of HIMYM and crocheting.
I have a hat.
And no one else in my suite for the weekend.

The Power of Words

Have you ever heard someone say something and immediately think, "Why in the world would you actually say that?"
Well, there's a guy like that in my Anthropology class.
He likes to talk and make points, some relevant and some not.
Today, he pointed out that our professor says "I don't know" pretty often, which is a valid statement. But it was the fact that this student felt comfortable enough to point it out seems insanely dangerous to me.
After he said it, though, I didn't hear the professor say "I don't know" once. Not once in the forty minutes of class he had left.
That's the power of words for you. A little vocal observation by one person can change another person's behavior in front of an entire auditorium of college kids.

Italy Spoiled Me

After seven years of living in Italy, my perspective changed on a lot of things. Crazy drivers aren't as terrifying to me anymore; I'm really used to some things just taking a while; and technical difficulties at shows don't bother me because "Everything in Sig starts five minutes late anyways."
One thing I hadn't really noticed though was how bitter living in Italy made me toward Americans. I don't mean individual Americans, I like those people a lot. But my generalized picture of Americans has been tainted pretty badly.
This realization came when I was doing my Anthropology discussion readings. (By the way, RA6, you're right. The readings are pretty good in and of themselves.) Since this is my first real discussion at college and I don't know what to expect, I'm making little notes to the questions we were given. As I was writing in some of those answers, I was slapped in the face with how negatively I view Americans--at least, Americans as a whole.
There are some great things about America, truly.
Everyone is promised life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Everyone is equal.
Everyone is willing to help others.
Okay, so we're still working on those but the idea of these ideals is probably what drew so many people in their first place. "America! The land of opportunity!"
But let me tell you about a quick encounter that happened at Swing Kids last night. A little bit of background...as we went through the beginner lesson, all the follows rotated leads. The proper form when you rotate is to thank the lead you just danced with, move to the next lead and introduce yourself. If you're feeling brave, you may inquire further.
One of the leads I danced with (and I feel so bad that I can't remember his name!) asked me where I was from. My new response to that question is "I have two answers to that question: the easy one and the complicated one. Which would you like?"
He wanted both.
When "Italy" came out of my mouth, he was really impressed, and he asked the next logical question, "Do you speak Italian?"
I replied with my standard, "Un po, si." (Translation: "A little bit, yes.")
His next comment was something like,  "So you're not part of the tons of Americans who only know one language, English." And do you want to know what word I would use to describe his tone? Relieved.
(In case you're wondering, I asked. He speaks a little bit of French.)
Like him, that's one of my big problems with America. Americans--as a generalized whole--aren't cultured at all. They assume they are superior even though we're really not. We're one of the biggest countries and one of the most famous, for sure. But I don't know many Americans who can switch between Italian and English like it's nothing. That's impressive.
I wish America was more like that. More cultured. More aware of what was going on the rest of the world. My mom made an excellent point one day: most German college students could hold a very intelligent discussion about politics. American politics. I'm really not sure that most American college students could do that about their own politics, much less another country's. I'm ashamed to say that I couldn't. But I'm trying to learn. I am planning on voting this year.

Okay, I think that's the end of my rant. I still have a little bit of reading to do this evening.
I just want to add that I've been slightly homesick for Italy: I've been using balsamic dressing (sparingly) and eating pasta. I'm so happy they make pasta in my dining hall.
Also, on a completely unrelated note, I think I'm going to find that scores are the best music to listen do whilst doing my homework.
Back to the homework I go.