Friday, May 30, 2008

If you're crazy and you know it, clap your hands

I have come to the conclusion that my life is a series of embarrassing moments.

"Life" being this week. But still. I'm at work again, and there is this STUPID GNAT that has been trailing me all day and refuses to be killed. So I'm behind the counter, trying to smush it by clapping my hands and trapping it, when I look up and see a woman in the children's section.

The customers that come in here must think, "Wow, that East End Shirt Company sure is swell for hiring young adults with special needs!"

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Note to self: singing at work is NEVER appropriate

WOW I AM SO EMBARRASSED RIGHT NOW I CAN'T EVEN USE PUNCTUATION

So I'm at work pricing new inventory and listening to Al Green at a fairly loud volume because there really isn't much foot traffic on Wednesday afternoons.

Now, "Love and Happiness" always requires backup singing. It's just a rule. So I'm singing along and pricing, completely oblivious to anything going on, when I see two guys in their early twenties looking at shotglasses. There is NO WAY they didn't hear me.

Can you feel my embarrassment radiating through your computer monitor?

I thought so.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Coffee with the boys

Today is my first day off in a week. Unfortunately, the clouds are back on duty. Sigh.

I drove Keira to school this morning; she had full reign over the iPod and chose to listen to the Beatles! The young grasshopper is learning well. After dropping her off, I picked up a bagel and coffee and went down to the beach to finish listening to Abbey Road.

It's kind of nice not having much to write about for a change. Even though I've been working all the time, being home just feels like a long exhale.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Cars, trains, and aeroplanes

I just watched a video posted on Coldplay's website and tried to express my feelings about it here, but it just didn't work and I ended up erasing everything I'd written. Watch it and you'll understand what I mean.

Since voicing political observations is fruitless, here's a social observation! Today I had to drive to Ocean Avenue to pick up an order for East End, and had to stop to let a train go by when I was going through Ronkonkoma. Later, I was driving back east on the Expressway when I saw a plane fly directly in front of me on its way to Islip. It was just a weird thing to see different forms of transit even while moving myself from point A to point B; even weirder was when I thought about what would happen if everyone just stopped.

Only in dreams, I suppose.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Maybe 'Socks' would've been a better name for the cat

After an few uncertain days, Ginny and I are now on excellent footing. I arrived home Thursday night, relieved that Jamila (the anthurium) made it home safely in the car, only to find her waxy pink flower and broad leaves completely demolished when I woke up in the morning.

The tooth punctures in the remaining bit of the flower gave Ginny away.

She even ate the entire pistil.

Despite the fact that she is merely a house plant, I defended Jamila's raggedy self by holding a grudge against Ginny for a few days. She fully redeemed herself about five minutes ago, though, when she crawled under my blanket and curled up on top of my frozen feet.

True fact: keep my feet warm and I will love you forever.

I'm listening to Sufjan Stevens right now and imagining the pair of fuzzy socks he undoubtedly keeps with him, waiting for the day we meet* so he can give them to me.

*Meet = get hitched.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Happy places

This afternoon, I was driving with Keira back from Port Jefferson and while waiting at a red light, she asked me, "So, trick question . . . where are you happier to be: here or Geneseo?"

I just stuttered for a few seconds, trying to come up with a truthful response and finally replied, "Well, I'm really glad to be home right now." She laughed and said that of course I was, that's why it was a trick question.

It made me think, though, about the duality of my life now. Being happier here would mean that there is somewhere better for me than the place where I live two-thirds of the year, which I don't necessarily think is true. I don't know. The fact that a large portion of my belongings is in storage 300 miles away is so weird . . . I've felt for a while that my life is spread out in different places--on Long Island, in Geneseo, following my friends abroad or in various college towns--but having my stuff planted elsewhere is concrete.

It almost makes me want to live out of a backpack. Or be a turtle.

My grades came back; I didn't do as well as I'd expected and missed the Dean's List by hundredths of a point. Can't wait for my relatives to ask about it. On the plus side, I will never return to my freshman year of college again . . . I'm happy that Geneseo is on the other side of summer, but unspeakably so that it will not be a continuation of the past year.

This is not the time to be thinking about next semester, though. Cheers to a three-month summer!

Friday, May 16, 2008

Migrating

Driving south,
I think about birds

(the way they always
fly in arrows
pointing homeward)

and the concept of home

(the way that for birds
it is always the place
in which they feel warm)

while the headlights
point directly towards
the hug I will receive
at the front door.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Break out the packing tape

The only thing barring me from summer is an informal five-minute presentation for Critical Reading tomorrow morning.

It's a weird feeling.

I took my astronomy final at noon; I feel pretty good about it, but I also felt confident about my calligraphy work and OH, I got a B+. Don't get me started on that.

I've been working on a few mixes for the ride home with CiCi and Aunt Rosie . . . 'Open Highway' is more folk and acoustic stuff and 'Pumpin' Gas' has a bit more pep, but they're both pretty good (in my humble opinion).

Aside from writing out a few notes for tomorrow morning, I'm DONE with my freshman year of college. Isn't that crazy? I feel like my biggest success is living through it, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. I think it is.

Expect either a jubilant or a crestfallen post later this afternoon when my professor posts the astronomy results.

Monday, May 12, 2008

The astronomy cram begins

Oh, and there were so many fewer questions when stars were still just the holes to heaven.

You say it, Jack.

Two o'clock, I'm throwing in the towel. I put in a solid few hours of studying until my concentration flew out the window about five minutes ago. Tomorrow my amount of studying will be of astronomical proportions.

I'm going to bed before another terrible pun slips.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Only in Genny

I did my hair today for the first time in approx. one week . . . the need to reacclimate myself to societal norms is becoming increasingly apparent, as most everything in my room is boxed up and ready to go. Three days left.

Things I will not be able to do at home:
  • Stay up until three every night
  • Wear moccasins out in public instead of normal shoes
  • Finish an entire pizza pie with Katy at 2 AM
  • Be teased for the fact that I call entire pizzas 'pies'
  • Leave my house without wearing a bra
  • Walk next door and plant myself in my neighbor's room
  • Eat soft serve and Lucky Charms with every meal
  • Bang on the wall to summon Carly
  • Cook amazing food in the middle of the woods
  • Always have a sense of the time thanks to Sturges

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Podunk

Today's "word of the day" on my calendar:

Podunk n: a small, unimportant, and isolated town

Needless to say, my first thought upon seeing it was "Oh! Geneseo!" Not in an "Oh, how depressing" way but rather an "Oh, huh! How 'bout that" way. This may or may not be a good thing.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Slight chaos

I missed my final group presentation because I was sick. Direct quote from my professor: "Yeah, I'm glad you didn't come, I don't want you throwing up in my classroom."

I will seriously miss her next semester.

Anyways, I'm being doubly productive today to make up for the approx. 20 hours I spent in bed from Wednesday night to Thursday afternoon. My room is torn apart as I'm attempting to get a lot of packing done this weekend. The reward for my toil? I found a $10 Starbucks card at the bottom of my desk drawer. SCORE.

The comforting thought during all this? Everyone has chaos (er, cows?) in their lives.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Nine boxes

This weekend was a series of wonderful little adventures that I wish I was happily reminiscing about at the moment. Instead, I am only counting down the number of scribble-filled boxes on my calendar between now and home. I am so frustrated/annoyed/angry/upset about so many things right now, things that not only bother me in themselves but because they're distracting me from the truckload of work I have to complete before next Wednesday.

On the plus side, Carly brought the Volv back to school with her and we are going cruising later. "Cruising" entails a trip to WalMart. Classy!

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Namesake

I want to go outside with a sheet to see if the wind will catch me like a stringless kite.

Friday, May 2, 2008

Day of rest

I am stuck at the library for my usual hour-long shift, after which my friends and I are cooking and baking and doing other fantastic things. As such, the shift is slower than usual.

There is much work to be done between now and next week, but today is not the day to do it.