Articulations from the Extroverted Introvert

My advice: park as far away from your destination as you can within the parking lot. Then walk there.

Lyrics from Walken by Wilco.

Walk in. Sit down. Look left.

“I love how it’s fall now, there’s like a fashion show of the fall clothes.” -guy in English class

“Did you just call me fashionable? Because that doesn’t really happen very often.” -me

I LOVE scarfs. So maybe I wouldn’t marry them or compare them to my friends or anything ridiculous. Still, they are amazing and today, I broke out the white one.

Yay Fall!

Lyrics from  Lazy Eye by Silversun Pickup.

There is nothing new. You are not unique. Movies and books are all the same. Ideas all have similar themes. People are going to be alike in all parts of the country. If this is going to be the way it is, then why fight it?

I say, find what you relate to with others and through books and movies. Don’t constantly be looking for something that does not exist. Merely accept who you are and how you relate to the world.

Lyrics from Different Names for the Same Thing by Death Cab for Cutie

Fall Break - in short, it was wonderful, but I unfortunately neglected my homework and have no time to tell you about it. Enjoy the picture diary.

Lyrics from New York’s Not My Home by Jim Croce

“Sam! Where are you? Are you in your room? Turn on the tv — channel 39.”
[in the background: "It's porn!"]
“Shut-up Aaron. I promise it’s not bad. Do you see it?”
“Yeah Nick. There’s a kid in the field. And the scarecrow just moved.”
“Does it make you miss Iowa?”
“What? That’s wheat! We have corn!”
“Well doesn’t that at least make you think of the 1% percent of Iowa that has wheat?”
“Did you seriously call me just for this?”
“Yeah, it looked like Iowa, and I thought of you. Doesn’t it remind you at least a little bit like Iowa?”
Today, I will be crossing the state line to return to Iowa for the weekend. Missouri State celebrates this wonderful thing called “Fall Break” that everyone else should try. It’s gonna be amazing.

I have already warned the people sitting next to me in my classes that I won’t be able to sit still at all today (again, why do they continue to sit next to me? Actually, in all fairness, one of them said he might not due to my somewhat excessive excitability). Once in Iowa, I will probably shout with happiness. I might dance in circles and jump up and down. Then, I will take pictures of the corn fields, because I miss them more than I would have ever imagined.

Lyrics from Today’s the Day by Aimee Mann

Last Thursday was National Depression Screening Day and National Coming Out Day. Unfortunately, I had too many midterms to worry about to write about it then. I also was too busy to take a picture of the festivities, so sorry.

In fact, it is LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bi Transexual) Month. There are events all month long about it. In honor of National Coming Out Day, there was a giant door in the middle of campus painted purple so people could literally walk out of it. In my few minutes between class walking by I didn’t see anyone actually come out of it, but I’m sure it was used at some point. There were people around it at all times of the day.

Depression and gay issues nationally recognized on the same day? I don’t want to get into the politics of whether a person is born gay or chooses to be, but there is no doubt that they are searching for something to make them complete. Same goes for people with depression, born that way or choose to be so? Or does it vary? I’ve digressed.

I don’t know if there is a real correlation between the two, however, it does say something. People yearn so badly to be happy. If it’s not one way then it’s another.Regardless, people want to find something that gives them hope and a promise for a better life than the confusion they are now living in. This world is full of pain and suffering. It’s easy to look away and focus on something different or just push it under the rug completely. No one has a perfect life. Everyone has hardship and pain that they are trying to sort through. People are hurting all over the world, including right next door.

Lyrics from Nothing Better by The Postal Service.

Midterms took over my last week or so. In fact, I went so far as placing myself on a temporary ban from facebook. Crazy madness, I know, but it did the job. I think overall midterms went pretty well, but only time and test scores will tell. At the end of today I went to great extent to reward myself for such a scholastically challenging week.

This consisted of a much needed shower (when pulling all-nighters to write papers this can sometimes be overlooked). Alright so, in the bathroom of our hall there is a radio that plays. Sounds like a nice idea right? WRONG! The same station plays nonstop the kind of music that is on MTV or something sick like that. I change it all the time, but someone always changes it back. So, the cool thing is that I made a sweet shower CD. Yes, very exciting I know. This whole post is actually going to continue to be absolutely riveting because it is 2:45 in the morning.

Following my wonderful shower I got to watch the most recent Grey’s Anatomy online, because I missed it at the normal time due to … a paper… cough performing Thriller dance at Campus Crusade cough…

Later I did hang out with actual people and ate dinner and all of that fun stuff. Eventually though, I returned to my room and decided I had had enough of my blank walls. Those that know me or have ever stopped by my room understand I need designed clutter all over my walls. Finally, I had a chance to do so and spent a few hours searching donated magazines for potential dorm decoration. I only did one wall and will probably make a few changes yet, but here is my work of art for the evening. The first picture is of my wall with only one poster a few days ago, followed by a picture taken maybe ten minutes ago with fabulous clutter.

There are more than five things on the wall; I now officially live here.

Lyrics from These Days by Mates of State.

Today I had to do something that was quite difficult for me. So difficult in fact, that I made Jesi do it. There was a flushing that went on today on the 5th floor of Wells. The last of my fish died yesterday and the stench was beginning to affect our room in a negative way. The snail has also passed. Moment of silence please.

A moment of silence did not occur. No, not at all.
Jesi calls it my “tank of death” and suggested I place my pumpkin in it so it can die too.
Samantha called everyone to let them know I “killed” all my fish and also wrote on my door “Fish killer”
Scott said after the first one died, “good thing you didn’t get puppies.”
Nick called, waking me up from a nap mind you, and left a message laughing about my fish.

They use it as a trump card. Yeah well, you killed your fish. Plant still alive? What’s the death count in your room?

At a time when I need you the most, thanks friends. I love you too.

Lyrics from We’re Going to be Friends by The White Stripes.

All it takes is one. The tiniest little round millimeter on the back of your heel, the side of your foot, or the tip of your toe is now the center of all of your concentration. Nothing more than that. This small intensely red spot erupts before oozing out exposing your flesh to the dirt-filled air.

It’s amazing how the smallest thing can completely hinder you from reaching your goal or destination.

Lyrics from The Walk by Imogen Heap

Fluorescent lights are the worst things EVER. The piercing brightness never fades. If I were a violent person, I think I would go around smashing every single one in sight. Then there would be no light, because that is all this campus is made of! Every single classroom, bathroom, dorm room, staircase, and hallway. My dorm room alone is complete with three of the wretched things. It is amazing to what extent I am willing to go out of my way in order to prevent exposure to them.

Each morning, I rush to open the curtains to get the morning sunlight and avoid going over to flip the switch (and also to ensure that my plant stays alive, but that’s a different story). I will not turn on the fluorescent grossness, even if it means I hide in a corner to maintain my dignity while changing with the window open (we are on the fifth floor so it’s not like everyone can see). I have brought two additional lamps of my own to turn on if the sunlight is not enough. I have explicitly stated to my roommate to turn on my lamps at any time, because I hate the alternative.

In class I say to whoever is next to me how much it bugs me (Yeah, I have no idea why they are friends with me, much less, continue to sit next to me. Why are any of you my friend? I’m stinkin’ weird.) I think I may have yelled (but not in a mean tone) at my roommate for turning the nasty thing on at least a dozen times. Why must I be surrounded by this awful thing constantly?

I honestly get headaches if I am subjected to such a sight for even a short period of time. Don’t you know that flashing them causes seizures to children? I kid you not. (I’m a nerd and have looked up some info to back up this argument) Research concludes that students perform better in school if under full-spectrum bulbs. Also, increased suicide rates are often linked to fluorescent lights. Other risks include cancer, depression, ADD, and sleep disorders. You are in fact twice as likely to get skin cancer of overexposure from fluorescent lights than from the sun.

I love the environment, really I do, but I don’t care whatsoever that they use less energy. They are SICK. The glare, oh the glare! It’s blinding! Please, do yourself a favor and get real light bulbs for the people you love. They’ll love you back.

Lyrics from Light Switch by Jaime Wyatt