Trains

At OSU last year there were train tracks about 300 yards from my dorm. The train was loud. It came by frequently (several times a day) and blew it's horn the whole way through campus. Sometimes it would come at 6:30 AM sometimes 11:30 PM, those were rare times but did happen. At first the train was a nuisance, but then it grew on me. I liked waking up to it in the morning and falling asleep to it at night. I liked hearing it while I was watching a football game or studying outside. It was a comforting constant throughout my day.

There is also a train here. It is not so frequent. On my birthday it came through town. It was about 1:00 and we (my friends and I) had just laid down to sleep. I smiled as I laid there remembering the train from the previous year. The familiar sound lulled me to sleep and filled me with nostalgia.

The next morning at breakfast my friend asked if we had heard the train. I told her with a smile that I had. My other friend responded angrily and said that she as too. I was confused. I asked them why they were angry and they said because it had gone by three times in the night and had kept them awake. When I explained that I liked the sound and how it helped me fall asleep they didn't understand. I found it interesting that something that was such an annoyance to them was like a birthday present to me.

The Chemistry Gods

The Divine Forces are working against me today.

Reason 1: Earlier this week I found out that today's hockey game was cancelled. I was totally bummed because I've only been to one and we had a whole group of people planning on going too. Plus the game was supposed to be a way for me to break up my studying. Nope.

Reason 2: I was also supposed to play in a soccer game today at 4:00. However, I found out a few minutes ago that the game was rescheduled for 11:00. I have been talking about how excited I am for this game for two weeks! Therefore, all of my special plans for the day have been cancelled.

Reason 3: Josh Groban fell on me this morning. I have this giant poster of him on the wall next to my bed. I woke up this morning at exactly 10:00. I looked at the clock then rolled back over and decided to sleep for a few more minutes and try to finish the weird dream I had been having (I'll spare you the details). Then the poster un-sticky-tacked itself from the wall and fell on me. I think this was a sign for me to get up. Did I follow the sign? Nope. I stuck the poster back to the wall and fell back asleep.

Reason 4: I wanted to meet Kyndra for dinner around 6:15. However, the bus was 15 minutes late and therefore dinner ended while I was on the bus.

Reason 5: I wanted to go to the pool after dinner, but because the bus was late and the pool closes at 7:00...no pool.

Are the forces working for me or against me? I'm expecting my computer to crash at any momen-

A Tired Look

As I was leaving my residence hall this morning, someone else was trying to enter. He was on the phone so I paid him no mind. I opened the door and exited, but then I heard, "You look tired." I thought he must be talking to the person on the phone. He was a complete stranger I had never even seen before. He couldn't possibly be talking to me. Still the sound of his voice made me look up. His phone was off to the side of his face. He had indeed been talking to me.

I was tired. Former editors can into town Wednesday so a group of us stayed up rather late catching up with them. I then got up and went to class at 9:00. Yesterday night was the Evergreen Christmas Party so I was up late again. I woke up this morning feeling tired, it's true. But I don't want to be told I look it, especially by a stranger.

Because I was in fact quite tired, I was more appalled than I would have been otherwise. I turned and just stared at this mouthy stranger. After a few seconds, "What," he sheepishly asked. "I was just making an observation."

I turned and left. But who does that? Why would you tell a stranger they look tired?

Time for some whine

I went home this weekend. It was absolutely perfect. I had forgotten how nice it is to feel safe and comfortable where you live. I don't get that when I'm here at school. I hate waking up in the morning and not knowing if there is going to be a stranger sleeping in my living room. I hate not being able to fall asleep because my suite mates like to yell while I'm trying to sleep. I hate having to get up for an 8 o'clock class on less than 5 hours of sleep (this can complicate one's entire day). I hate making agreements with my suite mates and then finding out that they don't respect those agreements. I hate having people knock on my window at 6 in the morning. I hate being constantly afraid that I'm going to get in trouble for living with people that drink excessively. And most of all I hate feeling completely helpless in this situation.

Two weeks and counting

Last week I acquired two new injuries at work. I got a scratch across the bridge of my nose when I leaned too close to a piece of veneer traveling down to the grader and a rather painful scratch/bruise combination when I walked into a cart. The bruise has turned green now. It hurt a lot.

In other news, I have only two weeks left until I head back to Pullman. This sudden realization has left me trying to fit as much as I possibly can into these last two weeks. Think Calvin in August. As a result, I have been very busy. And now, I am very tired.

Also, Ariel is in Kalaloch this week and I am lonely. It never fails to be when she is unavailable when I have the most desperate need to talk to her.

Oops ... my poor eyes.

For the first time that I can ever remember, I forgot to take out my contacts last night before bed. I don't know why or how it happened. I wasn't particularly tired and I hadn't stayed up particularly late. I've never forgotten before. Still, when I woke up this morning and looked in the mirror I knew something was wrong. My reflection was so clear. I looked down at my contacts case and sure enough, it was still open from when I had put them in the morning before. I gingerly put my hand up to my eye and there was my contact. I took them out and wore my glasses all day. I now understand a little bit better how Ariel must feel. My eyes have been red, itchy, and watering all day long. They won't stop. It's quite uncomfortable. I've been using lots of eye drops in hopes that perhaps they will be recovered by tomorrow. I'm going to need them for another week at work. I hope I go another five years without forgetting.

An Obligatory Introduction

I would usually be getting ready for bed right about now. From what I can tell, I go to bed quite a bit earlier than my peers. Tomorrow, however, the first two of my three classes are canceled. I don't have to be anywhere until 11. Usually my classes start at 9. As I do not have to get up so early tomorrow morning, I really don't have to go to bed for a little while yet. I've decided now is as good a time as any to do a little introductory post. Right now because the blog is still so new it's a novelty and slightly addicting. I don't know how long this phase will last, however, so I feel the need to get several posts I feel obligated to make out of the way.

I am not entirely sure why I feel obligated to do an introductory post. I assume that the few people who will end up reading this blog will probably already know me. For those few who somehow happen to stumble across anomalous happenings, this is for their benefit. Also for their benefit, I shall try to be brief. A little late perhaps I know.

My name is Christina. I attend Washington State University. I am a Journalism and Political Science-Pre Law double major. As one may have learned from previous posts, I work for The Daily Evergreen, the student newspaper. I have yet to decide whether I want to become a journalist after school or to continue on to law school. As of late, I've been feeling a need to make that decision about my future, but like Ariel, I find it quite difficult. It is also difficult for me to not have a plan, however. I like organization and planning. Some might say that I become stressed too easily, but I've gotten used to and have adapted to deal with stress. Now it has a special place in my life. I thrive on it while at the same time worrying that one day it will give me a heart attack. My character is full of many other contradictions as well, but I'll discuss more of them at a later time. I enjoy writing, reading, and a good argument. I love being in the outdoors and go hiking every summer with my family. I tend to be a bit cynical and the only thing I hate more than feeling awkward or embarrassed, is being disappointed.

I would like to think that I am too complex to be fully understood and known by the several lines above, but this at least should be a start. Ariel can add anything she thinks to be particularly relevant.