Rain is irritating.
Especially when you have to shoot film for a student project where your attire just happens to involve an button-down shirt and suit coat. And when the rain doesn't stop all day. Did I mention it's also warm and humid? Ugh. Well, at the very least, I looked pretty awesome, and all my filming is now done. Hooray.
Tonight I will be spending a good deal of time in the art building finishing some stuff before I have to turn in everything at noon tomorrow. Should be fun in a weird sort of way, though it is likely I will not be sleeping tonight. Which is fine; tomorrow's Friday anyway. By then the rain might have stopped. I hope so.
I've been thinking a lot about Men's Chorus and how it's over for the year, and of course, how our director is moving on and we will have a new one soon. It's a very sad time for all the guys, but I remain faithful. I believe we can and will get through this time of transition, if we are only willing and committed. Here's to a new year and a new time, gentlemen.
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: The final brunch of the school year with my friends.
Thing I dislike about the past 24 hours: Rain. Have I made it clear? Rain.
Song addiction of the day: "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks. I would undoubtedly drool over this man, were I attracted to men. As it stands, I merely drool over his voice.
Number of caffeinated beverages in the last 24 hours: 1
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009: Musings on Lives and More Miley Cyrus
Before I start, I just want to say, that all the random links I post in my blogs are safe. You know, the ones that have the purple text that you can click on and go places? None of them take you anyway disgusting, I promise. I know some of you worry about that sort of thing a lot, so yes, you have my word. Nothing icky. now, on to the actual blog.
I'm leaving school in about a week to go home for the summer, and it's made me think a lot about my two lives.
I have a life in Illinois. While I have some friends there, it is primarily a family life. Almost everyone in my family is located in the same general Illinois area. It's a big part of who I am, and I know how very blessed I am to have such a wonderful, loving, and accepting family. My family has always been good to me, and I wouldn't trade them for anyone else in the world.
But then there's my other life. My social life. Almost all my friends live in Ohio, and I can't deny that it's really hard to leave every summer and Christmas knowing that I won't see them for so long. We've been to a lot of high places and low places, but I think it's really all been worth it. This summer I am going home, but next summer I am staying in Ohio, and it's a weird sort of feeling. I've already made the choice not to live with family next year, and what about the future? What if my career takes me out to California? I wouldn't see my family or friends for extended periods of time.
It's something I know I will have to decide eventually. But I think, for now, I'll just take it all one day at a time and see where life takes me.
On a completely unrelated note: Miley Cyrus is not half bad. There, I said it. It's certainly not good, and I will always despise the Hannah Montana persona, but it is reasonably entertaining. To me, it's sort of reminiscent of an early Avril Lavigne, with just a bit more pop thrown in. In the music video for the song "7 Things," I just have to point out how much her eyes pop. Seriously, they are like, supernaturally blue.
Shah.
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: Finishing Watchmen. The book freakin' rocks.
Thing I dislike about the past 24 hours: Being up late working.
Song addiction of the day: "7 Things" by Miley Cyrus. (Seriously, just give it a chance. If you hate it and get angry, I'll give you a cookie. If I can manage to find you.)
Number of caffeinated beverages in the last 24 hours: 0
I'm leaving school in about a week to go home for the summer, and it's made me think a lot about my two lives.
I have a life in Illinois. While I have some friends there, it is primarily a family life. Almost everyone in my family is located in the same general Illinois area. It's a big part of who I am, and I know how very blessed I am to have such a wonderful, loving, and accepting family. My family has always been good to me, and I wouldn't trade them for anyone else in the world.
But then there's my other life. My social life. Almost all my friends live in Ohio, and I can't deny that it's really hard to leave every summer and Christmas knowing that I won't see them for so long. We've been to a lot of high places and low places, but I think it's really all been worth it. This summer I am going home, but next summer I am staying in Ohio, and it's a weird sort of feeling. I've already made the choice not to live with family next year, and what about the future? What if my career takes me out to California? I wouldn't see my family or friends for extended periods of time.
It's something I know I will have to decide eventually. But I think, for now, I'll just take it all one day at a time and see where life takes me.
On a completely unrelated note: Miley Cyrus is not half bad. There, I said it. It's certainly not good, and I will always despise the Hannah Montana persona, but it is reasonably entertaining. To me, it's sort of reminiscent of an early Avril Lavigne, with just a bit more pop thrown in. In the music video for the song "7 Things," I just have to point out how much her eyes pop. Seriously, they are like, supernaturally blue.
Shah.
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: Finishing Watchmen. The book freakin' rocks.
Thing I dislike about the past 24 hours: Being up late working.
Song addiction of the day: "7 Things" by Miley Cyrus. (Seriously, just give it a chance. If you hate it and get angry, I'll give you a cookie. If I can manage to find you.)
Number of caffeinated beverages in the last 24 hours: 0
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009: Webcomics
I'm going to start off by saying that every comic I hyperlink in this blog, I enjoy and read, despite the complaints I level against them. Right then. Off I go.
I love webcomics, and I intend to create my own eventually. I think they're a great way to express yourself without too much pressure from deadlines, and if you find a writer you like, they don't often disappoint. But I do have my issues with webcomics.
The most frequent problem I have is with male leads. The problem is that so many of the male leads in webcomics are snotty, arrogant douchebags who achieve astronomical levels of success and fulfillment and never get what's coming to them. It gets offputting after a while. I understand that part of the humor of these characters is the fact that people in the real world would never put up with that sort of shit, but sometimes I gt really sick of it. I just prefer my main characters to be likable, that's all. And while I'm on the subject of male leads, I want more webcomics where the primary character is female. Yeah, that would be nice.
Another problem I have with some webcomics is that the drawings are too simple or there's too much text. This is, of course, not universal. Sometimes, a simpler drawing style works well for a comic's overall tone and humor style. In fact, when a writer isn't always concerning himself/herself with perfect art, it can often lead to some of the more well-written comics out there. But too much text, I believe, is almost never a good idea. The best comics in the world are written succinctly and get straight to the point.
Another problem I have with webcomics is when webcomics don't freaking update. I don't think it's much to ask for more than one comic every month, is it? I sincerely believe that every webomic should update at least once a week, and ideally more.
With that said, let me tell you about my favorite webcomic: Questionable Content. It has none of the problems I've mentioned above. First off, there's the writing and characters. The writing is both humorous and realistic, with very well-rounded characters to go with it. (Okay, so maybe the robot characters aren't technically "realistic," but the whole comic is so bloody immersive that it never causes problems.) Most of its characters are female, in fact, the only male character who could really be considered a "lead" is Marten, and he is very human. His sense of humor is snarky, but not arrogant, and he's pretty much the antithesis of overconfident, and as for douchebaggery, it's done in the right sort of way. Once in a while he says something really stupid, but it works because doing stupid stuff isn't his whole character, it's a flaw. You know, like a real person. And when he does do something stupid, he actually has to deal with repercussions. Again, like a real person. This is how a male character should be written. Most of the lead characters (and even most of the secondary characters) are female, and they each have their own distinct and compelling personalities, and they're all likable in some way while being very humanly flawed. The art is also great. It's a fairly simple, cartoony style, but each character looks distinct and recognizable, rather than just being the same character over and over with different hairstyles, eye colors, and clothing tacked on. And if you're reading all the comics from start to current, it's really cool to see the drawing style slowly evolve into its current form. Also, it updates five days a week, which is awesome. I'm not saying that every comic can update that much. After all, QC is how the creator makes a living. I'm just saying, it's pretty nice. Anyone reading this blog, go read QC once you're finished. You will not regret it.
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: Playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl with my friends, and looking back over all the amusing photos we've captured in-game.
Thing I dislike about the past 24 hours: Being so bloody tired.
Song addiction of the day: "Go The Distance," as performed by daniscool99. Multitrack barbershop is so cool.
Number of caffeinated beverages in the last 24 hours: 0
I love webcomics, and I intend to create my own eventually. I think they're a great way to express yourself without too much pressure from deadlines, and if you find a writer you like, they don't often disappoint. But I do have my issues with webcomics.
The most frequent problem I have is with male leads. The problem is that so many of the male leads in webcomics are snotty, arrogant douchebags who achieve astronomical levels of success and fulfillment and never get what's coming to them. It gets offputting after a while. I understand that part of the humor of these characters is the fact that people in the real world would never put up with that sort of shit, but sometimes I gt really sick of it. I just prefer my main characters to be likable, that's all. And while I'm on the subject of male leads, I want more webcomics where the primary character is female. Yeah, that would be nice.
Another problem I have with some webcomics is that the drawings are too simple or there's too much text. This is, of course, not universal. Sometimes, a simpler drawing style works well for a comic's overall tone and humor style. In fact, when a writer isn't always concerning himself/herself with perfect art, it can often lead to some of the more well-written comics out there. But too much text, I believe, is almost never a good idea. The best comics in the world are written succinctly and get straight to the point.
Another problem I have with webcomics is when webcomics don't freaking update. I don't think it's much to ask for more than one comic every month, is it? I sincerely believe that every webomic should update at least once a week, and ideally more.
With that said, let me tell you about my favorite webcomic: Questionable Content. It has none of the problems I've mentioned above. First off, there's the writing and characters. The writing is both humorous and realistic, with very well-rounded characters to go with it. (Okay, so maybe the robot characters aren't technically "realistic," but the whole comic is so bloody immersive that it never causes problems.) Most of its characters are female, in fact, the only male character who could really be considered a "lead" is Marten, and he is very human. His sense of humor is snarky, but not arrogant, and he's pretty much the antithesis of overconfident, and as for douchebaggery, it's done in the right sort of way. Once in a while he says something really stupid, but it works because doing stupid stuff isn't his whole character, it's a flaw. You know, like a real person. And when he does do something stupid, he actually has to deal with repercussions. Again, like a real person. This is how a male character should be written. Most of the lead characters (and even most of the secondary characters) are female, and they each have their own distinct and compelling personalities, and they're all likable in some way while being very humanly flawed. The art is also great. It's a fairly simple, cartoony style, but each character looks distinct and recognizable, rather than just being the same character over and over with different hairstyles, eye colors, and clothing tacked on. And if you're reading all the comics from start to current, it's really cool to see the drawing style slowly evolve into its current form. Also, it updates five days a week, which is awesome. I'm not saying that every comic can update that much. After all, QC is how the creator makes a living. I'm just saying, it's pretty nice. Anyone reading this blog, go read QC once you're finished. You will not regret it.
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: Playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl with my friends, and looking back over all the amusing photos we've captured in-game.
Thing I dislike about the past 24 hours: Being so bloody tired.
Song addiction of the day: "Go The Distance," as performed by daniscool99. Multitrack barbershop is so cool.
Number of caffeinated beverages in the last 24 hours: 0
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009: Giant Buckets, Computer Troubles, and Miley Cyrus
So my friends and I make giant buckets of things.
Edible things, the sum of which has been Jello and pudding so far. We have a 5 gallon bucket that we use to make these things, so we typically amount to about 4 and half gallons of whatever it is that we are making. We have, for now, decided against the 5 gallon bucket of Ramen, since people would probably die from the sodium. We are considering Kool-Aid. Today we had to throw out the pudding, even though there was about 3.5 gallons left. What I like is that we didn't care, because we didn't make a 5 gallon bucket of pudding to eat. We made a 5 gallon bucket of pudding for the sake of making a 5 gallon bucket of pudding. It was the same case with the Jello, although we ate all of the first bucket. The second bucket, we made so Chad could put goggles on and submerge his head entirely in Jello. Trust me when I say that there are not many things funnier than hearing a young man yell the phrase "I'm going to Disneyworld!" with his head immersed in Jello. I am very happy that my friends and I do this sort of thing just for the sake of fun. People need to throw away money, time, and dignity for the sake of fun once in a while. It's so important.
On the subject of fun, you know what's not fun? A broken computer. As I said in my last blog, my Macbook's fans are on the fritz, and the thing is just getting too old. Sometimes when I log in, the keyboard will stop working for no reason. All I need to do is restart and it works fine again, but it's such a pain in the butt, especially since this is the week before finals week for my college. When I get home, it needs to be put to bed and replaced.
So you know what I like? Miley Cyrus' music video for "Fly On The Wall." It's very tasteful. It's got a definite Thriller-inspired thing going on, and the dancing she does is great. What I love about the choreography is that it is done with an emphasis on talent, not sexuality, which I like a lot. When she's dancing, she comes off not as someone being sold as a sex object, but as a girl who is just a really good dancer. It's a step away from the typical pop video nowadays, and I like it a lot. Good going.
I think that's pretty much all for now.
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: Posting hyperlinks for different phrases on my blogs. It's fun.
Thing I dislike about the past 24 hours: My computer torturing my mind.
Song addiction of the day: "Fly On The Wall" by Miley Cyrus. Seriously, check out the music video.
Number of caffeinated beverages in the last 24 hours: 0
Edible things, the sum of which has been Jello and pudding so far. We have a 5 gallon bucket that we use to make these things, so we typically amount to about 4 and half gallons of whatever it is that we are making. We have, for now, decided against the 5 gallon bucket of Ramen, since people would probably die from the sodium. We are considering Kool-Aid. Today we had to throw out the pudding, even though there was about 3.5 gallons left. What I like is that we didn't care, because we didn't make a 5 gallon bucket of pudding to eat. We made a 5 gallon bucket of pudding for the sake of making a 5 gallon bucket of pudding. It was the same case with the Jello, although we ate all of the first bucket. The second bucket, we made so Chad could put goggles on and submerge his head entirely in Jello. Trust me when I say that there are not many things funnier than hearing a young man yell the phrase "I'm going to Disneyworld!" with his head immersed in Jello. I am very happy that my friends and I do this sort of thing just for the sake of fun. People need to throw away money, time, and dignity for the sake of fun once in a while. It's so important.
On the subject of fun, you know what's not fun? A broken computer. As I said in my last blog, my Macbook's fans are on the fritz, and the thing is just getting too old. Sometimes when I log in, the keyboard will stop working for no reason. All I need to do is restart and it works fine again, but it's such a pain in the butt, especially since this is the week before finals week for my college. When I get home, it needs to be put to bed and replaced.
So you know what I like? Miley Cyrus' music video for "Fly On The Wall." It's very tasteful. It's got a definite Thriller-inspired thing going on, and the dancing she does is great. What I love about the choreography is that it is done with an emphasis on talent, not sexuality, which I like a lot. When she's dancing, she comes off not as someone being sold as a sex object, but as a girl who is just a really good dancer. It's a step away from the typical pop video nowadays, and I like it a lot. Good going.
I think that's pretty much all for now.
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: Posting hyperlinks for different phrases on my blogs. It's fun.
Thing I dislike about the past 24 hours: My computer torturing my mind.
Song addiction of the day: "Fly On The Wall" by Miley Cyrus. Seriously, check out the music video.
Number of caffeinated beverages in the last 24 hours: 0
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009: Heat
I don't much care for heat. I'm very much a furnace by nature. I produce tons of body heat, and this time of year SUCKS for that. It's currently 81 degrees outside, and my residence halls have this lovely thing called "no air conditioning." Unless it's the middle of the building where all the offices are. Then you have AC coming out the wazoo. This is not helped by the fact that for most of every day, my window is in direct contact with sunlight. Also, for some reason, the fans on my computer have gotten weaker, so while it doesn't get hot enough to overheat and cause problems, it does get hot enough to make my room hell. And later today, I have to go to the art building and work on my animation in a room filled with high-powered computers and very little air circulation. I hate summer. SO much. If I had my way, the temperature would never go above 50 degrees.
It is very hard to resist the urge to buy far too much ice cream.
I can't wait until next year, when we have an apartment. Then we can finally control our own temperature. Seriously, they don't even give us the option to turn off our own heaters.
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: D&D. It keeps me sane, and our characters just leveled. Hooray!
Thing I dislike about the past 24 hours: This bloody heat.
Song addiction of the day: "It's Too Hot" by Hank Green
Number of caffeinated beverages in the last 24 hours: 2
It is very hard to resist the urge to buy far too much ice cream.
I can't wait until next year, when we have an apartment. Then we can finally control our own temperature. Seriously, they don't even give us the option to turn off our own heaters.
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: D&D. It keeps me sane, and our characters just leveled. Hooray!
Thing I dislike about the past 24 hours: This bloody heat.
Song addiction of the day: "It's Too Hot" by Hank Green
Number of caffeinated beverages in the last 24 hours: 2
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009: Thoughts on the Internet
So I just finished watching all the fiveawesomegirls videos all the way through for the second time. I also recently began watching the fiveawesomeguys for the first time, and that is going well. I've also watched the vlogbrothers four times through now, I believe.
This makes me think about my life on the Internet and how different it is from my life outside of the Internet. What I like so much about my two live is that they offer two totally different experiences. IRL, I focus my energy mostly on becoming very tight-knit with a small group of people, but the Internet is more about being a small part of something huge. I love the Nerdfigher community, I love the YouTube community, it's all really great fun. I think the reason that I spend so much time watching and re-watching all these videos is that I like to remind myself why I put time into the Internet and why it's really quite worthwhile to me. I hope that I can be a part of these great communities for a long time, and I hope I continue to achieve balance between Internet life and my existence IRL.
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: My friends and I making a 4.5 gallon bucket of pudding, which was a sequel to the 4.5 gallon bucket of Jello. Next project: possibly Ramen.
Thing I dislike about the past 24 hours: Walking all the way to the storage space company office, only to find out it is not open.
Song addiction of the day: "The Bad Touch" by the Bloodhound Gang
Number of caffienated beverages in the past 24 hours: 1
This makes me think about my life on the Internet and how different it is from my life outside of the Internet. What I like so much about my two live is that they offer two totally different experiences. IRL, I focus my energy mostly on becoming very tight-knit with a small group of people, but the Internet is more about being a small part of something huge. I love the Nerdfigher community, I love the YouTube community, it's all really great fun. I think the reason that I spend so much time watching and re-watching all these videos is that I like to remind myself why I put time into the Internet and why it's really quite worthwhile to me. I hope that I can be a part of these great communities for a long time, and I hope I continue to achieve balance between Internet life and my existence IRL.
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: My friends and I making a 4.5 gallon bucket of pudding, which was a sequel to the 4.5 gallon bucket of Jello. Next project: possibly Ramen.
Thing I dislike about the past 24 hours: Walking all the way to the storage space company office, only to find out it is not open.
Song addiction of the day: "The Bad Touch" by the Bloodhound Gang
Number of caffienated beverages in the past 24 hours: 1
Friday, April 24, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009: Material Things
So my scooter just broke.
And it sucks.
But it got me thinking about the stuff we own. Some of our stuff is practical. Some is fun. Some is a miraculous melding of the two. My scooter was a melding. I used it a lot, and I believe I have had it for somewhere in the ballpark of five years. So I really shouldn't be surprised that the thing broke. But it really was a cool little thing to have. It's weird how we get attached to certain items. Often times, it's really not about the item itself, it's about what it represents. I have a Wile E. Coyote plush toy in my room, and I simply can't bring myself to give it up. It's not because I like the toy so much, it's because my younger self liked the toy so much. I used to literally take the thing everywhere, and it was probably my favorite toy for many, many years. It's the same with my baby blanket; it's all about the memories attached to the object. So I say goodbye to my beloved scooter, and I thank you for all the fun times we had going around campus.
Readers, what items do you treasure? Why? Let me know in the comments.
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: The good reception that my mock trailer got in my Great Ideas class.
Thing I dislike about the past 24 hours: My scooter breaking.
Song addiction of the day: The Oprah Over 9000 Pedobear Remix **CAUTION: 4chan Content
Number of caffeinated beverages in the past 24 hours: 0
And it sucks.
But it got me thinking about the stuff we own. Some of our stuff is practical. Some is fun. Some is a miraculous melding of the two. My scooter was a melding. I used it a lot, and I believe I have had it for somewhere in the ballpark of five years. So I really shouldn't be surprised that the thing broke. But it really was a cool little thing to have. It's weird how we get attached to certain items. Often times, it's really not about the item itself, it's about what it represents. I have a Wile E. Coyote plush toy in my room, and I simply can't bring myself to give it up. It's not because I like the toy so much, it's because my younger self liked the toy so much. I used to literally take the thing everywhere, and it was probably my favorite toy for many, many years. It's the same with my baby blanket; it's all about the memories attached to the object. So I say goodbye to my beloved scooter, and I thank you for all the fun times we had going around campus.
Readers, what items do you treasure? Why? Let me know in the comments.
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: The good reception that my mock trailer got in my Great Ideas class.
Thing I dislike about the past 24 hours: My scooter breaking.
Song addiction of the day: The Oprah Over 9000 Pedobear Remix **CAUTION: 4chan Content
Number of caffeinated beverages in the past 24 hours: 0
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009: Explanations and Dreams
Okay, time to explain a few things. First, the explanation of the name "Cranial Leakage." I love this phrase. What it means is that sometimes ideas are leaking out of my brain, and they end up here. This is pretty much just the free-flowing content of my mind. Hence the name, "Cranial Leakage." If you'd like, you can click here to watch one of my YouTube videos that explains in video form the concept of "cranial leakage."
Then, there's the bit I'll be including at the end of every blog. The things I like/dislike is just in an effort to find something worthwhile in every day, and hope that for me, it outweighs the thing I dislike. An experiment in optimism, really. The song addiction of the day is just my attempt to spread some fun music that I like. I'm also attempting to give up, or at least minimize, my intake of caffeine, so that's the final bit. I'm actually going to change the phrasing a bit to make it more clear.
I'd like to talk about dreams. I've noticed that the types of dreams I have seem to change with age. When I was a kid, I had mostly crazy, whacked-out psycho crack fantasy dreams. When I hit puberty, I began to have the sex dreams. Now that I'm 19, past the threshold of adolescent hormones, I have fulfilling relationship dreams. At the moment, the dreams are about my current Internet crush, but I've often heard that the importance of dreams is what's happening, not who's involved in what's happening. I like having these dreams, because they make me optimistic for the future. I have to admit, though, the initial few seconds when I wake up from them kind of sucks. But I am glad that's what's important to my subconscious is a genuine relationship, and not something more vapid.
See you tomorrow!
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: Being silly at Wal-Mart. There's something very, very therapeutic about it.
Thing I dislike about the past 24 hours: Being hungry this morning and not getting food until 11 at least.
Song addiction of the day: "Time Only Knows," from the ending of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.
Number of caffeinated beverages in the past 24 hours: 0.
Then, there's the bit I'll be including at the end of every blog. The things I like/dislike is just in an effort to find something worthwhile in every day, and hope that for me, it outweighs the thing I dislike. An experiment in optimism, really. The song addiction of the day is just my attempt to spread some fun music that I like. I'm also attempting to give up, or at least minimize, my intake of caffeine, so that's the final bit. I'm actually going to change the phrasing a bit to make it more clear.
I'd like to talk about dreams. I've noticed that the types of dreams I have seem to change with age. When I was a kid, I had mostly crazy, whacked-out psycho crack fantasy dreams. When I hit puberty, I began to have the sex dreams. Now that I'm 19, past the threshold of adolescent hormones, I have fulfilling relationship dreams. At the moment, the dreams are about my current Internet crush, but I've often heard that the importance of dreams is what's happening, not who's involved in what's happening. I like having these dreams, because they make me optimistic for the future. I have to admit, though, the initial few seconds when I wake up from them kind of sucks. But I am glad that's what's important to my subconscious is a genuine relationship, and not something more vapid.
See you tomorrow!
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: Being silly at Wal-Mart. There's something very, very therapeutic about it.
Thing I dislike about the past 24 hours: Being hungry this morning and not getting food until 11 at least.
Song addiction of the day: "Time Only Knows," from the ending of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.
Number of caffeinated beverages in the past 24 hours: 0.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009: Introductions and Nice Things
I've been reading blogs a lot lately, and even getting into the whole commenting thing, so I figure I might as well make one of these too.
So I've rediscovered the value of small random acts of kindness. I'm not talking about big things that have big impacts; I'm talking about little stuff. Today, a woman, who I presume was a teacher or an office worker, was walking around our classroom during work time. She was in search of two quarters, because she was thirsty and vending machines don't take half dollars. Most of the students were pretty much ignoring her, but when she got to me, I got out my coin purse (yes, I have a coin purse, shut up, it's a convenient way to store change) and checked. I did not have two quarters. What I did have was a few pennies and a few dimes and a nickel. I gave her two of my dimes and a nickel, telling her, "There, now you only have to find one quarter." She looked at me as though I had just given her a bar of platinum, said "Thank you, bless you," and walked away in search of the final quarter. It only cost me a quarter to brighten her day. Damn good deal, if you ask me.
I also helped some people from the Honors Program at my school bring a bunch of stuff in quickly from the rain. Even though I really hate rain. And despite that, it felt really good.
I think I need to do this more. I'm plenty nice to people I know, but I need to be more actively nice towards strangers. I used to do it more, and I liked it. Time to get on that.
And now, for the daily checklist I have devised for myself, which I will elaborate on tomorrow:
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: Free vegetables. Tasty.
Thing I don't like about the past 24 hours: Watching other people cuddle. Grumble.
Song addiction of the day: "Looking for Alaska," both Liane's original and Hank's cover.
Number of caffeinated beverages: 0.
So I've rediscovered the value of small random acts of kindness. I'm not talking about big things that have big impacts; I'm talking about little stuff. Today, a woman, who I presume was a teacher or an office worker, was walking around our classroom during work time. She was in search of two quarters, because she was thirsty and vending machines don't take half dollars. Most of the students were pretty much ignoring her, but when she got to me, I got out my coin purse (yes, I have a coin purse, shut up, it's a convenient way to store change) and checked. I did not have two quarters. What I did have was a few pennies and a few dimes and a nickel. I gave her two of my dimes and a nickel, telling her, "There, now you only have to find one quarter." She looked at me as though I had just given her a bar of platinum, said "Thank you, bless you," and walked away in search of the final quarter. It only cost me a quarter to brighten her day. Damn good deal, if you ask me.
I also helped some people from the Honors Program at my school bring a bunch of stuff in quickly from the rain. Even though I really hate rain. And despite that, it felt really good.
I think I need to do this more. I'm plenty nice to people I know, but I need to be more actively nice towards strangers. I used to do it more, and I liked it. Time to get on that.
And now, for the daily checklist I have devised for myself, which I will elaborate on tomorrow:
Thing I like about the past 24 hours: Free vegetables. Tasty.
Thing I don't like about the past 24 hours: Watching other people cuddle. Grumble.
Song addiction of the day: "Looking for Alaska," both Liane's original and Hank's cover.
Number of caffeinated beverages: 0.
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