// [some of] the adventures that i had and i didnt even make any of it up //

so, ive decided that my method of packing is a bit more effective than the usual manner. see, usually i just somehow or other stick all my stuff in my car in some way or other, and it works. well, my parents made me put everything in boxes and stuff, and daddy does a good job packing but we were sortof afraid that it wouldnt fit. it was going to be rather problematic, and i was already running late already [but only 2 hours late, which isnt that bad, but still. i needed to go because i had to stay with these people and they are old, so i had to get there before they went to bed. but anyway.] and i didnt have time to re-do everything. but then it fit, but i couldnt really see, but o well. but then when i got here, i rearranged things as i was looking for my shoes and now its not quite as organized, but what do you know i can see out the back window, which is good. and i use that back window a lot.
while i was driving, i didnt get lost, which was an enjoyable phenomenon. and i stopped for gas at this ghetto gas station, but i just got donuts instead. they cost $2.08 or somthing, and i just brought two dollars cause i didnt think donuts should cost anymore than that, but the lady told me to just bring the eight cents to her next time instead of trying to actually find 8 cents in my hugely overstuffed car. she was very nice to me. and today i did get lost so i stopped for directions at this church that had construction going on [apparently construction workers are as good for directions as pizza boys are] and they told me so nicely, and i told them that i would try to find it, and they said i couldnt miss it, but i said, "well, you would be surprised.": but that sweet old guy was like, "nah, you look smart, and youre not even a blonde, so you'll make it." he made me happy. [he also told me this whole long story about this stoplight and all the things that had happened to it in the history of this town. he really did, i promise. and then when my sister and i were at that light later i started telling her all of the things i learned about that intersection from the man and she doesnt believe me, she thought i made it up. but i didnt. i promisecrossmyheart. also today i went to this class, adolescent lit, which was very enjoyable, and apparently its a "party every day" and i learned that Sting used to be an english teacher before he was a rock star, and he said that basically the two jobs accomplished the same things. im not sure how he got that, but whatever, yo.] and he sortof reminded me of the guy at walmart the other night. i was at my ghetto walmart late at night, after i spent an entirely wonderful dinner with my friend [more about that later] and then church for a while, and i was getting all things last minute and i could not find about 3 things that i absolutely needed, and so after surveying the available walmart employees that i might question to find the stuff, i just picked this guy. and he showed me [efficiently, too, i might add. half the time you ask someone at walmart where something is, they are just as lost as you are and you end up wondering around together. then, finally, you spot it yourself and they were like yeah, i totally knew where that was. riiiiiiight. anyway.] so he shows me where the stuff is and asked if there was anything else i needed help with and then--i kid you not--he bowed. it was really crazy, but kind of sweet? or something.
in the car on the way up here i was listening to nicholas nickelby cause i have never read it and thats a book that one ought to read, but never does. so i was listening to it, and i heard the best quote:
"bother. i suppose im thinking like a lover now, or perhaps rather like an ass, which, i suppose, is rather nealy pretty much the same thing."
i laughed about that one. and there was this one other spot where this guy said d***it like 26 times in a row, which was really weird cause dickens doesnt curse that much in his books, from the little bit ive read of him. but it was prettyfunny cause it was this random guy who wasnt even in the story all that much, and it wasnt even about anything that important. sortof like that stephen dunn poem with the one bad word used completely legitamately 17 times in one poem. sortof awful, sortof halirious.
but so anyway, i was listening to it, and then all of a sudden i ran out of tapes, and the story hadnt ended yet. so it was very perplexing and i was looking and looking for another tape or something that said on the box "hello, this is a book on tape that only will read the first 2/3 of the book" or something, but no such luck, so i wondered all day what on earth happened in the last part but then i went to the library after class, and i had a difficult time finding dickens, but then i did and then i read the end. it was pretty good. it did rather reinforce my idea that you can, at least in part, know something about men by their names, as they generally live up to their names. i dont know if girls do the same thing, im sure some do, but i dont know. for example. i always thought the name ralph belongs to an animal rather like a snake. therefore, it was no surprise to me when my friend had a very bad boyfriend by the name of ralph. duh. you dont expect a guy named ralph to be a very good boyfriend. and my deepest apologies to anyone named ralph who is not a bad boyfriend. you are the exception to the rule, let me assure you. but one of the more unlikeable characters in the book was named ralph, and this is why i thought of it.
but it was alright because by the time i ran out of tapes was about the time where i got to where i was supposed to be. and then i had to go and stay with the people. these people are these people that we know from our old town, and they used to go to our church and stuff, and she was even our art teacher in elementary, but 1) i dont really remember them. i was like 8 when they moved away. 2) staying with them with my parents is one thing, but by myself is quite another. 3) i had more than a few hesitations about staying with them based on what i remembered. so all in all, i was not looking forward to being there. and i was already feeling bad about getting there so late and them being old and tired and stuff [they actually were younger than i thought they would be, but they are probably 60 or so. old enough to be tired at 1030. so i get there, and they are pretty nice and stuff so im feeling better. but their house is like super nice, and everything, so i already have the feeling that i might break something every second i turn around. and they put me in this super antique bedroom. and i like antiques, but they feel very likely to break to me. i parked on the street, but they told me that i should move my car up onto the driveway since i have all my stuff [on one hand, i like having all my stuff in my car. it makes me feel cozy, and rather like a snail. on the other, i feel very concerned, because if someone happened to manage to steal my car, i would have realatively nothing that i like a whole lot left. and i dislike losing things i like veryvery much, even though sometimes it keeps happening to me.] and so when we were going to bed, i said that i was going to go move my car to the driveway, and i thought they heard me, and i wasnt out there for very long. but when i got back to the front door, the door was locked, and i was lockedfreakingout. so i begin to panic. i knocked first. no answer. i ring the doorbell, but so quick that i wasnt acutally sure that it rang. but i waited and contemplated what on earth i should do. my phone was inside. i was sure i didnt know the way back to campus, and if i left, how would i ever get my stuff back? i think i was starting to panic. i rang the doorbell again, and i made sure i pushed the button long and hard enough. and then i
w a i t e d .
and nothing happened.
and so after what seemed to be a osoverylong and horrible [what if i have to sleep on the porch?] time, i rang it again, and i was reallyreallyreally worried by now, and finally he came to answer it and it was in his pajamas so it was embarrassing and i apologized and it was awful, but he was nice. i just went upstairs to call my mother, and she just laughed at me. o did she laugh. and i laughed too, i admit. but she really did.
and then i didnt even sleep well, nor as late as i planned, but thankfully, joy comes in the morning and i left as unassumingly as possibly. thankfully, they were out and about.
so then today, i ate my sisters cookies, and almost took a nap, and bought an awesome vintage purse, and some clothes, and dinner, and we got hotfudge, watched emma which is very funny [ this reminds me that books like that--like jane eyre, and emma, and wuthering heights and pride and prejudice--are practically the most romantic things ever and i was talking to this boy and apparently he read somewhere that the only thing that you really need to attract a girl is a copy and some working knowledge of pride and prejudice--which is a very funny. im not sure that its true, actually, but its not untrue either, so there you go. they are rather wonderful books, and wonderful in the best possible way. modern romance novels have nothing on them.] [beauty is found in unexpected places, you know.] [speaking of beauty, can we please go to wafflehouse?! i miss it desperately.] and now im sleepy and my toes are cold and i am here and you are there, and this is this and that, that, and all is well, i think. well, its possible, and maybe likely. well, i dont even know what im talking about, probably. probably it isnt. well, maybe. i dont know, yes. yes, i think so. indeed.

Posted 8/26/2005 2:01 PM