A glimpse into the past

Back in college I would occasionally journal in random notebooks while waiting for class to start (or end). I found this delight while cleaning. It delights me more than others I've found because I actually remember this incident. It happened as I was walking to class up Grand River from the house on Cornell, just as I was passing the bus stop across the road from Abbott.


November 6, 2002, 6:43 p.m. from Kresge Hall: I think a homeless man mocked me. I was minding my own business, walking to ISP 205 when he stopped me by a bus stop on Grand River. He asked if i had 32 cents so he could ride the bus. I told him I was sorry but I didn't have any change on me. To this he replied, "Look, it doesn't matter. You look as good as hell anyway." Confused, I thanked him quietly and walked away. I was baffled. Was he complimenting me? I somehow didn't think so. I looked a fright. My face was puffy with sleep and my hat was covering my messy poof of dirty hair. So, then was he insulting me because I didn't have change? What kind of an odd thing is that to do? "You don't carry change around. You're ugly!" Good as hell can't be very good since hell is evil. It's like he thought I owed him something.

Hilarious! Oh, college Mary, you were so delicate and overanalytical. Le sigh.

Rage against the dying of the light

Was subjected to an unpleasant bit of road rage and general assholey-driverishness tonight. I was on my way home from Nick's when some douche in a red truck with a ladder on top (yet not a firetruck) tried to pass me in the left turn lane. It wouldn't have been a big deal except for the fact that I was wanted to pull into said left turn lane and they almost caused an accident. I honked my horn loudly in condemnation and then got behind them. We turned on to Gladys and then doucheman swerved onto the fork that goes off to the right. I thought he was heading for the Burger King but when I turned to glance at him I saw that he had just pulled over parallel to the street and was leaning out his open driver's side window to shout something at me whilst shaking his fist. I don't know what he was shouting but it didn't appear to be anything very nice.

Ever since "the incident" I've had an uneasy feeling like doucheman is going to come after my car and perhaps vandalize it. I dont' trust that angry man. He wasn't anywhere I could see when I parked but, at the same time, my car is just so damn distinctive. There are also little bits of paranoia lingering that make me afraid that the man will find my car and then somehow find my apartment and then find me in my apartment and be mean to me. It's ridiculous though. Stupid overactive imagination making mountains out of molehills. Stupid moody me sticking it to bad-driving jerks and then getting nervous when they stick it back. I think I'm losing my grip on my serenity. Ah, and I was doing so well.

On the plus side, Nick & I did finish season 3 of Supernatural. Now we're fully ready for season 4 to start on Thurs.

This picture seen above was taking in June when we had the tornado warning. I chose it because it's been rainy lately and it shows a little bit of my disctinctive car. I'm going to sleep now.

Why does it always rain on me?

This is what I look like when I ride in boats. Yeah, I'm pretty cool.

I haven't blogged in a very long time. Really, I suppose it was kind of a rough summer though I couldn't tell you why. Nothing bad happened per se, sometimes I just go through moody adjustment phases. I'm moody. It's true. I spent the last few weeks of July and just about all of August on mental vacation in Forks, WA. I just read that Twilight series over and over. It became like some odd sort of literary drug. I had to give them to Kristin though so she could read them and that was good. A healthy break.

I kept reading through the remainder of August and early Sept. I read and read and read and read. My favorites were "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer & "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger. (Why does blogger not give underlining as an option up top?) I recommend them both. They're delightful. I had read "Time Traveler's Wife" before, but just about completely forgotten it. There's a movie of it coming out around Christmas and I'm excited.

This unplanned reading whirlwind turned out to be cathartic though and I came out on the other side with some weird inner peace. Not the inner peace that you try to thrust upon yourself like Bridget Jones but the actual inner peace that comes with accepting problems and moving on. Just like in that serenity prayer. I am serene. Not completely serene like a smooth lake but far from a dark stormy sea. It's fun. I think maybe it's because all the reading made me use my brain again. The tedium of my daily life makes it possible to occasionally go for weeks without really using it.

Anywho, when I'm not reading or working I'm usually at Nick's house because we're making our way through Supernatural on DVD. We finished season 2 early last week and now are plugging away through season 3 to see if we can finish it by the time for season 4 which starts on the 18th. I have my doubts, but that's why they reshow me TV on the internet.

Went out for someone's birthday last night. We went to The Wine Loft which has a lovely atmosphere and I kind of love it there. I always discount Kalamazoo as a real city. Maybe because I grew up so close to it, maybe simply because it's too small, but I'm starting to realize that there's a fair amount to take advantage of here and, as a city, it's starting to come into it's own. These new places I've been to like The Wine Loft and the new Sprout (which is a restaurant where they serve me lovely curry) are more reminiscent of places I used to go in London rather than good old downtown Kalamazoo. Besides the loveliness of the atmosphere I had a good time with the people even though these large social events are usually a bit much for me. I think it's the reading-inflicted inner peace and perhaps the fact that I know a lot more people than I did a year ago. There were all sorts of people to talk to last night. It was crazy.

Well, that was a lot of ridiculous blather, but I suppose I had to make up for a couple months of absence. There go.

P.S. It's been raining for about three days straight. I'm tired of being moist.