I recently visited a school friend, despite thinking that we’d never organize ourselves enough to actually make plans. Yet sure enough, we were able to time it and I made the drive over with ease. We enjoyed each other’s company for a few days and then parted ways. I’m still surprised it all worked out.

However, what struck me about the visit was how comfortable it all was. I had never been to her house; in school, while we were very close, we didn’t live in the same dorm, were in different friend groups, and shared no classes. In a way, this was the first time we were spending an extended time together. read more

Since I’ve just returned from spending a week in Florida, I feel it’s only necessary to touch upon some of the irritating things one may encounter in a theme park. It doesn’t help that almost anything can annoy me, but these behaviors are despicable no matter who you are, and they seem to be happening increasingly in these parks. I could probably list dozens, but here are the top three (or at least the first three I could think of):

1. Poor attire. I swear, people have decided that theme parks that have one water ride are now water parks and will walk around in swimsuits. I saw several girls get on a rollercoaster in bikinis, no joke. Nobody wants to see that. Get it together. read more

My sister and I actually dragged ourselves out of bed this morning to go to church. It wasn’t our idea. When we got there, we naturally ran into a lot of adults that are friends with our parents, but that we don’t know too well. As best as we could, we mingled with them and tried not to seem too awkward or really desperate to leave. We had relative success, but one interaction rubbed us the wrong way. As we headed out, nearly free, one familiar adult came up to us and said, “My, you girls are getting so BIG! I can’t believe it!” read more

I had a revelation early today that if I was left with nothing but Pinterest to guide me, I could survive on my own.

I could learn how to make crafts and ceramic pieces to sell.
Spend the money on food to cook all of the recipes I’ve learned.
Take the recipes to start my own restaurant and save up more money.
Spend the additional money on interior decorating (which Pinterest also helped me with) and on vacations in the various places Pinterest has recommended.
Dress with perfect style and know how to do different hairstyles.
Give the best homemade presents to people.
Be an expert at hosting parties.
Have a kick-ass daily work-out routine. read more

Another absurd story. I have a friend obsessed with condiments–she’s always putting ranch, seasoning, or most importantly, soy sauce, on her food. She recently told me, “You know, my friend ordered us some Chinese food, and she got these dumplings. They came with the best soy sauce, and lots of it. It’s way better than regular soy sauce. I can’t believe I’ve been ordering General Tsao’s chicken for so long when I could’ve been ordering these dumplings with this soy sauce. So you know what I did? I put all the extra soy sauce in a water bottle and I carry it in my bag. Now when the dining hall has no more soy sauce, not only do I have some, but the best kind.” read more

I’m always baffled by how people can simultaneously insult and compliment me. Earlier today, a teacher approached me about an article I wrote for the school paper. She verbatim said to me, “I mean, I wasn’t on the edge of my seat, but I was definitely engaged reading it!” Thanks? I’m so glad my article was interesting, but not that interesting, to you.

Talk about absurd. Today, a friend of mine showed up to inform me and a few others that someone stole half her sandwich. Stealing a sandwich is one thing. Stealing half a sandwich isn’t much different. What’s important here is what “half” means. In this case, someone took the top slice of bread with the meat and mayo, leaving the full bottom slice of bread with the lettuce and tomato. It’s times like these that I question why I exist.

As I recently discussed with my mom, typing is so taken for granted nowadays. I can type fine now, but I remember how tortuous it was to learn the skill. In third grade, my class had a space-themed typing program where you had to type a certain phrase or sentence correctly and within a certain time period in order to advance to the next level. Imagine the 9-year-old stress as my peers and I anxiously tried to type quickly – quickly enough that the phrase wouldn’t erase and restart – and not make a mistake. If you rushed it, you’d make a mistake and be forced to start over. If you took your time, you wouldn’t complete the phrase in the time limit. You could be literally (and quite easily) stuck on the same level for the full 45 minutes of typing practice, trapped in this vicious cycle. The kid who sat next to me during these typing exercises routinely cried or banged his fists on his desk in frustration. Learning to type is anguish, people. read more