I'm back. You may all faint now.
So here I am. It's been almost exactly a year since I felt like putting my fingers to the keyboard and writing anything besides papers and p-sets, as I concentrated as hard as I could on finishing high school and starting college (there may have been a summer squeezed in there, but it feels so far away already.) I'm not writing now because I feel nostalgic for high school, and let's face it, there is something about livejournal that just feels so high school... it's just that I have time to breathe, and things seem to be going okay enough that I want to spend that breathing time writing. I know that some people use writing/music/baton-twirling/talent/hobby as an outlet for stress, or a way to calm themselves down. HA. If I try and do that, I'll inevitably come back to what I wrote a week or so later and ask myself "What was I on?" What was I on? So writing is reserved for the quiet times, the happy times. And this is a happy time.
MIT is crazy-stressful. I'll make no bones about that. The people who kept telling me that highschool would be harder than college were clearly smoking crack or something. I mean, really. It's hard, but I've been lucky enough to find people who are smart and willing to help me with p-sets (Nora, Greg, Spike, Emzo), people who are smart and willing to play devil's advocate when it's clear the last thing I need to do is study (Andrew, Evan, Clare), people who are awesome, even if we have no classes in common and they're graduating and going off to cushy jobs that pay $120,000 a year... (Mike, and pretty much everyone in the 23 suite) people who might not be so smart but who are ten kinds of awesome and make my life a lot more interesting, even if they are twenty five and totally shouldn't even still be here (Simon.) So I'm thankful for that. I'm grateful for a lot of stuff, and even though it isn't Thanksgiving anymore, you get to hear why I'm happy.
Classes are over, finals are looming, but who cares? For the next day or so, I don't have to worry about anything. After the 21st, I'm completely done until February, except for my IAP class, which is EMT training and as such, the most kick-ass thing on the planet. I could be drinking or studying now, but a little reflection never did anyone any harm. Tomorrow is the holiday party, for which I will be making delicious cornbread stuffing, and getting my Christmas present from my Secret Santa (who already gave me really pretty shoelaces!) and giving my (somewhat less inspired) present to my 'person', who, I might add, I don't even KNOW. There are four people on our floor who never come out of their rooms. She's one of them. Go figure. Still. Having no work... make me happy.
[Feel free to skip this passage if my piercings/hair is not interesting to you] Being eighteen and away from home has either been a really good thing or a really bad thing. It's certainly made me feel a lot more free, which has lead to a new ear piercing (making four in one ear, and one in the other), bottom holes stretched to 14g (with a planned size of about 8-6g.... Buddha ears, as Greg calls them), and a lip ring. Lisa and I may pierce our noses for her birthday. I think it would be pretty rad, myself. Ari thinks I look like a snowboarder with the lipring and the hat I've been wearing pretty much 24-7 (it's because my hair's gross, shh don't tell anyone.) I've also been dying my hair a lot more. It was the red that Lisa dyed it in England, which faded out to a pretty bizarre pink, then purple, which washed out really quickly, and now it's a dark purpley-red brown. Which is prettier than it sounds and a color I'm pretty happy with. Especially with my brand-new emo bangs. And who knows... a tattoo is in the works as well. Gosh, Anneke, you're turning into a hipster weirdo/ crunchy hippie (Ari knows all about my peculiar hour-long fascination with Burning Man)! I know... sigh. Doing what I like to/with myself... makes me happy.
Even though I'm making new friends at MIT, I can still keep in touch with my BLS-folks. I've seen tons of imbrillim and meretricula, for which I'm really happy (although in all fairness, you two, I feel like I should point out that since I got my new cellphone, I don't have either of your numbers... send them to me, ok?) I've even started seeing Daniella and swirlycurlzz more, which is doubly good, because I felt like I'd never see them again at the beginning of the year. In fact, I ran into Lisa totally randomly today when we both went to BLS again. We had girltalk. It was nice. Most recently in development, cette_vie is back from UChicago! I think she will agree with me when I point out that the two of us can, on occasion, drive each other nearly to distraction. But now that I don't see her every day, the only side of Connie I can remember is the good one, so it's great having her back. We also had girltalk. It was also nice. Speaking of not seeing people everyday... I should of course mention Ari, who has been instrumental in keeping me sane this semester. We both agree that if we were at the same school, we'd probably hate each other by now, but as it is... he's basically the sweetest thing ever and I will beat anyone who disagrees with me. Friends and a boyfriend... make me happy.
My parents are India until Saturday, and I've been seeing my sister every Friday. I think it may be the Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder theorem, but I really have loved seeing her these past few years. Now that she's matured a bit, she's fun to talk to, completely hilarious, and an incredibly snazzy dresser (which I pretty much point out to anyone who will stand still long enough.) She's a "real person," finally, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather be related to. My parents, too, have been morphed by the (psychological, not physical) distance into people I am consistently happy to hear from. There is none of the tension over school and grades that there used to be, and we can just enjoy each others' company. My mom is even open to me talking about my planned tattoos and such. Going home is something I want to do now, and I can't wait to decorate the house on Saturday and welcome them home. Family... makes me happy.
So, in sum total, I am a damn happy girl. Comment, and make me even happier! Happyhappyhappyhappyhappy. I love the world! ::I am a total tool::
MIT is crazy-stressful. I'll make no bones about that. The people who kept telling me that highschool would be harder than college were clearly smoking crack or something. I mean, really. It's hard, but I've been lucky enough to find people who are smart and willing to help me with p-sets (Nora, Greg, Spike, Emzo), people who are smart and willing to play devil's advocate when it's clear the last thing I need to do is study (Andrew, Evan, Clare), people who are awesome, even if we have no classes in common and they're graduating and going off to cushy jobs that pay $120,000 a year... (Mike, and pretty much everyone in the 23 suite) people who might not be so smart but who are ten kinds of awesome and make my life a lot more interesting, even if they are twenty five and totally shouldn't even still be here (Simon.) So I'm thankful for that. I'm grateful for a lot of stuff, and even though it isn't Thanksgiving anymore, you get to hear why I'm happy.
Classes are over, finals are looming, but who cares? For the next day or so, I don't have to worry about anything. After the 21st, I'm completely done until February, except for my IAP class, which is EMT training and as such, the most kick-ass thing on the planet. I could be drinking or studying now, but a little reflection never did anyone any harm. Tomorrow is the holiday party, for which I will be making delicious cornbread stuffing, and getting my Christmas present from my Secret Santa (who already gave me really pretty shoelaces!) and giving my (somewhat less inspired) present to my 'person', who, I might add, I don't even KNOW. There are four people on our floor who never come out of their rooms. She's one of them. Go figure. Still. Having no work... make me happy.
[Feel free to skip this passage if my piercings/hair is not interesting to you] Being eighteen and away from home has either been a really good thing or a really bad thing. It's certainly made me feel a lot more free, which has lead to a new ear piercing (making four in one ear, and one in the other), bottom holes stretched to 14g (with a planned size of about 8-6g.... Buddha ears, as Greg calls them), and a lip ring. Lisa and I may pierce our noses for her birthday. I think it would be pretty rad, myself. Ari thinks I look like a snowboarder with the lipring and the hat I've been wearing pretty much 24-7 (it's because my hair's gross, shh don't tell anyone.) I've also been dying my hair a lot more. It was the red that Lisa dyed it in England, which faded out to a pretty bizarre pink, then purple, which washed out really quickly, and now it's a dark purpley-red brown. Which is prettier than it sounds and a color I'm pretty happy with. Especially with my brand-new emo bangs. And who knows... a tattoo is in the works as well. Gosh, Anneke, you're turning into a hipster weirdo/ crunchy hippie (Ari knows all about my peculiar hour-long fascination with Burning Man)! I know... sigh. Doing what I like to/with myself... makes me happy.
Even though I'm making new friends at MIT, I can still keep in touch with my BLS-folks. I've seen tons of imbrillim and meretricula, for which I'm really happy (although in all fairness, you two, I feel like I should point out that since I got my new cellphone, I don't have either of your numbers... send them to me, ok?) I've even started seeing Daniella and swirlycurlzz more, which is doubly good, because I felt like I'd never see them again at the beginning of the year. In fact, I ran into Lisa totally randomly today when we both went to BLS again. We had girltalk. It was nice. Most recently in development, cette_vie is back from UChicago! I think she will agree with me when I point out that the two of us can, on occasion, drive each other nearly to distraction. But now that I don't see her every day, the only side of Connie I can remember is the good one, so it's great having her back. We also had girltalk. It was also nice. Speaking of not seeing people everyday... I should of course mention Ari, who has been instrumental in keeping me sane this semester. We both agree that if we were at the same school, we'd probably hate each other by now, but as it is... he's basically the sweetest thing ever and I will beat anyone who disagrees with me. Friends and a boyfriend... make me happy.
My parents are India until Saturday, and I've been seeing my sister every Friday. I think it may be the Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder theorem, but I really have loved seeing her these past few years. Now that she's matured a bit, she's fun to talk to, completely hilarious, and an incredibly snazzy dresser (which I pretty much point out to anyone who will stand still long enough.) She's a "real person," finally, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather be related to. My parents, too, have been morphed by the (psychological, not physical) distance into people I am consistently happy to hear from. There is none of the tension over school and grades that there used to be, and we can just enjoy each others' company. My mom is even open to me talking about my planned tattoos and such. Going home is something I want to do now, and I can't wait to decorate the house on Saturday and welcome them home. Family... makes me happy.
So, in sum total, I am a damn happy girl. Comment, and make me even happier! Happyhappyhappyhappyhappy. I love the world! ::I am a total tool::