Random Thoughts

I'm just going to go stream of consciousness here and say whatever occurs to me.

I am sitting in the hall waiting for my Spanish class to begin, halfheartedly listening to other people's conversations.  A tall, robust young guy is boasting that he can devour two four by fours at In-N-Out and often does so in the afternoon between meals.  He is justifying that it is not unhealthy because he tries to sop up excess grease.  Hmm...  He likes his burgers "animal style" which is wildly popular among all my friends.  Yuck, I say to that.  An animal style burger looks like it was fished out of a garbage can.  All that iceberg lettuce and grilled onions makes me gag.  Really how can people like lettuce?  It always has a wet taste and something icky I can't put my finger on.  And onions?  Bleh!  I mean, I understand in theory why people would like the flavor but that hard cellulose crunch is unsettling to bite into and their acidity wreaks havoc on my stomach.

Speaking of Spanish class, the whole snafu with the skit has come to a proper end.  We were assigned to write a script with three other classmates detailing our class schedules.  Nicole, the girl who sits next to me, suggested that we should all write a version of the script and then compile them into one.  The other two girls agreed but when it was less than a week until the skit, no one had done anything.  Seeing as the skit is ten percent of our grade, I decided to take on the task of writing it.  All I asked of my teammates was their class information and to have the thing memorized come Monday.  With the exception of Nicole, no one sent me any information so I had to make up schedules for them.  Nicole and I tried to get the group together for a read-through and the other girls could not be bothered.  So I wrote the damn thing and e-mailed it to all of them without so much of an acknowledgment that they received the e-mail.  Come Monday, only one of my team members showed up seeming confident.  The professor allowed us to have classmates read for the missing group members.  As soon as the skit began, my teammate completely went blank.  She knew not even one of her lines.  The teacher had to feed them to her and have her repeat them.  I got the grade back today and I managed to get a 94 for my efforts (huge sigh of relief).  The missing teammate got a 0 and the one who forgot her lines made a 40.  I have to say that I am glad that their lazy asses did not compromise my grade.

I notice a lot of skateboarders around campus.  They loudly push themselves along in an unaffected manner.  I can't help but think they are using their skateboards as a cry for attention.  "Look at me?  Don't I look super cool?"  They just make far too much noise as the coast by and make such a show of themselves.  I hate when people are obvious about wanting attention.  There is a fine line between needing to be the center of attention and being unique.  It is often the punks, goths, freaks, girls that dye their hair constantly, etc. that aren't acting a certain way because they truly want to.  They are often unknowingly begging for attention good or bad.

I saw a hot guy in a wheel chair.  I always wanted to date a guy in a wheel chair.  There is something very appealing about it.

Parking for class in the mornings is still an issue.  I remember a teacher telling me once that the population of students is growing every year.  Every year, the parking lots remain the same so there are not enough spaces for the current student body.  It is not a big deal if you take afternoon classes but 10 am and before it's a goddamn madhouse.  When I arrive before ten, all the spaces are full and cars slowly circle the lot like vultures.  There's something unsettling about it.  And when you spot someone making their way back to their car, chances are three other drivers have too and it then becomes a mad dash to the spot.  It can get ugly.  People speed around to get the spot nearly hitting pedestrians in the process.  Sometimes people jack spots someone is clearly waiting for.  I have to result to slowly following someone to their car, anticipate which spot is theirs and, most importantly, be in position with my blinker on as they start putting their things away in the car.

You know what's weird?  There are seagulls in the parking lot.  I wonder what the hell they are doing there.  I know that they are attracted to garbage and a school parking lot is a great spot for that.  Where is the nearest sea near Sacramento?  Do they go back and forth or are they some displaced flock that doesn't know how to get back home or doesn't want to?

Adding to my growing paranoia is the increased presence of cops.  I used to see a cop car one in maybe ten times I left the house.  Lately, I see one or more of them nearly every time I am out driving.  Logically most of the time I should not be bothered.  I'm rarely doing anything that merits them pulling me over but I totally panic whenever I so much as see one.  I stiffen and drive as close to the speed limit as possible.  My mind is both chanting calming thoughts and screaming, "Oh my god!  They're after me!"  Geoffrey wrote me off as being paranoid until he found an article detailing how the Sacramento police are practicing new methods to reduce crime.  A major tenant of this approach is having police cars be very visible in high crime areas.  Over the last few months as I noticed an increased presence of cops is when they were implementing this new method.  I hope it fails and the cops will go back to where they were in the first place at a doughnut shop or something.

Big Boy has all but vanished since I blocked the hole leading under the house.  Just as promised, I rented a humane trap and set it in the yard in a place she liked to sleep.  I had the trap something like nine days and didn't catch a damn thing.  Forty bucks down the drain.  I guess I should be happy she's done with my yard and onto better places.  I guess I just want the finality of her gone from my neighborhood so there will be no stray kittens running around.  I saw her across the street a couple of days back and she looked to still be pregnant.  I was far away, however.

Time to go do menial things that I want to put off but need to get done.  The kitchen is filled with dirty dishes and my white roots are beginning to show.  Turns out the vast majority of the crown of my head is gray.  I envy those who don't have to dye their roots once or more a month.  Such things are not going to do themselves but wouldn't it be totally amazing if they could?