Just a short post today because I have no good reason, but I wanted to write some stuff. So:
My family came to visit this weekend! It was great to see some weirdies and my mom! (Just kidding, Mom, you're weird too! Don't worry!) Packy wore a baseball hat all day and he's basically old now. So that was weird. Matt gets to be Donkey in the school play of Shrek: The Musical, which is super cool, and also Matt is really weird. Dad still likes radios and horrible puns, so I guess that's cool, if you think being really weird is cool. And also Mom got a job working as a hemotologist or oncologist or something like that. (Yes, she's qualified to do that. No, I didn't forget something important in that statement.)
I didn't see Dan, because he's a loser and goes to college. Who goes to college? Not me. College is for weirdies. (I'm trying to see how many times I can say variations of the word "weird" in this post. It's pretty high so far.) But I occasionally talk to Dan, and apparently he has friends, so I guess I shouldn't worry about that weirdie so much. THAT'S A LIE, DAN. I DON'T WORRY ABOUT YOU STOP THINKING I DO AND GO AWAY.
Short note: I think the point when you know you're where you're supposed to be happens when you find yourself thinking, "Wow. I don't know who I would be if I didn't know the people I know now. I can't imagine not knowing these people. What would have even happened if I went somewhere else for college?" And I'm proud to say that I hit that point. It only took an entire year, but it happened. And it's great. Thanks to all my friends I met at college. They're all super great and wonderful.
The moral of that story is that it's probably okay if it takes you a bajillion years to figure out where you are or who you are or what you do, but when it finally happens, it's pretty much the best feeling ever.
Okay. Enough feelings. That's all. I like you all.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Ha Ha, I Lied Last Time When I Said I Would Write More Often
Sorry about that. Life is so scary.
But you know what else?
LIFE IS GREAT. LIFE IS AWESOME. LIFE IS FULL OF HAPPINESS AND SUNSHINE AND RAINBOWS AND CATS AND CUDDLY TINY DOGS AND COOL PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU AND WHO YOU LOVE AND FAMILY AND WEIRDOS AND SNERBS AND SPANISH AND TURTLES AND ORANGE THINGS AND COLLEGE AND FRIENDS AND FOOD AND IRON MAN AND MUSIC AND HAIR AND NAIL POLISH AND LEARNING AND CHILDREN AND FROGS.
And probably lots of other things too. Today is just a great day to be alive and be thankful for all the things that you're normally thankful for, but don't necessarily tell your thankfulness too. "Thanks leaves that make cool patterns on the ground." "Thanks taco meat." "Thanks shiny orange pen." Just like that. It's not that hard! Do it! I encourage you to thank a bunch of the things that make your life exciting and tell them. And don't you tell me that they're just things and they won't care about anything. Because they will. They give their lives for you, and the least you can do is share your appreciation.
Also, of course, make sure you tell your favorite people that you love them, because those people are great, and they mostly made you who you are today. That's the good thing about people--they turn other people into better people. I want to make sure everyone who reads this knows that they are loved and appreciated. I am so lucky to have the people I have in my life. I never ever want to take them for granted. Because people are scary. But also, people are the best things ever. Way better than even turtles, probably. (GASP)
In a shocking turn of events, I am still a manager in the Caf. It's great. I'm so grateful for all the students who work with me, because they're all amazing, and they work really hard. I'm grateful that I'm really good at my job, because it makes me happy to do things that I like and have fun with. The people though, those are the ones who make it the most fun.
I still sometimes get annoyed at the people who can't figure out how to scrape their plates, because it's really not that hard, but maybe they don't have ears, and therefore they are excused from throwing their napkins in the trash. Who knows.
Also, I have classes, in another shocking turn of events. They're so education-y. I have to start planning lessons for actual students in actual classrooms, and it's a little bit terrifying and actually really hard and time-consuming. Take that, math majors! Just kidding. All majors are important and significant and relevant to life. Also, we built marshmallow and spaghetti towers in two of my classes, so you may have a point about the lack of rigorousness in education classes. BUT ALSO NOT, SO DON'T TEST ME.
Spanish is great, and we're learning a lot about grammar, which is great because grammar is my favorite and I love it. We get to review kids books, which is basically another great way to do education. Also, because it's a grammar and translation class, we have to do our first translation for next? week by translating something we wrote ourselves. At first, I was like, "Noooooo. I don't write anything! I'll have to use some super lame academic paper about the plague and I'll hate it and probably die!" but then I realized that was silly, and in fact, I have a blog in which I occasionally post things, and by things I mean writing! So, I think it would be pretty ironic if I took this paragraph here, about not having anything to translate for Spanish, except actually having something to translate for Spanish, and translated it into Spanish. But that would also be hard because I basically write long, deathy run-on sentences. So, maybe not. We'll see.
And in one of my classes, we're learning about understanding, and it's really confusing, because according our textbook, you can't define understanding, but to understand understanding, you have to be able to understand the definition of understanding, but the authors refuse to define understanding, because you can't define understanding, so they just say things like, "Understanding is great, but first we need to know what we mean by understanding. Unfortunately for you, understanding is un-understandable because we hate you, and hope you quit education and turn into a squirrel. It would be easier than trying to rectify the understanding paradox of inadequate understanding." (I paraphrased a little.)
It might even be more confusing than my philosophy class last semester....
I suddenly became really tired, probably because of all the emotions I was putting into the understanding paragraph. Trying to understand that stuff really drains my energy. I shall have to go take a nap. Good thing I have death class right soon, so I can get a good, long nap in. Those desks are so comfy.
Also, tell someone important that you love them today! Because it feels pretty great.
The end.
But you know what else?
LIFE IS GREAT. LIFE IS AWESOME. LIFE IS FULL OF HAPPINESS AND SUNSHINE AND RAINBOWS AND CATS AND CUDDLY TINY DOGS AND COOL PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU AND WHO YOU LOVE AND FAMILY AND WEIRDOS AND SNERBS AND SPANISH AND TURTLES AND ORANGE THINGS AND COLLEGE AND FRIENDS AND FOOD AND IRON MAN AND MUSIC AND HAIR AND NAIL POLISH AND LEARNING AND CHILDREN AND FROGS.
And probably lots of other things too. Today is just a great day to be alive and be thankful for all the things that you're normally thankful for, but don't necessarily tell your thankfulness too. "Thanks leaves that make cool patterns on the ground." "Thanks taco meat." "Thanks shiny orange pen." Just like that. It's not that hard! Do it! I encourage you to thank a bunch of the things that make your life exciting and tell them. And don't you tell me that they're just things and they won't care about anything. Because they will. They give their lives for you, and the least you can do is share your appreciation.
Also, of course, make sure you tell your favorite people that you love them, because those people are great, and they mostly made you who you are today. That's the good thing about people--they turn other people into better people. I want to make sure everyone who reads this knows that they are loved and appreciated. I am so lucky to have the people I have in my life. I never ever want to take them for granted. Because people are scary. But also, people are the best things ever. Way better than even turtles, probably. (GASP)
In a shocking turn of events, I am still a manager in the Caf. It's great. I'm so grateful for all the students who work with me, because they're all amazing, and they work really hard. I'm grateful that I'm really good at my job, because it makes me happy to do things that I like and have fun with. The people though, those are the ones who make it the most fun.
I still sometimes get annoyed at the people who can't figure out how to scrape their plates, because it's really not that hard, but maybe they don't have ears, and therefore they are excused from throwing their napkins in the trash. Who knows.
Also, I have classes, in another shocking turn of events. They're so education-y. I have to start planning lessons for actual students in actual classrooms, and it's a little bit terrifying and actually really hard and time-consuming. Take that, math majors! Just kidding. All majors are important and significant and relevant to life. Also, we built marshmallow and spaghetti towers in two of my classes, so you may have a point about the lack of rigorousness in education classes. BUT ALSO NOT, SO DON'T TEST ME.
Spanish is great, and we're learning a lot about grammar, which is great because grammar is my favorite and I love it. We get to review kids books, which is basically another great way to do education. Also, because it's a grammar and translation class, we have to do our first translation for next? week by translating something we wrote ourselves. At first, I was like, "Noooooo. I don't write anything! I'll have to use some super lame academic paper about the plague and I'll hate it and probably die!" but then I realized that was silly, and in fact, I have a blog in which I occasionally post things, and by things I mean writing! So, I think it would be pretty ironic if I took this paragraph here, about not having anything to translate for Spanish, except actually having something to translate for Spanish, and translated it into Spanish. But that would also be hard because I basically write long, deathy run-on sentences. So, maybe not. We'll see.
And in one of my classes, we're learning about understanding, and it's really confusing, because according our textbook, you can't define understanding, but to understand understanding, you have to be able to understand the definition of understanding, but the authors refuse to define understanding, because you can't define understanding, so they just say things like, "Understanding is great, but first we need to know what we mean by understanding. Unfortunately for you, understanding is un-understandable because we hate you, and hope you quit education and turn into a squirrel. It would be easier than trying to rectify the understanding paradox of inadequate understanding." (I paraphrased a little.)
It might even be more confusing than my philosophy class last semester....
I suddenly became really tired, probably because of all the emotions I was putting into the understanding paragraph. Trying to understand that stuff really drains my energy. I shall have to go take a nap. Good thing I have death class right soon, so I can get a good, long nap in. Those desks are so comfy.
Also, tell someone important that you love them today! Because it feels pretty great.
The end.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
How To: Cafeteria Life
Hello friends. It's been a while, and not even just on this blog, but in actual communication with the people I actually communicate with. I'm sorry about that, and it will soon change, because I have FINISHED TRAINING FOR STUDENT MANAGERS. That means, among other things, that I no longer have to work an average of 12 hours a day, which is super exciting. And I will have more time to write and do things, and you know, classes start tomorrow, too I guess, but those aren't important. I've been here for like three weeks anyway. And also you should tell me about your lives, because I feel like I've missed important things while I've been working so much.
As much as I might complain about working (which I've come to understand is a thing people just have to do, even if they don't really have anything to complain about), I do actually enjoy it. I enjoy the people I work with, and we get along well. Spending so much time together has made us pretty good friends. It's kinda like SPAT camp in marching band in that regard.
That being said, it hasn't all been turtles and ice cream. It's been hard work, and I've gotten to do a lot of things that have frustrated me in strange ways. But I guess that's how you learn. You figure out why you're frustrated, how to get around your frustration, and the next time that situation happens you're totally prepared.
For example, yesterday I vacuumed the entire cafeteria by myself after dinner. It only took an entire hour and it was kinda hard. But also there's a strange soothing-ness to vacuuming. You know that no one will come bother you, because you're already doing something important. It's just you and the carpeting and the large backpack of a vacuum. It's actually a good time to get some introspection done, if you're into that kind of thing. You can reflect on life and your choices and how you got to be the person you are, and who is important in shaping your views about the world.
On the other hand, you can also contemplate the possibility of sucking up an entire cucumber slice with the nozzle. Which is admittedly less earth-shattering when you come to a conclusion, but still an important part of the process. And in case you were wondering, it is NOT possible to suck up an entire cucumber slice. But, see, then you can try other solutions, because bending over to pick up the strange vegetable by hand is just too much work, so you end up smashing the cucumber against the wall of a booth until it's small enough to fit into the vacuum. And once again you've figured out how to overcome the challenges life has given you.
Also, there's not really a feeling comparable to vacuuming a grape or cherry tomato, and I can't even describe it. You'll just have to try it for yourself.
Also, part 2, since these three weeks have been pretty mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting, emotions flow to the surface of my face without really having to be prompted by much. Like, when someone picks emotional power ballads to play over the speakers while we're cleaning, my brain is like: *emotions* at least you have this vacuum to suck up all your tears. So there's that.
To add to the emotions of last night, (like really, what is wrong with me, why is cafeteria work so emotional?) here is the transcription of a conversation I had with a person. Pardon the censored bad words that I have to use.
Me: Enjoy your meal!
Person: Give me some more pork.
Me: Sorry, that's all I can give you. It's a portions thing.
Person: WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!!? (Infinite internal screaming, I'm guessing)
Me: You can always come back for seconds.
Person: Wow. I've never had a caf worker be such a b****. You know what? I don't give a s***. I don't want this stupid-*** food anyway! *storms away like an evil snerb*
Me (not out loud because I'm a decent human being, most of the time): Sorry for trying to feed you. I hope you starve or at least eat only lettuce for the rest of your life.
So that was a cool time. I don't even like people. Someone tell me why I'm attempting to enter a profession in which all you do is deal with people all day every day? I don't even understand myself.
But aside from that, mostly it's been a good time. I've become an excellent mopper. That's a person who mops. I don't know if you got that. ALSO! It's super fun to use a squeegee, and I recommend that if you've never had the chance to use one, you do so immediately. It will be well worth your time. And if you can't do that, just say the word "squeegee" a couple times, and you'll immediately feel better.
Today, the last day of training, the chef lady made us have a meeting. And I was super worried that we were all in trouble (because she's kind of scary (and also because I'm kind of just always worried about getting in trouble even if I've literally done nothing wrong, but that's another story)), but it turns out she just wanted to tell us how proud of us she was/is and how much she appreciated our help with all the new people coming in and how great the night went and how great we are in general and then she started crying and it was emotional and SQUEEGEE SQUEEGEE SQUEEGEE
Okay. I'm better now. For now. Tomorrow I have exactly one class, and also I get to work for real. With real workers, and I hope it goes super well. It'll be great. I have yet to successfully change a milk bag by myself, but there's plenty of time for improvement I hope. I just don't want to die. It'll be fine. Yeah. Fine. It's great. We won't die, me and my student workers. No dying allowed. That's my motto for life.
Get it? Cause life is the opposite of death? Ha. Ha. Okay. I should go to bed before I actually have an emotional breakdown. Yeah. Good luck on your classes and lives guys! Tell me about things that you like!
As much as I might complain about working (which I've come to understand is a thing people just have to do, even if they don't really have anything to complain about), I do actually enjoy it. I enjoy the people I work with, and we get along well. Spending so much time together has made us pretty good friends. It's kinda like SPAT camp in marching band in that regard.
That being said, it hasn't all been turtles and ice cream. It's been hard work, and I've gotten to do a lot of things that have frustrated me in strange ways. But I guess that's how you learn. You figure out why you're frustrated, how to get around your frustration, and the next time that situation happens you're totally prepared.
For example, yesterday I vacuumed the entire cafeteria by myself after dinner. It only took an entire hour and it was kinda hard. But also there's a strange soothing-ness to vacuuming. You know that no one will come bother you, because you're already doing something important. It's just you and the carpeting and the large backpack of a vacuum. It's actually a good time to get some introspection done, if you're into that kind of thing. You can reflect on life and your choices and how you got to be the person you are, and who is important in shaping your views about the world.
On the other hand, you can also contemplate the possibility of sucking up an entire cucumber slice with the nozzle. Which is admittedly less earth-shattering when you come to a conclusion, but still an important part of the process. And in case you were wondering, it is NOT possible to suck up an entire cucumber slice. But, see, then you can try other solutions, because bending over to pick up the strange vegetable by hand is just too much work, so you end up smashing the cucumber against the wall of a booth until it's small enough to fit into the vacuum. And once again you've figured out how to overcome the challenges life has given you.
Also, there's not really a feeling comparable to vacuuming a grape or cherry tomato, and I can't even describe it. You'll just have to try it for yourself.
Also, part 2, since these three weeks have been pretty mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting, emotions flow to the surface of my face without really having to be prompted by much. Like, when someone picks emotional power ballads to play over the speakers while we're cleaning, my brain is like: *emotions* at least you have this vacuum to suck up all your tears. So there's that.
To add to the emotions of last night, (like really, what is wrong with me, why is cafeteria work so emotional?) here is the transcription of a conversation I had with a person. Pardon the censored bad words that I have to use.
Me: Enjoy your meal!
Person: Give me some more pork.
Me: Sorry, that's all I can give you. It's a portions thing.
Person: WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!!? (Infinite internal screaming, I'm guessing)
Me: You can always come back for seconds.
Person: Wow. I've never had a caf worker be such a b****. You know what? I don't give a s***. I don't want this stupid-*** food anyway! *storms away like an evil snerb*
Me (not out loud because I'm a decent human being, most of the time): Sorry for trying to feed you. I hope you starve or at least eat only lettuce for the rest of your life.
So that was a cool time. I don't even like people. Someone tell me why I'm attempting to enter a profession in which all you do is deal with people all day every day? I don't even understand myself.
But aside from that, mostly it's been a good time. I've become an excellent mopper. That's a person who mops. I don't know if you got that. ALSO! It's super fun to use a squeegee, and I recommend that if you've never had the chance to use one, you do so immediately. It will be well worth your time. And if you can't do that, just say the word "squeegee" a couple times, and you'll immediately feel better.
Today, the last day of training, the chef lady made us have a meeting. And I was super worried that we were all in trouble (because she's kind of scary (and also because I'm kind of just always worried about getting in trouble even if I've literally done nothing wrong, but that's another story)), but it turns out she just wanted to tell us how proud of us she was/is and how much she appreciated our help with all the new people coming in and how great the night went and how great we are in general and then she started crying and it was emotional and SQUEEGEE SQUEEGEE SQUEEGEE
Okay. I'm better now. For now. Tomorrow I have exactly one class, and also I get to work for real. With real workers, and I hope it goes super well. It'll be great. I have yet to successfully change a milk bag by myself, but there's plenty of time for improvement I hope. I just don't want to die. It'll be fine. Yeah. Fine. It's great. We won't die, me and my student workers. No dying allowed. That's my motto for life.
Get it? Cause life is the opposite of death? Ha. Ha. Okay. I should go to bed before I actually have an emotional breakdown. Yeah. Good luck on your classes and lives guys! Tell me about things that you like!
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