7. Petting Cats

Let me set the record straight, first off: I am a dog person. I have owned three dogs in my eighteen years and cannot foresee the rest of my life being any different. Not only am I deathly (well, not deathly...but extremely) allergic to cats without taking medicine - while taking the allergy tests where they prick your back, the doctor said he had never seen someone react so badly, and would I mind if he take a photo? - but cats are, put simply, quite apathetic. While I admire their relative self-sufficiency and independence, I find dogs' general need for companionship relatable and comforting.

However, I cat-sit for my neighbor while he and his wife go on trips, and I have to say that having a cat open up to you is quite a rewarding experience. Their cat, Callie, has, over the past couple days, started to trust me. Today, she actively sought me out to rub up against my legs while purring. Bonding with an animal is not the same as connecting with a human; the former implies a special kind of unrequited love that is difficult to create with other people. I can't deny that bonding with Callie, a relatively off-standish cat, makes me feel like a Cat Whisperer. Is it my charisma? Is it the gourmet cooked shrimp I hand-feed her? I may never know.

6. Mother Nature is One Bad Madre

I didn't post yesterday due to a power outage. The reason: a storm like no other. I don't think I've ever experienced such a massive storm; the thunder and lightning from behind the mountain looked more like Mordor than Hawaii. It was raining so hard, thundering so loud, and...lightnening? so brightly that I woke up in the middle of the night. It must have been right over my house, the rain falling with a fury like no other, as if Zeus had just caught Hera with a lover. (Hera, you slut.) At one point, a flash of lightning seemed to strike the school behind my house or a neighbor's house. You could feel the electricity in the air. I was terrified and fascinated at the same time, and couldn't stop wondering what it would be like to be struck by lightning.

Oh, to be on Mount Olympus (or at least be a demi-god).

5. Nationalistic Flashbulb Memories (also known as Ding Dong, Osama is Dead)

Flashbulb memories are memories made when an event happens with such magnitude or such great consequences that you remember the situation surrounding you when you find out about it. People are saying that Osama's death is going to be one of those moments. I have lots of thoughts, concerns, and speculations about his death that I don't think are appropriate for this blog. However, I think it's fascinating how quickly news spreads, and how a whole country - or even globe - can share a moment like this, especially over something as seemingly inconsequential as one man's death. Right now people seem to generally be happy, slightly confused, and proud in his or her country (namely, America). I have no idea what the future holds and do not even feel confident saying that it may be safer than it is now, but rest assured something big and unforgettable has happened today that will go down in history.

RIP, those murdered by Osama.

4. Growing a Garden

Okay, so it's not exactly a garden, but growing basil plants is close enough. After three or four days, seeing their little green heads poking through the soil is definitely enough to evoke a smile. I could carry on with the whole "cycle of life is beautiful" topic, but that's too cliché, and the theme of this blog is already pushing the sentimental angle. Let's just leave it with the fact that I was very tempted to sing "A very merry unbirthday!" to my babies. Once they get past the moody adolescent phase, I have a nice large pot to put them in. And after that...oh god, delicious paninis.

Why do I feel like a murderer...?

3. Singing in the Car

The first thing I did after getting my license? Speed down the highway, belting my little heart out to songs whose lyrics I could only really guess at. After all, the lyrics themselves don't matter. Neither does the pitch or even quality of what terrible sounds come out of my throat. I'm no singer, despite the two singing lessons I took when I was young and hopeful in middle school. But honestly, singing in the car without any concern for what neighbors or random strangers may think of you is nothing less than free therapy. Even after the roughest of weeks with a million different things stressing me out, I still manage to scream-sing until my throat is raw to anything I can find on the radio.

It may not be pretty, but it feels great.

2. NBC Thursday

There is nothing like coming home after a long, stressful day of school, eating as much food as I want, and then crashing on the couch to watch Community, The Office, Parks & Rec, and 30 Rock. These shows are clever and witty when I'm too tired to say anything more coherent than, "Ehhhh." I've loved following these TV shows as they've developed, and tonight, as Michael Scott said goodbye to The Office, my eyes were more than a little moist. Perhaps it's silly, but I couldn't help but feel that I was watching history in the making as his plane took off for Colorado. It's cheesy, I know, but it just seemed to parallel my soon-to-be college journey all too well (something that's actually been concerning me a lot lately). Fortunately, April and Andy's newlywed antics were more than able to remedy my anxiety and stress - after all, what can't a marshmallow shooter fix? - while 30 Rock reassured me that I'm not the only once concerned with change (more specifically, mortality). After all, sometimes you can't control life. Sometimes that plastic bag stuck in the tree right outside your window is going to taunt you, and sometimes your wife is going to be captured by a North Korean dictator. That's just life.

Thank god for the little things that are within our reach. Namely, the remote control.

1. Silent Section of the Library

The dull murmur of the chattier, more lively students sitting together at tables further off sets a nice background for the clearer sounds of typing, page-rustling, and occasional sniffing. It's peaceful here. Even if we aren't studying, we're at least pretending, which is half the battle anyway. (...Right?) It's a school library, implying that some students are bound to get away with snacking or laughing obnoxiously together over a youtube video, but nonetheless it's a safe haven. Some of us here are refugees from the voracious appetite of petty teenage drama, some have last-second work to scramble to finish, while others are simply in need of a place to relax on their loner breaks. Regardless of social status, age, or personality, the silent section of the library is a magical, welcoming place, especially to those in desperate need of a social life...like myself.