Never Have I Ever... Until I Did

This past school year has been full of surprises. Not necessarily in the sense of completely out-of-the-blue unexpected, but more in sense of looking back and thinking, "Oh. That happened? Huh. That never would have happened last year."

I guess it goes to show that while I'm just one short year older, I really have changed. College is different. I don't want that to be lording it over my high school friends -- as in "ha ha, college is better than high school; I'm so grown up because I've gone to college for a year" -- because, among other equally important reasons, that would show more than anything else that I'm not grown up in the slightest. And I don't pretend that I've learned everything there is to know about the world or even about college in just the past eight or nine months or so -- I still have a long way to go.

As I've mentioned before on this blog, I'm an introvert. I know "introvert" is not synonymous with "shy," but I tend to be the shy kind of introvert. I don't like putting myself out there, and I don't like talking about myself. I'm not generally spontaneous, and I like having my ducks fairly well in a row as far as planning goes.

So as I walked across campus on the Monday of finals week, I was trying to figure out just why on earth I was doing so. My friend works in our campus's audio/visual department, and she had recommended me for a job. I was heading over to A/V to ask for my friend's boss, introduce myself, and find out about applying.

I could have just emailed her about it. No face to face communication, no being put on the spot, and a computer network between us. But when I sat down to write the email, I didn't know what to say. So instead I decided to walk over and say hello, which then turned into an impromptu interview -- and a job for this fall.

A year ago, I never would have done that. Six months ago, I never would have done that. Just this semester I was terrified of one of my profs for the first three weeks of class. Before now, I would have forced myself to agonize over that email for half an hour and then finally sent it off, fingers crossed -- or maybe never sent it at all. I wouldn't even have considered walking over to A/V to introduce myself.

But, against all odds and everything I've been for the past nineteen years of my life, I did.

Sometimes, I guess I even surprise myself.

Totes Legit Presh Adorbs

The other day I was sitting in my room studying when my RD came by putting up signs in the hallway. She had her one-year-old daughter with her, and since my door was open, our "dorm baby" (as the little one is often affectionately called) came wandering in for a visit. She is adorable.

I have this rocking chair on the floor in my room. Since I don't feel like describing it, here is a convenient picture:

Our little friend discovered the rocking chair, and it fascinated her. So my RD, RA, and I watched as she investigated the chair and realized to her delight that it rocked back and forth. Then she figured out that it was a rocking chair, and after a few tries, managed to actually sit down in it and tried to start rocking back and forth. Except she was too little, so mostly it just wiggled a bit. She was sad then, but I was still pretty impressed with her for figuring out what it was and how she was supposed to use it. Also, that was the most adorable thing I've seen all week. Or possibly all month. Either way, it made my finals week a whole lot better.

And now for something completely different:

Yes, that is a hippo in a rocket ship.

The end.