Why I Hate Raisins

I have a confession to make.
I hate raisins.

I hate them, hate them, HATE them. Grapes are delicious; I eat them as often as I can. But something goes wrong once they shrivel and ferment into wrinkly alien pod creatures. Every time I see a raisin in my granola it makes me think I've found a dead bug. And that's off-putting, to say the least.

What is a raisin, anyway? As far as I can tell, it's an vacationing grape that didn't put on sunscreen and developed wrinkles. I like to throw these food-tourists at squirrels. Sometimes I throw them at my friends to start a fight.

It's not as though I've never seen a raisin before. My father eats them often, usually in cereal or yogurt. They are a standard snack for the children I babysit, and my friends often ate them in primary and secondary school.

I...didn't. For no apparent reason.

It's funny to think about, but there's another kind of cereal that I 'filter,' even if it's for a different reason. Since I don't want to be guilty of product placement, I shall call this cereal Brand X. Brand X cereal comes with little marshmallows in it; I pick these out, to my friend's eternal frustration.

I guess I just like to filter things. I pick the raisins out of trail mix; I pick the peanuts out of cans of mixed nuts. I color code my chocolate candies; I make concentric designs on my cakes. When given a random collection of items, I invariably sort them, by shape, color, size, taste, or unknown preference.

I discriminate against raisins in a negative way. I discriminate against my food. It shouldn't make me laugh, but it really does. I hate raisins. They are wrinkly bugs in my salty granola.

I guess the next question should be, why do I eat bug-filled, salty granola?
I have no idea, honestly. It's a habit I've mostly kicked. But not completely.

Let's add that to the list.
WolfGrrl

Midterms and Musings

I feel rather cheerful at the moment. Whoo-hoo for that, long may it last!
Let's see...fun news, fun news...

I learned I am not able to an honors thesis in the major of my choice, but that's not very fun. Hmmm... Was noch? (Yes, that's German. As I tell everyone, French is for amusement and frustration, German is for everything else, and Italian is me trying and failing to speak Spanish.)

It's almost Halloween, and that means candy-corn! I can't believe you haven't heard of candy-corn; shame on you. Well, the Happy Dinosaur won't be visiting you. I will be a cute little kitty for Halloween. I'm told it fits my personality.

Anyway, I finished my last midterm exam today; now I can breathe for four days before I begin working on the next run of papers and other delectable assignments. Poo. (I whine; it's not that bad.)

My computer arrives on Friday! I'm so excited for a New Toy! So excited that...I speak in exclamation points and elipses. Oops.

I have been making lists. You all know how much I love lists. I have one of my more interesting classes this afternoon, and then I get to go wrangle small children who are much better behaved than I first thought. I'm really liking the Happy Dinosaur. Perhaps I should include him more often. (I have so many random photos saved on my computer; you have no idea, Reader.)

I am wearing pigtails today, since it started out cold and now it's warm. Hurrrrr. These in-between seasons require three or four changes of clothes a day. Good thing I am flexible with my wardrobe. None of my professors would approve of the way this post is structured; I hope none of you are newbies to me, otherwise I'll scare you off with my wackiness. But...I am just so wacky right now!

Let's see, was kann ich auch sagen? (I miss German, but not German class, hahaha.) The clock in the belltower is chiming two...two...two... Once the holiday season arrives they set the chimes to play hymns and carols; my favourite carol is either Silent Night or Do You Hear What I Hear. Yes, I am this person that won't sing carols in December, but sings them in May instead. Shush. I'll do as I please.

I received, via email, a lovely surprise the other day; a commission I'd ordered months ago from a Polish artist who does phenomenal ink work. I can't post it here (and besides, I'm still enjoying having all of my characters together at last) for copyright reasons, hers and mine. But now that I mention it, I'm not sure I've given my little rant/spiel about my novel. Yes, I have written a novel. No, it's not finished (and somehow, I don't think it ever will be. Sighhh). Perhaps I shall write about it when I have nothing more to say on another random topic.

My computer battery is driving me insane. In other news.

Tootles! I'm off to find something else to do.
WolfGrrl

Stars

I love the film Tangled. Rapunzel is not my favorite fairytale, nor am I universally fond of Disney films. But I adore that film. I really do.

I love the stars. I love the way they sparkle, they way they peep down on us and the way they provide a constant source of wonder, hope, and delight. And right now I just feel as though the world is worth celebrating.

No, it's not Friday. It's not a holiday, or a weekend, or a day off. It's an ordinary school day, an ordinary work day. And yet...and yet.

If I was going to pick something completely random to celebrate, I'd celebrate the culture of inspirational videos and images that has sprung up on the internet. I love watching Susan Boyle sing for the first time on Britain's Got Talent; it reminds me how small we all are, and how large we can loom when we dare to try. I'm sure there's a reason we call celebrities 'stars.'

The sky is gray, my roommate is suffering computer issues, and my boyfriend and father are continents away. And yet...and yet.

There are stars, from the plastic fluorescent one on my dorm ceiling to the burning balls of gas millions of lightyears away. There are friends, dreams, presents, kisses, hugs, cakes and videos, messages and funny jokes to keep me smiling.

Smile! It's addictive. And watch the stars. It's soothing.

WolfGrrl

Week of Welcome

Week of Welcome is a tradition at my university honoring the freshmen (or first-year) students. Events, speakers, games and prizes are all part of the WoW agenda, but I rarely attend given how much I dislike crowds.

This year, my WoW experience is turned more onto my dear friends, some of whom I haven't seen in person for three or four months! I want to welcome my lovely roommate Giggles back to campus, and welcome all the new friends we're sure to find in our (eek!) grown-up classes. I guess I should welcome my classes, otherwise they'll put a curse on me for excluding them from my anticipatory joy. Yes, even you, scary PWAD 350 course. Welcome.

And that's really all. I'm late for my bus (yup, definitely back at school).

Adios, all!
I'll update when I can.

WolfGrrl