Thoughts on Keyboards, Awkward First Meeting, and College

My mom can always tell what keys I use the most on my keyboard. We've had to resort to writing on them - at least on the desktop - in Sharpie so that when she uses the computer, she knows which ones are which.

Meanwhile, on my laptop, I've nearly rubbed off two separate keys and have warn grooves into plenty of others. Out of all the keys, my "N" and my "M" are both nearly rubbed off... And have significant grooves.

Sign of a writer, or living on my laptop when I'm not writing?

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Thoughts to Make Up For Not Posting Last Night

I suck.  I know.  I'm working on it.

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Prom

There's been a lot of things in the past week that have reminded me of Prom 2010.  Walking into the same basements where we planned, the friend's house we went to afterward to change for After Prom.  I wanted to upload a picture of all of us in our finery, but then I realized I don't have any on my computer.  Instead, the photo above is from the beach on Fire Island where we spent the day after.  It wasn't conventional - no huge parties, no drinking - just staying up late, watching movies, eating, laughing, talking, walking on the beach in the moonlight.  Then ultimate frisbee on the beach the day after, some swimming, some tanning.  My date taught me how to play chess that day.

Yeah.  I think about it a lot.

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Thoughts on Midnight Ultimate Frisbee, Permission, and the Art of Falling

Who decided that throwing an upside-down plate was a good idea? Or that playing a sport with said plate that is similar to football, an even better idea?

I haven't a clue as to the answers to those questions. Running around in the middle of the night chasing a frisbee sounds like a bad idea. And yet it's so exhilarating. The last time I had this much fun, was junior high playing tennis.

I've always been the competitive type - though not crazy or a bad sport - but I, like everyone else, likes the feeling of winning. What better way to win, than by playing a sport like ultimate in the dark?

Of course, my friends and I aren't completely crazy. We don't run around blind - because some of us practically are - we are safe by wearing electric glow sticks and follow a frisbee that also has a battery and LEDs. It's such a blast to run around and be competitive at midnight. There's only us, the stars, astroturf, and the frisbee. And I couldn't ask for anything better than being able to be athletic with my friends.

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Thoughts on Daft Punk, Old Teachers, and Sushi

There's something magical about Daft Punk. The French duo really knows how to create some fantastic beats and catch techno tunes.

Their finest work is most certainly the Tron Legacy soundtrack. Yeah, I'm a big fan of lots of major composers - a thought for another day - but there was something superb about the mix Daft Punk did for the movie. Every song was just... wow. I have songs I definitely prefer more over others on the track list, but if I have to pick my top five soundtracks overall to listen to forever, Tron Legacy is definitely there.

All of the music just fit so well with the movie. And some movies, the background music feels out of place, or is boring. But as I listen to it, I can picture every scene and all the characters.

I can see Sam fighting Rinzler in the Games; the battle in End of Line, and Quorra taking herself out of the equation. Not to mention Quorra and Sam riding on his Ducati, with her snuggling into his shoulder. SQUEEEE~!!

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Thoughts on Beautiful Days, Gasoline, & Driving (Without a Destination)

The sky is that shade of blue that only shows up on days like these.  It might not really be any bluer, but it looks perfect against pure white clouds that alternate between puffy and wispy.  But everything looks better through aviator shades.

A plane might make its way, lazily, across the sky.  There might be seagulls crying, cardinals singing.  The tree trunks are dark in shadow, the leaves green and shot through with bright rays of sunshine.  If the sun were a child's drawing, it would be wearing sunglasses.  And grinning.

People are suddenly everywhere - jogging, walking, talking, biking, taking dogs for long walks, pushing infants in strollers.  They've been stuck in hibernation, but no one can miss a beautiful day.  Errands are excuses to get out in the sun; sitting in the backyard is a higher priority than eating, even breathing.  The sun is hot, but the breeze cuts the warmth, clearing away humidity and leaving in its place the peaceful flutter of anxious new leaves and the sound of life, renewed, and so very alive.

What a beautiful day, you think.  And it sounds cliché, but don't listen to that writing professor.  Clichés just have a bad reputation.  Sometimes, there's just no better way to say it.  And what a beautiful day this is.

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Thoughts on Green Caps, Dinosaurs, and Cartoons

My car, Trixie, has little green caps on her tires on the spout where you'd fill them up with air. Confused and thinking that perhaps these were magical caps that change color when the tire is losing pressure - apparently those exist - we decided to ask. Trix was in for a check-up anyway, so we asked the dealership guy what the purpose of the green cap was. Turns out we were completely wrong.

The green caps mean that my tires are filled with nitrogen. NITROGEN. Say wah?

Apparently, filling your tires with nitrogen make them run cooler, so they don't over heat. Also, that's what they fill racing tires with. Confused much? Yeah me too. Especially when you know that my car is a little, first generation Toyota Prius. That is not a racing car. Maybe it helps with efficiency? I have no idea.

But green caps are not magical and change color. And no, the gas won't change the pitch of your voice if you inhale it. So much for my imagination....

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Thoughts on Afternoon Applebee's, Quotes, & Babies

Though any 'Bee's is a hoppin' place around dinnertime and Happy Hour, there's something more magical about a late lunch or an early dinner at the Neighborhood.  There's no line, no putting your name on a list, no fighting for a seat in the lobby while your stomach growls for half-prince appetizers.  The waiters and waitresses are all standing around the hostess, who grins and leads you, immediately, to one of the booths near the window.  Ah, the good life.  You get drinks, appetizer, meal, desserts, in rapid succession.  Maybe the waitstaff isn't as peppy and, maybe, the atmosphere loses a little something without a rowdy crowd of sports fans seated around the bar.  But seeing the place so quiet is both unsettling and wonderful.  Every person, place, and thing has an undercurrent they don't show the world; every side has two stories.  And the story of Applebee's in the late afternoon includes eavesdropping, laughing, and eating as much as you can in as little time as it takes to do so.

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