Here is something I have learned: people live by rules. I know you think um, duh, the law, school rules etc. But I mean that people live by a strict set of personal rules they make for themselves sans the what other people tell them to do. Oh outside sources influence these rules, but they don't dictate them, I suppose you could call them habits, but I think they go beyond habit. And I'm not talking about morals either, these are the quirky things we make ourselves live by because we think it's what makes a good life or what a pretty life looks like in our heads or because we're all a little bit crazy (as well as racist, which this piece is not,in fact about). . .I'm not judging this process, heck I even do it, I just think it's amusing. So next time someone tells you that they hate rules and think they're dumb, you can just smile at them because 1. that's a rule 2. all people set some kind of boundary for themselves. Let me just tell you about some:
My roommate has a rule that she can't eat the same thing twice in one day. It's nearly an impossibility, so when other people do it she has an issue over it (and she tries to hide it . . .but when you live with someone for almost eight months it gets hard to miss what they're really thinking, but maybe that's just me). Today my other roomie told her to have peanut butter toast, but she can't because she had it for breakfast, I'm pretty sure she physically can't. A rule she lives by.
A girl upstairs hates celebrating her birthday, she says it's fake and she hates getting gifts because she never gets what she wants. She doesn't like the attention, she lives by a rule: to keep the spotlight off of herself.
My darling friend has a strict code of conduct when it comes to color and especially color pairing. No black with brown (this would be The Big No-no) no navy with black (because you'll look like a bruise) no white bottoms (skirts, pants, and dresses) when it is cold/snowy/wintertime. Nothing too psycho or neon paired together, because you'll look obnoxious and heinous (which really is true, isn't it?). This rule is directly related to her dressing rules (if people have no other rules, they most definitely have these, most lists are extensive and have very complex and subtle 'but' clauses and appendices lettered A-Q, these are the most fascinating of all personal codes of conduct to me).
I guess one of mine is that I wear socks to bed when I spend the night at a hotel. I never ever sleep with socks any other time, but I basically have to in a hotel . . .ok if I'm going to be completely candid, sigh, I don't (generally) go barefoot at all in hotels, except (albeit reluctantly) in the shower. But wearing the socks to bed is beyond legit, and not . . .really not, it's not a raional thought, but it's how I feel. So here: I have a fear that I'll be particularly active in the night, make the bottom sheet come loose and then I'll feel the hotel mattress . . .ICKY. There's is just something about that idea that makes me just get the ever-lovin' heebie-jeebies. So there you go, a wierd thing I live by, quite staunchly, I think if none of the above illustrated the point I was trying to get out in the universe, my rule did it.
Oh and I have a set of three precious and perfect little ringlets bouncing directly next to my right ear.

Do you ever see someone and think: wow we'd be a good match. I mean he's typing on your mac book, you have a Mac Jacobs. He's sitting in the HFAC, looking equal parts artsy and studious, hello . . .you too. And he's wearing these well-fitted jeans a really great pale blue shirt with a coral tie and a vest with converse and you are looking equally adorable in your boho dress, leggings and fetish necklace. That happens to you? Yeah . . .I can't imagine anyone being so stalkerish, perhaps you ought to get a hobby, or actually work on that homework you have sitting in front of you.
Oh and I bought yogurt-covered raisins at Wal-Fart yesterday.

Greetings to you on the Monday Morning. I have already misspelled my name Cailtin about 4 times in the past 20 minutes so it's already panning out to be a real winner. Here's the thing that can make an icky day: forgetting to but gum in your backpack
ickier: forgetting your nalgene at the homestead ickiest: forgetting both the gum and the nalgene at the homestead. Now try and beat that, you're parched and you have stinky breath, it's a killer. But never fear, none of the above have happened on this Monday Morning. Except I did forget my 5 fire cinnnamon gum in my desk drawer. I can just see it sitting in there, right next to the huge stack of MAPS, my ELF chapstick and the package of M&Ms Mimoku gave to me of a Saturday. Nevertheless, there is sunshine in my soul today because I ate oatmeal this morning and I remembered to bring nalgene full of cool Britta-filtered water. No sea monkeys for me, thank you very much. My eyelids are very droopy, it is a hard thing to go to sleep and then prematurely wake up and then go back to sleep and then run around all night long trying to get all of the necessaries into your tornado shelter that you think will protect you from an impending earthquake.
Oh and I wore my hair all the way down for the first time ever yesterday and I don't know if it'll ever happen again.