I've been holding off on a post out of respect for the recently departed, but now that I come down to it, I can't think of a damn thing to lead me through a post.
I think my problem is thinking of introductions. Once I get those out of the way I'm in the clear.
...Huh, look at that.
Anyway, one of the bus boys/dishwashers at work broke his wrist, meaning I've got one more day in July to work (since his hours are split between doing both and there's four other bus kids). It's the 18th, which now means I have another trifecta weekend - the 17th, 18, and 19th. I'm not complaining so much as I am bummed out. Cody, although relatively quiet, has these moments of absolute brilliance, not to mention he's really good at managing the dishwashing loads and is just a good coworker to work off of.
Yesterday, my mom and I went out because we had coupons. I ended up using most of said coupons. I picked up a new manga out of need for a new series, and it ended up being Otomen. I'm liking it so far, and hey, I kind of need a light shoujo series to entertain me. I also bought a clutch pencil set (that exact one, actually, for three dollars less) at the craft store, which I'm really liking. I'm a big fan of mechanical pencils (been using them since fifth grade), but in the art realm, you've really got to use the regular types. So it's like...balance! Huzzah!
And I can't forget last Thursday, wherein I hopped the train to Ogilvie transport center and wound my way through the Chicago streets to meet Timber. She was staying at a very fancy hotel - one of the old clubs - and boy was it odd. I fortunately was in a composed outfit (rather than my semi-satanic 'Anytime's a good time to destroy the world' shirt) and I managed to slip into an elevator, wherein I realized people actually do speak in terms of "Oh yes, quite" and "Mmm, yes" and "I heard the Smith boy..."
When I got off the elevator, I was met with a crowd of lawyers and servers. I looked and wandered a bit before panicking a little and winding over to a table near a staircase. There was a wall that had been pulled out to divide up the room, and in the little opening that was left I saw a blonde-haired girl that thankfully made eye contact with me. There was an epic hug and squeeing, which caused the lady at the table to be confused but laughing.
It was very bizarre - and I don't mean meeting Timber. The environment was bizarre. The food was good though.
Afterward, we ended up hanging out in the lobby because sight seeing didn't happen for reasons I'm not clear about. We talked a lot about TV Tropes and the old days of theOtaku and Otaku Cage Match and the Defense Shape. There was an epic ending hug before I made my way back to the station, ate Chinese food for dinner, and got a nice seat on the train while my sunburn was peeling.
More than anything, I've come to the realization that my seventeenth year of life has been rather freeing. I look back on the year and notice my parents have granted me so much more freedom than before. In part, I think they're filling the gap that I wouldn't be eighteen until almost my freshman year of college whereas everyone else would be a legal adult during senior year. They've given me chances to prove my responsibility and I've done well in fulfilling them. Late nights after pep band were spent at Steak 'n Shake, if I didn't come home until after midnight I wasn't questioned until the next morning (which would start with me saying "I was at Lorenza's until [x], we were watching Food Network..."), I was allowed to drive to ACen and spend the weekend there, I've talked freely about online friends, and when I went to Chicago to meet Timber, my mom didn't even flinch.
Very strange.
I've been referred to as "the promise child", being the youngest of three, the first and only to go to university, and the one that got the good grades and was involved in school activities. Everything else about me is unconventional (the hobbies, the personality, the boyfriend), but so long as I can keep that part up, there's nothing wrong.
