Ew...totally worked from 11AM to 1030PM today...here's the post :D


Page 216 - #1.

Reread Mary Paumier Jones's "The Opposite of Saffron" on page 219. Make a catalog -- a list -- of each object (bed, desk, statue, dictionary, etc.) in this creative nonfiction. What can you say about the world evoked by this pattern of "stuff"? Create a story, poem, memoir, or monologue.


VIDEO GAMES

"March 9th" he says to me, as we await the upcoming release of Final Fantasy XIII. Louie always managed to supercede me in the 'being lame' department, seeing as how despite the fact I was awaiting the release, I had no idea what the actual date was.
The dish pit swarmed its inhabitants with the aroma of stale ranch and steam billowing off freshly cleaned plates as Louie and I stood by the metal sink next to the double-door entrance discussing our interpretations of our expected time-stealing game.
"Is that when it's out?" I reply to him as I wash my hands of the left-over dressing that spilled upon my palms from the pile of salad plates I had carried back from my tables. The sheer thought of the next installment of the Final Fantasy series coming out sent a shrill up my spine that erupted through my mouth as I felt eyes widen and a smile sling across my face.
The Final Fantasy series has always been my favorite game over the years. It was even the basis behind mine and Louie's friendship when we were in middle school and he would stay the night at my house to play the game with me. Back then I never would have thought we'd be on the verge of college graduation and still talking about the same game, in a general sense. Regardless, the date it is to be release rung through my head as if an alarm clock was placed right against the cerebellum itself.
I walked out of the dish pit, back through the double doors and finished serving my tables for the night. I found myself driving home shortly after, thinking about the things I needed to do before going to bed; homework, laundry, and eat. Everything besides Final Fantasy. I walked in through the door of my house and sat on the couch and without even thinking, I opened my HP Laptop. Internet Explorer popped up and automatically displayed Facebook. Facebook had been my homepage for relatively ten months prior, often allowing everyone the opportunity to see how addicted I am to it.
I quickly opened a new tab and deviated away from my addiction without even checking a single notification or friend request and typed " www.gamestop.com ". Before I had even realized what it was I was actually doing, my debit card was out on the coffee table and I was writing down the confirmation number for a pre-order to Final Fantasy XIII. My mind had practically gone blank as a mesmorizing RPG aura swarmed my thoughts and took hold of my body turning me into it's own personal marrionette.
Seven months later, today, and I'm still waiting for the release.


RAINY DAYS

Cloudy and grey, rainy days are horrible for me. "You can borrow my umbrella if you need it James. It might start raining by the time you get home from class." said my roommate Anna as I got ready for my upcoming walking to campus. It wasn't a long walk, usually averaging around 9-12 minutes to get from point A to point B. It was a mere four streets over from campus, but when it's raining and cold, the walk turns into an urban hike through the Everglades.
On that day, though, Anna had been right. After walking out of my American Literature class at 3:15, I was welcomed back into the nature world with a hearty downpour. I stood under the overhang of the Rawl building in the center of the East Carolina University campus staring out into the terrential rainstorm that had appeared within the hour and fifteen minutes I sat in class. I reached into the pocket of my white Hurley hoodie and pulled out a cigarette, ironically one of my 'lucky cigarettes' that I had flipped over when I bought the pack. The irony of flipping a 'lucky' when my current situation was quite the opposite only seemed to mock my life and idiocy for not accepting Anna's offer before heading to campus that day. I lit the cigarette and inhaled. The release of smoke danced between the raindrops as the smell of a fresh rain became poisoned by the cigarette's emission.
"Well, fuck..." I said to myself as I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my cell phone. I quickly searched through my phone book for a quick ride back home to avoid the inevitable soaking I was about to receive. The thought that noone would be able to come get me had not even crossed my mind since I was always one to do favors for others. Yet, again my lucky cigarette fell short and I found myself ride-less and being forced out to fend against the elements. I accepted the situation for what it was, a sprint home through the pouring rain and a hopeful attitude that the contents of my bookbag would not be ruined by the time I got home.
"Fuck me! Fuck me! Fuck me!" I yelled as I sprinted from under the overhang and darted through campus like an Olympic athlete. Hurdles seemed to dip beneath me and all obstacles ducked out of my way as if they knew I was coming.
I arrived at my house a short 4 minutes after starting at Rawl. Anna just so happened to be locking the front door as she left to head to work. "James, did you not take my umbrella?" she quickly asked upon noticing my drenched attire. "Fuck umbrellas and fuck rainy days. I'm going to go dry off and change." I replied as I stomped into the house, feeling the rain drops still rolling down my legs and across my face.

SLEEPING IN

The repetitive sound rang through my room as I tossed the mink blanket off my sweat drenched body and rolled over to turn off the alarm. The sheer sound of an alarm upsets my ears and always has, so you can imagine my expanded hatred for them waking me up also. I flip the switch and the room turns silent as I roll onto my back and look at the ceiling. The inner debate of whether I should roll back over and sleep for an hour more or wake up and be productive fights through my body as I use all my strength to raise my torso up from its slumber.
My weeks are always the same, no matter what day it is, it starts with a 9:05 wake up. This wake up is followed by a quick change from pajamas to jeans and a shirt, then a walk to campus for class until 3(ish) and then back home for a shower before work. I usually don't get home until 10 or 11 at night, every day, only to find a pile of homework awaiting me. This is when I begin cranking out as much as possible before finally succumbing to the overpowering weight of my eyelids; only to repeat the process the next day.
Yet on this day, where I woke up and scalded my alarm clock for waking me with the fiery gaze of an infernal hellfire, I felt a sneaking suspition that something was wrong. As I went through the motion of everyday life I noted the yearning my body was portraying to crawl back into bed and return to my subconscious. I walked into the living room and sat on the couch as I packed up the books that were piled atop my laptop. I looked up at the clock on the cable box and sighed from exhaustion as the time read "9:17". I knew I had to start my journey to campus yet before I went I decided to sign onto facebook and update everyone on my own personal misery. I cracked my laptop and the website opened. The blue and white website radiated across my face as I began to understand the trending topic so far that morning. My friends had all been posting for at least an hour about what they were doing or what had happened the night before.
I began typing my update as I steadily read the mini-feed of my friend's statuses, making me only seem to be creepy as I find myself overly worried about the doings of my friends. "F...M...L....Why do I ALWAYS have to wake up early" I posted as I scrolled down to read over my saving grace. My denim jeans never fealt so comfortable against the brown couch cover as it did this day. It was a was a sign, as if the God of Sleep was there to bestow me with a gift. The smell of vanilla from the Glade plug-in flew into my nose as my heart began to race from what I was reading. With one swift move I kicked my feet up and sprawled across the couch, closed my laptop and wrapped myself up with the blanket we kept on the back of the couch for lounging purposes.
I laid there for a mere 15 seconds as I replayed the status in my mind; "Fuck a Friday....Thank god it's saturday. I just got home..nothing to do all day.", until I quickly fell back asleep.