Hello, Fall

It's one o'clock currently and I actually need to wear a sweater. Do you know what that means? Well, it means that it is finally fall here in the lone star state. Time to officially retire all sun dresses, short skirts, and shorts and break out the jeans, jackets, and long-sleeved shirts. The leaves are just starting to change colors, but this is Texas and they'll probably only get slightly yellow at best. But some of the leaves are actually falling, which means looking like a lunatic stepping on the crunchiest leaves. Of course, there were a bunch of crunchy leaves last month, but that was only because a maple tree got overly excited and all its leaves fell off within a few days. It is currently the only bare tree.

And now there's a squirrel... barking at me? Growling? I don't have a clue what to call that, but he sounds mad. Chill out, Tommy, I'm twenty feet away from you and you're also in a tree. It's okay, man. Nooo, be quiet! There's a big giant hawk, hide! Don't get eaten!! Okay, hawk is gone. Tommy is safe.

Um, anyway. Happy fall everyone!

Love,

Alice

Squirrels and conquering the library

I'm decently sure that all of the professors in the school have giant meetings in which they try to put all projects, presentations, papers, and tests in the same two weeks, and if they can do it, have them all due on the same day. I have two quizzes and an outline for a paper due tomorrow, a test on thursday, and I've also got a bunch of group projects and an individual research project to work on. Why, why, why would I ever chose to research the relationship between disorganized attachment and dissociative identity disorder? Am I an idiot? That's HARD.

But, I conquered the library's computer and printer system today. See, there are only about... fifteen or twenty computers in the library that you can use to print things. Well, if you're lucky and they haven't designated a whole row to be "for guest use only." They do that far too often. Anyway. You'll probably always end up computer-less and wondering what the hell to do, 'cause there's no fucking way you're walking back across campus to the Guinn-Stark computer lab (or figuring out how to get into that lab...). Well, you stake out a spot. Take a chair near the computers, take out some notes to look like you have some dignity left, and watch. Very carefully. If someone gets up to go to the printer control box it's very likely they're going to go back to the computer just to grab their stuff, and then leave. So watch for that, and be prepared to run walk quickly and calmly to the newly free computer. Ta da!

Moving on. I was studying outside in the gardens (I spend my time in the library or outside studying, I'm exciting, right?) when I saw a squirrel considering if he should go across the path or not, the squirrels on campus spend half their time doing that, by the way, I decided to be very still so he could go across and not be afraid. Well, he was so not afraid he spent twenty minutes trying to decide if he should climb up my bag or not. At one point he looked like he was going to try and jump on top of my head. It was really amazing.

Love,

Alice

PS. New, actually fantastic poem up on my website! (http://www.gisellesylphide.webs.com)

Of rabid squirrels and ax-murderers

Yay... so this is my first post on here! Um... how to start? Oh, yes, with the ax-murderer. An ax-murderer, you say? On campus? Yes, my friends, an ax-murderer.

Okay, so fine I have no proof he was an ax-murderer, but I'm pretty sure he was. He had the creepy messy beard and a unibrow and he was balding a little... glaring at everyone. So, I think, maybe I will smile at him, and he will smile back because that's what normal non-ax-murderers do, right? So I smile at him, and he glares even harder. And I edge slowly to the other side of the sidewalk... and he glares more... and I stop smiling... and he glares more. No, not glares, more like scowls, like... well, an ax-murderer.

I will definitely be double locking my door tonight. And maybe barricading it shut.

Oh, oh, I forgot about the rabid squirrel the other day! At first I thought it was just spazzing out, but then it was... just extreme. Unnaturally extreme. Hopping up and down in place and flipping and tearing up everything near it, and running around in circles. I swear to you, I saw white foam. So I did not stick around very long, I walked away very quickly. Rabies isn't exactly my cup of tea. I would suggest all of you walk away quickly from a rabid squirrel. But don't run, it will chase! Maybe. I don't know if it will chase you, but I don't think running is a good idea. It's a squirrel, it will catch you, and it will bite you, and you will get rabies.

Love,

Alice