arrrgghh (like a pirate)

I don't feel well. Throat hurts, skin hurt, bones hurt. Oh dem aching bones.

It's a funny feeling -- being sick. Not entirely unpleasant. Don't wish it upon myself for an extended length of time, but there is something...something about being cocooned in your own little blanket of illness. It's like a cloak of sick. Enveloping and uncomfortable, but ownable. This is my virus. It's in me. It's mine. My body is reacting, preparing, and deploying it's internal resources to combat it. I'm sleepy, and aching, and puffy...but there is nothing to do but lay here and wait. That's ok with me. I can wait. And sleep. And ache. And lay in my viral cocoon, be warm, and wait for the blanket to dissipate.

feetantics

I walked home last night after having too many drinks. The shoes I was wearing wouldn't stay on my feet - literally, I'd kick one off with every few steps and then have to chase after it. Not being warm outside, I'd have to run towards it with my bare foot meeting the sidewalk, so my gait would become even more awkward (having only one shoe on the other foot that also wanted to be kicked off) as I tried to minimize the time my foot actually touched the cement. This occured probably every 30 - 50 steps, or every couple of minutes (how many steps does one walk in a minute?). In other words, this didn't happen two or three times, but several dozen.

Walk walk walk...shoe off (10 feet ahead)...hopwalkrun...shoe on...walk walk walk....

Living in a rather hustle bustle neighborhood, these antics were seen by many. However, I'm guessing that each person who saw me, was embarssed for me while thinking that they had been witness to a freak isolated incident (oh poor girl, drunk and lost her shoe while walking). If only they knew I was audibly giggling at myself at how ridiculous the 15 minute walk had become...that they were one of a gaggle of witnesses (yes, like geese), that I was no longer embarassed myself because my dignity had left with the last beer....

Hi, I'm Claire.

what I've learned in the past 6 hours

1. Be bold
It's ok to voice abstract, half-baked ideas. It only makes you look creative.
2. Have an opinion
It can be shit. Doesn't matter as long as you're articulate and are willing to fight for it. So many don't - just by having one you're interesting.
3. Self promote
No joke. Let everyone else know you have an opinion (see #2). It's wrong. we all know that humility is exponetially more important, but this, as it turns out, is quite valued in the grown-up world. Just do it and think about about the moral implications later.
4. Understand the difference between cool as promoted and cool as undiscovered
Hard to explain, but if you're in the know, you'll get it. Be cool because you're uncool.
5. Sexy is being non-commital
Okay so that's not true at all, but...well, that's the only thing I've got.
6. It's ok not to be the smartest one in the room
They may know bigger words than you, but if you abide by the rules, you win by matter of interesting-ness. If you're not interesting, you sure as fuck better have a big vocabulary.