Moderation

Everything in moderation, they say. I agree.

It's ten after midnight, and I'm sitting in the suite. I've already cleaned my room thoroughly, and I'm about to continue a paper due Monday. I'm babysitting one of my suitemates. She was so trashed, she couldn't even sit up. She's been sleeping since about 9:30. The people who brought her up weren't even with her when she was drinking/smoking up. One of them has known her for years and wants to have a heart-to-heart with her tomorrow morning. The RA from the first floor promised to keep checking in...on a Friday night.

So...where am I going with this? If you're mature enough to drink, please be mature enough to stop in time to be able to take care of yourself. Drink/smoke/party with real friends. Friends are the ones who will be willing and able to take care of you at the end of the night, even if they weren't with you at the beginning.

Everything in moderation.

People

So, events of the past week or so have caused me to start thinking a bit about people and how they interact, specifically with me. Now, I will admit that I'm crazy, and kind of an acquired taste. But when people don't even give me a chance...

Let me preface this by explaining a bit about me. I prefer honesty, at all costs. I've had way too many people hint at things and assume I'll get it. I do, but...closure is always an amazing thing. And you don't get closure from hints. Hints lead to self-doubt.

There's a guy I've been spending a lot of time with, talking and such. I actually met him through his roommate, so it would seem that I'd be closer with his roommate, right? Not really. I've tried to spend time with his roommate or talk to him, but every time, I get this feeling like he can't stand me. He even compared me to a pedophile. Now, we're all adults here. If you don't like me, say it! You don't need to be a jerk about it. I know that might seem like a really awkward conversation, and it is, but it's infinitely preferable to the awkward non-conversation. If you have a problem with me, air it. Just put it out there. I won't hold it against you. No one should.

Now that I've finished ranting, I should probably explain myself a little bit. I was just reading basstheorychaos's post about getting to know people, and it reminded me a lot of situations that have been bugging me lately, including the above. I can't and won't say I've never done the same, but when you make judgments about whether or not you'll be able to stand spending time with someone based on...a few minutes of conversation, you can lock yourself out of a lot of really rewarding moments. For instance, if I'd done as he had and decided the roommate wasn't worth my time...I'd have lost a chance at a great friendship. Is that really right?

College life...

So, it's been just over a week since move-in day, and I'm loving it. My roommate's a sweetheart, and most of my suitemates are amazing...with one exception. This exception makes me so grateful for the foundation I have in my faith and in my raising. She's been high every day since we got here, and she might already have an STD. She's eaten almost everyone's food, often without asking. When she's sober, she's sweet...but she's never sober. It just makes me think about people and their effect on others. She seems happy enough with how she's living, but she has no thought of how it affects us, and it's a strange thing to see. Personally, I'm not happy if my friends aren't, and I hate thinking I've caused anyone to be uncomfortable or unhappy. Meeting such a different personality at such close quarters is...almost unsettling, without being really uncomfortable.