BE EXCITED

that's right, my friends. i just used caps.
here's why:
the third mail circuit is about to begin!
i was thinking about what we should do for this circuit when it hit me.
we're all going through a lot of changes right now. new school year, new people, and for some of us, entirely new lives of living alone and going to college.
so i thought we could all help each other out, because this mail circuit has turned into more of a support than just a fun little side thing, and i'm happy that that's the way it's turned out.
what we're going to do for this mail circuit is a survival guide.
you'll send somebody your life survival guide, no matter how old you are or what experiences you're going through.
what you include is completely up to you. whether it be written advice, a cd of happy music, recipes, your favorite pick-me-ups, or a great color of nail polish. (hopefully, you'll combine several different mediums of survival.)
of course, i'll straighten out some directions to give to those of you who want to participate.
so, what you need to do to enter is as follows:
-email me at hannah.mallory1@gmail.com
-include your name, address, and age/life experience category. i.e. i am 17 and a college freshman.
-tell me if there's anything specific you're looking for, like advice from an older college student or how to survive high school.
-give me some constructive criticism. what do you hate/love about the way we do things here? seriously, give me actual criticism.
-click on the mail circuit tab on the side and pledge the oath, if you haven't already.

also, realize that my examples are directed toward the major demographic of this blog's readership. if you're older or younger, please still join if you want to! oh, and boys, i know you're out there reading this, too. you're just as welcome as any. plus, you can brag about getting mail from pretty and tasteful girls.

so that's that. since i'm a busy college student now, i'd like to be able to have some time to organize everything over labor day weekend. the deadline to sign up for this mail circuit is friday, september 2. i know, i know, it's early. but i need the time.
deal? deal. one last thing: please, please, please only sign up if you're going to be able to follow through. i hate it when rightful circuiters don't receive their mail. if you think you're gonna be too busy, don't do it. i reserve the right to hunt you down and disown you if you don't follow through on your commitments.

but i still love you.

-han

p.s. we're sorry the blog only shows one post on the first page. we don't know how to fix it. help?

Creep #1

Sometimes, I sneak pictures on my phone of strangers simply to remember the moment I was ever so lucky to watch them have.

Is that creepy?

I know the answer to that question is a definite "yes," but please do me a favor and pretend that it's "no" because I never want to stop doing it.

And I probably never will stop.
Just... love me for who I am.

Anyway.


Meet Raymond.

                                          

Well, his name isn't actually Raymond. I mean, I guess it could be. But Raymond is just the name I call him by. In my mind.  And nowhere else.

I was sitting on the train, quietly, headphones in. I was minding my own business. We made a stop in the middle of down town Salt Lake City (aka my new home) where many unloaded and many loaded. The doors to the train were almost closed when, to my left, I saw a hand bravely fly between the almost-closed train doors. The doors quickly fluttered back open, due to motion sensors, and a tall man (Raymond) boarded the train. He found the seat closest to him (which just so happened to be directly across from me) and sat down. He was panting like there was no tomorrow, sweat trickling down his forehead. The poor dear must have barely made the train and, at his rate, I assumed he had somewhere very important he needed to be. He pulled his back pack off his shoulders and unzipped, pulling out a massive green water bottle. He unscrewed the cap and consumed 14 gallons of water (or something like that). He put his water bottle away, looked at me, and gave me a genuine smile full of perfect teeth. He followed my example and put his head phones in. I stared at him while he didn't know it. And obviously snapped a picture on my phone.

I appreciated his Fender T-shirt and Nirvana backpack. I liked the way his hair was pulled back into a bun. I liked his scruff, and his very blue eyes. I liked the way he played the air-drums to his music. I liked the way we would catch each other staring throughout the entire train ride. I liked the way we would laugh about catching each other staring. I liked the way he said goodbye to me as we exited the train as if we were old friends.

In fact, goodbye's were the only words we exchanged. After a train ride of us listening to our personalized music devices and saying nothing, he looked at me and said,
"Well, I'll see you around," he said with a smile.

I smiled back. "Yeah," I replied.

He winked and walked away.

I laughed, walking away from him.
Somehow, I instantly missed him. Like we really were old friends who just said a goodbye that would last awhile.

I'll probably never see him again. Or actually know what his name was.

But I liked him. And our train ride together.

And, no matter what, I hope he's happy.


Love,
The Creep