I don't know you...

Here is a ridiculously funny and awkward story that happened [in real life] to ME. My literary skills can not do it justice so please use your imagination and then you will be spot on to the true hilarity of this situation.

Wednesday. I have a habit of coming home from class at 11:30 on MWF and taking naps. LONG naps. And as hard as I try I just can't stop. Terrible, I know. Furthermore, I wind up being wholly unproductive until the sun begins to drop before beginning my massive amounts of homework. So any time from 12-5 is pretty much wasted. I'm working on a mathematical equation to explain this awful phenomena, but thus far it is just this:

The amount of homework Taylor gets done is inversely proportional to the amount of light filtering in through the windows. The more light there is, the less she studies. 

It's not that I do anything outside or enjoy the sun, my brain just does not turn on until 6pm. It's awful.

BUT, this being said, on Wednesday I decided to break this vicious cycle by staying on campus after institute and studying in the lounge until Anatomy lab. Only like 4 hours--but I could get a lot done in that time. And the best part? No naps! At least no LONG ones because sleeping on a couch is not as comfortable as my bed in my apartment. Great plan yes?

So I settled myself on a nice two seater couch and set my backpack next to me. First I read my scriptures for a while and then out came the anatomy books and I began studying for my Monday test.

About a half hour into this study session I see a man [boy, college student... ya know] out of the corner of my eye. Getting closer.... and closer.....and closer.... He comes up to me and says, "Hi! How are you doing! I haven't seen you in a while!" and he nudges my backpack as if he wants to sit next to me.

I look at him, intently,...... and I come up with nothing.

I don't know him. Never seen him before in my life. I'm pretty good with faces, and his draws a blank.

I let him sit next to me and I make sure that he has a full view of my face, in my mind thinking, "Are you sure?" He sits next to me and I make small talk and play along like I know what's going on. He continues like normal and in my head I'm screaming, "I DON'T KNOW HIM!"

Through the midst of this very short conversation I deduced [figured, conjectured, imagined?] that we were good friends. He didn't say [or ask for] my name and he didn't ask any specific questions ["How is your mom doing?" --"Uh,.... she.... um... died?"] but I felt like we were "too good of friends" for me to ask the routine, "What's your name? What's your major?" This whole situation was awkward supreme!

He obviously wasn't realizing his mistake by this time and so I chose to not bring it up or ask any crazy questions because it would embarrass both of us. Maybe after I leave he will figure it out? Or next time he runs into that girl...

I decided I needed to take my next opportunity to get out. He pulled out his laptop and told me that he had to answer a few emails, and so I told him that I "actually had to go to lab" right then. So I gathered my things and said goodbye and "see ya round" because I'm sure that the other girl he is mistaking me for will see him soon. Maybe I could get away with this?

At this point I'm just wondering, who is that other chic walking around with my face?

After I left the institute building I went to the only other place that I can study effectively without interruption: The Merrill-Cazier. USU's Library. As I walk I shake off the crazy experience convinced that I'll never see him again, so life is good. I text my mom and a couple friends and tell them I have a great story.

That isn't over yet.

I spent a few hours in the Library, studying and talking friends that I ran into [this staying-on-campus-to-study thing really didn't work in my favor]. A couple hours later I'm lounging on a chair with my anatomy notes propped in front of me and guess who walks by?

Mr. Awkward Institute Man.

What are the chances? Really? Really...

He recognizes me, and stops to chat for just a moment [gratefully he didn't stay this time]. I have had enough time to mull over the first awkward situation and so I take a more objective look at this and watch the proceedings very open-minded. I am not nearly as frightened and scared and I answer his questions and pose a great [quick] conversation. He asks me how my anatomy lab was [which I just made up as an excuse to leave--the real lab was still an hour away] and I say,

"Great! Really interesting!"
"What did you do?"
              [Dangit! I'm BSing this!]
"Um, we went over muscles on the cadavers and stuff. It was neat."
"Cool!"
"How was class?"
"Oh, it was just institute. Pearl of Great Price with Bro. Such-n-such."
"Oh! He's a great teacher!"
"Yeah, I liked it."

You get the picture. Not amazing conversation, but not as incredibly uncomfortable as it could have [should have] been.

He said goodbye and ran off to wherever else he had to be and I silently laughed at the hilarious and ironic situation that just occurred. What are the chances, really? Poor kid.

Afterward I shared the story with my mother and two of my roommates. These are the hypotheses on what just transpired:

--Cute girl sitting in institute? [Courtesy of my mother]. He may have been hitting on me. Awkward way to pick up on a girl--to all you men, DO NOT TRY THIS. I think that maybe it was because I was the only female not asleep and drooling in the lounge... 

--Another girl with my face? Maybe.... 

--Maybe I DID meet him or talk to him and I just have a terrible memory. Highly probable. My mother says she has had this happen on more than one occasion, and it's usually friends from Jr. high or other long-ago era. But the chances of that happening to me, in Logan? I'm not so sure. Maybe we had a class together, but I really do recognize faces. 

--Poor, confused, socially awkward kid? He didn't seem too strange when I talked to him, nothing that would indicate ab-normalcy... 

--Pre-existence? 

--??? Any suggestions? Why would a random kid talk to me in the institute building and pretend to know me?

Chances of meeting him again? I have no clue, because I said that once and I saw him hours later. But I'm determined to ask his name when that occurs. And maybe I'll be brave enough to ask how he knows me. :)

Sunday Afternoon Tea

Here is the blueprint for an authentic tea party:

[or as close as poor college students could come]

Apple Cider [tea substitute!]

rating: * * * * *

Fill a small pot with water and warm on stovetop.

Mix in 5-6 packets of apple cider [until it tastes yummy].

Mini Cornbread Muffins 

rating: * * * * 

Prepare cornbread muffin mix according to box.

Spread out mini muffin cups on a cookie sheet.

Place one dollop of mix into each cup and cook for LESS than the designated time.

Top with a little bit of butter and apricot jam. :]

Cucumber Sandwiches [an experiment]

rating: * *

1.5 cucumbers--shredded, drained thoroughly

1 pkg cream cheese

1 pkg Italian Dressing mix

Mix cream cheese and dressing mix first [important!], and then combine all ingredients.

Spread between two slices of bread, cut into fourths diagonally, and put in a toothpick to hold in place!

[Comment: No tea party is complete without cucumber sandwiches--and so we gave it a shot. This is a compilation of various recipes found on the inter-web. They were good, but not great, manageable, but I'm not sure I'd make THIS recipe again. But we had real cucumber sandwiches! And they weren't too shabby!]

Egg Salad Sandwiches

rating: * * * * *

--Hard boil eggs for 10 min [the whole ten minutes!]

--Rinse with cold water, and then de-shell them.

--Dice and put in a bowl. 

--Mix in: Miracle Whip [just enough to make it stick together] and a little bit of garlic salt and paprika to taste.

--Spread between two slices of yummy bread and then cut in fourths diagonally. Don't forget to put toothpicks in to make them schmancy--they are finger sandwiches for a tea party after all!

And for dessert: 

Cake Balls [idea stolen from my good friend Sarah! Check our her post!]

rating: * * * * * 

Click here for recipe.

Our attempt very much failed, but failure or not they were delicious! A perfect tea party treat--if you get them right! ;]

-----------------------------------

The recipe for a perfect tea party  a m b i a n c e :

Classical music sounding from the periphery...

[Thank you Vivaldi, Mozart, and Shanna]

Each voice a refined British accent... 

[Sprinkled with Brooklyn and Jamaican]

Conversing of the weather...

[The rain in Spain is mainly in the plain]

Pinkies elegantly raised...

[Courtesy of Mary Poppins]

Dressed in our best tea party clothes...

[Thank you DI]

All the while sitting [at times very UN-ladylike] in our very own blanket fort.

Tea party anyone?

One Evening of NOT Camping

It was a Friday, and it was time for some fun. I'm not exactly sure how the idea began and developed, but we decided to go pretend camping--in our living room.

Important Task #1--Build a fort.

This took us about two hours to fully complete, and by the time we finished there was string everywhere. We took our kitchen table and stood it on top of four chairs, so that we could actually sit underneath, and then commenced draping blankets across the room. 

The finished project was splendiforus.

Important Task #2--Marshmallows and Starbursts

No camping trip is complete without a crispy, gooey mallow! We unearthed some stale mini marshmallows from the cupboard and roasted them over the stove top on forks. They were simply delicious. I'm not a fan of marshmallows, I'll admit. I like eating them over the campfire, but only one or two and I'm done. But these tiny ones? Winner. It was the perfect ratio of crispy to gooey, just a little taste... Also, they cooked evenly and were perfectly brown in seconds--I'm not sure I can ever go back to cooking them over a fire!

Note: When cooking on the stove, DO NOT touch your marshmallow to the coils because it will ignite. Flame-ball in an apartment kitchen--not good. Thankfully they are small enough to blow out, but try it with the big one and you might not be so lucky.

Starbursts were also a delight--just be sure you don't cook them too much or they drip all over the burner. But oh so delicious...

Important Task #3--Shanna's Planetarium

Shanna has a sweet-action planetarium that projects the constellations on to the ceiling. We've used it once before, but one of the prime motivators to having this NOT camping party was so we could bring out the stars again. What is camping without stars? And--bonus--we were inside AND warm. 

Hilary, Shanna, and Michelle and the Planetarium

All of us laid down inside of our little fort and gazed at the stars projected on our table and the surrounding blankets. Gotta love roommate bonding time. We stayed there until about 1 AM, and then we realized we all had to wake up in 6 hours for church. Ugh... 8 AM church.

Yep, I'm 19, in college, and I made a wicked cool blanket fort. Be jealous.