Rain: Come Again Another Day

Rain is everywhere in Seattle. Or, put more simply, rain IS Seattle. I am constrantly wet. I'm usually cold. And I am often lazy because of it. It's been weeks since I have woken up, thrown open the curtains and upon seeing the day outside, say, I am ready for this day! Usually it's more like I shrug and say, I can do that.

I have this idea that people are often thrown into a hunter-gather-esque, primal, survival mode when they are outside of their comfort zone. When someone doesn't feel totally at ease, they will enter this mental state: just get through the day. Just survive from sun up to sun down and you win.
This leads to people to eat, breath, and sleep... But not much else.

I have this in Seattle in the dead of winter. I wake up (barely), I go to class, I eat, and I go home to my dorm and do homework until I sleep. I do the minimum of everything I have to do. I hit snooze until the last second to get up. I eat whatever is closest or cheapest. I do the homework that is immediately due the next day.

It's like mental hibernation. Last year, I wasn't aware of how much this affected my life. This year I came back to Seattle prepared. Not that stopped it from happening, but at least I can recognize it. This January has been awesome, actually. I have tried to see a friend everyday, and I've done it relatively well. But now I've started falling off the bandwagon and I recognized it! Probably just in time! Last week I got sick and spent a lot of time in survival mode and by Sunday I was essentially better. I knew that this week was important. This week is going to make or break my mental hibernation.

There is something called S.A.D.-- seasonal affected disorder. Many people who move north can get it-- Like from San Francisco to Seattle. So I've decided to come up with a list of personal goals (like second New Years Resolutions) for the next two months of Seattle.

1. Stay out of your dorm room as much as possible. Be with people in public places. Study in the library or in a quiet building.
2. Be outside as much as possible. The fresh air will do you good. It might be cold wet but it will clear your head. And any vitamin D will help.
3. Take vitamin supplements. Seriously. You bought them for a reason. They aren't there for decoration.
4. Eat better. I know you said you wouldn't care about your diet but you had a salad at the salad bar tonight and those tomatoes and cucumber were literally (and I do mean literally) the best thing you've tasted this week. I don't think it's chocolate you've been craving lately...
5. Make friends. Nothing feels better than fostering new friendships. You've got some great prospects, do what needs to be done. When you are laughing and smiling, it's hard to feel tired.
6. Go the fuck to sleep. Seriously, you are the worst at not watching a million episodes of How I Met Your Mother. I know they are only 20 minutes long but when you hit the snooze for 20 minutes in the morning... I know you've never liked going to sleep but your brain won't turn off if you don't let it. Drink some tea, read some boring ass homework and knock out, dude.
7. Use caffeine to your advantage. I know they say you shouldn't drink a lot of caffeine but you are in fucking college. Drink as much God damn coffee as you need to get through the day. Three lattes is a lot better than falling asleep in class everyday.
8. NEVER EVER TAKE 8:30 CLASSES AGAIN YOU STUPID FUCKING IDIOT. I DON'T CARE HOW COOL THE ELECTIVE CREDIT IS, I DON'T EVEN WANNA HEAR IT.

There, that needed to be said.

But also, I'll note that the dead of winter is the dead of winter. No matter what, at least in Seattle, it's gunna suck. Remember the fall months and the spring months on either side. And remember that you are leaving the country in two months so it doesn't even really matter. (Oh, yeah, um, I'm going to Italy in March... I guess I'll talk about that later... Since you probably didn't know that.)