Let your bones show.

I have set up camp in a little cubicle in the library because if I go home, I will fall asleep instead of writing this paper for my Medieval and Renaissance Drama class. Obviously, I am still not writing my paper, but at least I'm not asleep.

The library is one of the few things I love about college. I don't like the reasons that I have to go to the library (all of them being to write papers), but I like going, especially late at night. Really, I love the campus at night.

I realized this as I walked to the library from my car tonight. It's little things–how quiet and still the campus is, long shadows cast by the light of a lamppost, smoke from a cigarette swirling in the breeze. Then entering the main room of the library to see students begrudgingly working on group projects, frazzled people flipping through huge textbooks, and friends chatting between problems. As the night progresses, many pack up and leave, but those remaining move from the uncomfortable wooden chairs to the floor so they can sprawl out and maybe doze off for a second.

It just feels so very college to me–the good kind of college.

It's a nice reminder that this is a shared experience. Everyone else is in the same boat as I am.

-Maggie

Valentine's Day

It is expected that every single person will be bitter on Valentine's Day, or stubbornly refuse to acknowledge its existence and instead celebrate "Singles' Awareness Day" (also known as the most annoying thing of all time). It doesn't have to be that way though. You could view it as an excuse to dress up in every piece of red and pink clothing you own, or the day before all the candy goes on sale, or the day Darren Criss performed "Love Shack" on Glee and you died. You could view it as a Tuesday.

When you get right down to it, it's just like any other day–it is what you make of it. Here's how I made mine good.

01. Watched this video for the umpteenth time. It's still just as good as the first time I watched it.


02. Laughed at these Tweets.

03. Listened to these songs on repeat.




04. Watched Glee, which always makes me way, way happy. Tonight's episode was especially good though.

05. Had pizza and made cookies with these fabulous people.

I hope you all had a wonderful day as well.

-Maggie

P.S. Happy almost birthday, Melany!

"One belongs to New York instantly. One belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years."

-Thomas Wolfe

New York City is wonderful, but you already knew that.

I, too, knew that before I went. I knew I would love it because it's New York. How could I not? We're talking about the greatest city in the world here. Of course, of course I would love it. And I did love it, and I do. I immediately felt at home.

It's a city people fall in love with for a reason, and you can't really explain it, but you can feel it. The feeling is acute. It happens all at once and swallows you up as you're walking through the Village in the cold or riding the subway back to Brooklyn late at night. You can't help but grin as you take in the graffitied buildings and the taxis weaving through traffic and the eclectic people walking alongside you.

It is simply New York, and it has seized a piece of me in the same way Austin has. You can expect to see me back there for good one day–with Melany in tow, of course, as I couldn't possibly open a second coffee shop by myself.

-Maggie

Oh, fudge. Except I didn't say fudge.

We're halfway through our second viewing of A Christmas Story and my parents are asleep on the couch. They asked to let them nap for thirty minutes and now, two hours later, refuse to wake up. Zak went to bed around eight, which is odd, but I'm not complaining. Meanwhile, it's making Emmy very restless that my parents haven't started wrapping yet. She keeps messing with the fireplace bellows, despite the fact that my mom wakes up each time and threatens to burn all of Emmy's gifts.

By some brilliant stroke of luck, not only did I not have work today, but I don't work the two days after Christmas either, so I drove home last night after my shift and don't have to leave until Tuesday! (Of course, they have me scheduled to work thirty-four hours in the four days remaining in this week, but I'm going to be rich, so it's okay.)

It's nice to be home. I missed my family and Schnookums (a.k.a. the best, cutest dog ever in the world) who is curled up next to me as I type this.

Since I've been gone, my parents have taken out the wall between the living room and Emmy's room and added a fireplace, so Emmy is in what was my room. It doesn't bother me that I don't have a room at home anymore, but I do really miss my bed. Alas, I shall have to wait until I get an apartment to be reunited with it.

In other Christmas-related news, the Blogger Family did a Secret Santa gift exchange, and I got mine from the lovely Lizzie on Wednesday.

I was bouncing around as I read the letter and looked through everything. She not only gave me a magnet of my favorite picture of Joey Richter (complete with speech bubbles), but a collage of James McAvoy, a bracelet, and a great mix CD.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love the Blogger Family? I really, really love the Blogger Family.

In true Maggie fashion, I sent out my package way later than I was supposed to. A combination of my general procrastination and starting a new job set me back, but it is chock-full of stuff, so hopefully my person will come to forgive me in time.

Well, I must go to bed now because SANTA is coming soon, so Merry Christmas to everyone! And Happy Hanukkah! And other holidays!

-Maggie

"Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go."
-Sarah Dessen

-Maggie

In which I am sentimental.

Soon two more of my favorite people will be living in Lubbock with me. KaCee and Jacob have been accepted into Tech and tomorrow they're moving into their new apartment that isn't very far from my grandparents' house.

I am so excited for them to live here, but the picture below made me sentimental and nostalgic. If you know me, then you know it doesn't take very much for me to feel this way, and the fact that I am under great stress from finals week probably isn't helping any, but there's nothing I can do about it now except write.

KaCee and Jacob moved in together last August. The income-based apartments on the Moran highway weren't the greatest, but it wasn't too shabby for a first apartment with your high school sweetheart. Soon enough, pictures were framed, curtains were hung, and little crafts by KaCee were placed all over, and the apartment was really theirs.

That August was right before Melany, KaCee, Husmann and I started our first year of college, so most of those last few weeks we had together were spent in that living room late at night, talking and laughing. Eventually, school forced us apart, but when everyone could make it home for a weekend, we would all meet at KaCee and Jacob's. It became a place of reunion, of retrouvailles.

Even though KaCee and Jacob only lived there for a little over a year, there are many memories attached to that tiny apartment. Jacob playing World of Warcraft, and Kaiser chasing Colt while he giggled like a schoolgirl. The Christmas party that we spent so much time preparing for, and playing a million rounds of Catch Phrase. Watching Rugrats, and ranting about annoying people we know (which is most of them). All of the talks, and the night we didn't end up leaving until five in the morning.

Mostly, a lot of late nights and a lot of laughter and a lot of love.

We've gotten to the point in our lives where the times that we'll all be in the same place at the same time are few and far between, so it's nice that we'll have these things to look back on. It's nice that, for a little while, we had this place to go where we knew that best friends would always be, and that if we weren't all together now, we would be soon.

-Maggie

Bonjour.

So now that it's December it is officially The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. If you haven't been around my blog for Christmas before, prepare yourself. I really love Christmas, an obscene amount. And why wouldn't I? Christmas is WONDERFUL, not to mention all of the other things that come with this time of year–the cold, wearing scarves and boots, drinking coffee everyday. There's also the fact that I have half a week of regular classes and four finals, and then it's Christmas break, which not only consists of sleeping in and Christmas, but also of NEW YORK.

I can't believe it's already December though! This semester went by so fast. Does time go by faster the older you get? I feel like that's the case. For the most part, I have enjoyed it though.

Some really weird, wonderful, crazy things have happened to me this semester. A lot of things to be thankful for. Let's recap, shall we?

• Melany and I drove to San Antonio to see Darren Criss in concert. (Technically, not this semester since it was in July, but we'll ignore that.)
• I was hired as seasonal help at Aeropostale in August, but they kept me on as a regular part time employee. Although I greatly dislike Aeropostale as a store, the people were nice and I'm glad they kept me on even though I'd never had a job before.
• Sometime around that time I bought mine and Keren's tickets to see Darren Criss in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and began planning my trip to New York in January.
• In October, I stayed with Melany in Austin and her, Britny, and I saw Quiet Company in concert and went to the Austin Teen Book Festival where I met Corey Whaley, Maureen Johnson, Jackson Pearce, and Scott Westerfeld.
• Three days after I returned from Austin (a.k.a. my favorite place), I found out I would be going back in a month for the S.P.A.C.E. Tour.
• Not only did I get to go to the S.P.A.C.E. Tour, but I also got to meet and take pictures with some of my favorite StarKids even though I hadn't gotten VIP. My epic wish on November 11, 2011 at 11:11am had been to meet Joey Richter, which came true and increased sixfold.
• Just the other week I took a math test that I didn't study for and therefore blindly guess on nine of the twelve questions, and made an 87.5.
• I gave my two weeks notice at Aeropostale on Monday because so many hours were being cut (to the point where there were some weeks I didn't work at all), and by Wednesday I was hired as a checker at United where my pay will increase a little and my hours will increase drastically.
• Last night, Corey Whaley followed me on Twitter. We had a conversation spanning several Tweets and he laughed at one of my jokes. Expect wedding invites soon.
• And then tonight, John Green replied to one of my posts. Like, a two paragraph reply. Called me marvelousmaggie and everything. (Amy called me to tell me that he had and literally right after I hung up the phone Mayte called to tell me the same. I found it amusing.)

I don't know why all of these fantastic things are happening to me as I've certainly done nothing to deserve them, but I feel very blessed that they have happened. I'm very fortunate, and I should try harder to remember that when I start complaining about Spanish.

And now I bid you adieu. I'm going to watch Doctor Who and stay up extremely late because I get to sleep in tomorrow.

-Maggie

Sometimes I am such a girl.

There is a direct correlation between the dropping temperatures and my growing awareness of being alone.

Every year at about this time, I suddenly realize that I am alone and have been for a very long time. The thought, which is usually tucked away in the back of my mind, claws its way to the forefront and camps out until March. I am not sure why this is. Maybe it's just easier to be lonely when it's cold outside.

At any rate, it makes me feel immensely girly. Not the good kind of girly with lipstick and dresses, but the bad kind that makes you feel stupid and vulnerable because you want someone.

I am fine without someone. I do not need someone. I am not wallowing in my misery. I'm not even miserable. Sometimes I just think it would be really nice if I had someone to lie in bed and read with, or dance in the car to Coldplay with, or have a Harry Potter marathon with.

It's not so bad to want things from time to time.

-Maggie