Sunday, September 2, 2012


Today when I woke up, I lied in bed for fifteen minutes debating whether or not it was more appropriate to wear flip-flops or sneakers to class today. Now, just before falling asleep, I realize that this decision was the most influential thing that happened to me today. The most stimulating debate in my mind. The most riveting bout of knowledge. Shoes.
                White-washed walls are appropriate for this dorm. For this white-washed life.  This morning I woke in an unusually a groggy state brought on my lack of sleep due to staying up for late-night conversations regarding college male’s inability to flush toilets and disgusting habits of releasing fountains of vomit into a urinal. Apparently, since freshman males lack the decency of my potty-training baby sister, “how-to-flush” classes are in order. This early-morning conversation was the second most stimulating part of my day.
                Back to the white-wash. It’s not entirely white. Scuff marks and dirt smears tell the story of riveting commutes to classes, trips to the drinking fountain, and late night drunken-stumblings that include bumping into the wall. The one beside J212 and J214 is from me. In a Socrates Meets Descartes induced coma, I shuffled my way down the hall to the drinking fountain on a study break. I tripped on my flip-flops. Maybe if I had chosen my sneakers that day, the hall would be cleaner.
                Socrates Meets Descartes. This may sound like a text assigned for my Foundations of Ancient Philosophy in Relation to the Father of Modern Philosophy course, but in all actuality, such courses seem to not exist in the real world. That’s why I spend my study-time reading texts entirely irrelevant to the daily quiz I’m doomed to fail tomorrow.
                But I’m getting ahead of myself. I woke up, decided on flip-flops, and paraded down the hall on my way to yet another day of learning how to achieve A’s without learning a thing. Walking through the first floor towards the door, I looked at the ceiling. The RA hung oriental lanterns there, unlit due to fire-safety rules.  Not even a fake candle, pretending to be burning in order to better illuminate the whitewash. These lanterns and I have a lot in common. Not even pretending to be illuminated with fire amid this academic setting. But at least I have footwear to entertain me. The foundations of my wardrobe are the flip-flops on my feet.

No comments:

Post a Comment