Greetings! I'm Lauren. I'm a new writer here at The Odyssey. I will be a freshman in the fall and cannot wait to see what this writing experience has in store. In the spirit of getting to know me, I thought I would share with you some phrases I hear an abundance of on the regular. Enjoy!

10) “You're short."

Ah, yes. Thank you for pointing out my height. I like to think of it as an advantage because I'm able to shop in the kids' section, which means cheaper clothes. Muahahaha.

9) “You play clarinet? So you're like Squidward?"

Quite the opposite. You see, Squidward has a slender grasp on how to “play" clarinet.

See? His left hand isn't even on the top. And don't get me started on the embouchure…

8) “You're going to grow up to be a crazy cat lady"

This is all I aspire to be.

7) “Why did you become vegetarian?"

I have always loved animals and I always will. I always felt bad after eating meat and I was tired of feeling that way every time I ate it. I mean look at this face!

6) “You have cat hair on you"

The struggle is SO real when half your closet contains black clothes…

5) “How many cats do you own?"

Surprisingly, I only own two. There is always room for more, though.

4)“You're weird"

And I like being different.

3) Why are you so obsessed with animals?

Because they're the best, duh. My love for animals only intensifies as I grow older.

2) “You have huge eyes"

And they strangely disappear every time I smile…

1) “Is that your natural hair?"

Yes. The answer is always yes. I have at least 500 pounds of hair and no time to do anything to it. It takes me an hour and a half to straighten it. So yes, I always wear it natural. #mixedkidprobz.