My room is an accurate representation of how my life is going.
As a college student, there are two relationships you go back and forth on with your tiny dorm. There is the pit stop stage and the homebody stage. Some people have one more than the other. For example, a person might be out every other night, and the dorm is the place for sleeping only. And to be honest, sometimes not even that. On the other hand, there's the homebody people. The one's that lock themselves in the room all weekend, only to be seen going to class and club meetings.
I like the think of myself as having a pretty equal proportion of both. The biggest indicator to which stage I belong happens to be the status of cleanliness of the room.
I have midterms next week; meaning, I am stressed as hell. I didn't think I was ... until I looked at my room the other day.
1. Clothes cleaned and put away.
Surprisingly, my laundry wasn't built up. And, here's my theory on why: I am wearing the same exact outfit I wore to class yesterday. Last night, I pulled an unexpected all-nighter, then had class all day. I haven't slept in 36 hours. (Got that "A" though!) So I put this under the homebody category, because if I am going out I am trying on outfit after outfit, changing and showering every day.
2. Cold and made.
My bed is actually pretty put together. The blanket is in the right spot, and my pillows are neatly arranged. It is cold though, to describe my lack of being in it last night. My bed is usually a disaster, especially living in a loft I am too lazy to make every day. It is usually warm with the blanket messily arranged in a pile of comfort and sleepy thoughts. So here's a pit stop stage for you. I am too busy to even sleep.
3. I'll just lay here...
The futon is cleared off. During the pit stop stage, this becomes to official dumping ground for everything I need to throw and go. Today? It's cleared and horribly tempting ... the bed is so high in the sky, I don't want to climb! So here's a homebody nap station all ready for action.
4. Where are my chargers?
They're usually all right here ... phone charger near my bed and laptop charger near my desk. They're tucked in my backpack, because I was at the library and study rooms all night. Which meant my laptop was open for over 10 hours straight, obviously needing a charge. Welcome to the life of a pit stop dorm!
5. "Come on Pascal, it's not so bad in there."
The laptop we plug into our TV to watch movies is on with the credit screen of "Tangled" paused. When you're a homebody, you often spend weekends just watching some Disney or horror films to unwind and enjoy yourself. That's what we have done here, and have no regrets. Staying in is the best ever.
6. Have we gone to the beach?
The answer is no. All that sand and dirt is from the university pouring it instead of salt over all the treacherous ice. It gets stuck to your boots and gets tracked in even though our mat is nearly placed by the door. The ground has a film of dust, from the tile to the rug. And as you may guess there's no time to go get a vacuum from the front desk, so there it lies dirtying our white socks while we grab our shoes, only needing this dorm as a pit stop anyways.
7. "Which one of you flat foots stole my lollipop?"
One of the downsides to being a homebody is you magically intake all of the food in your dorm without fully remembering the experience. Maybe I blacked out, I don't know. Or maybe it's just because you spend so much time in the dorm that several meals have passed. When using your dorm as a pit stop, the snacks are unharmed, seeming as you probably actually ate food at an actual restaurant. But seriously, where did all my cookies go?
8. Why is my deodorant in my cereal bowl?
My desk is literally covered in everything except my school work. Here, I stuck my deodorant in my empty bowl of yesterday's cereal, my lotions and body sprays clutter the corners, and I couldn't tell you why I haven't put away that Jenga box. When my dorm is my pit stop, I quick put on some products that don't make me smell like I haven't changed since yesterday and showered since the day before that. Here, I quick eat and run out the door, because who has time for that meal plan when you have class in ten minutes!
These two in combination sum up the chaotic mess a college student's brain is. One half is determined, put together, ready to study and get that A! While the other really loves coloring books, and why would I pay all this money for a Netflix account and not use it frequently? This causes for a lot of stress in my life, and I can't help that it shows in my living space. Being a messy person is never a bad thing, it just means your busy. Good for you for getting out and enjoying yourself. Take pride in the mess. Also, being neat is never a bad thing. Your brain is probably as organized as your bra and underwear drawer, and you deserve that episode of "Making a Murderer." No matter which you classify yourself as, balance is beautiful. Being an organized hot mess looks good on you. Rock yesterday's outfit. And slay that owl coloring page.
