The Observer, December 1, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 12
Worst Case Scenario: Sleep Writing
The weirdest things happen when you're tired. First, you lose all sense of reality. You forget where your wallet is, where your room is, your mother's cell phone number. Sound familiar? Yeah, pretty much like last Saturday night down on West 6th, isn't it? Except you're quite sober, but very tired. The funniest thing to do when you're tired and about to fall asleep is write. Sit in front of a computer and start typing whatever comes to mind. You will be amazed at what you come up with. I tried it one time and I have never written anything so good in my life. I was typing on my computer, my head moving back and forth from moving in and out of microsleep, and all of a sudden I just conked out on my keyboard. What I woke up with two hours later was, "The paradoxical elements of french fries not being French help to illuminate the obesity epidemic in America. We are not comfortable with our food. lsa;jfddddajl..." You probably think I'm crazy but try it one time. Who knows? You might be the next Hemingway or Vonnegut and not even realize it.
An interesting, if unrelated, issue came up in my Public Health class today. Case students see themselves as part of a community but don't act as part of a community. The common sentiment seems to be that Case students live in their own bubble while on campus. This goes for living arrangements, going to class, etc. Don't live in your bubble with your friends and acquaintances. Expand your community by befriending the nerd next door or the guy who plays DDR all day in the lobby. Whatever it takes, expand your community so that when something comes up when people need to care about one side or the other, you know where your friends are. Share yourself with your community. You're all only as culturally aware as the person who is most different from you.
One last thing. It's probably old news to all of you, but I thought I'd just reiterate it in case you're a novice. The little things don't matter. Think about the things you and your partner fight or argue about. They're probably completely meaningless in the scheme of things. I'm not saying it's not okay to talk to your partner if he or she has cheated on you or stepped on your puppy. All I am saying is that the next time they inadvertently forget to call you or they're a few minutes late here and there, look past it. It's about being flexible. You're probably doing a few things wrong yourself.
So if you're happy with who you're with, ignore the smaller, nitpicky details. Just think about why you like the person so much. Are you yourself in front of him and is he himself in front of you? Changing the way you are can be a good or bad thing for someone in a relationship. It's good if it helps you to give up bad habits or be more considerate. But it's bad if those changes force you to change who you are at your inner core. Think about your partner. He or she might want to impress you and be who you want them to be, but the greatest gift you can give to someone in a relationship is the ability for that person to be themselves and not have them worry about how you'll react. That, or mix tapes
