19 P.H. - Hemineglectal Astronauts and Bartell Drugs

PH- Post homework. Whoo, weekend homework rush is over! Is very pleased.

Anyways... [warning: lengthy ranty rambling ahead]

So I don't know about you all, but I get my inspiration for writing from the weirdest of places. And I kind of finally got that like, my rough draft for my short story is due in less than 1 month. And that my math portfolio will be assigned around the same time. Current grade in math = not acceptable. Richard.needsToStartWriting("now"); Yeah. Or at least think of ideas. Which brings me back to my first point. Saw an old lady buy groceries at Bartell Drugs on the way home, and was thinking, why don't you just buy it at QFC down the street and then eventually from that line of thought, I somehow got the urge to write about hemineglectal astronauts in my head. Don't ask about what happened in-between because I don't know. But yeah, stocking up on potential story ideas here, whether it be random traipsing across the world, sci-fi/medieval rise of a tyrant that doesn't get overthrown, or... psychologically impaired astronauts. But I realized I haven't written 2nd person in a while. Which means I should probably practice more 2nd person. Hence: [end rant]

You blink, the short motion of closing eyelashes dislodging that persistent flake of snow from its perch on your eyebrows. Your every breath, every exhalation of air is visible in the early winter chill - the day is young, your way is tread, your path is long. You pant to the rhythm of your feet, the pulsing lifting of legs and limbs through mounds of snow. Your jeans, once warm and snug, collect the frozen residue of kicked snow and become cold and damp - never mind your running shoes. Your overcoat, once worn to protect against the bitter chill of the January morning, becomes the stifling furnace shrine to which you offer your sweat. It's an interesting sensation, not unlike being stuck in wet jeans on a sweltering summer day - and then throwing your head into the depths of the fridge in an attempt to stave the heat. But you don't mind, you don't care, because what you're feeling is the burning exhilaration of freedom. You're free from the stuffy air of your temporary home, the musty air that makes you feel like you walked into an old lady's shoe closet that's been unopened for five decades. You're free from your worries, the incessant need to procure nourishment. You're free from your responsibilities - this is your hour, your moment of silvery silence, your minute of lucid meditation, your hour of blissful relaxation. It's just you and nature, and in the burning snow, you find clarity of mind and soul; where you can abandon the chaotic train of life and throw yourself into a peaceful oblivion, the white void of serenity.

But all things come to an end, and you reluctantly drag yourself back to harsh reality. You pull yourself up, like a child clambering for the cookie jar on the all-too-high countertop, out of your hour-long nirvana and find yourself back in the blistering cold of your winter reality. You are aware of the wetness of your shoes, your jeans, the sweat that clings to your shirt, the freezing chill of the winter breeze that caresses your cheeks. Your serenity, now nothing more than a pleasant, seductive memory amidst the uncomfortable embrace of winter. You trudge back, this time without the benefit of the hazy bliss that filled your mind. You are aware of every step you take, the effort you must exert, the uncomfortable dampness of your clothes. Every step seems like an eternity's breadth, but finally you see the faint yellow light of the makeshift lantern you cobbled out of broken debris and basic engineering. Its flickering, and you hear the all-too-shrill shrieks of the children. You wearily step across the wooden threshold, greeting the pairs of tired but worried eyes.

"I'm back."

I feel like I could have done much better with that, but yeah. Also, what's a cool companion-able animal? Like, the first animal that comes to mind was dog but I don't want a dog. And I originally asked this to some people with an "urban" adjective as well, but clearly that's too limiting because I'm not sure I want to write a story about carrier pigeons or cows.

Also, psych study guides for those who want - CH3+4 only or CH1-4. It's just key terms and section summaries, almost word-for-word (shaved a couple because I'm OCD over spacing) from the textbook, but I figured it might be useful to some. Might do experiments, but just read your own journals for that seriously >_>