The Bulova Watch

How do you celebrate? I celebrate by going shopping. I might buy books, shoes, clothing, games, or possibly even a Bulova Watch.

The reason for the season of celebrating? Me, myself, and I.

When I do something good, accomplish a job well done, or have a good week I feel it is reason to go shopping. There is something hypnotic about going into a store to make a purchase. The item is new, be it for me or someone else. Normally I get my kicks out of shopping for other people. I bask in the idea of being seen as thoughtful, generous, or giving.

So after a week of finals and moving into my friend Gabby's apartment, I decided it was time to go shopping for my friend Bobby. Bobby has been my friend for nearly three years, I met him at my first job in college. While I haven't seen Bobby much lately (life happens) I've always had a special place in my heart for him. He and Lauren (another friend from the first job) come as a pair, and I consider them a best friend. While Lauren graduated last year, Bobby's graduation is a big deal. He's graduating with a History degree in pre-Med and will be moving to Ohio to attend Medical School. That's pretty far from Alabama.

I don't believe there is a perfect graduation/going away gift for any best friend. Nothing can ever be good enough for that person. I had the same problem when buying a gift for Lauren last year. It was hard to decide what would say, "Thanks for being a great friend and congrats for accomplishing this goal."

So I bought Bobby two different cards. One for graduating and the other for going away. I then bought him a book that you can customize, and did just that. I put him in there, Lauren and myself, and references to our friendship and the Rec Center.

I also bought my mom a mother's day card (seeing as that is this coming Sunday) and a card for my boyfriend who is now living two hours away. A part of moving out of the dorms meant finding someplace new to live. Two days ago I moved in with my friend Gabby. She lives three blocks away from where I was just living.

Garrett moved out and back into his dad's house over two hours away. We did this last summer as well, it really sucks. And it makes for very boring weekends. Any possibility of me not being an incredibly boring college student went out the drain when I found out he would be living in Huntsville this summer. I mean, I turn 21 this summer and Gabby doesn't drink. Who else am I going to go party with? No one.

Okay, so back to why I bought the watch.

Finals are out of the way, I've moved my stuff, and I've bought my sob gift for Bobby. I've taken care of everyone else, but I'm still feeling a little blue. So I wander around looking at clothing. Which is a bad idea since I need to lose about twenty pounds before I look like a normal human being... The Disney store moved so I didn't want to go there, I have no one to buy anything for at Build-A-Bear, and I don't need any new books or shoes.

I did need a watch though. I've been wanting a good watch for nearly a year. Or really just a decent one. I've had my eye on small watch with a white leather band from Fossil for ages. I believe its only sixty dollars or so. I've mentioned this to Garrett on multiple occasions, hoping it would be my birthday gift this year.

But despite that fact, I went in to Watches Unlimited just to browse. I really did only go in there just to look around. I was hoping to find the perfect watch to beg for. Instead I fell in love with a small Bulova watch. Its got a square faceplate and a brown leather band. Very, very vintage and beautiful. And sadly, that is the highlight of my week. The purchase of a semi-expensive watch. Not even really an expensive watch, just a lot more than I planned on spending.

p.s. Tonight is Friday night and my plans include: nothing. N-o-t-h-i-n-g at a-l-l. Yeah... fun. I guess I can play with Gabby's cat, who hates me. What to do?

I guess just watch time go by on my new Bulova watch.

that's how life goes...

I attend a University in a "city" composed of just over 200,000 people, which means its not exactly large or active. But it is a far cry from the town I was raised in. Yesterday was Friday, and after a round of last minute extra credit and a final I did not go out with friends and party, celebrate the end being near, or enjoy the non-existent night life of the city... I went home to babysit my little sister, Sam. It's an activity I enjoy doing, and its more of hanging out than babysitting.

After eating pizza at the house I asked Sam what she wanted to do that night, and her response was to go to the local town fair. This is the third year its come to our town, and I've only been once before. The fair really wasn't that bad the first time so Sam and I loaded into the car and drove the four minutes to our downtown area.

Lady Gaga came on the radio and Sam sighed, "It's not even that late but they have club music on already." I started to laugh, because while Lady Gaga is upbeat she isn't exactly club music. But then I realized that I didn't know if that was actually club music or not. The only club I had ever been to was two years ago, a few months after my eighteenth birthday. I couldn't remember what music played that night, I only remembered feeling uncomfortable in the room of sixty people or so. It may have been an off night, or the clubs in my city are just honestly nothing like the ones in movies and TV.

At the fair I saw the kids I had gone to elementary school with (I had transferred out for high school). I realized that many of them were engaged, married, and some even had kids. When walking around the parking lot of the Dollar General, where the fair was held, I tried to avoid certain parents and peers. Everyone knows everyone in a town of 300 people, and I believe every single citizen was there. I used Sam to help me slide around several people I really didn't want to talk to, including my first real boyfriend. He got married, served over seas in the army, and got a divorce since I had seen him last. Awkward...

After making three of four circles of the fair, in a total of ten minutes, I realized Sam wasn't really going to ride any rides or playing any games. But she kept requesting we make a stop at the concession stand for cotton candy, so we did. I believe I got tricked into going to the fair simply so she could have cotton candy. I believe I would have denied her if I had known her real intentions. I guess she knew that too.

We finished the night in front of the TV, watching the movie Whip It. What a glorious Friday night, a prime example of how boring my life is as a college student. That's simply how life goes.