Phases of Shannon

Lately I've been noticing things about myself that seem out of the ordinary. I know I'm in college and my whole personality is in the process of changing/molding/birthing, but who wants to know about the deep aspects of my personal growth? Here are some not-at-all-serious phases that I'm going through now which I find noteworthy, while not at all important in the grand scheme of things.

• the "Leave Everything in My Car Phase" wherein the backseat and trunk of my personal automobile have become the dumping grounds for things I use during the day while I'm out and about and don't feel like taking back inside my house. I decluttered today, and removed a collection of: 2 blankets, one throw pillow, one '09 hoodie, one trendy black sweater, 2 lawn chairs, a package of plastic party cups, multiple orphaned bible passages, 2 different jackets, one set of headphones, a Smith's bag full of trash, multiple orphaned coupons, and about as many water bottles/liquid carriers as there are teenage vampire novels at Barnes and Noble. See photograph below for evidence.

• the "I Love Barbeque Sauce Phase" wherein ... get this ... I love barbeque sauce! It's almost as if I rediscovered something else that I love a lot. 

• the "Take Everything Literally Phase" wherein I automatically paint a mental picture in my head of every phrase that isn't supposed to be taken literally. Examples: "You two have been on the grill all night!" translates to a picture of mini Thumbelina-sized versions of me and co-worker Katherine having a party on the grill which we use to cook hamburgers and stuff. Or "If it's more than a handful of people ..." translating to another picture of mini people, this time however many can fit in one regular-sized person's palm. 

• the "I Intentionally Leave Home Earlier Everyday I Go to Work Phase" wherein I increasingly give myself more and more time to sit in my car and listen to music before it's time to clock in, because I really like listening to music and not having to jump out the door right when I park. 

• the "I Take Really Good Notes Phase, When I Actually Go To Class" wherein I write in the closest thing possible to complete sentences and jot down things I already know, just in case. It means that when I reread them later, the amount of material I read and then respond to with "Whaaaat does that mean?" is minimalized. 

• the "IPhone Scrabble Phase" wherein I have about 4 or 5 different scrabble games, with people I know and don't know, constantly going on at the same time. Even if it's just one or two moves per day. One of these times I will finally beat my mom ...  

• the "I Have No Self Discipline Phase" wherein I eat everything in sight, and sometimes go even further to procure food that is NOT in my sight, to continually fill my belly with. OK, just kidding. This is not a phase, it's my life.

And because I found something cool that wasn't a big enough deal to get its own post, I'm going to mention it here. The following picture is a computer-generated collaboration of the most frequently used words on my blog. I'll admit the word selection is a bit weak (ok it's really weak), but I like how the website lets you customize the design. If you want to create your own "wordle," click on this LINK! That's all for today.