Monday, Monday (ba-da-da-da-da-da).

And now, the end of the thing's I've learned. I'm feeling like this is going to be a recurring them as I go on.

6) Copy machines are magic now.

I've worked in a place where the technology was a good decade behind the rest of the world. And I learned to fear and dread the copy machine...until now.

Now I have access to a real, modern photocopier. You put paper in it, it prints out as many collated, double-sided and perfectly stapled copies as you want. And it takes less than a minute. I'm pretty sure it would do all my homework, and grade my students' papers for me, if I only I knew what button to press. It's just that A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!

7) Making your own food is costly, time-consuming and pretty freaking fun:

 

Don't get me wrong. I've cooked before. Really. But never consistently, and never anything very elaborate. But now, because the meal plan here does not work with my schedule, I have to purchase my food, store it, prepare it, and then wash the dishes. And it's hellishly expensive, even when you eat an essentially meat-free diet that consists entirely of cheap carbs (yay! Walmart), and heavily-preserved food.

And while I'm pretty sure my current diet will give me rickets, scurvy and jaundice, I'm enjoying feeling like a grown-up. Plus? I get to eat ice cream out of the carton! :D AWWW YEAH!

8) Cars are a necessity in today's world (especially in Kansas):

It's no secret that I'm lazy. I never bothered to get my license because everything was so close, I generally could get a ride, and if I couldn't there was public transportation in Keene. But now that my apartment is a good 20 minute walk from my classes, I'm realizing just how much easier it would be to have a car.

Just so we're clear here. Kansas is freaking huge. I'm in a fairly large town, and the local Target is more than a ten minute drive. The walmart is 5-10 minutes away, and I have no idea where the closest grocery store is.
It's just big and foreign.

For a start, at the moment I am at the mercy of friends, shuttles, and roommates to purchase my necessities. Which means if I have an urgent shopping need, I am out of luck. It also means I'm a nuisance and need to work around other peoples schedules. Which is just annoying.

But I think the biggest problem is that it limits what I can do. Because of the time and the relative danger of walking around alone at night, I hardly ever leave my dorm. That's might be best for my homework and pocketbook, but at the same time, it does rob me of a social life. Grr.

On the plus side, all this walking is definitely translating to some serious weight loss!