Sleepless Summertime Adventures

There's something disorienting about forgoing a night of sleep. No matter how many times I look at the clock today, I still can't conceptualize what time it is. I checked the expiration date on the milk and realized I had absolutely no idea what day of the week it is. It turns out it's Saturday. And today was awesome.

I left Sebastian's house last night, yawning, thinking I'd go straight to sleep. I got inside, locked all the doors, and turned on Sex and the City. I almost ignored the incoming call on my phone out of habit, but decided instead to give it a try. My friend Anna was on the line, asking me to meet her at Steak 'n' Shake to gossip and talk about books. I glanced at the clock. Almost one. "Sure," I said, smiling at my uncharacteristic late-night spontaneity. So I went.

"Do you realize we haven't seen each other since May?" she asked, closing her jacketless Potter book as I sat down. "Like, since we graduated high school?" I hadn't realized. We made our eyes big and stared at each other, shaking our heads. Anna, a short, sassy little thing with a giant geisha tattooed up her left arm, is quite the character. We sat for a long while and dished and made up for lost time. She drank countless cups of coffee, I downed a couple mugs of tea with honey. Having always been the early-to-bed-early-to-rise type, there was something strangely romantic and teenagery about sitting at a diner after dark, and I felt anything but tired. Jess texted, asking me to hang out with her--as a joke, because my being awake and willing to go do something was about as likely as Condoleezza Rice doing handstands in jello on MTV-- so I threw her for a loop when I said yes. On my way to Jess's house, this song came on the radio. I know, I know-- the corniness is lost not on me, but I was feeling rebellious for doing what's expected of me, so I'm already no stranger to being lame.

Jess didn't have to work until afternoon the next day, and I was free of all responsibilities, so we decided not to sleep. Before 5AM, we ended up at this gross 24-hour restaurant famous for its smiley face logo and faint aroma of urine and the elderly. It sort of resembles a hotel lobby, in that it's dimly-lit and deserted but not lonely. My best friend and I fully utilized the free coffee and tea refills. I drank six cups of Lipton with lemon and subsequently used the recently-cleaned bathroom several times. Three young, terribly drunk girls tripped and stumbled their way in, dressed in stereotypical "going out" tops and little dresses, to order a breakfast of meat sandwiches and coke. They swore loudly and passionately and danced in the aisle to the restaurant's soundtrack of oldies music. Jess and I listened in, smiled knowingly, and talked mostly about how great our friendship is, the hilarity of 7th Heaven plotlines, and how beautiful life is early in the morning. The sky was the color of the cover of Le Petit Prince. The atmosphere felt like some kind of pretty post-apocalyptic world where everything that sucks has evaporated. Paying the $1.80 bill, we walked outside to the light-colored morning with an adrenaline surge.

We drove around for a long time, observing the gorgeous, empty expanses of park and private property outside the town, listening to the trippy new Black Eyed Peas album (Jess is really big on the future, as I'm sure I've told you. For once, it was honestly her thing before it was cool. Lady Gaga just looks like a poseur compared to Jess) and laughing. We sat on the playground equipment at our park like the creepy ne'er-do-wells that we are. Jess had the brilliant idea to go to the mall (which we hate) still two hours before the stores open, to mockingly power-walk with the frumpy women in athletic gear and seventy-year-old married couples. Yes. People do that. They go to crappy midwestern shopping malls at sunrise to walk laps on the linoleum. I've never been prouder of myself.

After an hour-long nap on Jess's couch, I zombie-crawled home at eleven feeling like a drug addict Inferius. I've since watched several episodes of the boring new Degrassi cast, eaten a few bowls of Frosted Mini Wheats, slept for a couple of hours, and am still contemplating taking that much, much, much-needed shower. I'll get to bed at a reasonable hour, but I don't think today is ever going to feel like a today. It's a little weird, but a whole lot great.

Sexy: Summertime freedom.

Unsexy: My diet over the past week, which has consisted mostly of pizza rolls, salsa, chocolate, taffy (I HATE TAFFY. THIS IS ALL JESS'S FAULT; SHE IS VERY PERSUASIVE!), Taco Bell and disgusting quantities of tea.

Chipotle burritos this year: 24

S'mores this summer: 6

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Bye, guys! Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow. <3