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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Scary Stories

While the Insomnia Count has now been upped to six days in a row, I did get to sleep a little bit this morning, since my only class didn't start until after lunch. I know it's not healthy to cause even more ripples in my disturbed sleep cycle by indulging in morning naps, but I'll take what little shuteye I can get. I wore a bona fide blindfold last night, listened to calming music, and drank decaffeinated tea. But for some unknown reason, my body and the environment seem to have bonded together to ensure that I always feel like a zombie.

At three in the morning, I heard somebody knock on my door. I was too irritated to get up, and figured they'd go away. Twenty seconds later, another knock. While in the process of climbing out of my covers, the knocking sound moved to the wall. Then to the other wall. Then the other. Soon, every wall seemed to be tapping and pounding, and I heard what also sounded like a basketball being bounced against the ceiling. I looked to my roommate, but her comatose body appeared to be unfazed by the commotion. This leads me to conclude any of the following: a) I was half asleep and dreaming about my inability to fall into full sleep, b) the girls down the hall were drunk on a Monday night, c) somebody has a personal vendetta against me, d) it was the ghosts, or e) it was somebody staging ghost activity to freak people out. I'm truly stumped.

I told this story to Michal tonight, while we went on a walk to scope out the abandoned mental hospital. Cars were driving by and some people were still in classes, but it was dark. There was also a little bit of unpredicted misty rain, which was probably unnecessary and I suspect just God trying to add some more ambient creepiness. Not that we needed it, though, because Michal is determined to make every day into a horror movie. "Oh, look at this scary path!" she said, walking in its direction. "Let's walk up this frightening hill!"

It was really fascinating. Most of the buildings are renovated and used as an art museum and classrooms today, but the rundown tuberculosis wing is still left untouched, intimidating and daunting. Michal was too nervous, but I walked up the steps to its front porch to find a pile of old wood with stereotypical random nails sticking out of it. The basement doors are corroded and rusty, and through some of the dark windows you can see tattered curtains. We sat at the top of a hill and looked down at a freaky wooden statue of a horse skeleton, and talked about how it's possible that the university works to maintain the alluring mystery by leaving the TB building around. We also considered the more exciting possibility that the rumors are true, and that every time somebody tries to fix it up, the ghost of Margaret Schilling haunts them until they give up. Either way, that horse statue was borderline terrifying, and plenty to satisfy my need to be creeped out.

Naturally, all I can think about now is Halloween. OU is infamous across the country for its parties of all kinds, but Halloween takes it to a whole new level. Crowds flock to Athens for the 31st, dressed in crazy and ornate (see: slutty) costumes, and proceed to fill the streets with mischief and illegal substances. Pretty much every square inch of dorm floor is covered with guests in sleeping bags... not that anybody sleeps. I'm dressing up as Bellatrix Lestrange, because she fulfills the requirements of Sexy and Scary, while adding a touch of nerdy flavor. There's nothing prettier than the midwest in fall, and there's nothing that thrills me more than wearing costumes!

Sexy: How much fun it will be to make my hair do this.
Unsexy: Finishing a midterm, like I did today, and not being able to find out how you did for at least a week. Also, the fact that Jess could have the swine flu.

Chipotle burritos this year: 31
Bagel Street visits this school year: 4
Subscribers: 20,915

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

34 comments:

Josh said...

Okay, so:
1) I really feel for you with your lack of sleep but at the same time it's creeping me out. Reason: in the novel 'The Kiss of Death' by Marcus Sedgwick, people go for weeks without sleeping, go insane & die because of it :|
2) I'm leaning toward (a)
3) I'm gonna have some serious paranoia after reading about Margaret Schilling. *shiver*
4) You'll make a horrifyingly gorgeous Bellatrix. Can't wait!

to_thine_own_self said...

So...seeing as you're creeped out lately and whatnot I'll send you a link to a movie coming out that is supposedly the scariest movie of the decade:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_UxLEqd074

Hah.

But yea...I hope you get some sleep soon and I hope your friend doesn't really have swine flu =/

Patricia said...

You will be an amazing Bellatrix!

Also, Jess will be fine. I have swine flu right now and I'm here typing to you and not lying here dead or anythin. Thats good news right?

Good luck with the insomnia. I hope that gets better soon.

Anonymous said...

You make Michal sound like a wuss. I bet she just had a badcreepygutfeeling in the pit of her stomach that made her NOT want to be attacked by the ghost of Miss Margaret.

Just sayin'.

The Vagabond said...

Oh my gosh we have the same creepy-wooden-horse statue at my college in Texas! Crazy. It's actually right in front of my dorm and my roommate and I refer to it as the Thestral. It makes it a little less creepy especially when things get difficult and we fantasise about flying far away on the back of it.

I hope the insomnia thing gets better. And I hope Jess doesn't have swine flu. My roommate's little twin cousins have it and we're both pretty worried. But hey, Rupert Grint had it and he is fine! I'm sure she'll get better! :-)

Holly said...

Wishing Jess all the best in her battle with the potential Swine.

Ravenclaw2313 said...

Can't wait to see you as Bellatrix. I will try to telepathically send sleep your way. I'm not getting any so maybe a transference will work.

Anonymous said...

There's one dorm on my campus that is an old converted hospital, and it seriously gives me the creeps. Apparently I'm not the only one, because every Halloween they have "Haunted Hospital" nights. It sounds terrifying. O.o

Margaret said...

I really shouldn't have read this:
a) before going to bed and,
b) after reading Tell-Tale Heart three times for my English class.

Goodbye, night of restful sleep. I think I'll be joining you in zombieland.

Eddy said...

Now don't get too excited about this, but lack of sleep can only mean one thing. You have become a vampire! We'll look for you in the Twilight movie! Yeah, I know, it's your dream come true!

Caity said...

Crazy! I am ALSO going as Bellatrix to Halloween! I'm not really looking forward to the comb out afterward!
If you don't sleep before the party, you'll have that sallow look down pat without using make up!

Unknown said...

Your university is full of ghosts; mine is full of asbestos (probably).

How very exciting/creepy! Griffith Uni was founded in the 70s on a brand-new campus, so there are no hauntings there... yet.

Anonymous said...

Hayley, I hope you realise how lucky you are to get a real American college experience! I so want to do that but University in Denmark just sounds doll. And there are no campuses per se. If possible I will study a year abroad. You live in a movie! I am so jalous! (Maybe except the scary stuff, you can have that all to yourself)

Anonymous said...

... can't spell jealous either apparently.

slinkyT1991 said...

I really feel for you for the lack of sleep. I know how it feels not sleeping i have/had the same problem. I ened up going to the doctor about a week to go to get sleeping pills. Maybe they might help you, if this keeps happening.

traderbob11 said...

Somebody actually stole the skin off that horse, weird.

Don't let those girls at the sorority blind fold you, I've heard nothing but bad stories.

I seemed to have misplaced last night.

See ya Hayley

Tass said...

Don't worry about the swine flu thing.
My mom got it, two of my best friends back home got it, three girls down the hall got it along with a decent proportion of my school. It's not worse than the regular flu. I don't even think there's any vomiting involved.

I feel your insomnia pain. It's like I walk through every day looking and feeling like a zombie and as soon as my head hits the pillow at night I'm wide awake.

Good luck with everything

emperessemma said...

You will make one sexy Bellatrix. :) And I'd really like to help with the sleep thing but anything I've got you would've heard before methinks; hot milk, lavender oil, gentle excercise before bed, writing down anything on your mind... S'all I've got.

alyson said...

Ah halloween and college towns. It's always a lot of fun.

When I lived in the dorms last year I wasn't sleeping at all either. It was something about the dorm room, because at the end of the semester I couldn't take it anymore and moved into a house on campus. After the move I slept just fine. So I get what you're going through.

Matt said...

If you think not knowing for a week is bad, it can be a lot worse. Last semester I took a midterm and didn't find out how I did on it until 8 weeks later (yes, I found out about the midterm *after* I took the final).

Alex Dahlberry said...

That's so awesome. I wish I lived on a haunted campus. Terrifying, sure, but so exhilarating. And good stories come from it too.
Bellatrix sure is a good idea. My friend naturally has hair exactly like Trixie, so she made an amazing Bella last Halloween. You will too, for sure. You have good hair skillz.
I'm being Sailor Mercury :) (also sexy, though not scary enough. :P)

-alex

Anonymous said...

That wooden statue of the horse, if it is like the identical one on my campus, is actually made out of cast iron.

Really. Go touch it.

Unknown said...

Can't wait to see the Bellatrix costume. I think that's a cool idea. And thanks for all the creepy stuff, it's intriguing haha.

Javiera Hernandez said...

soooo... yeah i agree with you on the unsexy thing.. i took a physics 2 test last week and i still have no idea if i passed.. :S

Emily said...

I've been having weird insomnia too. It's no fun. :[
Also, I just spent the last half hour or so watching a bunch of your old videos...ahem. Maybe I should actually TRY sleeping.

Leesa said...

Bellatrix Lestrange would be a bit of a stretch for me. I would rather be Luna Lovegood.

Jenny said...

Hayley,
this comment comes in three parts:
Part 1. Because of your recent videos rocking your glamorous colorful nails I have started painting my nails again. You are amazing.
Part 2. I am sorry to hear that Jess my have swine flu. I know how much pain and worry can be caused by an ill best friend. I am waiting for find out if my best friend has cervical cancer or not.
Part 3. Your "fine kone" video has caused me to have serious hair envy.
Love reading your stuff! Keep up the awesome work!
Jenny

Anonymous said...

Hahaha!
Hayley, I'm really looking forward to seeing you as an author. Your sarcastic and witty comments are bloody hilarious.

Sara said...

Hayley, my school is way cooler because we actually have a horse skeleton in one of our lecture halls. So jokes! (to us pre-vets at least).

The one at OU actually looks like a failed attempt at Heather Jansch's driftwood sculptures. I think they are fantastic.

http://www.rense.com/general70/drift.htm

jessmcfadden said...

All these comments hoping that I don't have swine flu are AWESOME! I laughed a lot and read them all aloud.

The Pearl said...

Hauntings cause insomnia. It's a ghost thing.

Nokorola said...

Hayley, you get all the good ghost stories apparently. Also, not to insult or question you, but I'm going to. Is Ohio/Athens really the Midwest?

Jen N. said...

its rediculous how much we have in common. i got so excited when i read that you were being bella for halloween cuz so am i. mostly for the sole purpose of making my hair look like hers. i don't think it'll be that hard to do considering my hair is the craziest kind of curly and already dark. i'm quite excited for it! :)

Anonymous said...

i really wish i could be at your school for all the creepiness. i would never think to go to OU except for the haunted factor. sweet.

as for the sleep issue. STOP taking naps. that definitely messes with you. force yourself to stay up a full 24 hours and then force yourself to wake up at normal time and try and get back on track <3 just trying to help!