Holidays

Hi there!

I've recently been on a holiday with my family, and we managed not to kill each other while we were there. I won't bore you (and guilt myself) by telling you about the amount of work I've come back to, and the fact that I haven't started it yet, but I will tell you about certain brilliant aspects of my holiday (forget jetlag).

Firstly, I met adorable cats (2) and dogs (5, I think) that belonged to people we met on our holiday (friends of my parents). It was amazing living in a house with pets, almost made me feel like I had one. Side note: have been begging my parents for a dog for last 8 years at least, but have now given up and decided to get them after I move out. It would kill me to have a dog for a year and then go away to college and not spend time with it at all. I'll get one big dog (lab retriever) and one small one (undecided). Previously I had thought I would only get one, but dogs are much happier when they have a friend. One big dog because they're more active, playful and there's a lot of good press about how they're better with families (while writing this I realized my experiences with big dogs are mixed, and the only real reason I can think of currently is Marley and Me). One small dog because they're adorable, and easier and cheaper to take care of (I'm basing this on the two small dogs I met - a cocker spaniel-poodle mix, and an unknown breed with some terrier in him).

Secondly, I visited colleges. Not much to say about this.

Thirdly, I don't know what it was, but I somehow felt attractive on this trip. At home, and at school, I sometimes feel as though guys never look at me or think I'm pretty like they do in books, with the consequence that my self esteem is pretty low. I know this sounds weird, but I'm honestly not ugly, and at times I can be pretty. I'm not talking about my attitude or anything (which is prickly and awkward) but just the initial look and reaction. And my self esteem has been given a major boost this trip (let's see how long it lasts) by the fact (real or imagined) that I could see guys looking at me (some days more than others) in what I think was an appreciative way. It sounds so silly when I type it that I can barely do so, but I have to say it because it was amazing to have guys (really or not) looking at me and checking me out.

It's strange how small things can make your day. When I was at a museum we visited, I was (discreetly, I thought) looking at a guy as he passed me as we walked through a doorway in opposite directions and he smiled at me! He wasn't smiling earlier and then he smiled. I don't think he was smiling at anyone else because there was no one behind me, so I must assume he was smiling at me. He was semi-cute, probably younger than me, but it made my day. I saw him with his family later and immediately sat down and started a pointless conversation with my father (whom he had been sitting next to) about the universities we had visited that day. He didn't really look at me or vica versa, but it didn't affect the fact that my day had been made.

God bless America!