Highland Park, Illinois — Undated

It is so gloomy. The sky is a deep solid gray. All light filters thru its gloom. We drive thru gray streets past gray strip malls until we find the one we’re looking for. We pull into the gray parking space and I walk into the gray building.

Inside, light bounces off the gray ceiling onto the light gray floors, which are darkened with dirt. There are aisles, but they seem to be ignored. Instead, colored boxes of all shapes and sizes are stacked willynilly.

I go to the checkout counter to return my gray box. Someone cuts in front of me. Then, when it is my turn, the guy looks at the box and goes to get the manager. The manager is busy. The phone rings. He answers it. He starts helping the guy on the phone with some tech support. He wisely decides to hand it off to someone else. He puts the call on hold on one phone, then goes to an identical phone to page the tech. Then a cordless phone rings.

Eventually he accepts my gray box and I head back out into my gray world. It is so gloomy here.


You know you’re lonely when… you start putting mirrors up just so you’ll have someone to talk to.

posted February 13, 2005 10:26 PM (Education) (5 comments) #

Nearby

Stanford: Wednesday, December 8
Edward Tufte on Beautiful Evidence (and more Stanford: December 8)
Stanford: Thursday, December 9
Home Again
Home: Life and Love
Home: Gloom and Loneliness
New York City: Winter Vacation
Stanford: Back to School
Stanford: I Miss Zooko
Stanford: Fuzzier Heads Prevail
Stanford: Artists and Aliens

Comments

If you are lonely, then why are you spending so much time alone writing a blog? Especially when you have to spend so much time alone writing stuff for University studies, anyway.

posted by person at February 14, 2005 11:59 PM #

What do you suggest I do instead? I need something more specific than “start living…take control”.

Anyway, nowadays I write most of my entries on the back of scrap paper while I wait for class to start. I suppose I could use the time to chat up people sitting near me, but I’m really far too shy to do that even when I’m not writing blog posts.

posted by Aaron Swartz at February 15, 2005 12:43 AM #

Write a book.

posted by Robert Brook at February 15, 2005 07:34 AM #

Yeah, write a book. That is awesome! ;)

posted by Jessica Lopez at February 25, 2005 08:47 AM #

Take it from an expert, being alone is only a bad thing when we are expecting not to be alone. When being alone is disappointing, we feel lonely (my opinion only of course). And being with someone is not entirely up to us, is it?

I have two suggestions….

Pursue that which fulfills your dreams, and doesn’t rely on someone else.

Help someone else pursue their dreans.

posted by Dawn at March 1, 2005 08:09 PM #

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