Countdown

We loves us our countdowns: four shopping days left 'til Christmas or fifty more days left of school. This morning as I walked into work I counted that I only have six days left! Of course, one countdown is never enough so I then figured I only had eleven accursed more metro rides to or from the Census. Tomorrow it'll be five days and nine rides...sweet! Then in the hallway I was talking to a lady that works in my office when another lady who works across the hall walked past and just said, "two days!!" It was pointed out to me that in two days she was getting married. I guess her happy day comes a bit before mine, but we both are counter-downers.

My first semester in college especially (and sometime after) I always ended e-mails to my mom with "see you in __!!!", with like, “57” or whatever. That first one was a long countdown. I went from move-in to Thanksgiving without being home, which ended up being like ninety or so days.

Besides just not being home I really didn't have contact with my family outside my mom. She was the only one I talked to on the phone. Since I didn't have a cell phone or any way of making long distance calls all I could do was call her at work, because her office had a 1-800 number. I called her maybe once a week tops, if that often. When she had gone to college they wouldn't let anyone call home the first week (to curb immediate homesickness), and I did the same thing voluntarily before I called the first time. The only time I did call home actually was when I bought a small phone card to make a birthday call to my little brother, late September. Grrr, I hated those typical GW students with their cell phones all calling each other and I had to go and use a payphone just to make calls around the city to set up appointments with the DNC/RNC, which were required to complete a term paper. Grrr...anyway, so my main contact with my family was an e-mail every weekday from my mom. Once in a while I'd see my brothers on IM, but except that one time calling Scott I didn't hear their voices or have any type of contact with my father, period, during those first ninety days. That's ok, though. I really wasn't homesick.

So why was I counting down, then? Eh, I wasn't homesick but I was sick of school, of course. I just needed a break from the work, that life, the dorm with those loud people being drunk at 2am on Saturday when I was trying to sleep, etc. I wanted to taste real pizza, not fake D.C. stuff. But really, I just wanted a break from the stress, and so to bring me comfort, I counted down.