Pens Week: Modernizing Writing in Ink

Pens have progressed a lot since my days of admiring then in the stationery aisle. There had been a pen variety where the shaft of the pen changed colors, even if just to a different color tone, once the user's body heat had been applied to the pen's shaft for a few moments. This was very impressive, though I'm not convinced, as I write this, that it still remains so.

It was a nifty, cool, quirky something different in ink writing options & I took to it. Our family was out on a special trip, thus justifying this otherwise unlikely acceptable purchase.

Popular options today seem to promote gel, like these, & erasers of every matching kind, like these. I wonder today that I'd be less enthralled with the available "nifty writing options" manufacturers are offering consumers. It's a different generation out there (have you read the Mindset List? 😂)...One that's enamored in all things digital & in using data. Thus, writing implements are of another world. (Might those children even ask, "What is an 'implement'?)

I used to highly dislike the fine tip pens, preferring only to write with the rollerball (medium point) ones - though now manufacturers have blended these two together & gel pens seem to be offering the same writing stability that I once relied on the rollerball pen options for. I'd find that, as I held the pen's shaft, dragging it along the paper, no ink would appear, & it wasn't because the pen had run out of its ink. It was because it wasn't a rollerball pen. I'd not had these same difficulties with rollerball pens & so I came to rely on them, disregarding any which weren't ... Then these gel options came along somehow mixing the best of both worlds.

There's still a pleasing reliability to the writing edge of those basic rollerball pens of yesteryear & when the going gets rough & we all just want to "go back to the basics" we can always pick up one of these or these, smile & be content.


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Pens Week: Erase Your Work

Pens don't scratch like pencils do. Especially when they've roller ball pens. Pens tend to glide. This is much of the reasoning on why I enjoy pens so much. Problem with pens: pens create a permanency. Pens don't tend to be erasable. These are. They aren't the norm. Or, should I write, they weren't the norm. There are countless options in erasable pens nowadays. There are so many options at this Amazon link that it seems too difficult to scroll through & locate the "original", singular option: black or blue ink with a cap that had an eraser engineered to erase ink, & all its faults, attached.

These just might be the closest comparable, though their eraser is white & the erasers on the pens of days gone by I don't recall as white, rather as being the same color as the ink it'd held within.

I'm a mix of being jealous that these weren't an option back when I was writing down lots of things in a classroom & copiously writing out my studies, being excited that they do exist now, & being elated that, despite this technology age we're living in, that there's hope. Hope that simple things like the flare of various writing instruments still remains & is still being developed into much more than it's been in the past.

I've no idea of the eraser quality of today's engineer talent, though I do recall that, back in the day, one flaw my meticulous mindset took to was that those erasers didn't wipe it all away. There'd be "ink residue" or a smug. Some type of evidence that someone had made a blemish & was now trying to cover for it.

Alas, these are the things that led me to writing with led.



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Pens Week: Multi-Color Retractable "Click" Pens

These were "my jam" in the years before I had any diplomas. After posting two "dorm weeks" & a "cross country/running week", before Labor Day & the "unofficial start of the school year" for those who haven't yet begun arrives it only seems appropriate to dedicate a week to these.

I could stare at them in their glistening aisle for hours [read: too many minutes]. At least Mom knew right where to find me when it was time to get going - or at least accomplish some of the shopping we'd intended to complete before stopping by the checkout line.

I'd like to begin the week with these as it was with my desire to own one of them as soon as someone (probably a few "someones") showed up to class with one. Little did I know that these were just the brink of coolness to come. Anyone could have written in the black or blue colors (& because our teacher's were adamant about grading our papers only if written in lead, blue, or black ink, we did stick to the appropriate options for classwork. Though we enjoyed as we could, the red & green options too. The red one, obviously, made us feel like we were correcting papers, yet the green one had a uniqueness all of its own.

This one only had these four colors, though this one had six. Orange & yellow, or whichever the manufacturer of the day chose to include, made for even more interesting (& eye-rolling) homework assignments.

This one is advertised on Amazon as "10 in 1!" - as in, the website denotes an exclamation point. I agree it's a worthy mechanic, & I definitely would've been looking to add such a writing implement to my repertoire, yet I feel confident in noting that I had one with quite a few more color options even than this. I believe I had one with twelve or fourteen, maybe sixteen included. I mention this because that's "how cool" - all of those various color options *were*!

I was writing in light pink, hot pink, turquoise!, beige & ecru...even mauve, &, of course, in three different shades of blue too: light blue, navy blue, & the typical blue. The listing is endless & so was the awesomeness! Oh, the innocence of elementary school & the fun times playing with color options, even if only on paper & in various scrawl. This must be how I studied; I kept on writing in different ink colors & therefore better learning all of my subjects.

I'm not sure. The studying came as it did & naturally so - albeit, I wasn't the best student, & my test scores were far from "top of the class". What I do recall is that I made the most of writing in various pens & handwritings & different types of paper too. I was thrilled to try my hand at college-ruled filler paper rather than the ordinary "rule" of common filler paper. Anything that would allow me to keep on playing & writing in the various pen color options. After all, how many people could write a note in yellow ink?


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Celebrating Our School Colors

It could've been worse; it could've been red, my least favorite color...Really, I was blessed. I definitely didn't see it that way back then. Our school colors were purple & white. And with white being such a "non" color, color - the purple at school events seemed all that much more enhanced & overused. Purple wasn't a bad color, it's just that blue & green were just better. We've already established all of this. 😂

However, everything we ate ended up being grape flavored - so that we'd be "supporting" the school & have "team spirit" while at events. We were on sporting teams, yet we were supplied plenty of "pure sugar" items such as these & these. I particularly remember consuming lots of these.

Incidentally as our team uniforms were all purple & white, wearing anything with the uniforms that came in purple, worked great. Obviously white was the easy accessory & the girls wore plenty of these to pull back their hair. We also got lucky, or should I say, they, as I didn't have "spikes" as we called them. That'd be an extra, unnecessary cost for us [read: Mom & Dad] & my brother & I weren't top charting runners so it didn't add up (no pun intended!) for our family to cough up the additional money.

During my time on the team, the sports catalog from which the sporting department ordered happened to carry two pairs of spiked running shoes, like these. One was, I believe, to the greater extent, pink; the other, was, well, purple & white. So, yeah, every. single. girl who wore spikes to run during meets, ordered this model. Why wouldn't they? 😂

One could say that when I headed off to college, I picked my future alma mater because of their school colors (athletic: green, & academic: blue), though the colors ended up a simple added convenience. What I can say for certain is that by the time college came around, we'd all moved on & I never found myself offered a [green] apple or [blue] raspberry sugar flavored candy or drink on campus.

*****

And just because I particularly enjoy the annual "Tear Fest", go ahead & check out this year's Beloit College Mindset List here where JFK, Jr. has always been deceased for this year's incoming freshman class. 😭




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Running While Wearing Eyewear

Back when I participated on our high school's cross country team I wore glasses (spectacles, if you will). I began wearing them while still in elementary school, although I didn't need to be wearing them "full-time" until after I attained my diplomas. I wore them most often in the classroom & at various times when at Mom & Dad's house. Sometimes I'd go running while wearing them too.

A teammate also wore glasses, though they wore theirs all the time. When we'd be at cross country practice they'd attach these to the sides of their glasses &, from what we could tell, they never encountered any problems.

I never ended up wearing glasses quite so much, though there were a few days when, because I'd worn my glasses for so many hours while in classes, I could feel that my eyes had adjusted more intensely those days to my prescription & elected to leave my glasses on while I ran during practice.

More often than not, by the time practice had finished up, my glasses were sliding down my face & creating an expression of complete & udder displeasure 😣. A teammate had told me while we changed after classes into our running gear that I'd not last in wearing them; I did find myself frustrated that I ultimately needed to remove them & carry them delicately, as best as I could, while continuing to run [read: jog] the day's set workout.

I didn't really revisit running, not to that extent anyway, until much later on. (Remember this post & this post?) By then I did need to be wearing my glasses all the time. I practiced while wearing them & I'm sure it had much to do with my simply being older, although also just knowing that I'd need to be wearing them as my eye doctor had encouraged [read: professionally insisted] that I wear them all. the. time.

I needed to be able to allow my eyes to focus without strain & that came with wearing my glasses unless I was showering or sleeping (basically).

I got lucky & found some eyeglass frames which sat -just right- on my face. Because of how great they fit & sat on my face, I kept them around long after they were due to move on.

After running marathons in every sort of unexpected climate (southern states where they had record breaking cold weather, hottest days where water stations had to be added to the course, windy weather where leaves & debris were flying at us at high speeds [the town did have an all-day windy advisory in place], & pouring down rain from an hour or so before the event began until six hours after the starting gun went off) I learned that I didn't need to be wearing my glasses while I ran. If I were to walk, then it'd be a different story. Also, if I were to run/walk. It has to do with my retina & astigmatisms & focusing. While running, I'm "bopping" up & down, & therefore there's really no actual focus where my eyes are straining & therefore being damaged if no eyeglass lenses are sitting in front of them.

If only I'd have known of this while running a few of those marathons. While running the marathon during the wind advisory I'd have been able to skip out & leave them off. Instead the pair I wore I was able to leave at the volunteer table with other participants water bottles. Unfortunately, the volunteers weren't able to keep up with the wind for their task & my glasses blew about & basically broke apart needing manufacturer repair.

While running the marathon during the pouring rain, I wouldn't have spent the entire marathon with my glasses purposefully sitting on the brim of my nose in so that I'd be able to see clearly, & not while having prescription lenses drenched in rain drops (yes, I realize it's figure since eyeglass lenses aren't able to be "drenched"). I've lived & learned.

If I were to need to wear something on my face, & had any difficulty keeping them in place, then any of these would most likely be my best option. For now I'm enjoying being able to run & sweat & not focus on wiping sweat from around plastic or wire frames in so that the sweat wouldn't "intrude" into my eyes creating that much more discomfort. Rather now I'll focus on my running form...that is, on improving it. 😂





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Wearing the Right Running Shoes

Funny thing that when I've been focusing on running on the ball of my foot lately - I've also been trimming minutes off my mileage time. Who'd a thunk it?! 😂😜😲 It should save a person in motion time when they're not taking the time to place the entirety of their foot onto the ground before proceeding. It reads like simple science, yet it's never occurred to me.

Likewise, as a newbie runner, the only "running shoes" option I had were the most athletic shoes I had in my closet. A pair similar to these. They weren't meant for running. I managed. The coaches talked about my getting new shoes & how I'd be trimming five minutes off my finish time - easy. Boy I looked forward to this. Why wouldn't it? Why wouldn't anyone?

Trouble was, although a new, & appropriate pair of running shoes would make for less injury, & better running form, ability would come unto itself. Exactly. I needed to form a foundation from which to build & improve & that is something that I didn't even know.

Eventually, because our household didn't know anything about athletic footwear, ultimately our next-door neighbor, who ran marathons & used the greater neighborhood as training ground, was able to assist us (both my brother & I participated on our high school's cross-country team) with attaining appropriate running shoes annually. We'd be able to get suitable shoes, at, or near cost, from a booklet our neighbor had through their running community. Mom & Dad felt good about this option because they knew running shoe stores saw us coming & knew they could tell us anything - we'd buy it - both literally & figuratively.

So my first pairs of running shoes were in men's sizes. That's how the catalog booklet calculated, which was fine. I felt secure in them & maybe too much so...I let my guard down...My amount of effort became effected...I didn't realize any of this...And of course there were many other things impacting my late finish times. None of this I knew back then.

Though I did know it all began by wearing actual, good running shoes like any of these.



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Wearing the Right Shorts

Back in the days when I wore shorts, before I switched to pants (for ease & comfort), & before, as I currently do, where running skirts, I was back there in high school (at cross country practice) awkwardly attempting to wear shorts. They never hung correctly. They were uncomfortable. They, plain & simple, didn't work out for me.

Then junior year happened. A bunch of my teammates were happily & contentedly wearing the same pairs of plaid shorts to run in. Once again I was totally out-of-the-loop on all things "cool" & "in-style". I rolled with it as best I could. I asked my closest friend, who happened to be familiar with the team members wearing these plaid running shorts. (My friend paced with these team mates & so was therefore "nearby" them often throughout daily practices.)

My friend found out about the shorts, though it was still confusing. We learned from which retail store they'd purchased the shorts, & even though Mom & Dad didn't head to the stores all that often, I did mention these "winning" shorts a few times around the house so Mom helped me check out the racks around the store when we had a chance to stop in.

We had no luck. We searched the department high & low. Nothing. Nada.

This is where the joke comes in. When I explained about my shopping fail to my friend I learned that these shorts weren't from our department. The teammates were purchasing these in the smallest size. How was I to know?! I wasn't. I simply wasn't to have a clue. And I didn't.

My friend was a friend to me & went back to that same retailer with me to help me find my way right to the rack of them. The store only had four pairs in stock in the size small enough to fit us. Two were the same shorts. We both picked those, leaving two pairs left on the rack. I only had enough money to buy two pairs & she already owned a pair or two, so she was ready for the register. I picked another from the remaining two options & then I also was ready to head to the register.

I excited wore these shorts for our next practice, a ten mile run down a local main street. When most runners head out to improve their performance, or should I say believe their performance should improve, they typically head out to pick up the best of these. That's apparently not my style 😂; I aim to improve my running technique by purchasing the latest high school teammate fashions. At least I had a I running high for the day (or maybe the week!).

The joke ran on me through the season. I hadn't realized how, well, not-low-key I'd been about getting in on the team training shorts. Our team's annual end-of-season banquet proved this point. It stood as tradition that team's senior class would receive a memorable gift from the rest of the team as led & presented by the team's junior class. The team's senior class would present gag gifts to the rest of the team. This worked the same for both the men's & women's teams; we all practiced together & celebrated together, though the gifts were presented/received accordingly by men's or women's team, not the overall high school. We were all at one big banquet together & watched the presentations of each other's teams.

So when it came time, with me as a junior, to receive my gag gift, there it was. They said something about how I'd been asking about the shorts "all season", & they gifted me with a pair. They weren't a pair to really wear, though the joke remained in tack. When I asked my friend (because I really had thought I'd been subtle), she responded, as kind as she could for us being high school students, that I'd indeed inquired a lot about those plaid shorts.

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The Saturday Morning Run

It must be cross country season as I find myself enjoying another "Saturday Morning Run" & reminiscing about the days of old. Mom & Dad's house was on the Saturday Morning Run route, & so it often got distressing & discouraging to not just stay back at the house as I'd run past it rather than finish out back at the school. I knew the neighborhood streets so I also knew where I could cut out the course as I'd be finishing out so far behind. We never really knew it back then that I needed much more hydration than I was getting. It was commonplace for team members to bring a water bottle (such as a first generation of one of these) & have it ready for when they'd finish up. Sometimes knowing that bottle was sitting back there at the track awaiting my retrieval would be the only thing keeping me from crawling back to the safety & personal feeling of security that my loving bedroom provided me.

I didn't realize that the coaches were paying attention, enough attention to make sure that we were all getting back from being out in the streets. It was high school, after all, & not college, & we weren't yet eighteen year old legal adults. They had a responsibility to our parents that they'd return us to them safe & sound. Besides, the coaches had lived in our neighborhood, one still lives on the same street as my parents, & they know each other. Including having their kids in the same graduating class.

I didn't realize any of the this at the time. All I knew was that I was out running, or at least attempting to (jogging, perhaps? 😏), & I was lagging behind (same old story). I knew the route, the neighborhood, & that I was expected to be a part of the group, which was difficult considering my running abilities didn't match up close enough to the next runners capabilities. My training didn't help me keep up & the other teen girls would have been suffering in their own training had they, well, waited up on me.

Much was likely linked to dietary reasons, as the food I ate wasn't geared toward good workout performance; Mom didn't think of these things when composing our family meal, & desserts, even if simply popsicles (though often scoops of ice cream) were almost always a part of the equation.

Now-a-days I either run laps around where I'd leave a water bottle, or I'd head out with one of these juiced up & ready to take care of me as my run continues on long.


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Professional Messenger

<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=glassblockvis-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B002E0MO58" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />After all the hustle & bustle of yesterday's post (no pun intended! 😂), my "bagging needs" changed in the next half dozen years. By the time I got my second diploma (the one I got when I graduated from college 😁), it was time for the reality of how I was to carry a change of shoes, some food for mid-day, & whatever other essentials I'd find myself deeming necessary as time passed on. I'd become a professional.

My first "long term gig" was in downtown, so I used the public transportation system - a bus - to get there. Since the days of peer pressure in junior high & high school I'd not found myself much akin to the ever lady-like purse (like this one, though not advertised back then for carrying cell phones 😂). I never preferred the way it dangled. It would turn & twist at my side & I frustrated in that I would spend more time awaiting the unravel than actually using it adequately as intended. The straps back then weren't designed long enough to wear across the body - that hadn't become a trend yet - & I couldn't figure out from which shoulder it was to be most dangling...so I skipped out on it entirely...Then again, so technically was Mom. As a little girl I watched her use an actual purse, though one with straps just long enough to put over her shoulder & therefore hold the large bag against tight against her body. She needed the large bag & had everything "Mom-like" inside of it. By the time junior high & high school rolled around she'd greatly downsized to just having a tiny little zipper thing that had her essential plastics (that is, her plastic cards) in it. She'd stuff it into her jacket pocket when the weather called to begin warding off the chill; otherwise she used her pants pocket. When that wasn't a possibility (like when the occasion deemed a dress or skirt necessary), Dad still had pockets & she'd leave her little-zipper-thing back at the house.

So by nurture I was learned away from strappy, dangly bags. I pleasured on the days when I could stick the prevalent plastic cards into my pocket & be on my way. None of these would be necessary. So I began my days of downtown employment with one very similar to this design. Eventually I knew I'd need to graduate & carry another instead. I was dealing with "open top" & the raining factor, as well as potential falling out factor, had me too anxious too often; I needed to figure out the next-best-alternative. A complete flap-over, like I'd see many others utilizing on the bus, didn't seem to be right for me. It seemed to be too cumbersome & complicated with no practicality, a stumbling block rather than a purposeful assistant; a no-go.

Somehow I found my way to something like this. With the additional pocket, sleek color, & plastic buckle clasp, I was winning without a clue that I was winning. I'd learn down the line that this was, what I call, an "advanced fault"; I didn't know what I didn't know.

Once this one wasn't up to snuff & had run its course I went digging among the racks & sniffing out the stores for my next replacement. At this point I'd "graduated" to carrying certain things, like food containers; I still also carried a pair of shoes for around the office. Fortunately, many brands were also beginning to cater to the professional who'd be carting around a computer. I wouldn't be doing this, though I definitely could appreciate the same sized spacing allotment for all of my needs.

My newest problem became this. It seemed to be the latch for almost every one of them. I'd carry it, cross-body style & backwards as to eliminate the situation. Honestly, I couldn't even figure out what the situation was at first. It didn't add up. Eventually, & in some ways too late, (after damaging a few garments) I realized that this couldn't be on any other one I'd ever get. It just wasn't worth the trouble. At all.

I did my research & it's come to this one. Yep. Simple & basic & it's still the one I'm using (though I'm using it solely for toting my laptop). It's all-around durable & great. It has a clip, though not a plastic one, which is also good because it's more durable because of it 😂, & it doesn't have this. The color is great. I can wear it cross-body (so it doesn't get all dangly underneath my arm 😉). (And I do wear it cross-body! 😊😂)


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For the Books

These were always a big thing. Most every year each of us kids got a new one...Mainly because we'd really used the one we had the previous year so much - it'd really been worn through. There'd be snags, or holes, or tears, something making it that it definitely wouldn't last another year so we might as well get replacements while the prices were in our back-to-school buying favor.

We typically would pick out whichever we'd use by heading to the nearest, regular department store where Mom would normally find herself shopping. As luck would have it, (no, really it was all because of peer pressure 😂), during a particular year of high school the going hallway trend, for one, was to wear it with both straps & not just one, which Mom loved because it was better for our backs & she considered the tolls our at-home studying was causing to our backsides throughout the school day, & for two, this brand was the one to be using.

This caught on as time wore on throughout the first semester that year (probably my sophomore or junior year of high school). Trendsetters we definitely were not under our humble little roof, though for some reason this particular trend was one which we managed to catch. Albeit with some strife...I do remember having to "convince" Mom that, although the one I currently used wasn't completely caput, having one of these would be a more lasting solution.

I know she discussed it with Dad. Why wouldn't she? I'm pretty sure that the homework they did, especially as I had at least a year of school left, they figured out that the brand alone was one to consider worth-the-while. Mom did her research & learned of Christmas bargains on the brand. The biggest struggle we ran into, that left despair & hurt in only the way our family relationship can create turmoil, happened to be that when discussing which model I'd most been interested in, I couldn't recall the exact one, so I mentioned the one I thought it might've been. There's where I went wrong...

Ultimately Mom had done her homework so well that they were able to wrap up one like this, as I'd requested. Somewhere in the process of those weeks of the year I did figure out which model I'd meant to mention, which was this model. Mom could tell that something just wasn't as it should be, so she inquired. There's no way to easily write out about the [could've been a] minor meltdown that ensued because of that [poor] decision I chose to make. Ultimately, because of these special coupons, & the extra efforts Mom made on my behalf that Christmas - to attain what she knew to be - just the right one - she had me use my own money to compensate the remainder on the exchange when we returned to the store.

This had an impact on me because I had to accept it despite not agreeing with how Mom/Mom & Dad chose to handle the situation. The lack of grace, understanding, forgiveness, empathy...I could go on...

On a positive note, I did finish high school with this still going strong... No rips, or tears, or snags. Just a well worn, well used look. 😃


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Lamp With a Clamp

Our freshman year dorm rooms had stone age-like lighting. It seemed that the overhead lighting provided by the institution included one, maybe two 60-watt light bulbs. Oh, who am I kidding? 😊 I doubt the lighting was more than two 40-watt light bulbs, or one 60-watt light bulb. The lighting just wasn't there. These were the days prior to LED lighting too.

There was to be no real [read: easy] way to bring in floor-to-ceiling lighting. After all, the freshman dorms were the ones where it was a basic requirement to have our beds bunked just to have enough space to move from the doorway to the room's window completely opposite the doorway. Floor space was of the essence & such lighting as this wouldn't be a practical solution.

Although I did use that study room desk often enough, I found myself sprawled out on my bed with book-in-hand quite frequently as well. I'd either have to team this up with daylight & make sure to read my textbooks before the sun moved away from its perch outside my dorm room window, or I'd have to adjust my positioning in so that I'd be able to catch enough of that little bit of provided-overhead-dorm-room-lighting in order to continue reading on.

Flashlight, you suggest? I don't remember having one with me at school. I'd have had to hold it & shine it as necessary while indulging in my texts if I'd had one, & this wouldn't have been favorable multi-tasking. 😂 And the genius that is the flashlight app on everyone's smartphone hadn't yet set foot, well, anywhere. Somehow I managed. I'm still not quite sure how I did. Though I know it wasn't until Valentine's Day, a month into my second semester, that a solution presented itself.

I don't remember if it came viable postal mail, or if it was something I unwrapped while stopping back at Mom & Dad's house (that mid-February point would have been near enough to the school's scheduled Spring Break - though that would've been at six weeks into the semester, not four weeks). What I do remember is that I had one of these now & it could clip onto the iron bedframe that was my lower bunk, I could angle its neck accordingly to my position, & I could lean on this, which I'd already been using for months & I could study & I could learn.

I suddenly found hope in the semester. 📚



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Lamp Especially for Study

When I walked into the "study room" I was to share with three others my freshman year, I planned to set down the bedside/desk lamp I'd brought from my own bedroom atop the corner of this desk-on-loan. Well, I actually did set it down (imagine this with a crystal base), though not without observing the type of desk lamp made obvious for this such purpose.

Mom & Dad could see that I was excited about this practical alternative. And with my birthday at the start of the school year, at least this time around, 😊 I made out well because of it. Oftentimes at my birthday I'd get these & these. Although my brother also would, because he needed them just as much as I did. In however many words it took, I'd be gently, parenting-style, informed that it all made sense & I got what I needed, didn't I?

I remember when my brother saw this gift - after I unwrapped it, that is. He took to jealousy stating something about, "How come she got that just because the school year had begun?" Mom & Dad explained what they witnessed on move-in day & how I'd shown an interest in one of these; it only made sense to get one for me with my birthday at the same time. And had he (my brother) taken to something in a similar way around his birthday - he'd also have highly likely received it wrapped up for the occasion. Oh, & mine had the compartments, though none designed to assist with an iPad as iPads hadn't yet been invented. 😂

I don't have many memories of such bliss in my adolescence, though this one surely was a winner of a memory - and, yes, as a birthday too.


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A Dorm Room Pantry

My college "pantry", if you will, had been a bright pink square crate. It amazes me how many things I'd have in that crate - to munch on in the-cafeteria-is-closed emergencies - that I'd simply not consider eating - because it's purely processed food - at this point in my life. Incidentally, many of these things aren't even things I thought I'd enjoy. They came to me, before college (while still living at Mom & Dad's house), completely by happenchance.


1.

Okay, these in general, though really, specifically, these. We had them often at Mom & Dad's house. When Kellogg's came out with this variety, either Mom had a specific coupon just for it (companies do that when they're kicking off a new variety - they process coupons set specifically for their new creation in order to particularly highlight it), or she happened to pick up a box of them because there weren't many options left on the shelf when she was filling her cart with the remaining selection.

Either way we had this box that, I think she figured my brother would take to & end up mostly eating; he didn't. I recall her considering to possibly toss whatever was remaining of the box, one package, or one piece, because it was just sitting there taking up space & getting stale. I'd had at least one of them & enjoyed the one I'd had. So I basically volunteered to eat the remainder of the box & I enjoyed it. It was like having a softened cookie.

So, instead of Mom tossing remainders & kicking the variety off our future shopping lists for good, she instead added it on as a "winner" in my book.


2.

A huge onion eater as a kid (I think it was because it was so abnormal to bother & do - & it was really only the sweet onions; the Vidalia variety), I turned to this variety, if not this mainstream, the original variety. Like with the first item already mentioned, I think I found my way to this variety simply because the store was running a sale, I had a manufacturer's coupon to pick out probably four or six & there weren't enough of those varieties I wished to pick (probably a bunch of these & I truly do not care for them at all - I don't enjoy this flavor). So, I picked this knowing that it stood a good chance of being one I'd enjoy & wouldn't considering pitching half before I'd finished it. (Mom & Dad "trained" us well to finish all of our food - no matter.)

3.

Our family had plenty of this mix where we'd be adding milk & blending. Though when these hit the store's shelves, again, we'd be clipping out the corresponding manufacturer's coupons to add them into our grocery cart too. I think these are the first that I began not getting. Mainly because at one point, I believe it was my sophomore year of college, I began eating one & found it to be super sugary. Almost as if the batch I had happened to be "over sugared". Of course this wasn't true, though I did give a neighbor the remainder of my four-pack & I don't think I've ever had one since. Vanilla had been my preferred flavor.


4.

These have always been a quick & convenient, go-to item. It's been less than a year since the last time I had one of these. I know there's added sugar in them, though I'd been sick overnight & simply reached for them as they were something that would slide on down, providing me some substance, weight (more than drinking soup broth), & a caloric intake, so as I made my way out-n-about I'd have a bit of energy in me. They're designed to be eaten by spoon, though they can be had by drinking [read: slurping] them out of their plastic dishes. I like cinnamon with mine.


5.

As mentioned here, crackers come around sometimes too. These I had in my dorm room from time to time, though these are definitely my preference. Varieties are introduced often enough & those I might prefer today (these & these) weren't necessarily around back in the day of my dorm room stays (which is when I'd have these & these around!).


My food habits have changed plenty from the days of stowing these boxes & containers in a crate in the corner of my dorm room. I'm continuously improving on shopping the perimeter of the grocery store, & not so much the aisles within. Farm foods have a whole new meaning to me & I incorporate them most often. Many say, "Everything in moderation." Though it's likely that their "moderation" is quite frequent. 😂 Revisiting these gems from my dorm room days acknowledges that time has certainly passed since I called a dorm room "my oasis" 😂...& just how much my personal eating habits have turned to "farm foods".


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Cereal: It's Not Just For Breakfast: Party Mix Edition

Our cereal pantry wouldn't be complete without mentioning this cereal. Our family favored this & this, though when it was time to "home make" this, we'd have this on hand as well as a bran version that's since been discontinued, in so that we'd have four varieties coming together when we made it for ourselves. Mom would collect the corresponding manufacturer's coupons & we'd be stocked up.

Dad, ever the measurer, would have one of our sets of these out & he'd be finely measuring each ingredient for our homemade batch. Each cereal box promoted to be included had the recipe on it, & the recipe was designed for a large bowl to be measured & mixed in the microwave oven. Dad would lay out a long strand of these to pour the hot-from-the-bowl mixture onto when it was time for it to cool. And this would've been before they began selling them in the smaller sheets. The kitchen would smell of this & the salt would mentally draw everyone for a nibble.

We most often had it in large supply coming up now, at this time of the year. Dad would often look to mix fresh batches sometime after Sunday church & our weekly early afternoon phone call to Grandma. In this way it'd be ready to go before a Sunday evening football game & he could watch & listen to all of the highlights as well as the game without interruption. Now-a-days, when calling & getting calls from his grandkids, he'll check about how they've mixed up their own batches because "Ya gotta have snacks when you're watching the game." And they all smile to one another over the phone line & share with the cousins & neighbors later on that they called one another about mixing up their respective batches.

It was great to have "leftovers" of the mix because it seemed harmless & even welcoming to have enjoy it as a breakfast - after all, it was made up primarily of breakfast cereal. It was amazing how an ingredient, such as this, could leer an eater on in.

To eat on its own, straight from a cereal bowl, this was my favorite. It felt the lightest on my tongue & seemed most easy to digest. And for someone most interested in eating it dry, these were welcome characteristics.

If it was a gluten free cereal back then, the manufacturer didn't promote it. It probably had high fructose corn syrup in it then too. Most of the varieties that exist today like this, like, this, this, & this  didn't in those days.

I never really got into any of these varieties as I got away from eating processed cereal around the time they were added to the lineup. Though I remember feeling most inappropriate even considering this variety - as if I'd be betraying my enjoyment & favoritism of this cereal from so many years of my childhood. The advertisers had taken everything, including the box's color mix to brand it.

I'm not sure if it was because the homemade version of this was more messy to make as we had it very sporadically. We didn't usually get it premade either. I think this was because it'd have hared a manufacturer's coupon with this, which we would have given preference.

I don't have any memories of being sent back to college, even from an extended weekend, with any remnants of our homemade batches, though I'm positive I had bags of this in my dorm room stash from time to time. I remember enjoying the wafers, because of their crispness, the most. And maybe because they weren't an ingredient included in the homemade version. I'd typically dig to specifically eat them in so that I could bite into them as if they were a cookie & preserve them rather than eat them as mindlessly as the rest of the mix.

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Cereal: It's Not Just for Breakfast, "O" Edition

It really wasn't just this cereal & this cereal adorning our cupboard shelves back before we had a diploma. Yes, it did feel that way quite often, though the manufacturer's kept their coupons rolling off the press enough for our household to experience a few more brands & all the varieties they had to offer.

Case in point, aside from this cereal, my absolute most fav - which meant it was my fav, because it was on sale, & with a coupon easily & often enough that we had it...& that was great! Yes, it was super affordable & made easily for a quick breakfast or on-the-go snack. Mom would sometimes pour some into a resealable plastic bag in the case of an emergency that we'd be somewhere & wishing we had something to munch on.

This variety was my go-to preference as it wasn't as dry in the mouth as the original. Since I'd only be having it with my glass or two of skim milk alongside, preventing dry-mouth coughing & minor gagging was always an added perk. I enjoyed its glazed coating & nutty texture. Which, looking back, made complete sense based on the cereal itself.

My brother was content with (or maybe it was his general preference) the original. He also found contentment in pouring milk directly on his cereal. Good for him. 😂😜😊 There were only these two varieties in existence back when we were attending school. Roughly a half dozen varieties including this, this, this, this, this, & this option were added into the company's lineup decades later; the same holds true for their gluten free options.

I see them all staring me down in the cereal aisle luring me in with their glistening Box Tops for Education clippings dangling from their corners. A program that's started up since our household began adding the brand to the weekly shopping cart. They are one of the cereals, along with this cereal, which I most often reached for in those first days at college when I tired of the processed scrambled eggs & pork fat options.

They remind me of those days & how marketing works now-a-days. The frosted varieties are nearer the floor as the shorter generations are more likely to reach for them. Their box colors are selected purposefully to be noticed specifically for their nutritional intent. And should I reach for them, I make sure to notice the nutritional information panel. The ingredient list with the unpronounceable words included. Various percentages of nutrients & minerals touting the expectations a serving of this cereal will offer the eater's daily health quota. They are commercialized to aid in lowering cholesterol as they are a whole grain oat food...& those whole grain foods help keep our bodies on track. 😁😋

Somehow I distract myself & consider I already have something similar with which to fill this void... the one that's just been created because I dared to glance down the processed cereal aisle. 😂

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Cereal: It's Not Just For Breakfast, Sugary Cereals Edition

After gorging on these I eventually decided to go for it & I ate some of the known sugary cereals. I began with this one. I'd already begun drinking chocolate milk, a no-no at Mom & Dad's house; it wasn't even something they'd buy. So instead of having this cereal & balancing out (literally) my tray with a glass of skim white milk in one corner, & a glass of chocolate milk in the other corner, I began eating this cereal instead. I truly felt like such a rebel. Two huge "house" no-nos...chocolate milk *&* sugary cereal. My oh my what was I getting myself into? 😂

So it went on like this for some time. Me, getting my glass of skim white milk & my glass of chocolate milk & a bowl of this cereal. I'd find a seat in the cafeteria & begin working on indulging in this breakfast. Because I felt so strongly about not putting either of the milks directly on my cereal, I could easily, & comfortably explain to those classmates who'd join me of my disdain for potentially soggy cereal, even for those varieties designed to be saturated in milk first. Milk would be alongside my cereal. I ate my bites & then drank the liquids from the glasses balancing my tray corners in order to wash down my sugary breakfast cereal. It was one of my first "believing in myself" moments. Ordinarily as a kid, even more especially as an adolescent, I'd have quivered at trying to be my own person in such a situation. I was sufficiently able to not put the milk on my cereal, have it on my meal tray, have peers sit around me, & shrug if anyone thought it didn't add up enough to "digest" the concept for themselves. It was what it was. And it still remains so. That's the way I roll. 😋

Eventually I tried a few others. Especially giving a-go to this. Why not? It was chocolate flavored. Destined to energize & roundly complete any studious college student's first meal of the day. 😂 

I hadn't really given much thought to this cereal, that is, not until "the basket".

See, those people who say, "I never win anything." I've never been one of those people. Or, at least my memory has been better, & I've actually remembered winning the "somethings" that I've won & therefore never say I've not won anything ever before. (Or, is it just that I'm that honest? 😕.) Case in point: The basket of goodies put up for raffle in the school's cafeteria. Basically anyone who ate in the college cafeteria on the designated day - in having their school ID scanned, their name was officially entered. My name got pulled at the end of the day. 💃 I got the phone call. 💃

Incidentally the biggest things I remember from that winning basket are two notebooks, one in blue, & one in green (my two favorite colors! ❤😊❤), & an oversized t-shirt emblazoned with this cereal. I was super excited about the winning. As I attended a pretty small sized college, lots of the students were aware of the basket raffle, &, as I won it the year I lived on campus furthest away from the cafeteria, I needed to traipse further with the basket that year than I would've needed to any other year. Therefore plenty of students saw me pass on by. I received many an offer for assistance with getting the basket back to my dorm room...If I'd share some of my winnings with them. 😁 The basket wasn't too heavy, though I needed to put it down every here & there in order to re-grasp it & re-orient myself with its weight. I'd smile, re-orient myself, & be on my way.

I haven't had too much in the way of sugary cereals as of late...Really, not so much since my college days. I've most often aimed toward including as much protein in my breakfast as absolutely possible. These cereals weren't cutting the grade for that. Though I can't deny a particular interest in potentially having a sugary cereal snack later on after having written about these memories. 😎

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Cereal: It's Not Just for Breakfast

Cereal: it's not just for breakfast - or, is that pizza! 😂 After giving a-go to the hot breakfast line at college a time or two, I enjoyed plenty of the cereal bar as well. It was self-serve, which in many ways made it more convenient, especially as I’d be anxious, which meant I’d have difficulties with eating, & I couldn’t get back in to eat later on at the cafeteria, as my meal would have been swiped from my ID card already, & I’d also likely have classes or other arrangements at the later breakfast times too, so easing into the cereal routine seemed sensible for me. Skipping out on breakfast I've tried a time or two in my day, though I've learned it's really not best for me (unless I'm uber anxious, & then I'm likely skipping out on much more than just my breakfast meal).

I know I initially began with these because it’s something that we’d have in the cupboards at Mom & Dad’s house. Dad liked to eat ultra-bran & often; these would be acceptable & routinely came around. They were the more socially acceptable 😊 version of these & even these, which is with what Dad typically had the cereal portion of the family pantry packed full. They must have had multiple manufacturer’s coupons for them, which is what would’ve had them in our kitchen cupboards ultimately. (I know how my parents think. 😊)

This brings us to this cereal. It's definitely one from my childhood. My parents have never been opposed to processed food even though they eagerly welcome every neighborhood farmer's market into their day's schedule. (Dad would often stop at a local one enroute back to the house from work, as Mom would be prepping our family's dinner.) As mentioned here, having grown us plenty of food, most especially fruit, in our backyard, our pantry of cereal options were quite the backdrop, or "fill in" for our options, all things breakfast, as well as, well, whenever. If we'd need a snack to take somewhere, a sandwich bag-sized portion, or something similar, these cereals would provide for an adequate quick reach. Especially this one with its pop-'em-in-your-mouth, fits-snug-in-the-palm-of-your-hand snack style.

Although this cereal ran a little bit more $ at the register. It always needed to be purchased with manufacturer's coupons & only when it went on sale. My brother didn't bother with it. Either he knew I preferred it that much more, or he didn't actually like it. Either way, no matter. Mom wasn't much of a cereal eating person, & Dad stuck to these 😂. Dad was very big on fiber for breakfast. I think that protein was a major after thought. Sugar is the big ingredient that both Mom & Dad fought to keep out of our breakfast food, though these were the days before households were educated & encouraged to read box ingredient labels & not eat those where any ingredients weren't pronounceable. Besides, they (the cereal manufacturer's) were adding in sugars in disguise of various types, among them the ever-popular HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup 😠). Most of the companies have removed many of these horrible sugars-in-disguise from their product line now-a-days, though they're still a processed food.

When I noticed this on the cereal bar I got excited & began eating it as if it were the only food available on the entire college campus & that I was completely famished. Yep, I gorged. Big time. It was delicious! 😋😂 I watched as other students would take the nearby Styrofoam cups meant for on-the-go hot beverages (the hot water for tea & hot cocoa, as well as coffee were neighboring) & fill the cups up with the cereal pieces. When this cereal sits out too long, it softens a bit, not hardens. So either way, having it in my dorm room was a treat - well, it was for the few days it lasted. The college couldn't afford the cereal regularly on its bar anymore than Mom & Dad could afford to lodge it in their kitchen cupboard. While I was away in class & studying, other students who also craved this favorite, helped finish it off. Darn! I had to share! 

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