the little things

paperwork. apparently moving to a different country isn't as easy as just hopping on a plane. who knew? well, i did, but that's because i'm not a moron. i knew this process would be tedious, repetitive, and would take forever (and ever.) what is getting to me is the nuances i've let slip from my mind. the little things that are i know are different here in the states than they are in europe. for instance... date of birth: month/day/year? no. not there. in europe it's day/month/year. phone number: country code first. +1. it only took me 3 tries to get my first set of forms right..not too shabby, right?

those are the easiest of the differences...i don't even want to talk about the metric system. just kidding, i do. i have been to canada a few times so the kilometer is not a foreign concept to me. i was also a huge fan of the card game 'milles bornes' as a kid. however, when it comes to conversions i tend to use "ish-es". for instance: 100kph = 65mph...ish. i also wish we used celsius. it makes so much more sense. who's idiot idea was it to make 32 degrees the mark for freezing in fahrenheit? why 32? i'm used to it, but that doesn't mean it's not dumb. 75 fahrenheit is the practically the perfect temperature. 75 celsius would do more than just melt your face off.

i've never been much for reading directions. i for some reason prefer to learn from my mistakes instead of taking the time to read the instructions first. when assembling things i put things where it looks like they go (manuals are always confusing.) circle circle square square. easy enough? yes, it usually is easy enough and we played games like these as toddlers. there is a reason i don't like taking direction. i'm usually smarter than things. good example: my gps. i only ever really need it when i'm in a different city...most of the time. i know better than it does that 1-77 is never the fastest way to get to raleigh or greensboro. i also know better than it does that i can cut through parking lots to save myself 20 whole seconds. another sign i'd like to wear around my neck: i'm always right. well, maybe not always, but a large majority of the time, i'm right and everyone else is wrong (and stupid)...

i suppose now that i'm 24 (and a half) i should consider taking direction and following rules, but that doesn't seem fun. i'm going to have to quit being so stubborn sometime though. i'll start practicing...tomorrow.