:::Obssessed:::

       It took me all semester but I have finally found two things that I am completely and absolutely obsessed with. I didn't really realize it until I sat down last night to finally complete my Oceans of Stories term paper. After starting about five different times with five different topics and an solid amount of time researching books, the internet and perusing blogs, I had found myself at my desk with no more time to dilly dally about this paper.
   That motivation lasted maybe five minutes, before I had checked my twitter, did a cursory sweep of Facebook and then turned to my obsession, the blog that I check from my phone and whenever I open my computer. I should just make it my homepage but there is something gratifying about having it sit up in my bookmarked pages and clicking on it that I don't want to let go of. The Thought Catalog. Its a blog that a friend sent me a link to about three weeks ago. I have posted in this blog about an entry I read on the website and thought was pertinent to this class and sharing with others. It wasn't until I found myself on about page 800 of the 1000 pages reading blog after blog, that i realized I was not closer to having my paper complete but I felt  so enlightened and so much smarter. I love everything about the blog, the multitude of authors all of different ages, places, and perspectives. I love how there are no limits or requirements for articles, its all open ended and you can read only what interests you. I become completely engrossed within the articles and lose all sense of time and space, I just read until the words become blurry from staring at the computer screen. I took another stab at writing my paper, but quickly found myself in a realm of thought that was rather inquisitive and not very well focused when I caught myself turning to my second obsession...
    OPI brand nail polish. This is a sick obsession that I am financially very invested in. And I have to emphasis that it is not just nail polish that I like, it has to be OPI. Not only do I paint my nails at least once a week, but I am not just a person who can wait for the old polish to chip and then slop on some more to cover it up. I am meticulous and engrossed in a specific ritual. I have to remove every last speck of the old polish, then soak my nails for two minutes, then cut, clip, buff, and prep my nails all before I can even think of what color I am going to put on them. I have ceased going to get my nails done professionally because I can't stand to watch someone else screw with my nails. I have about two dozen colors here ant school and at least that many more at my house that I share with my mom. Last night though as I was once again avoiding my paper, I was really struggling to pick a color, because I narrowed it dow to red....I then realized I have about 6 shades of 'red'. This is when it clicked that this was my obsession. Like the blog the names of the OPI nail polishes entertain and intrigue me, they are all witty and sometimes a pun and its the only way I can remember which color is which. Big Apple Red, The Thrill of Brazil, Bastille my Heart, Malaga Wine, Vodka and Caviar, Chick-flick Cherry, Color to Diner for...and those are only the ones that qualify simply as containing some pigment of 'red'. In the end I decided that I really should get back to my paper and only painted my toes, leaving my fingernails with a simple coat of clear.
    My obsessions are not intellectual or in the least way productive but they are me, but allowing me a time to escape and reflect. They will be there for me when I am bored, procrastinating, sad, or happy. For me they are healing and meditative and as long as they serve this purpose I will continue to be completely and unabashedly obsessed.