Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Toothbrush in the Library


There are dozens of ordinary tasks that you do in your home everyday that seem slightly odd when you're living out of a box. When I go to sleep in my apartment every night, I always waltz over to the bathroom and brush my teeth. It's easy, and it's a routine.
Monday night wasn't so routine.
Before going to sleep around midnight, I grabbed my toothbrush from my box and immediately applied toothpaste. There isn't any toothpaste where I was planning to brush.
After crawling out of my cardboard box and into the cold night air, I shuffled over to the front doors of the library, anxiously awaiting the warmth of building.
Clutching my toothbrush, I proceeded to a library bathroom. I wet my brush, and hit my teeth.
A strange feeling came over me when the first person walked into the bathroom.
I felt so weird. I felt so out of place. I felt like a spectacle. But I kept brushing.
The man approached the sink next to mine and glanced at me. He looked curious, but remained silent.
I might have explained the situation, but I had a mouthful of toothpaste.

Another example: Because of the cramped space in a box, trying to apply deodorant can become a little awkward. Solution: Step outside and apply deodorant in the middle of campus. Problem: Now you're the weird guy who's applying deodorant in the middle of campus.

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