...oh, I'm out of school...

My blog feels severely neglected, and while I do have a post coming up that includes people making fools of themselves on camera while playing Wii tennis for the first time, I should, in the meantime, share a fun little story. (On an unrelated note, I like very long descriptive sentences... get used to them...)

Last Saturday, I went to my car and my neighbor was actually at her car. This is, in fact, a rarity; I never see my neighbors and don't even know their names... I think the guy who lives upstairs with his wife, new baby, and two cats who comes down periodically on weekends to ask us to be quite is named Steve... but I'm pretty sure that's wrong... he just looks so Steve-like to me.

Anyway, so I saw a different neighbor. She was putting power steering fluid in her jeep, that, not surprisingly, happened to be leaking power steering fluid. See, I feel a sort of obligation to say hi to any and all neighbors I actually come in contact with. Partly because I have no idea who any of them are, I have no interaction with them, and I think it would be nice to get to know a few neighbors beyond vague references to "the couple upstairs" and "the old guy next door who might be dying." See, lovely terms of endearment, aren't they. The other reason I say hi to everyone is because I heard somewhere that your neighbors who you don't know are most likely to rob you because they know your schedule, and if you let them know you're watching them--even by simply saying hello when you see them--they will be less likely to break in... that's very paranoid, I know, but I really don't know anyone and it's just nicer to say hi to people.

So after I said hi, we chatted a little bit about cars and what a nuisance they are. I told her about the car I drove in high school that had a horrible oil leak that was so bad my dad made me keep a case of oil in the trunk at all times. After swapping stories, she apologized for parking so close to me, and said she'd move her car so I could get out. I assured her I could make it out just fine and she should focus on getting her car in working order.

Then the kicker. As I was getting into my car, she then wished me good luck with school or wherever I was going. I bashfully told her, "Oh, I'm out of school." Her response was, "Oh, I know you're out of school, I meant college." Then, trying to hide a smirk, I replied, "Oh, I finished college, too..." and just smiled as I got in my car while she said with shock in her voice how great it was that I had finished college. I didn't know what to say to make it less awkward, especially since I was already getting into my car, so I instead smiled a thank you and drove away.

I'm not sure if it was because she thought I was young enough to still be in college or that I surprised someone by telling them I do, in fact, have a college degree that made me feel good, but it was a little funny to me and made me smile to myself a little. The more prideful part of me wanted to also tell her that I own the unit I live in--I'm not renting like many at my complex seem to be. But then I'd probably get hit by a truck or something for not taking the compliment and moving on with life.

And just to keep things in their proper perspective, today at work I stood in the elevator wondering why it wasn't going to the second floor, when I realized I hadn't pushed the button. I guess it all evens out.