Box eight

[afuna]

Sunday, we started to clean out our rooms and I got off to a nice start. Seven boxes! My quota for the week. Somewhat cheating because one of those boxes was almost completely empty, but that is one less box for us to process so it still counts.

Yesterday, I didn't do any boxes, but today I am trying to clear out one box of papers to make up for it. This is box eight.


I thought it was going to be my mom's old work documents, but these were assorted school documents from me and my siblings. And the paper, not mine, titled "Rizal* the Asshole"

* Rizal is our national hero


I also found a cross stitch pattern for Yami no Matsuei, that I'd been meaning to start; almost makes me want to get back into it ;-)

Worst memory brought to mind by this box: our high school computer teacher used to teach us Word and Excel by presenting us screenshots and asking us to identify the functions and shortcuts of individual icons. He also taught typing, but since we didn't have enough computers then, we used actual typewriters.

1. The keyboard layout on a typewriter is similar enough to a computer keyboard to look familiar, but different enough to feel awkward. I was one of a minority who was lucky enough to have a PC at home, but this tripped me up a lot
   
2. I had awkward, awkward finger placement issues: habits picked up from typing on a computer which made me type faster on a computer meant that I was constantly in the wrong spot and felt more secure if I could glance down at my hands occasionally
   
3. Computer teacher loved to test us by blindfolding us, which meant that not only could you not backspace, you also couldn't check your fingers
   
4. My typewriter was old, heavy, and difficult to type on: it had been used by my two sisters before me, and it was at least ten years by the time I got my hands on it. It needed good strong fingers, and a lot of hammering. It was also probably half my weight (felt like it anyway!) and it sucked to carry it to school and back home again.
   
5. Sometimes the hammering at the keys was fun. I loved to imagine myself being some kind of piano genius, banging down on the keyboard with energy and flourish and crescendo and diminuendo. Mostly just the energy. Other times...
   
6. During our final exam, I was blindfolded, typing with all my might, and the typewriter disintegrated right under my hands. Ball bearings literally went flying across the room, and I just kinda sat there in mortification while everyone else finished and left the room
   

I hate typewriters. First thing I did when I got my own laptop (in university, way after high school!) was to learn dvorak to wipe away all influence of those typing lessons ;-)


Weirdest document in the box: an invitation to my wedding with this guy who I used to talk to on the phone all the time. He used to be my classmate, back in second grade, moved schools, and one day when we were in third year high school, he called me up out of the blue and we started talking.

I'm not sure what this is about.High school was so hazy! Perhaps a home ec project? It looks like something the teacher assigned, and I panicked and picked his name as the first male non-classmate that came to mind.

I am pretty sure I didn't have any feelings for him. Unless I did! Who knows? I certainly don't.

I'm not even sure it's him because only our last names are on there. It could have been some other guy sharing the same (not very common) last name. Mystery.



Boxes for this week: 8/7