Make Duplicate Keys

So I have written some papers in my life, a few works of fiction and usually I like to wait until after I write something to pick a title. Blogspot.com apparently does not share my enthusiasm for this practice because they made me pick a title right off the bat without writing a single word. I like to wait until after everything has been said, when the end is near in sight, to reflect back on the journey that brought me to this point and pick out a theme that ties everything together in a way that makes readers think 'well if that isn't the meaning of life...'

Blogspot would rather I look around the room and land on a random phrase to describe everything that I will write in the next four months. Well, fine. I started this blog because I am studying abroad in Jordan and my program recommended that I do this but instead of finding a theme and formulating a beautiful title I looked at the wall in front of me and found a flier titled "99 Ways to Cope with Stress" that I stole from the Returning Student Center in Dhahran about three years ago. The suggestion I like best at the moment is "Make Duplicate Keys," thus the title of my blog. Not that there aren't other gems on this list that some Aramco employee drafted as a second thought, never suspecting that it would undergo the scrutiny of a 20-year old college student and anyone who reads her blog. These suggestions aren't even numbered 1 through 99 and I have never bothered to count them but just glancing at the list leads me to suspect that Mr. Recreational Services Employee stopped around 50 and figured no one would notice. Lets take a closer look at some of my favorites and just to make things more organized, lets number them. Also I would like to mention that maybe for emphasis, the author hit caps on a lot of few of these:

1. AVOID TIGHT CLOTHES 2. Make Duplicate Keys 3. Tickle a Baby 4. Teach a Kid to Fly a Kite 5.DEVELOP A SENSE OF HUMOR (ouch) 6.Rub a Worry Stone 7.Dance a Jig 8.Breath slowly 9.Buy a Flower 10. SMELL FLOWERS (those two were right next to each other) 11.Do it today 12.HUM A JINGLE 13.Maintain your weight 14.Say "Have a good day" in pig latin 15.Learn a joke 16.GET TO WORK EARLIER 17.Leave work early(how contradictory) 18.PLAY WITH A CHILD 19.Quit trying to fix other people 20.LOOK AT PROBLEMS AS CHALLENGES 21.Look at challenges differently (also next to each other)

Needless to say this list is a mix of benign suggestions, probably formulated in a similar fashion to how I developed the title for this blog, creepy references to pedophilia and unnecessary insights into the life of its author, who is probably an overweight, socially retarded 40-something with far too many cats. It is also unintentionally hilarious, which to me, is the best kind of humor. Those last two suggestions really leave you wondering, if I look at my problems as challenges and I look at my challenges differently... then what the hell does that mean? I think that thought sums up a lot of why this list is so great. Another good question you might ask about some of these suggestions, especially "Make Duplicate Keys" is how exactly does that help me cope with stress? Personally, I think it was on the author's to do list and he was desperate to fill those 99 slots before 5:00 rolled around. But I suppose the real reason I finally decided to use this list to begin my blogging career is that the author added an inspiring little note at the end. It reads, "P.S. Relax, take each day at a time... You have the rest of your life to live" I like that he added it as a postscript, like a letter addressed to a suicidal friend. But yes, those are wise words and perhaps good ones to keep in mind as I count down the days until I am in yet another foreign country.