2005-03-04 - My life is like this:

I am a loud person. I have a pretty uh, distinct laugh, and can talk a lot, especially if the topic is really compelling. At least one classmate has been heard to refer to me as "that loud girl" and when I laugh in public, people usually look around to see where the hell that noise is coming from.

When I am surprised or shocked, I am pretty noisey, too. Once I was walking around town and almost fell into a giant puddle. I managed not to, but shrieked like crazy in the process. People across the street pointed and laughed at me when it was discovered that I was the source of the noise. I was laughing too, but still: STRANGERS WERE POINTING AND LAUGHING.

At work, I try and keep it together. I call this being a "grown-up". If I am ever unsure about whether or not something is appropriate to do/say/wear/etc in the workplace, i think to myself: would my mom be happy if she found out i did this at work? If the answer is no, then I don't do it. Simple.

Yesterday at work I rounded a corner and collided with a member of the managerial staff. I was in a hurry, and distracted by a particular task. When this manager person grabbed my arms to avoid a full-on collision, I was, to put it lightly, taken by surprise. I let out the biggest shriek ever. Like, ever. At work.

At which point, a sea of heads poked up over cubicle walls, or around cubicle barriers. All the faces had the same expression: what the hell was that noise?

Upon releasing my howl, I immediately covered my mouth. But of course, the damage had been done. I muttered an explanation: I just walked right into so-and-so and she surprised me. But, realizing how silly it all was, I started laughing histerically, as I am known to do.

As the heads ducked down again, I heard somebody say, "I thought somebody fell down." I made it back to my desk but I knew I was just going to keep laughing my stupid loud ass off, so I grabbed my coat and said something about getting coffee. So then I walked over to the coffee shop, LAUGHING BY MYSELF, passing numerous people who probably thought I was on drugs or something.