Don't put cashmere in the washing machine.

40% wool
35% viscose*
20% cotton
5% cashmere

Hand wash cold.
Do not bleach.
Reshape and lay flat to dry.
Warm iron if needed.

Apparently, they're serious about these things. I always thought they were just suggestions... you know, in case you had extra time on your hands for taking special care in the laundry room. But no. I just spent the last 20 minutes carefully peeling my new sweater apart. Because when you put a 5% cashmere sweater in the washing machine with the rest of the clothes you brought home from your junior year of college it becomes instant velcro. The entire thing just fused together. That's not something they teach you in the English department. I think you have to major in textiles, or Home and Family Studies. Yeah, something like one of those. Not Professional Writing.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Sydney. I'm 22 years and 9 days old. I'm about to start my ninth semester at Brigham Young University-Idaho. [Yes, it's going to take me an extra year to get my bachelor's degree, but I'm not complaining and you shouldn't judge.] I'm an English major, with an emphasis in Professional Writing. I'm also studying Architecture and Philosophy. One day I might explain that a bit better. But not today.

Today is the first day of what I'm hoping will be an exponentially better year than the last one. Last year sucked. Just ask my friends. But I did learn a few important things about life and about myself. And so, this year I'm going to learn things, too. I'm going to pay close attention to the little things that life teaches us everyday, that we so often overlook. Things like:

life lesson #1
When your mother offers to do your laundry, let her. She knows that doing what the tag says is vital to the life-span of your wardrobe.


* I didn't know what viscose was, so I looked it up, and I'm pretty sure it's just a fancy name for rayon. Because I don't think that my sweater is made of 35% cellophane.