Tuesday, January 19, 2010

"What does the A stand for?"





"Name?"

"Lyndsey with a Y"

"Last Name?"

"Sturkey, like turkey with an S"

Eleven years ago, a ten year old turkey with an S met death, but did not die.

While carelessly crossing the street one day, a speeding car struck Lyndsey, sending her flying several feet in the air and landing her in the h. The damages wheren't too extensive, she only ended up with a broken leg and some severe road burns, she wasn't even in the hospital for that long, after five days she returned home. Like all of us, she is lucky to be alive, and today I was lucky enough to have a conversation with her about various things that may or may not ever matter. This conversation was important becase it's our first one, this was our first instance meeting and I most definitely wanted to get to know this stranger better. This is what I learned about Lyndsey A Sturkey.

Well, for one thing, the A is a mystery. She wouldn't tell me her middle name now matter how I tried to finagle it out of her. It didn't work. She appartantly believes that not every detail is necessary, there are some questions she won't answer, and there are some facts she prefers to keep to herself, like her middle name. As an English and Journalism major at Millersville, she is a writer, but more than that, to see her calm stare behind those very cool 50s style glasses, she's also a watcher. I could see her wheels turning as she absorbed sights and sounds, math and science and thought about it, actually thought about things before she spoke. Her calm and mysterious nature, plus the fact that well aware of several of my favorite authors made her instantly more fascinating to me.

It's true, she keeps a journal and writes a lot, she wants to be a book editor but her dream job is to write for the New Yorker. Her high school years were filled with fun and good times and memories of wylin out with her cool nerd friends. She grew up Levittown, a boring town near Philly where not too much ever happened. As a kid, she had a Sega Genesis instead of a Super Nintendo. Her Millersville years went by too fast and she's graduating soon, she picked a major she actually likes and might one day end up living in a box.

To my complete surprise, she would not let me take her picture, upon further finagling we made a bargain. She would make a sign that said "DON'T TAKE MY PICTURE" and of course I would take a picture of her holding it. If she was an animal she'd be a tiger, and she has a bad temper if you cross her and like a true writer she can break you down with words. She's opinionated and more introverted than extroverted, she doesn't party much and never seen a ghost or UFO. Her favorite articles of clothing are her cardigans and sweaters and her three favorite bands are Fanfarlo, Neutral Milk Hotel and The Pixies. She now lives in Lancaster City with her roommate and frequents Senorita Burrita, which reportedly has the best nachos in the world. She is also a big fan of soup, or liquid foods in general.

She does not like sushi, but respects Johnny Depp for his ability to disappear into his roles, as opposed to Brad Pitt who's just...Brad Pitt in every movie. She was a bumblebee for Halloween, and when I asked her what the most beautiful thing she's seen recently was, she couldn't think of an answer.

Last by most certainly not least, her favorite cussword is f**k.