My "crib" is not the one that I pictured in my dreams.  I live on the 13th floor in room 1303 of the Maplewood Crest apartment complex.  My living space is ideal for a college student living on his own.  I do not require a lot of space, which is nice because I do not have much.  There is only a single bedroom along with a living room and bathroom.  My room is small and has a bed, TV and closet, that mostly consists of dirty, unwashed clothes and my collection of expensive basketball shoes that I bought before I moved out on my own.  The walls are a bland, cream color, with paint peeling sporadically throughout the surface.  I do not own any sort of pet because of my budget and laziness.  I have considered getting a fish to keep me company, but fish aren't exactly man's best friend or great companions.  I own a moldy old lamp that I have had all of my life that rests on my bedside stand.  It does not work very well, but it gets the job done, and holds incredible amounts of sentimental value.  That is the basic layout of my humble abode.  I someday hope Ill be able to upgrade to a better standard of housing.

    I awoke as the scent of burning linen filled my nostrils.  “Great, another kitchen fire” I thought to myself.  They seemed to be pretty common occurrence at Maplewood Crest so I was used to them by now.  I left my apartment pretty early today and figured I had some time to kill, so I stopped by the coffee shop under the art store on Maplewood Ave.  I don't usually drink coffee, but Mondays always sap the energy right out of me, so I needed a kick start.  I finished drinking my coffee and left the shop, when my stomach began to growl.  I noticed I had a little bit of money in my pocket, which was unusual since my job at CVS did not pay to well.  I bumped into a strange looking man as I walked into the Paigeman diner that was located between Maplewood Crest and the coffee and took my seat.  As I sat and ate my bacon, my attention shifted to one of the TVs.  The news was updating the public on a criminal that had been escaped from his holding cell.  A chill shot down my spine as the man on the screen looked exactly like the man I bumped into while entering the diner.   

     I awoke to the sound of rain crashing against my apartment window.  I liked the sound at first, but it quickly became old when a drop of water descended from the ceiling and landed on my face.  From that moment on, I had a strange feeling about today.  It became even stranger when I found out that one of the elevators was out of order.  Although one elevator was still functional, my impatience got the beat of me, and I ended up taking the stairs.  When I made it down to the lobby, my eyes rested upon two fairly large birds that were perched on the counter.  This distracted me, which caused a group of boxes on the ground to elude my vision.  As I landed on the ground, I heard the loud blaring of sirens.  I had a bad felling in my gut.

     I proceeded down the street to the CVS where I worked.  I did not have any classes on Thursdays, so I got to take the morning shifts.  The rain came down harder, and the sirens became louder.  I arrived at the CVS to find police cars surrounding the front of the building.  The front window was smashed in, and cops were all over the place investigating.  One of the cops noticed my CVS uniform and approached me.  My ears were filled with many questions concerning what had just happened.  After answering them to the best of my ability, I was informed by my boss that I could go home.  As I walked home in the pouring rain,  I thought to myself “what a strange day.”

     The day started as it usually did. A constant morning battle to remove myself from the confines of my dingy sheets.  As I exerted all of the will power I could possibly muster to arise from my place of rest, my eyes fell upon my alarm clock.  I had accidentally set my alarm clock an hour in advance.  I sat back on my bed in despair, knowing that I would be unable to return to my state of rest.  I valued every minute of sleep that I could get.  Taking morning classes, and working late shifts at the CVS along with maintaining a social life, and participating in any extra activities is very time consuming.  I sometimes wonder how I am able to survive with the amount of sleep that I get.
     I lazily gazed out of my window at the facades of buildings that were illuminated by the rising sun.  I always liked sunrises, until I became a college student.  I used to think of them as  welcoming gateways to a new days.  Now I can only see them as horrific spears of light that pierce the flesh of my dreams.  As my brain slowly became accustomed to being awake, I went through my morning routine of taking a shower, brushing my teeth, and shaving, which was followed by the breakfast of champions: a snickers bar, and a can of red bull.  I left my apartment complex, and made my way to the subway station, where I make my commute to school since I live off campus.  I walked down the empty steps of the subway station glad to be out of the blinding rays of the sunrise.