thinking; thoughts

a friend and i were talking last night about thinking. how much we think (just about different things), and can we ever shut our brains off. i probably think the most when i am trying to fall asleep. my brain wanders aimlessly about random non-sense, but sometimes they are important things. one of the things that i realized the other night while letting my brain go is that we don't just have first impressions. i believe that we have first, second, and third impressions. the first is when someone else describes that person (or place) to you, and you create them (or it) in your mind. your imagination builds your first impression. then when you actually meet that person (or go to that place) you have the second impression. you only know the exterior, and the small things that are allowed to be given to you at the first meeting. then slowly that second impression sort of fades away, and is replaced with the final impression (which i don't think can really be considered an "impression" anymore). usually that final stage is somewhat different from the second impression as you get to know that person (or place). i love dreaming of what a person will be like when i meet them, and especially places. i can still remember how i pictured my dad's first house (when my parents divorced), and having my picture completely altered when i finally visited.