Prepping for College/Politics

I am leaving for school on Sunday. In fact, I ventured to the wonderful world of Target today with my mom to start shopping for my new home. As we walked through the aisles marked COLLEGE ESSENTIALS (written in a neon green color I can only hope to never, ever see again. Although it did its job because it had the same effect as a light does on moths. Except replace the moths with pre-frosh students and their worried mother who think they need at least twenty-seven towels, thirteen laundry baskets and a full set of china) I got to thinking about how I feel six days before leaving home. I broke down my feelings at 11:15 AM EST like so: 33.3% of me is excited, 33.3% of me is nervous, and 33.3% of me is curious, .05% of me is hungry, and .05% of me is tired. The first emotion to discuss is the excitement I am feeling.
I am very excited to meet new people, gain more independence, and because Islanders Opening Day is only about six weeks away. Everyone says it is only natural to be nervous before going away to school, they are right. Anyone who says they are not nervous is most likely lying through their teeth or has no soul. I like to think there is something for everyone in this world. Some people like sports, others enjoy theater, while some people enjoy switching genders..the point being you are not the only one who likes what you like. That is what is so wonderful/scary about this world. The trick is to seek out the people in your life who enjoy what you enjoy and enjoy doing it with you. For the past 18 years I have found a group of people that I enjoy to be with and I hope that feeling is mutual. To me one knows they have good friends when he or she can sit down and montage and montage hard for hours. (Editors Note: Not sure if montage was ever used as a verb before but it seems to fit in naturally as one)The songs in my montage rotate between, "Twister" by Remy Zero, "All or Nothing" by O-Town, "Zombie" by The Cranberries "Summer Girls" by LFO, "Turn" by Travis, and "A Walk Through Hell" by Say Anything. Curiosity killed the cat. That saying, first coined by Thurgood Marshall (fun fact #1), rings true not only in the feline world but also in 'The Real World' too. Think about how much drama is caused in the house because the roommates are curious. There is always that one slutty girl who is curious as to how fast she can sleep with every person within a three-mile radius of the city they are residing in. Then there is always the token African-American person who is curious about what it is like to "taste the white meat" for the first time, this leads to the southern alpha-male saying something borderline racist that ends up in a race-brawl. All kidding aside curiosity is a weird thing. As much as it can get you in trouble, it can also lead you to new adventures in life. We would live boring lives if our curiosity wasn't a gateway to the risks we either do or do not take. Going to college is just that, a risk. We are hoping that our past decisions which have taken us to this point have been for the betterment of ourselves. We all are spending enough money combined on tuition, books, and room/board to save pretty much every African nation south of Somalia (except South Africa, which is not in too bad of shape) on what we HOPE (keyword) is an experience worth the risk we are taking not only financially but emotionally as well.

Speaking of the exuberant price tag on college (segue), politicians keep promising to lower costs of education (among other things) Now I am not a fan of any politician really. It all comes down to who I hate the least. I supported Dubya in the past two elections strictly because I thought Al Gore was a pompous prick (still think that) and I liked Bush over Kerry because I thought Kerry's face was stretched out almost to the point of snapping in half. I know these are not the best platforms to base your opinion on who you support to be president but I was young. Now that I am four years older, I have decided to officially endorse Barack Obama for the Presidency. Why? You ask. I will tell you why. It is because he has more flair than John McCain. I think Obama has a charm about him that we have not seen since the days of Chester A. Arthur. He has a certain swagger and youthfulness to him that I am attracted to. (emotionally, and maybe a little bit sexually, but hey everybody is gay once in their lives) Once again this is not a perfect system but neither is the government.

MJL