Last Week.

The room looked empty. It needed all her stuff back in it, but I had no energy to bring it all in.

“Okay, lets go unpack the car,” Laura said sarcastically. I cannot believe I let her talk me into helping her.

“We have at least six trips to make. How much crap did you bring home for break? You were only home for three weeks!”

We walked back out to the car; a teal Ford Probe GT that was so stuffed, I’m surprised it didn’t explode. I opened the door to pull out her laundry basket overflowing with clothes. She opened the trunk to get out two duffel bags full of clothes. But she tripped, fell flat on her butt, and clothes went sprawling everywhere. It was a classic scene.

“Smooth move, genius,” I muttered in between hysterical giggling.

“I hate you snot. Don’t just stand there, help me.”

I went to bend down and help her, and she grabbed and pulled me down with her. We must have looked like a bunch of fools, but I don’t think either one of us has laughed that hard in a long time.

Velcro

“Can we go on a secret adventure?” I asked.

“Of course we can. I know lots of secret places.” Daddy ask.

So, we hopped in the car and drove an hour and a half. All the while Daddy was telling me stories about this secret place. It’s underground. It’s cold. It’s damp. It can sometimes be dark. There is a treasure there that I might find. I could hardly contain my excitement. My dad was the best storyteller, and of course I believed every word he was saying. I was always with dad. Everywhere he went, I went. Everything he did, I wanted to do. My sisters nicknamed me “velcro.”

We parked the car. There were lots of other people there too.

“Daddy, how come so many people are here? It’s not secret if they know about it.”

“Well the place isn’t secret sweetie, the treasure is.”

So we went underground and I was absolutely entranced. We were in a tunnel; a cave. There were shiny rocks and pointed, jagged edged rocks everywhere. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen.  We walked for two hours through all the twists and turns, and dad kept telling me we were getting closer and closer to the treasure.  Finally we got to a door, and dad told me to open it.  There were tons and tons of gemstones and rocks everywhere.  We had found the treasure.

It wasn’t till years later I figured out we had gone to Howes Cavern and the room with the gemstones was the gift shop.

Self-Contradiction

I’m a sophomore here at St. Rose and just this semester I decided to start commuting from home because I felt I didn’t quite fit in with the dorm life.  It’s not that I don’t have friends, it’s just that I didn’t like it.  Now, looking back, I wonder if it’s because social life for college is so much different than what I’m used to.  Let me explain:

I don’t drink or party because it’s my decision not to and I have nothing against those that do, it’s just not for me.  I’ve had bad experiences with alcohol, but I have no problem being around it, I just don’t consume it.  I didn’t bond with many of the girls on my floors/dorms and I’m wondering is it because of me…because I don’t fit into that “college” life image? And if so, how come?  Why can’t people who don’t drink feel comfortable in college life?

I was recently reading an article that was talking about statistics on drinking.  72% said that they don’t drink in excess, they have an occasional beer or glass of wine with dinner.  The other 28% said they have, have had, or may have a drinking problem and be/been treated for it.  Another research was done on college campuses and it was the exact opposite: 72% drink in excess (parties, dorms, socially) and 28% either don’t drink at all, or have an occasional beer or glass of wine.

Why do you think it’s so opposite on college campuses?  How is it that we as a society allow young people to think drinking is a BIG part of college?  Walk around our own campus on Friday or Saturday nights and it’s almost empty.  I’m not trying to sound all high and mighty, I’ve done research on this subject, and it fascinates and scares me that drinking (even underage drinking) has become so socially expected and accepted.

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