...no, seriously, do you?
I have been feeling some lingering and persistent college nostalgia lately. Don't get me wrong, life now is great. It's just that I start remembering being around all of my friends and the constant activities and that heady mix of being an independent "adult" and still having so few real-world responsibilities. Man, that was nice.
But I have been wondering lately if I am remembering college as it actually was or if I am idealizing it and making myself all achy for it for no reason. Therefore, in typical me-fashion, we will be making a list. And by "we" I mean "me". Just to clarify. "Me" will be making a list.
My grammar-loving self just cringed at that last sentence. O well. I am leaving it.
Comparisons!!! Here we go.
Stress level:
College - Ok, college was mad stressful. Mostly due to that whole homework thing (minor issue, I know). And studying for all those tests drove me nuts. I am not good at studying (I offer a belated apology to all the boys in second west in arend. I practically lived in your study room and I am sure you could hear my sounds of frustration echoing down your hall). Another stress-factor was picking a major early-on and then feeling like the clock was constantly running down on making huge life choices. Luckily, this whole process was exacerbated by every advisor, professor, and random adult constantly asking, "So, what are you going to do after college?" I eventually started wavering between completely making things up ("O, I am going to the Hague. They requested that I be the youngest crimes against humanity prosecutor ever.") or descending into weepy hysterics ("My life is just spinning out of control and there is nothing at the end of it and I am going to die alone and pointleeeeeeaaaah.....). Crazy.
Now - Well, I still feel like the clock is constantly running down on making huge life choices, but I don't think that will ever go away. Uncertainty is likely to be my constant companion. I guess we stress a bit about money for Tyler's school and rent and food and such, but we are in pretty good shape on that front (go Winco!). I stressed about getting a job for a while (thank you, economy, for being in a slump right as I graduate), but I have one now so that is over. The little day-to-day stresses about relationships and life in general are always present, so they don't really count.
Winner: College. Pretty sure that it was crazy stressful. Thank God for those free counseling sessions.
Housing:
College - Dorm life was awesome. So fun. My dorm was this overwhelmingly odd and tight-knit group of people who were so trusting that we often left our room doors open just so people could come by and visit (several off-campus thieves took advantage of this). We had dorm activities every night and organized plenty of our own activities (day-long star-wars-and-pizza marathon? GTA with screaming spectators? poker tournaments? movie nights? midnight sprinkler-running? dang, we were awesome). The easy proximity to food was a wonderful thing and it was quick getting to any of my classes. And, seriously, I don't think I will ever again live somewhere that is cleaned for me. I never scrubbed a toilet or even vacuumed my room (wait...that may have been a mistake). I loved having a small theater, a pool table, a piano, and a huge kitchen around as well. I lived with all of my friends so I had to make almost less than no effort to be social. There were issues with the lack of privacy with the whole roommate thing and the communal bathrooms, but that is not too hard to get used to (and participating in P.E. in high school made the communal bathroom a breeze). I did have to get creative hiding my food deep in the dorm fridge, though. I disguised my ice cream so well, it was crazy.
Now - I do have to clean my apartment, but I have my own space to retreat to when I am approaching the breaking point of my ability to interact with others (also known as "attack" mode). I can fit all my stuff there, my food is not stolen from my fridge (well, only by Tyler, but that doesn't count), and it is located near some of our Pullman-buddies. Of course, being social will never again be as easy as it was in college, but it would be weird to still have random people popping by the apartment whenever they were trying to avoid homework.
Winner: Shoot. This may be a draw. I love having space, but the dorm was tight. Eh, dorm wins.
Food:
College - Between the cafeteria and the cafe, I was pretty set. Sure, some of the food was unfortunate and we may have wept tears of joy every time it was french dip day, but it was plentiful and all we had to do was grab it (no clean-up! huzzah!). Pre-paid meal plans are wonderful things.
Now - I get to learn to make food! My attempts may be slow, but my food is gradually becoming actually recognizable as something edible. It's a big deal. There is always something to eat (so good for late-night munchies) and it is much easier to eat healthy now that we make our own meals. Well, it's also easy to stock our freezer with frozen pizzas and ice cream, but we only do that sometimes. And we have learned to eat cheaply. And that is great.
Winner: Now wins, hands down. I have an awesome chef cooking for me all the time. Victory.
Social life:
College - Oklongboard, encouraged me to do ridiculous and crazy things with them, got me mildly high off energy drinks, and contributed to some of the best moments of my life. My tiny family was easy to hang out with, easy to find, and there was always someone willing to spend time with me when I wanted to. So awesome.
Now - My tiny family has scattered, as tiny college families are wont to do. Not only do we not live in the same neighborhood any more, we don't even all live on the same continent any more. This is sad. However, I have gotten lucky by being allowed into a fabulous community of completely insane grad students and we have done some wonderful things and some incredibly nerdy things together. Who else would I play Indiana Jones monopoly with as ol' indy runs from boulders on the tv behind us? I still am unclear about what that "wrath of cthulu" game we played was called, but it was totally awesome. And, wow, do these people make intelligent comments. Luckily, when I can't follow, I find that sarcasm is a perfect addition to the conversation.
Winner: I think these situations may be too different to compare. College was easier and I knew all those folks for longer, but these people are wonderful. Meh.
I think that in conclusion I will say that college was great and of course I miss it. But now is pretty great as well.
Wow, that was a lame conclusion. Quick, think of something funny...
I ate deep-fried pickles last night.
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