A Frenetic First Week

My apologies to my loyal readers (hahaha, I have very few thus far), the first week is always a whirlwind blend between hangovers, rush events and syllabi. Just a few thoughts from my last first week of school:

(1) Journalism students reside in one of the deepest pits of hell
Do you remember that cute girl in high school that sat at the front of the class and had to be admitted to the hospital after hyper extending her shoulder because she raised her hand with such enthusiasm each day (neither do I, because I went to a single-sex school)? Well, in addition to this over eager attitude, journalism students take part in the equivalent of a nerd dick-measuring contest. I have a steadfast rule not to participate in the first day discussion of any of my major classes for fear of sliding into this ungodly conversation. Not one of them can begin a conversation without saying, "Well, when I worked for 'X awesome newspaper everyone in the class has heard of' this summer..." Great. You had a job. Why must you spout your resume before you offer your opinion? Will you be deemed unfit to contribute if your byline hasn't appeared on the New York Times' front page? I suppose in a profession where we comment on others' lives instead of living our own, we are incapable of letting our actions speak for themselves, because, well, lets face it, we do very little acting at all.

(2) Freshman can't drink
I chuckled when reading the stories coming out of university board rooms over the past month, reporting that college chancellors and presidents want to push lawmakers to lower the drinking age to 18, with the idea it will cut down on binge drinking in the dorms, since they have failed to do it themselves. All laughing aside, binge drinking has potentially fatal consequences, and as someone who came into college with little to no drinking experience, I was at a very high risk in getting myself in trouble. Fortunately, I merely made our housekeeper's life much more miserable by throwing up all over the community bathroom. (Note: if you live in the dorms, I encourage you to get a little something for the housekeepers around Christmas time. They really have a miserable job.)
Audrey and I were leaving a rush party to head home for the night when I noticed a young kid attempting to stumble home. I wanted to follow him back to the dorms and document it for your amusement. Audrey had no such thoughts of grandeur. This guy was in particularly poor shape, however. He was not so much stumbling as he was walking nearly sideways, leaning his right shoulder forward, hunched at the waste, staggering with each step. It was as if he was leaving battle with a severed head in his right hand and he wanted all to see it as he romped on home.
My roommate had a less humorous encounter with one of these neophytes. As he was standing around the keg this past weekend, he felt a warm sensation wash over the lower region of his leg. Assuming it was coming from the effects of Tropical Storm Hanna, and being that it was night time, he could not figure out where the warmth that enveloped his leg originated from. A quick glance at at the kid standing next to him, with the "Dude, I just puked all over your leg" look in his eye told him all he needed to know. Important to keep your head on a swivel and leave yourself room for an escape. Also, a great way to exit a crowded room at these parties is to act as though you will vomit. People will tackle each other to get out of your way.

(3) Marijuana is a far superior drug to alcohol.
I understand the potential legal issues I may face in my future for penning this next graph, but I'm keeping myself anonymous for a reason, mostly due to my affinity for the herb. But, in all honesty, from a purely drug perspective, alcohol is a miserable experience.
I really do not enjoy the sensation of drunkenness. You have little control over your body, you act in ways you would not otherwise, and you almost always do something stupid, quite often to your own body, be it injuring yourself (punching windows), injuring someone you like/love (offensive language/behavior) or injuring your reputation (hooking up with slam pigs). Also, if it was a "successful night," i.e. you got blitzed out of your mind and remember little, you likely ordered $25 worth of heinous Chinese food, threw it up all over your bathroom floor and failed to get out of bed until 3 p.m. when rotting General Tso's finally overpowered your drunken sleep. How is this considered successful?
Now, I am not one that advocates marijuana's artistic enhancers or perceived enlightening qualities, because it has very few. Often, when I get really high, I have all of these ideas I perceive as great, maybe jot down a few, and then read them the next morning and burst out laughing at their absurdity. But as far as mind alterers go, weed blows booze out of the water. It lowers your inhibitions but keeps you in control of your mind and body, allowing for good conversation and reflection. I can hardly shut up when I smoke, and I simply love to get high with a good friend and shoot the shit. It also improves your appreciation for music, and can make a dull book much more interesting. There are few repercussions in the morning, other than apathy, but few college students are overly exited about waking up before 2 p.m., stoned or otherwise.
Booze is clearly my drug of choice for partying, but recreationally, it just does not get it done on a consistent basis. Other than draining my bank account, I rarely regret smoking pot, assuming I would have otherwise lounged around doing nothing anyway. Pot can no doubt waste your time, but, again, college students do this with tremendous proficiency anyway; pot is merely an enhancer to this hobby. As crazy as it may sound, I have a great deal of friends because I smoke pot with them, but still friends I value even when not using with them. People I meet during drinking are usually a hazy memory, and those relationships tend to be awkward outside of booze-fueled conversations.

My apologies for not updating more regularly. If you do happen to come across the blog and enjoy it, or have any thoughts at all, I encourage you to leave your feedback. Nothing helps a writer write like comments, positive or negative. Until next time.