"So how was your summer?"
"Well, I'd tell you, but I honestly have no idea who the hell you are."
This little conversation has been the summation of my past few days, and everyone else's too, I am assuming. Sure, it's annoying and makes you want to unleash your angst at hearing the same question over and over again by doing something so violent Hitler would be frightened -- but like the Ween song "Roses are Free" says, "Resist all the urges that make you want to go out and kill."
So having taken your psychological advice from an obscure band, you have obviously moved back into our lovely Charlottesville and are ready to start a new school year at THE University. That's right ladies and gents, welcome back to the same place that is too full of itself to use the term campus, instead preferring "Grounds." We also like to think that we are the only establishment of higher learning in the country, but hey, who am I to point fingers? I love this damn place, and I am very happy to be back.
Seeing all your friends again is a great feeling; moving in and having a fresh start in a new place with new opportunities is also just wonderful. But damn, it is a pain in the ass. Constantly on the move and usually lifting some heavy piece of furniture for someone you don't even really like, this time of year can prove to be a little stressful. But what isn't when you really think about it?
Don't stress out, just relax, take your Xanax or whatever your local pusher gave you and simmer down a little. There is so much to look forward to this year -- and so many more people that you need to meet. Who knows? Someone in the first-year crowd could be your new best friend, could be your wife/husband someday, or could just be another jerk you wish you had never met -- but you have to give them a chance, right?
And what better way to relieve tension than going out in a massive drunken horde of your best friends and scouting the new prospectives in the crowd? I am, of course, talking about the new first-year ladies. They have arrived in bulk. Some great looking, some not so great looking, some nice, some with the personality of a shoe horn. There are so many new opportunities that have just been sliced up and served fresh on all our plates, and our only responsibility is to try not to screw it up this time. Sure you got by last year, but couldn't your grades be a little better? The only problem is that now you are on your own yet again and out of the general grasp of your parents -- it is all up to you.
And what else happened this summer? Isn't there still a war somewhere? Well, yes you idiot; there is always a war. Some country doesn't have their act together and we, the USA, are the only ones with the cajones big enough to do anything about it. But that is too depressing, so what about TV? Well, there is some new reality crap being tossed around, but those things only last a week or so and the producers stop caring when they get their checks, so there's really no hope there either. HBO, as far as I can tell, hasn't announced when season five of The Sopranos will be aired or season four will be released on DVD -- so all we are left with is Spike, which is actually pretty entertaining. Spike, if you aren't Mr TV-junkie, is what TNN has turned into. And thank God for it -- it's like Playboy without the naked people: Just stuff that guys want to watch. Perhaps we have started to overcome that desire pushed by the radicals to keep everything PC and finally realized that entertainment is just entertainment, but I somehow doubt everyone agrees with me.
No sir, just suck it up and move on. There's no winning in a world full of losers and you're just another contestant in the gameshow of life. Try harder this time, and maybe you'll come out on top, but only for a little while if at all. A great man once told me, "Meeks, once you realize that this world is pretty miserable, you can start to have a little fun."
A great man indeed.
Read More
It’s okay not to be okay
By Mai Hukuoka | 2 days agoWhether talking to a friend, a loved one or a professional, it is so necessary, and human, to need more than you can provide for yourself.
Taking a break at Tangerines Kitchen
By Charley Thomas | 3 days agoWhat the restaurant somewhat lacks in ambiance, it compensates for in tasty dishes and prompt service.
Virginia Policy Lab — a hub for student-led policy action
By Katherine Haden | December 9, 2024Students propose their own projects and collaborate with other members to research their issues of interest, brainstorm solutions and write policy proposals.
