Both VH1 and Comedy Central are having their end of the year wrap-ups in December (probably so they can play repeats of the events every other hour until February). So, I figure I can get away with it this early, too, especially since this column is my last until 2007 rolls into Charlottesville. Thus, in the time-honored tradition of every columnist ever, I bring you the year in review.
January: I commuted to Charlottesville four days a week from my hometown, a 40-minute drive away. Boring, and definitely not worth anymore chat.
February: Life got a lot more interesting. I studied abroad for a semester in South Africa. Trust, I could spend about 10 columns on my experiences there. So, for the next few months we'll use the CliffsNotes version.
March: I attended classes at the University of Cape Town fairly frequently and taught journalism classes to high school students in townships.
April: I got to check Victoria Falls off of my life's to-see list and bungee jumping off of my life's to-do list.
May: I became addicted to "Lost," thanks to the magic of DVD and TiVo.
June: I visited Namibia the week Brad and Angelina's baby was born (although that wasn't my reason for going).
July: Back from Africa, I moved into my apartment here in Charlottesville. Scary situation -- the two roommates who were shacking up with me over the summer were the two I barely knew. We were bound and determined to be close friends by the time the other two showed up at the end of the summer. While I'll skip most of the details, let's just say the incident known only vaguely as "Wine Night" made those of us involved bonded for life.
August: The boys -- and girls -- were back in town! My friends and I spent the first couple weeks of classes catching up, heading to the beach and generally pretending that academical was not a word. Oh, wait ...
September: Life as I know it at this fine University begins. Read: Football season started! When it comes to Cavalier football, I'm about as die-hard as they come. At the first home game of the season, when the girl in front of me said the defense looked like they were hugging the guys they were trying to tackle, I had to be physically restrained from pushing her. While I realize we may not have had our best season, it did hold a lot of sentimental value for two reasons: 1) It was my last season as an undergrad, and no matter what anyone tells you, it's not the same after you graduate. And 2) I am friends with two of my closest friends because of football -- we were the only chicks on our second-year residence who knew the difference between offense and defense.
October: Classes swung in to high gear, and I tried not to notice. Probably the best news of the month was that my favorite TV show, "Lost," returned to the airwaves. It had been many moons since my South African roommates and I had watched Season 1 on DVD, so I was desperate for a new fix. For those of you who watch the show: Who the hell are the Others, seriously? For those of you who don't, the show is in its third season, and I'm more confused than ever. There is no way I can even begin to try and explain it to you.
November: Here we are at the end of the semester. I'm desperately trying to finish all the reading I've been putting off for most of the semester and plan for those final papers. Football season, sadly, came to an end, but not before my first ever visit to the tiny town of Blacksburg to watch the Virginia vs. Virginia Tech game last weekend. "Lost" has taken a hiatus until January. So, here's to hoping the DVDs of past seasons will be in my stocking come Christmas morning.
December: I realize this column comes out, technically, before December even begins. Still, there's something to look forward to: After finals are over, my life becomes basically stress-free for a whole month. My family goes to New York every year to visit our relatives, and there is no better time to visit Manhattan.
The only flaw in my plan to do and think nothing for a solid month is that whole "Laura should be employed after she graduates" idea my parents somehow got into their heads. I'll be spending the break working at my job and trying to find that elusive non-Comm. school employment opportunity. Until next year ...
Laura's column runs bi-weekly on Thursdays. She can be reached at lskisk@cavalierdaily.com.
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