So I was just thinking about how great it is to be a student. Okay, no money sucks, but the rest of it is great. Especially when you aren't the one in studying and writing papers.Here is why:
- life runs on an academic calendar, which means, summer break, winter break, and spring break. The real world should also revolve around this calendar.
- University libraries allow you to check out books for months at a time. City library check outs are only for a couple of weeks. And despite how quickly I read a book, it will sit around until the day after it is due. No fees for me at the university library.
- Access to the university gym. Cheap/free membership and nice facilities. I don't have a monthly membership because my year membership cost me $100.......you read that correctly and I have access to EVERYTHING. And the perks of being at a really nerdy school is...there aren't gym skanks walking around in white spandex tights with a matching bra, with their long hair down and makeup done. There is no flirting or salacious activity here. The only thing you have to worry about with these kids is their personal hygiene (which can be equally offensive as the gym skanks - but preferable).
- Student discounts. Why graduate when you can get fat discounts to the symphony/opera/traveling/bus fares/movies etc.
- University cities = biking/walking cities. Tuition is too high to be able to buy a car (just a theory) so might as well bike everywhere. You could easily survive without a car because everything is close enough that you could walk or ride your bike around.
- Random intellectual gatherings. You know, like poetry fests, foreign movie nights, nerdy accordion bands (slight exaggeration). But there is always something going on and you will probably learn something too.
- Conversations in university cities are weird. As a speaker stated in his talk yesterday at church (whose family lives in an undergrad dorm as an RA) lengthy conversations go on about who would win a wizard tournament: Gandolf vs. Dumbledore. Other frequently heard conversations revolve around international policies, the stock market, Ob@ma administration, medical scenarios etc. I feel enlightened every time I get on the bus.
- Always free entertainment with a university because their will always be a chapter of the medieval club. Don't have anything to do, go down and watch fighting with fake swords and capes, and participate in the making of chain mail.
- Time. University life is great because you have so much time. Enough said.
- Last but not least, you won't get a lower interest rate on any other loans you take out for the rest of your life. Cool hu? Okay that one was stupid. That is the worst thing about university life is that you have to figure out a way to pay for it. Oy vey.
This morning while I was lying in bed, unable to sleep, this song came into my head that was sung to this girl that I went to elementary school with. Unfortunately, I don't remember the actual name in the jingle, just the name that my classmates inserted, it goes like this (her name was Becky) "Big Big Becky, put it together and what do you get, a big big Becky construction set". Yes Becky was kind of over weight, but wow, kids are so mean. It got worse, her last name was Peed, and guess what, Becky Peed really did pee her pants in sixth grade during math class. Do you think she ever lived that down...lets just say elementary school was a tough time for her. Then there was a girl name Jennaway- I blame her parents for this nickname- again my mean classmates had a name for her too- it was Bengay or Bennagay, just depended on how obnoxious they wanted to be. Sadly, I still chuckle over this nickname- it is pretty clever and again, very mean, but what were her parents thinking when they named her Jennaway? Bill and I have sworn that when we have a kid someday, we will run all of the names we chose through a sixth grader and see what kind of insults can result from the name. Lucky for me, my name is so common that there were always 3 or more Katies in every class I had. Thus for my elementary career, I was labeled Katie H. Nothing too stupid can come from Katie H....the only stupid thing that came from my name was "The Harvster" but I consider this relatively humane. And finally we have Mrs Anderson, wife of the local mortician/English teacher at AFJR. She was crazy to begin with but there was always this rumor going around that she wore mortuary make-up. I even remember one kid asking her about it during the middle of class. We thought her face would melt off because of this make-up for the dead. So what name were you called, or what did you call other people? Don't be afraid, we all have a guilty past, and besides, you can't be held accountable for your juvenile actions in elementary school, right?
