The Freshman Experiment

Music: Radiohead - My Iron Lung

I wanted to get this really awesome, leopard print hair straightener at the thrift store today, but a bunch of old Betties spotted it and started ragging on “young girls” who foolishly put heat to their hair. I walked up and down the aisle a little more, waiting for them to leave but they kept harping on “the youth of today.” After ten minutes I wanted to yell at them and say “If I don’t straightener my hair it’ll look like a poodle set up house on my head, so get off it!”  Unfortunately, I got sidetracked and saw an amazing, butterfly chair with an awesome cushion. It’s perfect for the common room I share with the DeniseGirls so I quickly grabbed it for only $5. When I went back to the straightener I realized it was gone and surveyed the store, trying to find out who had snatched it. I didn’t see anyone but when I went up to pay for my chair I saw that one of the old ladies had run back into the store to buy it for herself! She kept telling the clerk it was for her granddaughter but she was asking a million questions about whether it hurt to use it. I was so angry.

The annoying thing about thrift stores is that when you see something great you have to get it right away because there is a strong chance that it won’t be there the next time. Once I go back to buy something and see that it’s disappeared, I convince myself that the new owner probably won’t appreciate it as much as I would have, and I go home sulking.

Sigh.

After I brought my chair home I went out with Spaz to the college and lay out on the lush, green lawn. This is normal for us except that it was freshmen orientation today, so we were watching the 2012ers play their name games and introduce themselves over and over. It was so funny and strange because we had to do the same thing last year. The new students were eyeing us and probably wondering why these two crazy girls were sitting around, quietly laughing to themselves. We were at the college for about 2 hours then we went back home. I took a long nap before being awakened by Nuzzler’s call. She’s leaving tomorrow morning for school, so Spaz and I went over her house to see her before she left. As much as I don’t want her to go, I’m realizing that saying goodbye has gotten a lot easier. Last summer I was a pile of tears but this time I hugged Nuzzler and told her I’d most likely see her in October when I visit.

We helped pack her van and now I’m back in my room, trying to pack up my own things. I’ve done at least 150 pounds of laundry and my arms hurt from folding for hours on end (I’m really out of shape!). I’m taking a ridiculous amount of stuff with me but I swear I need it all! Well, maybe I don’t need to bring an entire duffel bag with books labeled “Recreational Reading” because, let’s face it, once the semester starts I won’t be doing any reading for pleasure. I just can’t bear to leave them at home, collecting dust.