Fall 2011 is marked with an intense
and deeply committed relationship with Lappy, Lamps, and Caffeine. Our love
square not only reflects the longest relationship I’ve ever been in but also
the hardest working semester of my life, which was pleasantly rewarded with the
best grades I’ve ever gotten in my 16 years of schooling. I don’t think I’ve
ever surprised myself more. Lappy, my laptop, and I would spend endless hours
in the library room I cleverly dubbed lamps, for the elegant lamps that lined
the tables. Typically we would be accompanied by Red Bull, my life support, or
on rare occasions coffee or diet coke – this usually depended on the status of
my bank account. Unfortunately this relationship ended… on OK terms, and I
packed my bags and left. It was only a semi-dramatic exit.
In my three years here at
Wisconsin, I’ve only really had one huge complaint about the university in
general: the fall finals schedule. Why do all my friends from home get out a
week, some even two, before me? I never coped well with this horrifying
reality. Going home December 23rd just isn’t fair. Unfortunately, my
reasoning for being so upset (FOMO, or Fear Of Missing Out, on partying in
Chicago) probably wouldn’t go down so well at the complaint office.
Anyway, I made it back safely to
Chicago in one piece. The whole drive I held it together, thinking of ways to
emotionally detach myself from my recent break up. I was ready to move on and
did so in the best way: friends and booze. The first night back I was welcomed
with the traditional ugly Christmas sweater party held at my best friend
Stephanie’s house: Cider and rum, peppermint schnapps and hot chocolate,
seasonal beer, and big hugs. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. By the
end of the night Lamps and Lappy were the last things on my mind.
Now, Christmas isn’t really one of
my favorite holidays. The presents are usually mediocre and the family time is
pretty boring. As a true fatty at heart, I tend to look forward to the dinner,
which usually consists of lamb, asparagus, potatoes, and wild rice. But this
year was different. The wonderful people at the NBA had decided that the best
gift to give to America was the season opener after a long and irritating
player-owner bullshit lockout. All I could think about that day was the LA
Lakers roasting like chestnuts on a fire, a win that would and did give the
Chicago Bulls the momentum to begin an exciting season.
Not much happened the next few
weeks aside from some more partying. My home friends and I rekindled our
relationship with our favorite bar, Haligans. Realistically, we should be on
first name basis with all the bar tenders, but I guess that’ll have to wait
until after graduation. New years was pretty low key, no one really wanted to
spend hundreds of dollars on some random bar special to be surrounded by
annoying suburbans from noonecareswhere, so we had a little party at a friends
house. The week before Spring semester began, I was missing my friends from
school and was getting restless. A visit from Sam and Lizzie shook things up a
bit and we began the regular activities that would pave the way to the daunting
day of graduation (not doing work, drinking, and drunk food).
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