Opinion
 

Time to prep for fall semester

Jim McCormick
Opinion Columnist

A lot has happened since I last appeared in print. I've read two books, been to Iowa and back, took a trip to the Mall of America and still had time to write some assorted fan fiction. All in all, a good three weeks vacation.

However, it is time to get back to business. The first news item is something that I actually wrote a full column on, but it never got published. I'm going to be on-campus the whole time this year. That includes doing my laundry on campus. I need to get an iron, but other than that, I'm good. I'm just getting tired of having my parents around all the time. It's time I lived for myself, not for my parents.

I came back with a collection of loose-leaf teas, as well as a teapot. I've become addicted to tea. Unfortunately, my coffee pot broke one day while I was heating some water up, so I had to replace it. I'll definitely be spending a good deal of money on that this semester.

I also came home with a 12-pack of beer. It's not for me, though. It seems that I look old enough to buy beer in Iowa, even though I'm not. The clerks didn't look at me suspiciously or anything … but then again they were German immigrants. I still say that American alcohol consumption laws are irresponsible. There are far fewer alcoholics in Europe than there are here, yet they can drink at an earlier age. That should tell us something.

My sister now has car insurance, and is off to dance practice every day for the rest of the summer. This means I'll be alone at the house with the dog. Not much will change, but I will have to fish my CDs out of my mom's car. She still has a few of my favorites in there, and I want them back. I'd like to return to my holding pattern until honors retreat.

Boredom will set in quite quickly while I'm gathering dust. And there's not a whole lot I can do about it, as I won't really be able to leave the house. True, I have my online friends, but honestly, I need real people to talk to. Books may be good things, but they will never replace old-fashioned human interaction.

I'm now at the point where summer has gotten old. That's why I'm almost certainly getting a job next summer. Doing what, I don't know, but it won't have anything to do with a side of fries. Hot oil and I don't get along that well. I'm going to put a bit of thought into it this year, as I don't want to have to scrape for whatever's left once everyone's got their job. It's not about the money; it's about keeping busy.

The only problem with the return trip is the problem of getting everything back to school. I don't know how we're going to do it, nor do I know how we're going to get it all into my room. I'm going to be providing the refrigerator and microwave, and I'll probably also bring a toaster, but since I have such a small room I don't know how it's all going to fit. I doubt I'm going to be able to get the card table in, but that's the least of my concerns.

I'm checking out rental rates for a U-Haul truck so that I can make the move in one trip. That'd be the easiest way to take care of things. 

Now I'm going to brew some of that tea. I'm thinking the almond flavor wouldn't be bad, since I've already tried everything else. And I've already got a set of desk ornaments ready for the time when I finally get an editor's desk.

McCormick, a sophomore biology major, 
can be reached at rantman_2000@sbcglobal.net