Oh the Humanity of It All

I had forgotten the pain of the first day of school.

I arrived on campus at 9 so I could find parking before the class I TA for at NOON. After parking in an unpaved lot miles from my building, I lumbered across campus in the heat to the new and "improved" (more expensive) bookstore. This was not before I was stopped by two exchange students in the parking lot asking for my help reading their campus maps and before I traversed the quad, which for the first week of school is filled with sorority and fraternity booths. Sadly, none of the sororities handed me their information. My first year as a grad student I was offered ONE flyer, but this year none. I guess the lack of huge sunglasses, skinny jeans, and a tube top was a tip-off that I wasn't a co-ed.

At the bookstore I was asked to wait in a line in the sun to check my bag. I informed the security guard, who I was older and-let's face it-beefier than, that I wasn't going to the text book area so I didn't need to check my bag. Thank god someone distracted him so I could slip by. I made my purchase of a paperback Spanish/English dictionary and the cashier tried to give me 5 pieces of paper about book returns. Um, it's a dictionary... I pretty much know what I'm getting myself into. Odds are I'm not going to return it.

But class was good. The syllabus didn't seem to stump anyone and I got to drink coffee and catch up on gossip. All in all a successful first day.