Pre-College Memories (f'real this time)

It is 10:50 AM on a Saturday morning and I have already squandered an hour of precious weekend time on Biochem Lab and spent another 30 minutes fretting over my study strategy for the two midterms (Biochem/Diseases and Disorders) I have this week.  Yep, the school year has officially started.

The last few weeks have still not registered completely in my mind. I can't believe we've been in school for three weeks already. With the MCAT and being in Baltimore during the summer for the first time, it kind of feels like I've been here forever. In a good way. Which is weird. What I mean to say is, I'm starting to grow accustomed to Baltimore and may not hate it with the same magnitude and fervor as I have in years past. Miracles do happen.

I think a large part of this gradual change in heart can be attributed to the great friends I've made this summer. (Not to piss on my old/current friends or anything, you guys have helped me survive JHU thus far and I am disgustingly grateful for that.) I mentioned earlier that I would talk about my pre-college experience and I guess this is the blog post where I will (kind of) deliver..

Pre-college was, in one word, amazing. It was different. Maybe even life-changing. I haven't felt this way about something since ADVENT...which some of you may know led to my baptism, which is a whole 'nother can of worms that I will delve into at a later date. (I really need to stop saying that.) I may have lucked out because I had the sweetest kids in the history of ever (7 bEAST! but seriously, what bad things could be said about a job where I am literally paid to bring on the fun. THE FUN WAS BROUGHT. >:]

Our floor theme was Harry Potter. I had forgotten how much of a Potter geek I was in my youth until I spent 45 minutes on FB chat with Lien (despite only being in the next room), punctuating each new idea with an effusive "OH MY GOD. YES." With all the jumping around we did, I'm glad we moved in early so no neighbors could misconstrue our ruckus as enthusiastic, Potter-themed, kinky, acrobatic sex. ("Hey baby, why don't you grab my wand and we can try to make something levitate. I can teach you how to make the 'gar' nice and long." Oh man, that just happened.)

A lot of people talked about how exhausting pre-college would be/is/was, but I found it to be relaxing and therapeutic. I guess I'm just wired a little bit differently. When I'm with a group of people, I'm always wondering "Is everyone having fun? Is this awkward? How can I make this better?" I feel like it's my personal responsibility to make sure everyone is entertained or engaged. To be honest, it's exhausting, especially when you are dealing with uncooperative assholes.  More on that later. (Goddamnit, no. Nothing on that later!) But with the pre-college RAs, maybe it was the right setting or just the right combination of people, but I felt like I could just sit back and be a part of everything, without constantly worrying about the inevitable awkward silences. In fact, I may have spent the entire five weeks shamelessly basking in the peaceful atmosphere of the Wolman office. Compared to the hectic conditions of summers past, this was therapy. Pure unadulterated therapy. I would wake up, grab a cup of coffee, and just park myself in the office. Occasionally, I would offer to help out in order to defuse any suspicions as to why I was there just...chilling, but I'm pretty confident that I spied a few other RAs with similar motivations just chilling alongside me. No shame.

If I were to go into all the details of why I love pre-college, I may end up writing a 10-page essay and I have neither the time nor the writing skills necessary to do so. But here are some of my personal highlights of this summer:

1.) Meals together at the FFC: We had some of the strangest conversations...We discussed the merits of having a tail as an extra appendage, post-shower toweling routines, and even planned weddings. I was a passive observer of more heated debates over the American prison system and the most epic, Sam-Bill-Jack controversy. Never a dull moment in that FFC.

2.) Driving in the SAC vans: One of my favorite memories of the SAC vans is sitting in the back, windows open, blasting Titanium, and just letting the wind wreak havoc on my hair on our way back from the mini-golf course (AKA failed bowling trip). I think the Pre-College program single-handedly enriched my knowledge pop music and iPod. (I downloaded like 30 songs this summer.) Also, I think I listened/sang along to Call Me Maybe about...200 times this summer?
       a.) Driving to the airport with Jimmy and Chibby. Not being able to find the airport. Ending up in the boonies and having to pull a U-ey. Not being able to find the parking garage. All the struggles.
       b.) Almost daily trips to Rita's with Sam. I spent over $20 at Rita's this summer. My life is full of regrets, but this is not one of them. ahaha

3.) RA Sweatshops! Making dorm decorations, dance decorations, and monthdisks. The Marauder Map locator boards and the Weasley Clock Duty Board? BRILLIANT. Rolling up hundreds of dance invitations.

Best conversation:
Jen: "AHAHA. Work, my slaves!"
Chibby: "I do not appreciate being called as such."
Jen: "...OH MY GOD. I'M SO SORRY!!!!"

I may have laughed until I cried.

Monthdisks. Labeling 400 disks. Making DVD covers. Burning disks. Playing "Would you rather?" at the DMC and STILL not being able to stay out past curfew. ( "I would take a nipple on my penis over everything." Oh, Manchi.) Special brand of hell but I guess I have a little bit of masochist in me because I loved every moment.

4.) KMF. Enough said.

5.) Friendship bracelets. I still have callouses on my fingers.

6.) Writing CRs. Omg, my one kid who almost had a fit after being given reduced curfew. Time of my life.

Ok I got to stop. Memory overload. Still pretty sad I missed out on "The floor is LAVA!" and the Nicole is in jail moments. ): But I did enjoy scaring the shit out of Nicole from under the table. (Still chortle thinking about that.) Also miss giving massages to an overworked Carolyn. And Awkward One-on-Ones with Tiffany. (Trust me, the capitalization is warranted.) Guitar Hero nights with Buddy. Sigh. Profound sadness. Almost makes me want to find another table to crawl under.

Oh man, this was supposed to be a quick blog. I knew this was going to happen! Whatever. I'm sure I haven't done this justice because there is so much more I want to chronicle before I forget, but I have to go to the Indian buffet.

I'm thankful for all of my new friends. I'm thankful for these great memories and experiences. And I'm thankful for all the memories yet to be made (like the 11 cups of chai tea I'm about to have with y'all.) I honestly love you guys. :) 

So It Begins

I have grown resigned to the fact that school starts tomorrow. Perhaps it's for the better, as I have discovered that I don't deal very well with free time. Finished a full-length test then proceeded to reward myself with two hours of Tetris and Minesweeper. I would have watched some White Collar except my computer won't let me connect to Hopkins and JHUGuestnet won't let me use pirated sites. #firstworldproblems

I don't feel like someone who's about to take the MCAT in less than a week. But then again, what is that supposed to feel like anyways? Should I be breaking into a cold sweat? Stress eating? Unable to sustain normal bowel function? This ain't Orgo! I'm just looking forward to getting it over and done with so I can move on with my life....and by that I mean start studying for my normal classes. My life is rife with misery.

In addition to leveling up in Tetris (which is getting damn hard,  STOP IT WITH THE T-SPINS.), I also sent about 600 texts today. Apparently, the key to a successful lockdown is separating me from my phone. Best get the surgical tools ready.

I love texting. You know those people who say technology is ruining personal interactions? That's bullshit. Technology just enables us to keep better touch with the people we WANT to socialize with. Bridging state lines at the speed of light, yo. I am Scrambling with friends in Canada. How's that for international relations? Except he's kicking my ass so...WWIII, bring it on. Which leads me to medical students...why are you so good at Scramble With Friends? Shouldn't you be doing something medical instead of finding the words "toluene" and "serine" in every other round? This is getting pretty ridiculous.

 I'm sad to see summer go.Debating whether I should watch some Lion King right now instead of going to sleep so I can have a good cry and get it all out. "NO. WHY DIDN'T YOU MU FASAAAA?"