The List Begins

I've spent another Wednesday evening drinking out at the bars with my girlfriend, and the inevitable has begun to happen. Even as I am not yet finished my last semester I start to think about everything I will miss about good College Park and my undergraduate years. Thus, I shall began my list of things that I'll be pining for in the coming months.

It goes without saying that I'll miss all of my friends and family, so I'll spare the tedium of listing them. (In truth: I am an orphan with the social skills of a Beta fish)

Incipem!

The Miss List: #1 Yuengs and Wings

Every Wednesday night at Santa Fe they have quarter wings and dollar Yuenglings. Words cannot express the awesomeness of this. (Although now I fain to do so). Arriving early to the bar, lest that one long table by the mirror be taken, one is taken in by sheer wonder that is the Honey Hickery Wings that await us (After the undisclosed amount of time the waitresses take). Forced eloquence aside, I enjoy them. The beer holds us over until they arrive, and once they do, that's all I need.

(Hangy thing at Santa Fe - June 2006)

Nothing took the edge off of my 5:00 - 7:40 Tacitus class like chicken and beer with "the goils." Wednesday night has always been awesome, generally because it's the time furthest from the following hump day.

The Miss List: #2 ShuttleUM

Walking's for suckers. But then so is car-ownership. I like to think that I'm saving myself a great deal of grief by riding the bus everywhere, and relying on the kind nature of my friends (am I joking, who knows?). In reality, the one time I had close to enough money to buy a car, I spent it all on Italy. Thus, everyday to and from class, ShuttleUM was my option. Now it was often true that the bus went on crazy routes that stopped everywhere before the Courtyards. But it was always nice to know that on my way back from evening classes, I would pass right by the bars, so if it ever got unbareable I could stop in for a shot or two (seven). Plus you never know when you might know the driver, and nothing makes the busride pass faster than exchanging pleasantries. Oh, and the drunk people, they're amusing and sometimes give you hugs. So the bus gets a thumbs-up from me. Which is good because I could never afford gas.

(ShuttleUM - May 2006)

Lucky for me Boulder has a decent bus system that's more or less free for students, so I can continue to nourish my bus-riding habits. But from now on when people ask me why I don't have a car, I think I'll say, "Because I don't fuck the environment, I make love to it."

The Miss List: #3 The Department

Sigh. Today I finished my last exam, and thus ended my last time having class in the Seminiar Room, smack dab in the middle of the Department of Classics. No longer will I sit through a course in the semi-comfortable blue chairs, many of which sqeak horribly as I lean back in them, while paying close attention (to the ceiling). The next time I walk down that hallway glancing into my professors' cramped, but unique offices it will just be weird. A easily recognizable alumni like myself could never just pass through. I would undoubted be irked by the reoccuring question, "Didn't you graduate? What brings you here?" There are only a few better ways than surprise to tell me I don't belong there anymore. One would be a man in a rocking-chair widdling, shot-gun close at hand.

(Marie Mount Hall - May 2006)

Not that I wouldn't want to visit my former professors and classmates, and most of them would be more than happy to see me again, but I will never feel that same way again (entering cheese mode) ... never will it be.... my home. Go ahead and read that last line again, but read it aloud in a tear-torn voice.

Chuckle.

The Miss List: #4 The Co-op Area

I could never quite figure out what this place was really called, but the area just outside the Co-op in Stamp Student Union was, to me, one of the most comfortable places to come when the hike back to Courtyards just wasn't worth it. There were the soft chairs, the familiar faces of students I never talked to, and just upstairs was the food court for whenever I wasn't feeling the line in the Co-op.

(Co-op Area - May 2006)

I spent many an afternoon reading and translating in those chairs, and although the hustle and bustle may have been distracting sometimes, you can't even imagine the shit I could eavesdrop on there.

The Miss List: #5 The CSPAC

Across the street from my dorm of two years was the Clarice Smith Performing Center. No building was more convienent for me on all of campus. Ahh, the days of my 11am MUSC130 class. On top of having practically all of my music courses there, the performance halls were top notch as well. Whether a spectator or performer, I must have been to the Dekelboum and Kay Theatres dozens of times.

(CSPAC - May 2006)

Most magnificient of all was the Applause Café, whence I would purchase a Freschetta Pizza and Sobe Green Tea. Delicious and quick enough to get in the ten minutes between class. Finally the Performing Arts Library was the quiet and comfy for those days I spent doing work before my absurdly late ethno ensembles.

The Miss List: #6 McKeldin Stacks PA

In the McKeldin Library on Floor Six located at the PA Stacks was the Roman and Greek Literture section. And of course the whole library itself is something to be missed. Seven floors of books, study rooms, random offices, computer labs, and of course the Footnotes Café, which could rival Applause in its assortment of sandwiches, soups, and of course, Sobes.

(The Latin Loeb Aisle - May 2006)

In my last semester, as I was forced to read pure unadulturated Latin and Greek the collection of Loebs was invaluable (in a good way). For those of you who don't know, the Loeb Classical Library is a collection of Latin and Greek texts that have both the original language on one page, and then a facing translation. Plus, if need be, I could fit no less than 15 Loebs on my person (in special pockets). But, once again, I was lucky to find a school like UCB, which has a collection of Loebs right in their own Classics department (although the Seminar Room did too).

The Miss List: #7 The Drakos Classic

Living in the dorms with no real way of getting off-campus left me with few choices for food other than the campus dining halls. As I lived in the high-rises the only real option I had was the Ellicott Diner. Now many people have bad-mouthed the ol' Diner, but frankly, they had FOOD! I needed food! Before college, living in my home I rarely had the privilege of having a warm meal cooked for me, so having a building full of warm food was appreciated, regardless of the quality therein. For any of you who have complaints about Diner food, I have one word for you. Cuitlacoche.

(The Diner - July 2006)

Now once I had grown weary of waiting in lines constantly whatever bland concoction they were serving (don't bother point out the hypocrisy in my bad-mouthing the Diner after my previous rant) I became inventive, if you will. Clucker's, the rotisserie chicken counter, often had adequate potatoes, but I disliked the dryness of their chicken, so I would get just the sides and combine it with the chicken fingers from Al's Grill (once in a blue moon deep fried to perfection). Now after getting mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese and chicken so many times I crazed a change. Also the unpredictable edibility of the macaroni made it often a problem. So I got the idea to go to the vegan counter, Sprouts, and get their white or brown rice. Here's the best part: Mix them all together and you get a gravy covered rice and potato sludge which was perfect for masking the occasionally over cooked breading on the chicken, when dipped and covered generously. Since my dorm mates had already named a chicken and fry combo with old-bay and BBQ sauce 'The Classic' my frequent choice was dubbed The Drakos Classic.'

The Miss List: #8 Random Tents

Scattered throughout campus it seemed every other week there was some sort of random tent. What were they for? Damned if I know! It could have been anything from a pro-life rally to an Journalism picnic. The important thing was that they always set the friggin' things up days ahead of time so for most of warm months of spring and fall there was at least one tent somewhere on campus.

(Random Tent - May 2006)

Some would say I'm clearly being ridiculous by saying I'd miss something as trivial as a tent, so I'll just go ahead and throw the metaphor card. The tents represent the unexpected things that would occur throughout my day walking on campus. Some days it would be the invitations to participate in bible study, others the random sandwich board holder trying to save the internet (For the sake of impartiality here's the other side of that particular claim). Although Boulder will surely have it activists (hobos), as CP is such a hugh campus here I think they must ship them all in by the busload everyday (that image makes me laugh). So that's what I'll miss! Do you buy it?

The Miss List: #9 Plato's Diner

Every semi-urban area that's worth mention is bound to have at least one diner close-by (I can think of three within five minutes or so of my current apartment). On top of that, I know that out of the many diners I have gone to in the last week, most of them were owned and operated by Greeks. Wikipedia has failed to explain exactly the five Ws and an H (lamest phrase ever) of the Greek Diner, so all I can say is that they seem do it pretty well (even though I'll wager a Greek is more likely than most to lose a hair in the mashed potatoes). So cutting to the chase (lame) Plato's Diner was always the default place for food when the frequent indecisiveness set in.

Girlfriend (disambiguation): Where do you wanna eat?

Drakos: Meh.... where ever.

Girlfriend: Plato's then?

Drakos: I dunno... I guess so.

(Plato's Diner - July 2006)

I've been to Plato's countless times (I imagine there are only but a few booths I have not yet sat in), and not once have I ever gotten sick enough to vomit (I wish I could say the same about the Ellicott Diner). So I think that's reason enough to go there. Three times I ran into the same person there, I've been drunk there at both 3pm and 3am, I've gone by myself, I've gone with 9 people... and yet, I still can't figure out what I have to do to get them to bring free bread.

Note: I had a picture of Plato's (and of their soup, which barely would've have recieved a 2 bowl rating) but when my camera was stolen I lost it (along with some incriminating shots involving a certain mascot), so for know make due with the world's scariest cat.

The Miss List: #10 College Park, MD

When I first arrived at the university four years ago, probably the most significant change was living with friends rather than family. Living in close proximity with so many college students was definitely something different. The first week or so was really just an extended sleep-over, as my room-mate and I had already been good friends for quite a while. I've heard many people criticize the dorms for a number of reasons, many of which are true, but hell, at least everything was in one place. At home if I wanted something, a pair of scissors perhaps, I would have to go down a flight of stairs and search endlessly through kitchen drawers until I found lefties. So anyhow, for the first two years of college I lived in a eight story, unair-conditioned behemoth of a building (this thing survived a direct hit from a tornado) complete with a fallout shelter in the basement.

(Denton Hall - October 2005)

Although I would never move back into a triple (uuguh) I still had a lot of good times smack in the middle of the collegiate world. But after two years of 'sexiling', arguments (fan related and otherwise), pranks, and completely losing all patience to deal with other people, I was quite pleased with the idea of my own bedroom and bathroom, and so leaving the dorms behind, I got my first apartment. As I'm leaving soon, I see no problem with you all knowing where I live:

(Courtyards - June 2006)

I think I'll get the bad points of my place out first. AIR-CONDITIONERS. Look at the picture... four of them. Right outside my window. Four giant fan units turning on and off (BZZZZZZZTTT) all hours of the day and night. Even now. Right now. This second as I'm typing I can hear one of them going. Right now it sounds like an old refrigerator, which isn't so bad, but this the is one farthest from my window going right now, in a few minutes there will be a sudden clang and the sound will double as two of the four run simultaneously. It would be okay if the noise was a constant thing, ears can adapt to white noise easily enough, but there's always that one hour every so often where it's completely silent. AH!! (the second one just turned on). That hour deceives!! Anyway, as this is the Miss List and not the Gripe List I'll move on to the good. High-speed internet and utilities were included. That's all. I am so done with this state.

The Miss List: #11 Columbia, MD

I know I said the last entry was indeed the last entry to the Miss List. But naturally I lied. It is quite a daunting task to try and discuss everything I will miss about my hometown, so I'll just touch on the few things that pop into my head. First, Columbia was never lacking scenic areas like the lake pictured below, and I can think of at least four others like it. This particular lake holds many memories for me of the days I spent watching the various waterfowl argue with each other. And then there are countless other reasons that the lake has tremendous sentimental value for me, which I won't go into, and who the hell are you all of sudden to care?

(Wilde Lake - June 2006)

I was born in Columbia and moved once when I was two, from one village to another, so I've really lived there all my life, and even in college it remained my permanent address. So it will be especially interesting when I come back from Colorado to find that my old room has been turned into giant hot-tub, although I already have come back to find drifters living there.

(The Drakos Home - July 2006)

Anyway, I wager some of my best times from high school happened in the Drakos basement. Why just the room at the bottom of the stairs alone holds endless memories. Just listen to the changes it went through over the last decade. Originally it was a room that housed a work bench and my father's model train collection. Then it was torn out by my brother, painted purple and turned into The Swinger's Lounge. Several years later the furniture was switched out, and it was to become my Rumpus Room. But then a used waterbed found it was down there and it became That Room with the Waterbed. Why I remember the time I was kicked out of their so a certain person could have a threesome. Sadly a faulty heater for a waterbed = hypothermia, so it was tossed. Then my brother moved his computer in there, insulated and tiled the walls, only to have the bathroom flooded it forcing it to become the Hazardous Waste Room. It was then more or less the Basement Storage Room until just recently, when my brother moved his computer back in there bringing back what I now like to call The Office.

(The Purple Room - July 2006)

So that about wraps the Miss List up for good. I can imagine Boulder will bring about more things I miss about my home, and I'm sure I'll bore you all with my reminiscing, but now it's time for me to stop looking back and starting figuring out where the hell I should be going. I bet you all can't wait for the official start of The Boulder Chronicles next week. Well, I'm afraid you'll have to.