the minor fall, the major lift...

I might be the only one who finds it ironic that all first-year students now have to take an alcohol education course. Hell, I'm closer to being a teetotaling advocate than I am to drinking to the extent that some people close to me do. And yet, every student is subject to this online 'course.' It's supposed to take about three hours, not including the 'final exam' in a few weeks.

What an absolute waste of time. I already blow enough time as it is, watching the Red Sox games religiously and movies whenever it strikes my fancy.

In high school, becoming part of a clique is somewhat inevitable. Be it the 'cool kids', the jocks, the math nerds, or even the outcast clique, you have a group of friends with whom you spend your free time. Same table at lunch, proximal seats in class, emails, the whole nine yards.

I expected college to be somewhat different, but I've been disappointed. The people you hang out with, at least as a Kennedy Hall resident, are the people you live near. This random assortment of people has nothing in common but living on the fourth floor without an elevator. I don't share a major with anybody on my floor, and only share a class with two, and with them, only one class. Where is the networking we were promised all those times we came out to the campus to visit or become oriented? Where are all the journalism majors? Hell, where are all the Arts and Sciences students? My floor has seventeen residents, of whom at least ten must be Engineering majors.

Since nobody else will say it, here it is: college is just as cliquish as high school. Within the first week, you will meet the people with whom you will spend the next year. And like it or not, they're going to be close enough to visit you whenever they please.

Just a quick rant while I'm thinking about it:

How dare Devil Rays fans hold up signs mocking the Red Sox for not winning a World Series since 1918? This is a franchise that has been in existence for a decade and never finished anywhere but the cellar of the AL East. And the fans have the gall to mock a team that consistently places second, more often than not qualifying for the postseason? I truly hope the Rays never play better than .500 baseball. Their fans don't deserve anything. The area can't support sports anyway. Contract the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and put Detroit back in the East.

I was pleasantly surprised the other day to find an email in my inbox commending me for using proper English in my online journal. I made an attempt to respond, but for some reason, the email was declined. If that person is reading this now, I want to apologize for not knowing who you are, and would kindly ask that you contact me so that I may know to whom I should address a thank-you.