Once again, I started to write another post. On one of my favorite topics as of late: Penn State.
I wrote an even better one in my head last night when I was trying to fall asleep. But in the light of the day (which is actually the dusk of the evening now), I cannot remember it.
Since I still have so many thoughts swirling around my head about this whole hideous mess, I want to instead come up with a list of some memorable Penn State moments. I feel for the victims. I truly do. And I am saddened that people lied and covered things up. But I am not sorry that I went to Dear Old State.
Anyway, here goes nothing, in no particular order. It won't mean a whole heckuva lot to most of you, but it sure means something to me.
I remember...
Penn State.
I wrote an even better one in my head last night when I was trying to fall asleep. But in the light of the day (which is actually the dusk of the evening now), I cannot remember it.
Since I still have so many thoughts swirling around my head about this whole hideous mess, I want to instead come up with a list of some memorable Penn State moments. I feel for the victims. I truly do. And I am saddened that people lied and covered things up. But I am not sorry that I went to Dear Old State.
Anyway, here goes nothing, in no particular order. It won't mean a whole heckuva lot to most of you, but it sure means something to me.
I remember...
- Having mono, going home for something like 10 days, and then getting on the Loop bus back to my dorm only to be greeted by several of my friends who were riding around the bus waiting for my return.
- Signing up for astronomy because I thought it was going to be like astrology.
- Forgetting Cris's birthday the day we moved into our dorm rooms because I was so excited/overwhelmed on my first day at Penn State.
- My first PSU game and my very first "We are" chant.
- Throwing marshmallow and getting pelted by some during football games.
- Shouting, "We want the lion" and actually getting him.
- Fraternity parties, especially the luas, hotel parties, and kamikaze nights.
- Trying to hurdle over one of the somewhat low chain-rope-fence things at the Mall and tripping.
- Getting lost at Pattee.
- Hanging out with Shirlee and the girls in the late evenings freshmen year telling stories not fit for print.
- Lying out in East Halls and getting painfully burnt.
- Having my freshmen-year friends take my towel out of the showers.
- Meeting Jen in math class with Wei Ye.
- Being an orientation leader and getting to meet so many new people.
- Being in awe of all the food in the dining hall, including chicken cosmo, fake crab meat, Creamery ice cream, and Captain Crunch cereal.
- Going to McD's Saturday at noon, after a crazy Friday night, and ordering Extra Value Meal #3, which consisted of two cheeseburgers, fries, and a drink, for $3.17 including tax.
- Be a Part From the Start my freshmen year.
- Being bored out of my mind in BiSci, astronomy, and some Greek classics class.
- Loving sociology (but not when my prof said on the first day she does not want to hear about any dead grandmas, when mine had just passed away a month before).
- My grandmother dying at the beginning of finals week, my roommate Russ knowing first and not telling me, and then going home for the funeral and tanking an early final because of it.
- Learning the words to the Alma Mater the day PSU played and beat Notre Dame in 1990, thinking if only I could learn the G-D words, then maybe Penn State would win (they did).
- Walking downtown State College with the goal post and hundreds of other students (yet not knowing a single person) after Penn State beat ND that year.
- Psychology with several friends (Russ, Shirlee, Terri) and over one thousand other students and hardly paying attention.
- Watching Joe Paterno walk by my dorm room, shouting out to him, and being excited when he yelled back.
- Taking a lovely picture with Jen that had something to do with Dallas and having an interesting outgoing answering machine message that did not please her parents.
- Meeting Di in a lit class.
- Giving a speech on seasonal affective disorder in a speech com class right after someone else gave a similar speech.
- Ab buying me a bottle of Hot Shots for my 19th birthday and my friends dropping me off at his place so he could take care of me.
- Going to several formals, including one at Toftrees for DU (and the guys standing up every time a gal got up to use the ladies room) and two at some Chinese restaurant for Phi Sigma Pi..
- Falling down a hole on the way to class, because I ignored the signs, and then being helped to the infirmary.
- Joining the hockey management club (or whatever it was called) so I could watch the Icers play for free (after I took tickets for half of the first period).
- Trying out for the Blue Band silk squad, making the first cut, but being too scared to come back for the second round in the fall.
- Meeting Stan and Katie in the dorms and proceeding to tell them about my crazy lovelife.
- Working in the dining halls, especially singing in the dish room, and meeting Eric (who I proceeded to tell, over and over, why guys sucked), Barb, Beer, and Lara (among many others).
- My 20th birthday, aka my 20-teen, and eating at Mario and Luigi's (angel hair pasta with vodka sauce; always).
- My 21st birthday at the Surf Club, the Skellar, and Zeno's (preceded by a party at the guys' apartment, which they claimed was in my honor).
- Singing "More Than Words" on the roof of DU.
- $1 pitcher night at the Den, ticket night at Mr. C's/Players, Serious Nachos and Bay Fries at the Surf Club, bands (Man Alive) and the Case Study at the Skellar, dancing at the Gaf.
- Sitting outside the Cafe in about 18" of snow.
- Practically tunneling my way to Beer and Eric's during that same snowstorm.
- Movies in the dorm rooms and watching Days of Our Lives in the TV lounges.
- Running along Bigler or Curtain Road around 9 p.m. and listening to Rhythm Nation.
- Doing an ice skating routine to "Respect" for a PE class.
- Scoring around 50 or 60 percent on a test and yet getting a C.
- Finding out I really liked stat class and getting my very first 100 percent.
- Having crushes, falling in love, and getting my heart broken.
- Doing a skit to Alphaville's "Forever Young" for acting class.
- Singing "I Don't Know How to Love Him" for one of my education classes.
- Singing "Vanishing" in the dorm showers.
- Sitting at John Henry's with my feet in the sand.
- The Willard Preacher and Mike the Mailman.
- The fishbowl at the Hub (and it taking me a few weeks before I stopped looking for an actual fishbowl).
- Nittany Notes.
- Nittany Hot Springs (ew).
- Doing the Electric Slide in the quad.
- Making the Dean's List.
- Borrowing my friend Lara's car for a date at a fancy place.
- Hanging out with my bar buddy Chelle, our senior year, and enjoying our swan song bar crawl.
- Going to mass, though not every week, at the Forum.
- Taking a quiz on the Scarlet Letter in one of my American lit classes and somehow guessing correctly, though as a complete joke, that there was a letter A in the sky.
- Going through a rough time, not eating much, and having one of my PE instructors write a very detailed note to me on my food journal.
- Trying to learn the words to "End of the World" with some of my best Pollock buddies.
- Trying out for several choral groups and two musicals and never getting a call back, but never giving up either.
- My one English lit prof who was obsessed with squirrels.
- Staying awake for about 57 hours for Thon, for Big Al, my birthday buddy!.
- The first time I bought alcohol legally and not getting carded even though my then-boyfriend, who was 15 months older did.
- Meeting some of my best friends and doing so many fun things with them.
Penn State.
Comments
Jen: I came up with probably 2/3 of it while I was writing the post; it took me all of 15 or 20 minutes. I thought of the rest (and even more, but clearly the post is absurdly long) over the next two days. If only my short-term memory worked the same way! But aren't you impressed that I still remember (or at least I think I do) our prof's name was Wei Ye (not that I have any idea how to spell that).