The Little Things

Random collection of thoughts and observations so far:

The very first thing I noticed on campus during move-in was that I was pretty much the only girl not wearing tiny shorts and a tight t-shirt or tank top. Some were even wearing dresses or skirts. Fortunately I'm not really the type to worry too much about how I'm dressed compared to others, especially on a manual labor sort of day (unless of course I look like a complete jackass, which to them I probably did in my hiking pants, t-shirt, and tennis shoes). Nonetheless, I found it amusing to think of all these clothing-challenged folk trying to haul their belongings all over campus. I was slightly disappointed when I realized that the sole reason they dragged their parents along was to do all the work for them. And when I say that their parents did all the work, I mean that their fathers did all the work. Part of me cringed as the mothers and daughters stood around talking, perpetuating the helpless female image. But the part of me that was pushing a wonky-wheeled cart overflowing with my boxes and bags thought "those lucky bitches."

The next odd thing I noticed seemed at first like it was perhaps just an anomaly. A single skateboarder rolled by on a sidewalk as Angela and I walked across campus. It struck me as odd because I couldn't remember the last time I saw someone skateboarding. I started seeing more and more skateboarders as the weekend progressed and I wondered if they would all be trying to do tricks all over campus and jumping off of anything they could, turning a walk to class into an obstacle course of flailing limbs. But when classes started on Monday and things were in full swing, there was no jumping, no sliding on railings, no shouts of "Duuude! You got mad air, bro!" You see...they actually skateboard here. Like...as a means of transportation. They roll to class, to the bookstore, to their dorms, they slap hands with other skateboarders, and sometimes they roll along really slowly while they're talking to people who are walking...and that's about it.

Tidbits:

The other day, someone said something to the effect of "oh my god, it's sooo humid out!" It was cute.

I saw two barefoot guys in the bookstore the other day. The bookstore isn't really near any dorms or apartments.

From certain spots on campus, we can see smoke from the fires. Earlier this week it looked like a mushroom cloud from an atom bomb. I haven't noticed any difference in the air quality, but my roommate said her contacts have been messed up pretty much since she moved here.

We're close to the ocean so we get some nice breezes, but it does get hot here still. And the fact that it's a "dry heat" doesn't make any damn difference. When you're in the sun, you're baking.

I think I'll try the gym for the first time today. This should be an interesting experience...I can't wait to unleash my paleness on an unsuspecting population...