can't escape it

Living in condo-land in Steamboat Springs, I got pretty used to construction. Every year a new project was going up and the sound of hammers and circ saws was just another part of the atmosphere. Coming to school at the Big Green, I expected a sort of reprieve from all the clamor. Lo and behold I just can't escape. Right out of my window, a Fraternity is being torn down to make room for a new Sorority. At least there is one good part of the story: girls rule!

Poster time

At home there has always been one rule: nothing on the walls unless it has a frame. Freed from that restriction, I am ready to go all out with the posters! Here is generation one!

Its Official

Just like everything else official, commencement had its share of boringness. Actually, it was mostly boringness, that is until our special guest speaker took the stage. Our speaker was a representative for UNICEF and hailed from a village in India that wasn't considered rural. When he first came to Dartmouth to study (class of 81'), he couldn't imagine how Hanover was considered rural. After all there was a bus 15 min from the school. In India, in order to be considered rural, your town needs to be more than a seven day's walk to a bus stop! After graduating Dartmouth, he founded UNICEF and made sure that a new bus stop was built near his town. His story wasn't more than a ten minute break in the drone of officialism, but it certainly made everyone sing the alma mader with a bit more pride at the end.

Kinda like the ski swap...

I got up early and waited in the huge line of college students. Apparently 30min early just isn't early enough for the very front of the line, even though it was 7AM at a college campus! I was waiting eagerly, not at the ski swap for a new pair of powder boards, but a fridge, since this was the sustainable move in sale at Dartmouth. Every year kids throw away fridges, lamps, shelving and even lined paper as summer comes around and the sustainable office collects the surplus, cleans it up and sell it back to freshman. Sounds funny, but the savings are serious. I, for one got a really nice fridge for 25 bucks! Even if I donate it back next year, it was a really cheap one year rental!

Birthday bash

My parents had planned to leave on the 9th. Then the 10th. Then, after watching Serena dispatch Wozniaki too swiftly, they decided to stay in my dorm (no joke, but don't tell my roomate!) before heading out, so the morning of my birthday, I had breakfast with my parents and some good friends that happened to be up for a wedding. After that, enjoyed some orientation festivities and some impromptu tennis. Just as I was ready to take a break, some of my new buddies urged me to come to dinner. I didn't even know that they knew it was my birthday, so when everyone started singing happy birthday, it was a pretty good surprise. On top of that, the waiter was a pretty epic laugh!

S&S

While in Steamboat it is generally OK to leave you firearm in your car during school, I figured I didn't want to cause headlines, so I brought my bow down to safety and security. So much for live free or die!

Movin'... IN!

Sorry Billy Joel, but I'm pretty content where I am. With three days of hypothermia jet lag, my mom and I moved all the stuff into my dorm, only dropping a box once. I don't know if this is going to be a tradition or not, but I am actually bringing the wicker trunk that my mom took to college with me! Unlike most everyone else I have seen setting up their room, my room is stuffed full of sporting equipment with three mini shelves of clothes. Some may think I have it backwards, but the joke is definitely on them!

Along with all the furnishings, college comes with waiting in line for a debit card in town, waiting in line for computer help and just some more waiting in line. Did I mention that I wrote this while waiting in line?