Senior... Wait... What?

So as I wait for my True Blood episode to buffer, I figured I would do some real school work. Yep, that is right, telling you all about my first day as a senior... in college... that noise was stomach dropping at the though of the real world. So to commemorate this momentous day, I made memos on my BlackBerry all day. Just so I can get this right.

To start off, I woke up obscenely early (6:15 am). Of course I laid out my first day of school outfit as I have done since Kindergarten, yes even when I wore a uniform. Walking out the door, jamming to Sleigh Bells "Riot Rhythm" a pretty bad ass way to start the day. However, what I realized is that this is the beginning of a semester that literally could be the end of me. All 4000/5000 level classes (well I guess that makes sense with the senior thing). Well that was enough to give me a panic attack by the time I got to work, and oddly the caffeine did little to calm me down. By my second class, I was pretty sure that my schedule was actually some sort of sick suicide note. I sat next to my genius friend who told me how he studied all summer for the MCAT while I was busy driving back and forth from Denver.

Then I did the unthinkable, entered the bookstore... On the first day of classes... It was a madhouse to say the least. To make matters even more fun, the course packet I needed hadn’t been printed and the Asian kid behind me smelled like he rolled out of sewage plant. Walking to my next class, listening to Tegan and Sara "Monday, Monday, Monday," I notice the entire campus is walking in the opposite direction of me. I swear mating salmon have an easier time moving upstream.
Finally, I reach my class (Technical Writing... my least favorite type of writing). However, all of the sudden, my day takes a turn for the better. My teacher looks like he is a student, and he starts out saying he wants to teach this class as much as I want to be there! Finally, my pouting in the back is justified! Additionally, a not so bad looking fella sits next to me (bonus points!).

Well, after that my day totally brightened. Classrooms weren't uncomfortably cold, people seemed to stop looking at my periwinkle hair with distain, and I even got a nap later.

Well, my True Blood is beckoning, so I will end this post on a high note. Also, as a new TA I feel like this final song is back to school bonus for everyone, and the title is just so awesome... Pains of Being Pure at Heart "Tenure Itch."

So... tomorrow is the big day huh?!

"So, are you ready for The Big Day" I said to my friend Ben Friday night in the midst of casual conversation.  He looked at me strange for a second as if he didn't know what "The Big Day" was.  I watched the lights in his head flicker on and off for a second before finally deciding to stay on.  Everyone knows what the big day is.  "You mean Monday?" Silly Boy, of course I meant Monday, I love the First Day of School.  Don't act like you don't.

After all, The First Day of School as been a tradition burned into our heads our heads since around the age of four, or five  depending on if your name first appeared on the roll call sheet in pre-school or kindergarten.  Tis' the season for back-to-school sales and specials, school clothes, supply lists.  Just because were in college doesn't mean we have to walk around and act like we aren't excited for the big day.  If anything, we should be more excited and thrilled with anticipation. Yes, Monday marks the end of sleeping in until one and tanning by the water; but it also means the end of summer 9-5 jobs and the torturous pace of summer classes. And if your lucky, by the end of the week,or even by Wednesday, you will get to basque in the other activities that Back To School has to offer you; like puke rallies and keg stands.

So now you are probably thinking, "Where is she going with all this?"  I have decided that since back to school is an annual occurrence in the majority of our lives for the majority of our lives it's safe to say that the first day of school should be considered a holiday.  

I'm now in my fourth year of college meaning tomorrow marks my 18th first day of school. Though purchasing new outfits with financial aid disbursement checks, breaking open fresh packs of pens, and fighting third graders in the aisles of Target for the best notebooks (as if they didn't know "college ruled" is for College kids, and college kids only) now seems routine it still carries the same excitement year after year. It makes me feel rather accomplished.  Happy First Day of School to everyone reading, and if your First Day isn't just yet, I wish it to you in advance.  And lastly, if by some strange occurrence you already started school, I apologize for my tardiness, Happy Belated First Day of School. 

SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS!*

Well hello there gentle blogophiles, my name is Jack (with a C) and I'm here to discuss a terrifying part of life that haunts us as we go off to our college adventures. No, not our illegitimate high school offspring (I'm not nearly cool enough for that...yet), I am talking about immunizations, or the records of them at least. For most, these forms are simply passed from sadistic pediatricians to elementary schools to high schools and so on, so unless you are some backwoods prodigy who can still contract mumps, I'm not here to judge, this is a fairly straight forward process. That is unless a rather bizarre set of circumstances cause you to live in a depressing version of a Rube Goldberg machine like I do.
It's a well known fact that I panic under pressure, so during registration the last thing I want to see is that little caution symbol that warns of impending holds (me). Cue nausea, but it's all ok, it's just immunizations. Now imagine a very lazy pediatric nurse who loathes archiving, the fact that I have two siblings, and a high school that couldn't give two shits about whether the students could survive a polio outbreak. Mix 'em together with a dash of nitpickyness and voila, my immunization record lists my shots as having occurred two years before my birth and I'm labeled the fraudulent, disease riddled kid who took a semester off (it wasn't Rubella, swear). While I like to think maybe my parents signed on for preconception vaccinations, I must face that this is not some fairy land where science cures diseases before the kid can get it. So now I have to attempt to vandalize my record so it doesn't look fraudulent, that or, I dunno, switch to one of those religions that don't allow vaccines (like mormonism, right?). Basically I get to choose between going to prison for fraud or for practicing Islam. AMERICA!

*for the record this is not me chanting a popular "hip-hop" song lyrics, rather screaming in fear and should be read as such.