Random Thoughts on Friday the 13th

One week of school down, roughly 80 to go...

Yeah, that's right. 80 weeks until I'm done college. I'll probably end up staying here in State College for a couple summer semesters, granted the classes I need to take are available. And you know what? I couldn't be happier about that.

It's not that I dislike living at home, or that living at school is perfect by any means. It's that, for the first time since my 2nd semester of college, I'm excited about school. Ever since then, I've been...well...distracted. Now I have nothing to worry about but my grades and my physical and mental health. My self-confidence is at an all-time high. To paraphrase the immortal Pat Croce, I'm Kevin Doran and I feel great.

So, one week down. So far, so good. I still don't have a roommate, which allows for double the space any normal Penn State student is allotted. I bet even Michael Robinson would be jealous. My room is messy, but because of the surplus of space, it doesn't even matter. I have crap in all corners of the room, but there's still extra space if I need it. I feel like a millionaire.

The one problem with this is that I don't have anyone to hang out with in my room yet. I am lucky enough to be on a floor with someone I already know (a complete coincidence), and I've held conversations with two other people, including my RA. One of my conversations with my RA began because I was playing music too loud. This does not bode well for him. I mean, it's the first week of the semester--do you really need quiet time at 2 in the afternoon? I just met the other guy today.

My classes are going pretty well so far, though somehow I've already missed a class. Only me. It's okay though, it was just my first recitation class for my American politics class. No worries. My comparative politics lecturer dude is insane. He publicly embarrassed a girl whose phone went off in the very first class. Can we at least get a grace period here, Stalin? (That reminds me, he actually does resemble a European dictator--thick mustache/beard combo and all. Even the way he walks around the room makes me suspicious.) My news writing teacher is also crazy. It's an introductory course, yet we had a paper assigned on the first day of class, without any teaching given beforehand. I guess it's one of those "hands-on learning" classes. God, I hate that.

I applied for a job at Lion Line, which is basically Penn State's telemarketing department. They call alumni, friends and family of students, and other rubes to sucker money out of them. Actually, it's more like begging them for donations, but in such a way that you talk them up first and then BAM! "So, you wanna fork over some cash?" I figured I'd apply just to see what the job was like, but then they told me about the interview. I was handed a "script" to practice, then when the time came for my interview, I'd call their number and go through the script as though I were actually doing the job. You know what? Telemarketing sucks enough without having to do actual work before you get the job. No dice, Lion Line.

I've sent two e-mails to the editor of The Daily Collegian to see if I can get my job back. I've gotten no responses, which means I'm going down there and getting my job back the hard way--via oral sex. Or perhaps groveling. We'll see how it plays out.

In other random news concerning my first week back at Penn State, I talked to Paul Posluszny a few days ago. He was sitting on a bench in Waring Commons and I asked him, "How's the leg, Paul?" He responded politely, "Seven more weeks. It'll be fine." Who wants to touch me?

So that was the first chapter in The Kevo Strikes Back. Stay tuned for more.