Well fellow students, we’ve reached the end of the summer, and I hope you enjoy our one-month break. I’ll be working on many different projects, one of which will be returning to my small hometown for a while and enjoying the lake, good times and of course, family.
As the youngest, largest and best-looking (Tim Basilica who?) of The Reveille’s staff, it was a hard decision to stay here this summer and work my first semester as a staff writer.
But, I made the right choice, and I’m counting my blessings.
My house in Natchez, Miss., which is more than 120 years old, was hit last weekend by our old, healthy pecan tree. Now instead of a soft yellow facade, there’s a gaping hole in our sitting room and some downed Greek revival columns where our front porch used to be (if anyone wants some cheap antique furniture, give me a call).
The multi-ton tree hit very close to my bed, and had I been home this summer I might be in the middle of all that mess, so here’s to not listening to your mother.
So, now that I’m thanking my lucky stars (and cursing the local bars for $5 covers) that I stayed in Baton Rouge this summer instead of going home after my first year, I’m ready to enjoy a little time off.
My 10-year-old sister soon will be entering the fifth grade, and I’m sure just like ours were, one of her first writing assignments of the year will be “What I did on my summer vacation.”
So, in classic fashion here is my report.
“What I learned on my summer vacation”
1.) Major League Baseball should go back to the old all-star game, who cares if “Now, it counts?” Not me.
2.) You can make it on a Reveille salary – they don’t pay us much, but thanks to some outside help I was able to successfully talk my editors into going out to New York Bagel, Mellow Mushroom and Serrano’s more than twice a week. I went out and enjoyed myself and still never wrote a bad check.
3.) The new $120 dollar Academic Excellence Fee was spent before the Board of Supervisors even voted on it. Here’s to democracy.
4.) To Student Government President Allen Richey, the new Academic Excellence Fee represents one extra month’s rent a student now has to pay.
5.) To me, the new Academic Excellence Fee represents three kegs of Miller Lite, at $40 a keg, (give or take a tap). Cheers Allen.
6.) Some gay people prefer being called “queer,” but I still feel weird referring to them as such.
7.) “Shake your tail feather” is NOT a good pickup line.
8.) Summer movies were not more fun during our adolescence. Remember how great “Bring it On” and “Men in Black” were? Yea, me neither.
9.) Arnold should be California’s Governor (I mean, who would tell him no?), Sean Connery is getting old, and Mandy Moore is definitely hot, end of discussion.
10.) Some bars do use the same wrist bands two nights in a row, so as long as you don’t take a shower you’re good to go.
11.) Sterling has a great pool.
12.) 7:30 a.m. classes are not impossible. However, stumbling home from a Pat Green concert and waking up two hours later for a test is not at all advisable.
13.) The next person who calls Bogie’s a Greek bar (no argument here) should ask LSU wide receiver Michael Clayton if he had a good time there last Saturday night.
Finally, if you thought some of the last few Cuffists were well … controversial, I’d like to introduce you to the fall’s Cuffist, Anna Byars.
Y’all ain’t seen nothing yet.