The First Day

Please accept my apologies for not publishing an entry yesterday. College has taken precedence over everything in my life. Being a full-time student is often stressful. This is especially evident in the first few weeks of a student’s classes. I could tell many stories, both personal and from other students, about the woes of finding classrooms, obtaining books, and finding cash to pay for the seemingly never-ending list of college necessities.

Cash is valuable to most college students. Here we are, straddling the line between youth and adulthood. In front of us is the promise of a better life, complete with a dream job and home to match. Or so that is the dream. When reality rears its twisted horns into our lives, we may not be so sure of that promise.

But, I like to dream big.

In dreaming big, I would love to assume that no college campus will ever have a parking problem. I’d like to think that a school, brimming with great minds and creative ideas, could produce a plan in which every student that has purchased a parking permit could actually park in a parking place. However, this is not always the reality of life.

I can’t blame any of these three drivers. Parking at the college I attend is dreadful. Too bad the Corvette owner had to park in the grass. It rained today. My assessment is that mud and a white sports car probably don’t mix well.

Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully, a sunny, vibrant day. A day where every student has a parking spot and no textbooks are on backorder.

Yeah, that is what I dream. I dream big.

The Last Day

Sunday was my final day of summer vacation. College has returned, bringing with it strange schedules, infuriating parking predicaments, and over-priced textbooks. Please, don’t misunderstand. I absolutely adore college. Being inside a classroom, abuzz with creativity and knowledge, makes me excited. Even though I may complain about small hassles, I assure you that come class time I will be brimming with glee.



To celebrate, Rob and I went on a few adventures. There are several parks in the state where I live. Each seems to be vibrant and equally beautiful. I suppose I was lucky to be born in such a lush environment. This realization aside, you know how most people feel about the geographical location in which they dwell. They usually dislike it, longing for another person’s lawn. I am no exception to this trend. While I realize that I live in beautiful surroundings, I can’t help but wonder what life in states like Arizona and Hawaii must be like. I can’t even imagine how captivating it would be to watch a desert sunset or wake up to the sounds of the ocean.



While an ocean would be enthralling, I suppose vibrant fields of daisies and rolling hills will need to keep me satisfied. And, they do. For now.



While we were visiting the different parks, Rob and I went in search of any wildlife that might be walking about. We did manage to capture several images. My favorite, by far, is the image of the bee on the purple flowers. It was exciting to take the photo because the bee sat so perfectly still.



I fumble with my camera quite frequently. I am definitely not a photographer. I do, however, greatly admire photography. Images always tell me stories. Reaching into a moment of time and freezing everything has great appeal. It is a permanent, visual scene from a story. It’s a chapter to one long novel.



My camera is a dinosaur. I’ve had it for five years now. The pictures don’t seem to come out as clear anymore. It doesn’t matter though. I still have memories that radiate all colors in absolute glory.



While summer has been excellent, I think I’m ready to go back to school. I miss desks, projector screens, and computers. I miss books. I miss open discussions. I miss it all.

At least I know that just like summer vacations, there are still school years waiting.