Spring Break
Thanks for the memories, even if...
Julie Lord
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Opinion
We have come to that time when students everywhere put on their hindsight goggles and reminisce about the past. Be it a senior's entire college career or a freshman's first foyer into higher education, everyone is packing up, saying goodbye and taking a minute to think about what they will miss. I, however, prefer to look forward rather than back.
As a fifth-year senior getting ready to move out of Macomb permanently and end my time on campus, I would like to take a moment to reflect on what I will not miss.
I will not miss rural Illinois in general. I never fully adapted to being surrounded by cornfields and hearing only the excessively loud roar of freight trains as I settled down to sleep. I much prefer knowing if I feel like getting a bite to eat at 3 a.m., I can find a restaurant I don't have to drive through.
I will not miss the smell of manure that blows in with the country breeze in late spring, nor the pungent scent of pig trailers barreling down the town roads. Though I do appreciate the slightly lower gas prices and lack of traffic Macomb has to offer, on the whole, I look forward to urban and suburban amenities.
I will not miss the large population of heavy-drinking, disrespectful, immature students. Do not misunderstand me - I appreciate a good drink as much as anyone, and have had my share of drunken experiences in college. But after years of seeing college kids peeing in yards, laying facedown in gutters, trashing houses, crashing cars and generally acting like total idiots in the name of having "fun," I can honestly say I don't care if I ever get drunk again.
I wish someone would send me a postcard in 10 years to tell me just how many of these heavy drinkers who were "just being college kids" ended up being alcoholics once the campus era was over. If drinking until you can't stand/talk/keep your pants on, passing out in someone's yard, then waking up at 9 a.m. to start the whole thing over again is part of the college experience, count me out.
As a fifth-year senior getting ready to move out of Macomb permanently and end my time on campus, I would like to take a moment to reflect on what I will not miss.
I will not miss rural Illinois in general. I never fully adapted to being surrounded by cornfields and hearing only the excessively loud roar of freight trains as I settled down to sleep. I much prefer knowing if I feel like getting a bite to eat at 3 a.m., I can find a restaurant I don't have to drive through.
I will not miss the smell of manure that blows in with the country breeze in late spring, nor the pungent scent of pig trailers barreling down the town roads. Though I do appreciate the slightly lower gas prices and lack of traffic Macomb has to offer, on the whole, I look forward to urban and suburban amenities.
I will not miss the large population of heavy-drinking, disrespectful, immature students. Do not misunderstand me - I appreciate a good drink as much as anyone, and have had my share of drunken experiences in college. But after years of seeing college kids peeing in yards, laying facedown in gutters, trashing houses, crashing cars and generally acting like total idiots in the name of having "fun," I can honestly say I don't care if I ever get drunk again.
I wish someone would send me a postcard in 10 years to tell me just how many of these heavy drinkers who were "just being college kids" ended up being alcoholics once the campus era was over. If drinking until you can't stand/talk/keep your pants on, passing out in someone's yard, then waking up at 9 a.m. to start the whole thing over again is part of the college experience, count me out.
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 15
AngelD
posted 4/30/08 @ 3:09 PM CST
I have to applaud you for stating what you did about the level of alcohol abuse going on among WIU students...it is definitely something that needs to be addressed by WIU and the city. (Continued…)
Kim
posted 4/30/08 @ 5:50 PM CST
Julie, if you think that living in an urban area (such as your wealthy suburb of Chicago) will keep you away from the "college kids peeing in yards, laying facedown in gutters, trashing houses, crashing cars and generally acting like total idiots in the name of having 'fun,'" then you are living in a make-believe world. (Continued…)
J
posted 5/01/08 @ 1:39 AM CST
I know, believe me. There are idiots everywhere. I get idiots missing the point of my columns all the time...some of them even bother to comment on the Web site. (Continued…)
Dahlgren
posted 5/01/08 @ 10:00 PM CST
I've been reading Ms. Lord's columns for a few years now, and I feel that her confident and original writing has positively contributed to the Courier, preventing it from being just another college newspaper. (Continued…)
AngelD
posted 5/02/08 @ 12:54 AM CST
Well, first of all, my first comment on her article was initiated with quite a bit of positive things to say about the fact that Ms. Lord's opinion of the drinking issue at Western was right on and I applauded her for speaking about it. (Continued…)
J
posted 5/02/08 @ 1:57 AM CST
Idiots was harsh, you are correct, and I apologize. But the writing was solid, and I stand by it. It's unprofessional for me to be commenting on my own column at all, which is why an email would have been nice (and emails ARE included in the hard copies, I am not sure why they don't put them online as well). (Continued…)
Dru
posted 5/03/08 @ 1:26 PM CST
HAHAHAHA
AngelD, I was wondering if you would marry me. It just seems like you everything figured out and that is exactly the kind of person I need in my life right now. (Continued…)
AngelD
posted 5/03/08 @ 9:00 PM CST
Hahahahahaha!!! Hon, I'm sure my HUSBAND wouldn't appreciate the offer so sorry but you're out of luck. I'm not sure where you get that I have "everything figured out" except that I guess it may seem that way when someone points out the obvious to people. (Continued…)
R-Moreno
Franklin
posted 6/13/08 @ 5:04 PM CST
You go for it...
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