SOAR and sleep

An anecdote:

There was a time, in Fall of 2005, when I was visiting the campus. I was with a group of people, but originally, I was assigned to Asian-American Studies. Actually, it was a sneaky way to get into the university, because Asian-American Studies is not impacted, and Business is impacted. I was allowed entry because of the non-impacted major I declared. Once I got in, I immediately switched my major. It floundered by mistake into Marketing, then Finance, before it settled on Management Information Systems.

So I went from a lecture hall in one of the Liberal Arts buildings to the campus, and visiting every part, every nook and cranny. It was a great time. I even watched a video about the campus being *insert microphone with echo* “HUGE!!!” and so on. From there, I got my ID, but I couldn’t register my first classes with the teachers I wanted, because the upperclassmen get first dibs, and I’m left with the scraps, like the others. Add that my first semester had a professor that looked like he in a bloody time warp and had no business to be here, and I can’t say that my SOAR experience paid off in the short run.

But fast forward two-ish years later, and I am sitting on a small wall that says “Go Beach”. A few meters away, the Beach flag is fluttering, that gold and black banner, weathered, a bit dirty, but still functioning like it has always done when it was first commissioned years ago. A small group of young freshmen with stickers on their shirts is accompanied by a couple of juniors dressed in black polos with white floral print. Some of the young freshies are still in awe regarding the place. I kinda feel for some of them because a few courageous plebes are going to go Greek, and I just hope someone up above watches for them, and for the frats that they are pledging for.

I notice the guys with the black aloha polos and said, “Nice shirts. Good job!”

“Thanks!” they hollered back.

One of them says to the group, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the guy that won the Beach Pride program Grand Prize last year, Super Fan!”

I tip my hat, and greet the contingent. It’s a interesting feeling: I have retired from bringing the energy to the games, and they still remember it. It’s fresh in their heads. That’s good, because I believe not only did I do my part, they remember the payoff that came with the publicity. Double win.

They walk on to the next stop on the tour, and I wait a few more minutes on the wall till the next 171 rolls into Beach and West Campus.

I always learn something new every day. I return to the sleep topic. I learned a new thing: at this time of the season, even during this time, sleep is luxury for my Mom. I apologized for not informing her (even though it was just out of diplomacy, she knows just as well as me that the damage has been done, and apologies are meaningless unless the damage is rectified substantially, and that it would be prevented for the long haul and some), but it seems we’re going to have to bring out the Maytag people.

Goodbye Maytag washer and dryer combo…hello, coin-op Laundromats. You know, I found out, it’s actually been a long time since we went to the Laundromat near Golden and Willow. I would go with my Mom or with my sister, and we would use the machines. Sometimes I would wander over to the convenient store across the street and buy a soda or two as I wait patiently for the clothes to finish.

I think those days might be coming back soon, I mean, real soon.