First Week - Band Camp

So I'm all moved in at UW-Eau Claire, and I really have not had much of a chance to breathe since I got here, so I apologize to my folks for not calling them, blah blah blah...

So some horrible demon possessed me and told me to sign up for marching band. I didn't really like marching band last year, so I don't know why I thought it would be more fun in college. It's not. I wake up at 6:30 in the morning and kind of want to kill myself.

I miss my old guard. They didn't make me feel stupid, and we all got to be really good friends, I'd like to think. Don't get my wrong, the girls at Eau Claire are all really nice, but, since I'm a freshman, a lot of the upper classmen already have their well-established connections and don't really say much to the freshman. They give us rides and are more than happy to help us out (thanks everyone who puts up with me, I know I'm terrible!), but... it's not the same. I guess that's to be expected though.

So here is my advice: Don't do something in college that you really know, deep in your heart, that you don't want to do it.

Currently, the cafeteria is not open, but we did have dinner there once. The food is okay. I didn't have a whole lot, but I had a brownie, and it was decent enough. I've only been in one other college cafeteria, but this one was pretty much the same. They have a soup n' salad line, the main entree line, pizza, cereal, soda fountain, desserts, etc. Other than that though, I've been living off the food I have in my dorm and stuff like Subway.

Okay, actually, there is this really awesome pizza place on Water Street called Jeff and Jim's. They have 2 slices of pizza and a soda for $5.50, and those slices are MASSIVE. Bigger than Sbarro's, I swear! Good pizza, too. And they are open until 2-3AM most nights. A lot of places are open really late in town. Which makes sense. But it's kind of funny, getting used to "Open 'til 3AM!" and it's not a Taco Bell or a McDonald's.

Tonight, I had a pretty good fruit, yogurt, and peanut butter... thing. It was good.

So I have hardly explored my dorm at all. I saw a kitchen downstairs once, but I haven't been able to find it again. I figure I'll just get a tour when all the other people move in on Sunday, but I'm kinda bummed. I have to do dishes. I guess I'll just do them in the bathroom?

Currently, it's just me, the RAs (Resident Assistants) (I'm next door to one of them), and a couple of international students who are on my floor (I'm on the 9th of 10 floors in Towers South).

Wanna see some pictures? I bet you do. That's what you came for. But first, you have to listen to this little bit:

I miss home. I really, honestly do. I didn't think I would. Rochester is dumb, and I don't miss the town at all. Like, yesterday, they were talking about health care or something on the TV and the Mayo Clinic was mentioned and I couldn't help but groan. I can't get away from that damned place! But I do miss stuff like my house. My grandma's house. My friend's houses. I don't miss work yet, but I haven't had time to sit around and effectively be unemployed. I also don't miss JM, but that's not surprising seeing as how I didn't really even go there the last two years anyway. I don't miss RCTC. Well, okay, I kinda do. When peoples' Facebook statuses were RCTC-centered this past Monday, I couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic. At least I know where stuff is there!

That's one thing I miss the most. Being "omniscient". Like, I know where almost everything in Rochester is (not including residential areas). I know how to get from class to class at RCTC or JM. Here in Eau Claire, I have no idea where anything is. I can get from my room to the Haas Fine Arts center where we meet for band each morning and back. Yesterday, I went to Walgreens to get some soda, and I was really disoriented and couldn't find my way back. It was a little depressing.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, whichever way you look at it, I only have time to think about home really early in the morning or late at night.

Okay, here is my other rant. Dorm showers, at least in my dorm, are TINY. It can't be more than 2 feet by 2 feet. It's a nice enough shower, sure, and it works, but let me tell you about things they don't tell you in the college booklets.

This mostly pertains to the ladies, but... whatever. Ladies, ever tried to shave your legs in a 2 feet by 2 feet shower? I don't know about you, but it's tough! Balance is key (because I sure as hell am not touching those shower walls with any part of my body if I can help it). Also, next time you're in your dorm shower, check out the drain. I just happened to look down while I was taking a shower this evening, and at the drain there's all this hair. Most of it's mine, I'm sure, because I shed like a beast, but that's kind of gross. So don't look down when you're in the showers.

All right, enough of that, here are some pictures.

Here is my nasty tan lines. See that, around my neck? I have sock tan lines too.

This is the view from my dorm room. It's a nice parking lot and all, but I generally prefer the view at night.

... I guess you kind of have to be there to see it?

... Okay it takes forever to upload pictures here, because they don't format very nicely, and I'm too lazy to work it out, you can see the rest of my dorm pics here: http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f241/crazykitsune17/Dorm/