Monthly Archive for March, 2005

I’m sitting in the Harkness Commons, or “the Hark” as it is called here, munching on another wonderful meal. Derek insists that the selection gets old, but so far I have not gotten sick of it, so perhaps two meals a week is about the right amount.

Why is the Hark so good? Well, mostly because I’m comparing it to Brandeis. Here I have consistantly good food for equal or less than what it costs to get something comparable from Aramark. My chicken wrap was tasty and full of chicken, just like my hamburger had adequate meat, my pizza adequate toppings, etc. No skimping here. There are sauces and flavorings if you want them, so everything isn’t bland. There is a nice, fully stocked salad bar with vegetables that are actually fresh. And the desserts are generally pretty exciting concoctions.

What I love about the Hark is its just a dining hall done right. It’s not trying to be anything more than it is, and what it does it does well. Because the salad bar is actually good (despite lacking ranch dressing, grr!) I’ve stopped getting french fries or chips and am instead getting a small side salad full of tomatoes and artichoke hearts. The dining hall is helping me to eat healthier!

The food tastes better, the ingredients are higher quality, the service is quicker, the prices are cheaper.

Come on Brandeis, what part of this is hard?

So Adam is getting married, but not the one you might think. Adam Batkin proposed to Jess Greenberg on Saturday and got an answer in the affirmative. Unlike a lot of the people at Brandeis, this is the first time one of my friends has gotten engaged. It is an awesome occurance — in that it inspires great awe. This year is just starting to fill up with awe. I’m not sure I like this whole “growing up” thing, and I’m not sure I like one of my good friends moving to Scotland for the next five years. I’m happy for you, Adam, and I’m happy at your happiness, but I’m sad that it means I won’t be seeing you much.

I’m staying in the Boston area in part because I like it here but in big part because the people I know are here. As people continue to split off and move away, I’m going to have to re-evaluate my priorities. I’m not sure I like this idea of people moving away. Everyone just needs to stay put!

My god, Adam is getting married! My head is still not comprehending this. It is just something that seems so remote and strange. People I know don’t go and get themselves married! People don’t move to other countries! People don’t grow up, damn it!

I’m ready to get the heck out of here and face the real world in all of its glory. I don’t expect it to be a terrible transition or a massive challenge. I don’t mind continuing to move forward. Things that have happened in the last few days have convinced me that it really, truly is time to get out of Brandeis. But my biggest problem with this whole thing is that I don’t make good friends easily, and I don’t like the idea of losing the ones I have.

We live in a time where the world is ever-shrinking thanks to the wonder of technology that allows us to reach around the globe in an instant, but nothing compares to just being with someone in person. We will never be able to replicate the experience of living near enough to someone that you can just wander over and knock on their door. The internet cannot compare to this reality. And I, not one who much understands how to keep up relationships with people far away, am completely baffled by this whole mess.

In the words of Douglas Adams, time is beginning seriously to pass. Gotta hold on, gotta keep moving, can’t get swept up in the stream of memories where there is still so much left ahead undone. I’m so often the one pushing change, pushing people to go past the limits of their comfort, pushing new ideas and new experiences, but I find myself for once with the tables completely turned, with me sitting here, wanting to fight the future tooth and nail, but constantly having to restrain myself. Things have a habit of working themselves out, as has been demonstrated in my life time and time again.

We just have to keep swimming, and constantly be in awe of the possibilities available to us just around the next corner.