Good Morning, Chadbourne

Well, I survived my first night. No trouble, no getting lost, no losing anything valuable. Mom, my room still is pretty clean. I spent my first day hanging with Jesse, Q, Bahr, a few other guys from our floor, and some guys in Jesse's place. We hung out, talked, b.s.'d, and explored the area a little bit. One of the things I love most about college towns, reassured by my experiences last night, is that college towns never sleep. At 11:45, on a Tuesday night, in the rain, people were outside just chilling and walking around. In Lino Lakes under such conditions, the whole town would be deserted.

We also had a floor meeting, where our RA, David, laid down the ground rules and everything. Very funny guy, who though coming off as fun but hard-ass-capable, is actually a very cool, chill bro. The rules, in summary, are:

1. Don't be an asshole

2. Don't be a dumbass

3. Don't be a child

4. Know where to go for help

Pretty easy to follow?

My first night of sleep however, was amazing! I have a memory foam pillow, memory foam bed pad, and the worlds softest bedding. It's like sleeping in a cloud filled with Santa's beard and wrapped in a blanket woven from only the softest of eyebrow hair. Yes, that soft. I just got back from eating at Rheta's, the cafe attached to our dorm, about to go out and run some errands. I have a full day ahead of myself, a day full of opportunities.

Check back later today to read part IV + III -V= II: A Day Full of Opportunities

The Student has landed!

The local time is 5:08, the current weather conditions are high 70's with heavy cloud cover, and in todays news, I'm finally here! After waking up at 6:30 (by the way, nobody should be up at 6:30), I promptly got ready, packed up my few belongings from the hotel, and spent the next 5+ Hours unpacking. To believe what stated as a random collection of necessities and accessories piled onto a pool table in my basement could actually well furnish a small cardboard box. After a run to Target, for some last-minute items (futon, rug, sticky-hooky things), I am actually very proud to call this sad excuse for a broom closet my dorm.

I'm so exhausted from moving in, I literally sat in my dorm for about an hour and just tried to soak it all in, but I'm not sure if I fully understand what it means to be here, right now, in this situation. Change is a process that requires time, I suppose. But lo'behold, just as boredom curls its cold fingers around my weak attention-span, I hear noises outside, and before I know it, we have an impromptu meet-n-greet. Today I met some guys who are beyond hilarious. There's "Q" the athletic, outgoing, always peppy guy who could make a statue bust out laughing, and Bahr, the always surprising, slightly shy, but very cool, nice, normal kid. I guess thats what I learned about my new home, despite all the labels, judgements, and preconceptions, at the end of the day, there are bound to be people just as crazy and abnormally normal as me.
I have a meeting at 8 with the dorm, hopefully I'll meet more cool people like Bahr and Q, Kevin has been very welcoming and helpful, but like a good roommate has a separate life and doesn't require me to be his best friend. We get along, thats all I ask for. If we become good friends, that's great. If we stay this way, I'll be more than happy. Jesse has been cool too, we hang out, but also aren't attached at the hip. Tomorrow is my first full day here, let's hope hilarity ensues.

And so the Journey begins...

As I turned back one last time to look at my house, realizing this is the last time I will see it for a very long time, I dealt with a mix of emotions, thoughts, and expectations. For those of you who didn't read my last post, today is the day that I move to Madison, WI for college. I have spent the last week of my life rushing to pack my ludicrous amount of belongs, make final preparations for life in Mad-town, and say my last goodbyes to the friends and family who have shaped my life for the last 18 or so years. All of that packing, hugging, and driving has left me utterly exhausted, to a point that I don't know what to feel anymore. Should I be excited? nervous? anxious? carsick?! It still feels like this whole new world is an indescribable feeling.. (disney ftw!)

I've been going this whole day like it is a complete dream, like I was watching myself hug my last friends goodbye, not really in my body. I wonder if I'll wake up in my dorm, all unpacked, and that feeling of "you are here" will finally set in. As of right now here's the break down of thoughts running through my head. I'm going to try to write these in stream of consciousness, hopefully that will do my overactive brain (and literary training with Mrs. Bledsoe) some justice.

Wow i'm almost there. It seems like just an hour ago I was hugging them goodbye, I can't believe i'm not going to see them for 3 months, This summer is all about over, yet i don't feel like I'm going to school. Shouldn't some cheesy 80's music be motivating me right now to "stay forever young?" MADTOWN HERE I COME! I spent so much of my time making such strong friendships I hope I can keep them. From here, things change. It's a brave new world.

See my problem? Well I'm planning on sleeping off the thoughts, thats what Owl City and 5 hours of driving can do to a guy. Tomorrow I start unpacking my truck-full of stuff. It took a week to pack...How long will it take to unpack? That's a scary thought! Well thanks for reading, check back tomorrow for the epic conclusion to the Move-in Day, and i'll see you around.

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 7, 9?

Ello!

This is just a test-run of this blog. Good news, the internet is still working!

For those of you who are taking the time to read this, Thanks, gracias, danke, merci, Kamsahamnida, sheshe, grazi, etc. This is just me, sharing my experience in College with those of you who care, in other words, digitally shouting into space wondering if anyone can hear me, and if they do, do they care? Family, friends, they'll use this to keep up. But technology has compressed time and space in such a way that we are never truly apart. Guess that makes this whole blog an excuse for me to say "I'm not ignoring you, just check my blog!".

I leave in a week. This is just the Preview, the show starts Monday. Thanks for listening, we'll see you next week for our season premier!