The end of school, the beginning of life

Schooling seems to last forever. And frankly, it kind of does, considering after finishing 13 years (if you count kindergarten) you have to go to college. That's a lot of learning. How are people still so dumb? That's another discussion altogether.

But I'm almost done with school. And I couldn't be happier. I'm sick of hearing from everyone that this is the best time of our lives, and you should cherish college, and you don't want to go out into the real world, it's boring! Sick. Of. It.

How do they know what I want and don't want? I'm sorry your lives are boring, but they certainly don't have to be. My college life is boring. I go to work and class all day, then come home and, instead of making dinner and relaxing, I microwave something and do homework into the wee hours. Where's the fun? I work hard to get good grades -- so this generally continues on my weekends, with a side of hitting Lucky's for a hockey game or home to get away from Athens.

Maybe everyone else slacked off in college -- that's where the fun was. But this isn't the fun part of my life, I can feel it. Getting married in July and starting my adult job and paying taxes and bills doesn't make me a boring, old married person. I'm excited to do that. Making dinner with my husband, sitting down and watching stupid television shows, then laying around until we go to bed -- how is that not fun? I'm not doing HOMEWORK!

I want that life. I want to be young and married, sharing my growing up years with my husband, traveling as long as we're able, enjoying the outdoors, eating at fantastic dive restaurants along the Oregon Coast. Why are people so cynical?

I'm also sick of hearing from many, many people who have been married for many years that we're going to hate being around each other in about 5 or 10 years, and that we'll cherish time away. Everyone is different, and your unhappy marriage is no reason to impose your rude comments on me and my fiance. I don't care about your life, your lack of fun, respect and sex in your relationship. The aligning element to all of these people who have passed on this wise advice is that none of them are married to their best friend, someone they need to be around constantly. You talk to your best girlfriend on the phone all the time, go out to lunch and shop. The men go to the bar and watch sports and talk about sports and food. Guess what? I do all of those things with him, because we have all of those things in common. Maybe you should have considered that before you got married. Sharing things with your spouse is allowed, believe it or not, no matter what American society with their 50 percent divorce rate would tell you.

He's my best friend, and I'll be damned if everyone tries to throw our future marriage under the bus before we've even said our vows.

So despite all your amazingly helpful adages about being an adult, I'll intelligently ignore them all and live my life the way I've always imagined it. Have fun being boring.

Superstitions

Do you see what's different in this picture from last year? All three of them are quite exuberantly touching the Prince of Wales trophy. If I remember correctly, Sid never came close to the trophy last year, out of superstition.

See where that got us?

Seems like we've matured. We have confidence. In fact, we ooze it from our pores. We relied on luck last year to get us to the finals, where we lost to a clearly superior team. This year, there's no need for it.

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Why hello again, Prince of Wales. No time to bask -- next stop Lord Stanley! Sid the Kid and Geno, the modern-day Mario Lemieux/Jaromir Jagr. They deserve their names on the Cup many times over.

Winding down

Final projects and papers, my mind is mush rolling around in my head. I have bigger fish to fry come July, and I really just wish it were July right now. Then I know I would be closer to moving on. I'm ready to close this chapter, and move onto a new one -- one that doesn't include writing a paper on a Sufi martyr or the Athens parking services.

I'm anxious. But the good kind, where I know I'm waiting for something wonderful, but don't actually want to wait for it. Funny though, the thing for which I'm anxious would know exactly how to make me calm down. If only.

If only it weren't May. If only I had tried to graduate early. If only hockey could continue for the next few months so it could occupy my time until then. If only football could start earlier so I could worry about that instead. If only schoolwork wasn't the sole thing I have to wrap my mind around. If only I weren't such an impatient person. If only I didn't depend on him for my well-being.

But I do. And for that I'm eternally grateful. If only it didn't make things so difficult right now. I could concentrate better if I had a weekend visit. I could be less irritable. I could be less impatient. But 3,000 miles is a long, expensive trek for just a few days.

I'd wait a lifetime. But I certainly wouldn't enjoy it.