Time to Grow up

The time has finally arrived. The shopping has almost ceased, and I have boxes and trunks lined up on the side of the garage ready to be loaded into a car that only seats 4 comfortably. I guess the first challenge is to get everything into the car including my parents, sister and my mother's closest friend, a neighbor she met a month ago.

The night before was a family dinner at our favorite local diner, we didn't want to have to clean up after dinner at the house, the smells will have permeated all the way through to the new dew my mom just had, and who wants clothes to smell at the dorm, that would have been a real giveaway in regards to ethnicity.

All night long I was dreaming about all those girls that I would be meeting. Co-ed dorms, wow...  The thought of having so much so close was playing with my mind. Yes, of course I thought of the classes I would be taking, and the hard work, and the fun, and the professors, and the curriculum, and the drinking, and the clothes that I will need to take, and the room mate, and the parties. I couldn't sleep, there was all those thoughts racing through my excited mind.

 Well the next day, I awoke hearing all the commotion downstairs, with mom arguing with dad, and sis reading her magazines with a her customary glass of cranberry juice. The argument stemmed from the fact that all will not properly fit into the car, therefore we should take two cars. Then the discussion came back to it will be crazy with everyone moving in on this day, that to park two cars will be twice as difficult as parking one. Dah, that was a brilliant statement, considering the educational levels of my parents.

Well the decision came down that the first things that needed packing were the purchases from Bed Bath and Beyond, as I will need all those new things. The thought was to take them out of the car trunk and place them in big black plastic bags so that I can keep shoving them into the trunk. That worked and I got most of the stuff and even some clothes that I knew I would need.

Two pairs of jeans for 4 weeks should be OK, 20 tee shirts and one clean one. Underwear is optional, but to please my mom I took a couple. Boy was I ready to hit the books.

Getting to the front of the dorm only took two hours, I had no idea that people were lining up for Springsteen tickets at 4 in the morning! Cars were already lined up, waiting for the time to unload, police and barricades were everywhere, Swat teams were on the roof, and guard doors were walking the campus. As a Liberal, I felt very safe moving into my dorm.  Well we finally got in front of the building, and the unloading began. One person stayed with the car, my sis, mom and dad and I began to grab the plastic bags, which were full and heavy, so we figured a few trips. The building had 6 floors and wouldn't you know it I was on the 4th, however, the elevator line was useless with the delay and that one button that stops it at "you" floor. So we took the steps, along with everyone else going up and coming back down for more.

If there ever was a messed up system it was here. But I hear that this is a ritual and happens around the globe in practically the same way. The ritual is that mom and dad and I go up first to check out the room. Like we couldn't change it if we wanted. Then mom begins to make friends with my neighboring parents, as if they will be the best of friends and have already invited them to the house for a BBQ. Everything was checked out, I had to tell her to take the rubber gloves off when checking for dust, since it really wasn't cool.

After the once over, I went down to bring up sis who had a few years before her attempt at a Dorm move. She checked out the room, the bathroom, the other rooms and made comments that mine did not have a great view, and I should rearrange the room before my roommate comes in. I thought for a moment, and said no I will wait. I think she liked it, and probably couldn't wait to take over my bigger room at the house, which was promised to her.

Well, the time came to bringing up the Big Black plastic bags ... My mom was responsible for taking the things out and to begin to arrange my draws and my closet, to insure that everything that came from those bags had a place in the room, even if she had to tape it to the walls. By bed looked like it came out of Neiman's, and my new slippers placed under the bed to keep my feet warm in the winter, even though this was only August.

I had more towels and wash clothes to take care of everyone on the floor, but that went with the gallon size Lysol and the large bottle of disinfectant. I promised her that I would carry these two large bottles and cans with me wherever I went. As a matter of fact, I told her that I was going to have someone customize my backpack so that I can hand them from the bottom.

What is the world coming too? Dirt everywhere, don't eat this, don't touch that. don't do it, don't go there, I thought I was free of the Don't and entering the world of the Do's... Oh well in a few hours I will be rid of all those suggestive innuendos and start the growth period of my life. I am going on 18 and deserve to be treated as a adult with all the privileges that go with that.

Next:  My roommate.