Monday, November 12, 2007

Dear Imaginary Student. Two words: Be plastic.

I just got an email from one of my high school classmates, whose friend's daughter is going to attend Montana State University in Bozeman, come fall 2008. She wanted the scoop & so queried some of us who had attended there. I thought I'd share my response with you. I will dedicate this post to my college roommate, Peggy, who died of cancer shortly before the 30-year class reunion.

Well, my information is mostly 30 years old. Grin. I loved the campus. Piece-of-pie-shaped dorm rooms in Roskie. Yay. Cheesesteak sandwiches at the Pickle Barrel. Karl Marx Pizza (of course, I don't know if K.M. still exists...) Bozeman Hot Springs. Museum of the Rockies. The historic Ellen Theater downtown.

Make sure you play lots of frisbee football & get up in middle of the night to make popcorn for a desperate architecture student (r.i.p. dear Peggy) & go see strange foreign films. Take classes that have nothing to do with your major. Submit something to the college literary magazine (is it still called Jabberwocky?) or at least read it. Listen to KGLT (the campus radio station, if I'm recalling the letters correctly).

Love yourself. Smile every time you see yourself in a mirror, as if you'd suddenly seen your best friend. (Because, of course, you have!) Remember that your purpose in life is to be happy. Write to me if you need a sudden squirt of positivity from a total stranger.

I checked out some property on Sunday: low-cost rental property that's being converted into really affordable condos. I'll cogitate on that for a while. Definitely still a buyer's market here. I might even get a chunk of land & put up a duplex for starters. So many options!

Blog alternative:
98. Compose a letter to a (perhaps imaginary) student who will be attending your alma mater. Give advice on the specific institution (When navigating the halls at J.F.K. Kindergarten, make sure you don't bump your head on the drinking fountain near the library...) & on school & life in general. (At least once an hour, remember to consciously breathe.)
or
Blog alternative alternative:
99. Look up the word plastic in the dictionary & be plastic for a day, with whichever definition suits your fancy.

Oooh! Get ready. Next post, Blog alternative turns 100!