Goodbye Temple

Well, it's finally over.

Wow, those words look as spectacular in print as they sounded when I yelled them out to an amused classroom and a visibly annoyed professor as I handed in my last final as a Temple University Undergraduate student. I am having trouble putting into words how I feel about this monumental portion of my life, so my apologies for being scatterbrained, although this differs little from my normal writing pre-blog hiatus. I will make no attempt to "list" my subject matter below or categorize anything I will touch on, so as to pay homage to my college career: Chaotic and reckless, but ultimately reaching a final destination.

Let me begin by saying that there couldn't be a more poetic end to my time at Temple U. I'm serving my final shift in an empty Johnson & Hardwick Computer Lab as I write this, while sipping on my third free Dunkin Donuts iced coffee of the day. The only way my time on campus could end more appropriately is if I had to walk through a rally for a disgusting liberal cause to get to my car on the way out (which is still a distinct possibility). I must say that the work study at J&H that I've been doing for the past 3-4 years has been a total Godsend. I've gotten paid to get homework done, chat with some interesting people, get internet time, and work out (while in the adjacent Fitness Center I also worked in). Granted, there have been times where everything's breaking down and spoiled students are complaining about the facilities, but I still feel it's been the easiest job I've ever worked, and just a perfect compliment to any student's busy schedule.

Speaking of schedules, my packed one this semester couldn't have possibly worked out better. One thing I've learned about myself is that the busier I am on a daily basis, the more productive I am with my free time. Working with Desmond every day, although very mentally and physically strenuous, totally toughened me up for the challenges I faced in the hours I wasn't being maimed by him. I really should have been doing school at night and online for my entire time here and working during the day. I wouldn't be in the poorhouse, and I would've easily pulled a 3.5, which leads me to my next point...

I really do not care even the slightest about my grades. College if you are in the field of Communications is about one thing and one thing only: Networking. The more people you know, the more you open yourself up to potential job/life opportunities. College provides a plethora of people to add to your contact list who can help you and who you can help. Those people know other people, who in turn connect you to others and so on. My problem was that there were two people during the first 90% of my college career, on-campus Ryan and off-campus Ryan, and trust me, on-campus Ryan was not the networking type. He was the "please just get me through this class without forcing me to speak to another human being" type. Until the home stretch that is. Then, a new man emerged.

One of the things that made this semester a success was the cast of characters I came to know and love. Though they all are baffled and outraged that I'm off the facebook drug, and we couldn't cement our status as friends with a f-book connection, I copped a ton of digits, which (should, at least) matter far more anyway. I don't think I laughed as much my entire time at college as I did the last couple months, because although I can find plenty of people who share my interests, finding individuals who share my humor is difficult. Normally the idea of a group project makes me shudder, but I was fortunate enough to meet people through my Team Building class that were winners. They were legitimately fun to be around, even if the class material itself was legitimately a complete and utter waste of time. I was totally swamped this semester, so I had to blend social life with work/school life which resulted in me taking my laptop everywhere and me not being completely socially awkward at school and work. My social swagger is currently at an all-time high after finally covering the school terrain, and hopefully this translates to other areas of life that require a high rating on the swag-o-meter.

Truth be told, this semester/its conclusion have far too many threads intertwined with life/life lessons for this not to be a multi-part blog. I have so many stories, both big and small to attempt to tie into this blog's material. So look for some posts in the coming days as I sort through everything that has been collecting dust in my dome since I last posted something. I depart from you with a Goodnight Moon-like take on the completion of my time at Owl-Central. It may not be good, but hopefully, like my GPA, it will be good enough to get the job done and conclude with...

Goodbye Temple, Goodbye Owl
Goodbye classes that made me scowl
Goodbye Peaks, Goodbye Valleys
Goodbye pro-abortion rallies
Goodbye Greek Life, Goodbye Frats
Goodbye wiggers in straight-brimmed hats
Goodbye lectures, Goodbye agendas
Goodbye Asian streetcar vendors
Goodbye Maxis and Temple Star
Goodbye long walks from my parked car
Goodbye friends I made in class
Goodbye gay profs equipped with sass
Goodbye Johnson and Hardwick pack
Goodbye 7-11, Goodbye Sac
Goodbye profs that kept it real
Goodbye North Philly appeal
Goodbye blackboard, you won't be missed
Goodbye things I forgot to list
Goodbye Cherry, Goodbye White
Free of you, I'll sleep tonight