Prentice Hall Student Success SuperSite

Beep Beep

Note: This title pays homage to Becky, Bernie, and Jess, without whom I would be permanently operating with only 1/3 of a brain.

Those of you in college who went home for Spring Break and just returned have most likely by now discovered the value of having a car at school. I've heard numerous stories from my friends who are auto-less here but become car freaks once they get home, offering to drive anyone and everyone around ("Oh, you need a ride to Alaska? Sure, I'll take you!") But oh, those of us who have had our cars here the whole time already know the joys of turning the key and hearing the engine purr.

A few days ago, my engine started purring a little too much -- and leaking transmission fluid, and refusing to go in reverse, and stalling when the speedometer hit 65. This is when I knew it was going to happen. I was about to be... carless. Yup, I'm now attempting to survive my first week without a car, if you don't count the first month of school, when there was so much happening on campus that nobody wanted to leave anyway.

Of course, I recognize that my whining will seem a little out of line to those of you who aren't allowed to have cars during your freshman year or just don't have them at school anyway. And most of my friends who don't have cars here get along just fine (when they're not asking me for rides.) Hey, if they can get away with banning cars at certain colleges, then why do you need one anyway?

The Countdown 8/25
Moving in 9/1
Going to Class 9/8
Rated PG 9/15
Athletes Foot in Mouth 9/22
Shaken Not Stirred 9/29
Sleeping with the Enemy 10/6
Withdrawal Symptoms 10/13
Why Duke? 10/20
Par-ants Weekend 10/27
Halloween 11/3
Who Am I? 11/10
Travel Guide 11/17
Give Me a Break 11/24
Thank You 12/1
Campus Camp-out 12/8
Apply Yourself 12/15
Rushing Back to School 1/26
Chi-Omega Land 2/2
Apply Yourself #2 2/9
Three Month Itch 2/16
School Daze 2/23
Politics and Popularity 3/2
They Came They Saw, They Choked 3/9
Dating at Duke 3/16
Weekly Update 3/30
Beep Beep 4/6
Extra,Extra 4/13
Room to Move 4/20
End of the Innocense 4/27
Help Me 5/1
The Last Hurrah 5/8

Well, for starters, look in the "Travel Guide" column. It brings up some important stuff, like clubs in Raleigh and Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. But I never realized that losing my car would mean losing the little things that go with it, like going to see "Grease" on opening night or just taking a trip to the mall.

Then there's the ultimate release of pent-up thoughts -- the Drive. It doesn't matter where Im going, but sometimes I just like to get in the car and take off (especially if the weather is as nice as it's been lately), turn up the music, and sing along. I'll get some strange looks from passersby, but most of the time I dont care. Its the only way I can think. I guess I feel like if I can control the direction in which my car is going, I can do the same for other things in my life.

Wish me luck -- hopefully I'll have my car back in a week. Until then, it looks like I'm stuck in the dorm, which is nice and cozy, but due to my friend Eric always seems to smell like tuna (mmm, I love tuna. Oh wait, I'm lying.) So hold your collective noses for me and remember not to take your cars for granted.