Sometimes I have a hard time coming up with topics. I have looked at the other bloggers’ entries to get ideas, but I never want to write about my week. Unlike them, I am boring. I get up, eat breakfast, go to a couple hours of class, come home, run, eat dinner and do homework. But, my boring life did inspire this entry. Since I spend most of my time on campus, I thought about doing a different type of campus entry. Now, I don’t want to talk about my classes because they bore even my teachers. I don’t think anyone is interested in what the cafeteria is serving and I certainly don’t want to talk about the ever-discussed guy-to-girl ratio. Instead, I thought about how I make my monotonous days interesting. I can’t say I am a rebel because I turn in all my homework and have relatively minimal absences. I stay up late studying and wake up early to be to class on time. But, there are times I stray from protocol. And those are the days I am writing about. They are my Nine Guilty Pleasures on Campus:

1. Skipping Class- You are probably thinking, “Wow, I skipped classes in tenth grade. She is just starting now?” Yes, I am. This is college, not high school and I probably should’ve skipped class back then. But, I am making up for lost time. Hence why I said I have a pretty decent attendance record, not a perfect one. There are some days I find myself sitting in the UC only to realize I had missed a class. No, it doesn’t happen very often, nor should it, but when it does I don’t beat myself up over it. After all, what will I most likely remember? The days spent with friends or the days spent in class?
2. Chicken and Rice from Props: Even while writing this, I was craving the meal I would pick if I was ending a death row sentence. I will make the inconvenient walk between the UC and Props behind the COA, just to get a to-go box of a moist chicken breast and steaming rice. I pour on some BBQ and by the time I get back to the UC, the chicken has already absorbed the BBQ. Just cut and stir and you have yourself the best meal on campus.
3. Watching shuttles take off: While I do not stop mid-step to watch a Cessna 172 depart (like my fellow classmates), I will go outside for the shuttle launches. True, it is better from Kennedy Space Center, but when they launch between classes, I get a great view. The sky lights up as the shuttle leaves behind a wake of fire streaks, clouds of exhaust and audible roaring. Your heart slightly flutters and you know that you are one in a few who actually knows that SRB does not just stand for Student Representative Board. This is how you truly know you go to Riddle.
4. Library at Lunchtime: How many people do you know who actually go to the library? At ours, everyone congregates on the first floor in the main study room, which is only full during finals week. A few wander into the upper floors, but most wander up for the same reason I do: a quiet nap area. I admit it. I love to take grandma naps during the day. I stay up late and get up early, so about lunchtime, I am ready to collapse. Luckily, there are plenty of spaces available. Just get there early to grab the prime couch positions. And please remember not to snore. This is a library after all.
5. Sipping on Starbucks: Everyone has a comfort food. Mine just happens to be a beverage. After China, I fell in love with black tea and my daily dose of caffeine. But, like the daughter of an English woman, I know tea should come in a teacup, be served with milk, not cream, and additions should not be stirred with a spoon but rather folded into the tea. Unfortunately, a cardboard cup, fake creamer and a wooden stick for stirring is the best I get. But, I make due because etiquette should be left for afternoon tea time, not before my 8 a.m. class.
6. Free coffee in the SGA office: With all those black teas, Starbucks can get expensive and there are only so many combinations of espresso and sugar left on the menu. To qualm my caffeine boredom, I take advantage of the newly acquired coffee machine in the SGA with additional choices ranging from hot chocolate to cappuccino. Best thing, the coffee is FREE and there is no waiting in the 20 minute Starbucks line if you are late for class and need a quick boost. Fake creamer included.
7. Parking in blue spots after hours: Lets face it, the faculty has prime parking space realty and student parking is basically in the next county. That is why, after hours, I love sneaking past the rental cops and parking in the faculty’s spots. No, it is not illegal, but if it ever did land me in prison, I already know what my last meal would be.
8. Checking Facebook: Like I said, classes can get boring. However, I really try to schedule my classes that are held in computer-equipped classrooms. There is nothing better during drab lectures than “taking notes” on the monitor while chatting with your classmate about not taking notes. As a communications major, I am predisposed to hourly check the news. News that also includes checking the Facebook “stalker feed” to see who dumped whom, where your best friend is hanging out tonight and if anyone has posted pictures from the political rally yet. Someone has to keep up with the campus news right?
9. Free movies on the lawn during the school days: Since I do spend so much time on campus, it is really convenient when I can mix class work with date night. Every Thursday, Touch-N-Go offers different new releases without the price of a movie ticket. Bring some popcorn or chicken and rice from Props and crash on a blanket on the West Lawn. It is free, so if the movie or the date is terrible, don’t feel bad about getting up to join the pickup football game instead.

With graduation coming up, I plan on capitalizing on all the free stuff on campus, foods that are worth their price, shuttle launches that light up my day and friends who make my day worthwhile. Sometimes it is just the little details that make college so memorable.