Here at the Street office, we have something called the time suck. It’s from 10 p. m. to 2 a.m., and within it, time simply disappears. Here’s how it works: you notice the time around 9:45 p.m. You’ll chance another glance at the clock and it’s 9:47 p.m. And again at 9:50 p.m. And then BAM! It’s 2 a.m., our press deadline has come and gone and save DP Dough, nothing is open on Campus Food.
I feel like March was a time suck unto itself. Hell, I feel like junior year was a time suck. It seems like just yesterday that I was sitting on my porch, obnoxiously harassing hordes of newly-convocated Penn ’13-ers as they explored off-campus for the first time. It seems like yesterday that I was freaking out about college being half over. And BAM; Fling is upon us, temperatures are pushing 90?, and my professors are encouraging me to “tell those magazine people that I need to take a break” until my end-of-semester workload is behind me.
So much at Penn is about the future — from OCR and resume boosters to recommendation letters and our neighborhood Kaplan center, it’s no wonder that time is hurling hyperspeed to graduation. I just want to (just like Britney in the "[You Drive Me]Crazy remix") yell “Stop!” Slow down! College is actually the greatest thing ever — why must we spend what feels like a few precious moments thinking about not-college?
It’s not that I’m afraid of the future. In reality, I’m a compulsive planner. I have detailed life plans, school plans and career plans, even wedding plans. I appreciate the fact that college is a preparation for real life and all that jazz, it’s just that I am not inclined to help reality get here any sooner than it already will.
So Claire Klieger: I will, happily, never open one of your daily Career Services emails. And no, Adam Behrens, I will not think about the Penn ’11 Senior Class Fund logo until I’m good and ready. Until then, you can find me on my porch.
'till next week, SB
