Grad School or Grade School?

I'm the worst blogger ever. Blogging and homework, I'm learning, don't mix. Neither do blogging and the Olympics. No matter, I shall persevere.

Remember last post, loyal readers, when I wrote that I felt old? Well, that all changed drastically yesterday. Yes, in comparison to my classmates I'm still old, but in how my student life is shaping out to be, I'm nine. It really all comes down to a few factors: 1) I carry a backpack to school. A really big dorky one. 2) I pack my lunch (or at least try to) everyday. Sandwich, fruit and snack. (Although this time, I make sure the fruit doesn't smush the sandwich, Dad.) 3) I walk a block from my apartment every morning to the bus stop where other Hopkins students and employees are also waiting for the Hopkins shuttle-- a normal bus with "Johns Hopkins" really big across the side. Usually. Until yesterday, when a different bus in the shuttle rotation pulled up. A big yellow school bus. For a moment I was confused until I saw all the Hopkins boys and girls dutifully get on. I followed them up the stairs and said hello to the nice bus driver (side note: according to Dr. Suess "My Book About Me" my first career aspiration was to be a bus driver. Granted my knowledge of career options was pretty limited, but I knew that a) I didn't want to be a teacher and b) my bus driver was awesome... more awesome than my teacher... and got to drive a bus!). When I reached the top of the stairs and looked out at the adult faces already sitting in the green vinyl seats staring up at me, I literally laughed. "Holy shit. I'm on a fucking yellow school bus." Memories of elementary school came back in an instant before I realized I had to find a seat. Do I sit in the back with the cool kids, or in the front so I don't barf? I chose the front and even found someone I knew to talk to and compare Walkmen (Walkmans?) with. Minus the Walkman part. The whole experience was awesome and hilarious and weird.

To add to the feeling of being nine, on Sunday, thanks to the wonderful world of social networking, I had lunch with a girl who I went to school with from kindergarten to 6th grade and hadn't seen since in 20 years. We were good friends back then and it turned out, not only did she settle down in Baltimore, she grew up to be pretty cool and normal, too. It was nice being able to reminisce and get along with someone I hadn't seen in 20 years... and as an added bonus, it made me feel young.