Hats Off to the Dead and Dying

Wilmington. This place has some of the most unstable weather but I must confess, I love the sunsets here. Tuesday I was just outside of town and the golden glow of the sun was breathtaking. Somehow I kept my breath and managed to continue flying down I-40 at 70 mph, in spite of it. Looking forward I saw nothing like the sky behind me, the entire city was settled under the biggest, darkest cloud I think I've ever seen in those parts. I thought to myself that it was a little weird and I hoped that the rain would hold off until I got all of my stuff inside. Just then I caught something in my peripheral vision. A large plane broke through the cloud to my left and was flying alarmingly low to the ground. On top of it was one of those huge dishes.

"A radar plane? What the crap?"

Then I noticed the greenish hue of the sky in the few place it still broke through. My mind went a little crazy. It was like being in a tornado movie and I was the dumb guy in the opening credits that put two and two together just in time to get hurled into the sky and ripped to bits.

Thankfully, the worst we got was a sprinkling here and there. I know, all that buildup for nothing.

Yesterday was the first day of classes and I walked to Bear Hall hurriedly throughout the sharp wind. For some reason I always end up in the grass on Chancellor's Walk. That's the long straight pair of sidewalks that lead to the academic buildings. It's not like I consciously do it or anything, I just stop daydreaming for a moment and realize that I'm walking between the sidewalks or just off the outside edge of one of them. I look around and usually find that I'm the only one off the concrete in a sea of people. By people I mean blonde girls with huge sunglasses talking on their cell phones and chewing gum.

Maybe it's something in my subconscious. I usually think about all sorts of things when I walk. One time I even thought about how I could open up my own dance club on Front Street. I DON'T DANCE! That's just an example of how random my walking thoughts can be. I suppose in that sense it's appropriate that I walk off the beaten path.

When I got to my class the door was locked and a group of gum-chewing chatty girls had already staked out the good spots on the wall. Five minutes came and went, then ten. I looked left and right. There was no teacher but there weren't many boys either; two guys, myself, and about 20 girls. This school is swamped with girls but it's very rarely that one sticks out. They all seem to have some secret club where they tell each other how to dress and act, even what hobbies are appropriate and which mannerisms to adopt. Don't get me wrong, I've met some astoundingly unique women at UNCW, but I've also been astounded by how hard so many of them try to blend in. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just seeing the same girls every day.

So the teacher never came and we all went on with our day. I found out that I share and essay writing class with James, a friend of mine from my Schwartz days. Later on I went to the class I share with my roommate, Japanese Cinema, and found the demographic there to be quite different. There were about 20 of us and only one girl, a friend of mine from CCF. I guess the secret club doesn't approve of filmmaking.

Nothing else interesting happened, really. I went to a Wendy's but honestly, who hasn't experienced the thrill of ordering a Jr. Hamburger? I'll let you fill in that experience with your own. Before I leave I think I will do one more thing. I'm going to make my predictions for 2007 and we'll see how many of them stand by this time next year.

1. Fidel Castro will die.
2. New candy introduced by Hershey's.
3. I will dance (under close supervision).
4. A panda will be born in captivity.
5. Yam will elbow someone in the arm.
6. They will whine like a baby.
7. You will smell funny and someone will comment on it.
8. Something will blow up in Iraq.
9. Coldplay will release a great album.
10. Something wonderful will happen in my life sometime in Aug.-Sept.

However wonderful or rocky the start of this year may be, I'm putting God in front and I'm excited to see what he's going to do in and with my life. May all of you have a happy January and God bless.

What if Jr. Hamburger had a kid, would it be Hamburger III?