Ode to Joy: The Real World

I wonder what it's like to be the head honcho
I wonder what I'd do if they all did just what I said
I'd shout out an order, I think we're out of this man get me some
Boy don't make me wanna change my tone
Straight up, what did you hope to learn about here
If I were someone else, would this all fall apart
Strange, where were you when we started this gig
I wish the real world would just stop hassling me

This is what me studying looks like... yep, working on my blog.

I've got it bad: SENIORITIS... Symptoms include: getting up 15 minutes before class (maximum), catching up on your blog/pleasure reading/Twitter/fave TV shows instead of required reading, meeting up with friends for the standard college "fro-yo" date when you know you have a test coming up, worrying about finding a job, resolving that you're never going to actually find a job, not worrying about a job because you realize you plan on going to medical school in a year and you'll be poor for years to come so why get used to having money now?, complaining about freshmen, contemplating how much has changed in four short years... if you experience any of these symptoms for more than 3 days, consult a medical professional, therapist, major/academic advisor, or a bottle of merlot.

Even though it seems like college has run its course and we're both ready for a change (college and I are ready to go our separate ways, but we will always think of each other fondly), sometimes I wish the real world would just stop hassling me so I can enjoy what time I have left. But hassle it does. And listen I must. And for as annoying and ever-present as the future can be, it can be an exciting thing to consider.

*Transition to something that seems unrelated at first but gets tied together at the end in a cute life lesson, like an episode of Scrubs!*

22 life lessons and 22 episodes of Scrubs in one neat package!

SO MANY LIFE LESSONS!

Last night, I was studying for a midterm that will never serve me well in the real world. Seriously, copulatory behaviors of bees will not be a big focus of my life's work, no matter how hard I pretend to try to care. Also, I'm terrified of bees.

Honestly look me in the eye and tell me that this isn't the creepiest thing you've ever seen.

Anyway, I was trying to find some decent background tunes so I wouldn't stab my eyes out with my highlighter, which I don't imagine would be terribly effective. All of a sudden, I started missing my keyboard; I often have the urge to do anything but study when I really really need to (senioritis), and last night I just wanted to jam... the best I could do was put on Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind", a song that I have always been fond of and I used to know how to play it. Sidebar: when I graduate and get my own place with more space, my keyboard and I will be roomies and we are going to get reacquainted with the great tunes of the Beatles, Billy Joel, and Ray Charles :) ANYWAY, enough of my tangential nonsense... I was listening to NYSOM and asked iTunes to make a Genius playlist.

Best. Decision.

For those unfamiliar with the iTunes Genius function, a crash course: Select a song in your music library. Click the "Genius" button.

Genius!

Voila! iTunes chooses similar songs and makes a playlist. SO, I clicked "Genius" and a star was born. I mean it. Perfect study playlist. It truly belongs in a museum of the greatest things ever created in the history of everything (no, the caffeine is not affecting my perception).

But nothing in life is perfect... this playlist, without even realizing it was doing it, forced me to come to terms with my impending future (as everything seems to do these days). Here is a sampling of song titles to show you what I mean:

Real World by Matchbox Twenty

Sweetest Goodbye by Maroon 5

Movin' Out by Billy Joel

Don't Look Back in Anger by Oasis

Bright Lights by Matchbox Twenty.

Talk about in your face! But with that in mind, I am ready for a change. As much as I have loved my time at UC Davis, I am ready to try something new whether it is a new job, living situation, or school; I'm really crossing my fingers for all three!

In a strange way, this list also reminded me of a simpler time: when I lived at home. My Genius list was littered with the singers and bands of my childhood: Matchbox Twenty, the Goo Goo Dolls, John Mayer (early era, pre-Aniston-Simpson-Swift), Coldplay. Songs that I grew up to. While forcing me to grow up, it simultaneously encourages me to be the young, carefree, alive child that listened to these songs for so many years. I have gotten all philosophical in 2011 because there is a countdown to the big day (121 days, 9 hours, 47 minutes, 42 seconds) and I am suddenly very aware. So please bear with me while I get contemplative for a moment. Instead of fearing the future, we should embrace it like a child would a game or a new playmate. The children's classic novel The Phantom Tollbooth puts it best: "the way you see things depends a great deal on where you look at them from". A new situation can be intimidating if you let it scare you... or you could grab the bull by the horns instead of running from it.