Bonding

Sometimes people bond over homesickness. In the absence of people who miss Chicago, I've had to find my bonding moments elsewhere.

Bond no. 1: Cheapness

My dad sent me on a quest early Saturday morning to score a laptop for $699 by being one of the first 16 people at the Office Depot grand opening. The store opened at 9am, so I foolishly believed that arriving at 7am would seal the deal. That, however, was not as foolish as my dad who thought he would be the only person there at 8am.

After reading Civ Pro for a while, I started talking to the people around me, who told me stories of what time they meant to wake up; what time they actually woke up; how many times they've done this; when the next big grand openings will be; what they planned to do with the computer; etc., etc.

Most importantly, I got to bond with my dad, who is the Original Mole. He went up and down the line trying to figure out how many of the 24 people in front of us really wanted the laptop [all of them]. He got me donuts and coffee to keep me alert. He threw all sorts of products at me with the "Hey, it's cheap!" look in his eyes. There's nothing like the pursuit of cheap useless goods to bring two people together.

Bond no. 2: Fear of looking stupid

Professors keep telling us to stop being arrogant and to start making comments in class even if you might be wrong. But let's face it: nobody wants to look stupid. Couple this concern with a general aversion to public speaking, and you have me -- a student who you might never hear from if it weren't for a wonderful thing called office hours.

You might be asking, Why is office hours so great, nerdo? For one thing, I get one-on-one time with the teacher who gives me real feedback on my line of reasoning. Even better, though, is meeting other students in office hours and recognizing the same reluctant understanding in their eyes. This isn't about brownnosing; it's about realizing that their skills of articulation are just as under-developed as yours!

Anything that helps me regain my sense of normalcy is good, even if it means revelling in other people's shortcomings.