Juggling

7 days left.

Going to college out of state is a much larger production than I had anticipated. I have two younger brothers, so my parents don't really have time to drive me all the way from FL to NY and back, so we're flying. This means I have to fit my life into the luggage I'm aloud to bring on the plane. Yikes. Well... not ALL of it. Obviously, there are some things my roommates will be providing and (thank god) Bed, Bath, and Beyond does this thing where you can go into the store and scan everything you need with this gun (which is really fun) and they'll have it ready for you at the store nearest your campus on move-in day*. Still, it's a lot of stuff to fit into airline-approved luggage. 

My roommates are all from the northeast (one even lives like 10 minutes from campus!), so for them this is all a lot easier, as they can simply drive to campus. So, when we're talking and figuring out who's bringing the fridge, the tv, the futon, etc., I feel like a lame roommate for not being so ready and willing to bring such a large item. Because of this feeling of "lameness," I procured a mini-fridge which I now have to clean and ship to NY... *sigh. At least all of us our contributing. I think it'd be worse to have roommates that weren't cooperative at all, not that all of my roommates are perfect, but more about that in a later post (LOTS more).

To top it all off, there are new things I'm now discovering that I need that I didn't know about before, and they're not super easy to find. For example, an ethernet hub/splitter. Basically, colleges usually don't allow routers, so if you need to hook up ethernet to more than one device, you need a splitter or a hub. I can't find them in physical stores, only online. Frustrating. You might be wonder what device (besides my computer) requires ethernet... it's a Tivo. Yes, I'm very excited. It's definitely a luxury, but I'm a big TV watcher and I want to reward myself for all of the hours I spent working at a pet store during my Junior year of high school. It's especially handy because it's not as easy to catch up on all your shows if you miss an episode at college. Most networks have software that prohibits you from simply downloading an episode unless it's through a paid service. Plus, with a busy college schedule, and Manhattan at my fingertips, there's no way I'll be home for all my shows.

I guess advice I could give to others who are moving out to go to college is to plan way ahead. I felt like summer was going to last forever and that I had everything figured out, but I didn't. First of all, talk to your roommates well in advance to figure out who's bringing what. Maybe you can ask one of them (if they're local) if they'll buy whatever you're supposed to bring and you can reimburse them. Also, it's impossible, but try to imagine every possible scenario, everything you'll want to do in your dorm so that you can make sure you're prepared. There's so much stuff going on now that it's my final week. I wish I could just relax and focus on packing and saying goodbye! Not to mention the fact that my parents spontaneously (and frequently, now) burst into tears around me... it's awkward. Really awkward. 

*Bed, Bath, and Beyond doesn't advertise this program online at all for some reason, but it exists. Just go in a store and ask them about it. It's awesome.