Hi, I'm Erica. You can find me here every Friday. And maybe some other days around campus you'll see me wearing headphones and a dazed look on my face.
Now that I've got my introduction out of the way, I'm going to tell you about my summer. I'm assuming that you will read it, even if it's only because you're bored in class and have nothing better to do (besides actually paying attention).
Because I plan on studying abroad and traveling foreign lands next semester, I decided it would be best to make some money so I could (maybe) avoid going into debt. So back home I went to a cozy suburb of St. Paul to live with my parents.
Hey, it wasn't as bad as it sounds. I got free food and lodging in exchange for some freedom. Not to mention a constant supply of entertainment from my brother, who at age 15 can only be described as equal parts hilarious and annoying.
Luckily I didn't have to subject myself to living at home too much since I was busy working most of the time. My main job was returning as a day camp counselor for the YMCA. I also worked some nights and weekends at an ice cream shop.
And just so you know, working at an ice cream shop may sound like it's full of magical sugar-coated goodness, but it's not. By the end of the night you're up to your elbows in sticky goo and your wrists feel like they're suffering from carpal-scooping syndrome.
Meanwhile at day camp, there were many interesting stories and personalities. Some standout kids included The Crier, The Biter (a.k.a. The Kid Whose Pants Always Fall Down), The Adorable Wanderer and The Whiner. Actually, The Whiner turned out to be about 90 percent of the kids at camp. And these tykes know how to rub off on me. By the end of summer, I was whining with the best of them. I can't finish this column noooowww, I'm hungrryyyyy!!!
Moving on. I took a two-week \vacation"" midsummer and moved next door to be a nanny for my neighbor's kids while the parents went to Spain. I learned to appreciate my mom a lot more while realizing I don't want to have kids for a super long time. My suspicions were also confirmed on one matter: 15 is indeed the most obnoxious
age EVER.
After being a mom for 12 days I needed a break. So my older sister and I drove to Boulder, Col., for a wedding. We got to drive through two of the most exciting states in the union'Iowa and Nebraska! While we weren't soaking up the picturesque-uhh-plains, we managed to keep ourselves entertained by singing along (at the top of our lungs) to cheesy mix tapes we made sometime in the mid-'90s.
After three more exceedingly long weeks of camp, I was rewarded with a trip to northern California to visit a friend. Yeah, we saw some sights, but basically we acted like huge dorks for a week.
Now it's back to the daily grind. I wish you all a lovely semester, and remember: Don't let the man get you down.
