it's like felicity, but without the tape recorder

When I was working at the paper today, I commented on the fact that it's already April. Job interviews for next semester start tomorrow, and I'm the first person signed up. Do I even know what I'm getting myself into? Do I want to know what I'm getting myself into? I bet if I knew what kind of semester the fall of 2007 is going to be like, I'd probably jump out of my window. That'd be pretty lame, though. Girl jumps out of fourth story dorm window. Pathetic.

So freshman year has flown by, and the weeks left in the semester are few. As I was walking from the newspaper one night with a good friend of mine, she said that she felt as thought that BIG THING that's supposed to happen freshman year hadn't happened yet.

"You know," she said to me, "it feels incomplete. It's as though there should be something that should have happened. I feel like I haven't accomplished anything."

And maybe this feeling rings true for many freshman. We've been loafing around, barely getting by. It's too obvious in the fact that we're the poorest academic class that UK has seen in years. Good job, guys. I sallute you on your slacking. And I'm not going to lie, I've done my fair share of not caring both semesters. I routinely skip my 9:30 math class, and have no qualms about missing my 5:30 geology class to go shoot something for the Kernel.

So what is it? What's missing? What's that huge thing that we're all looking forward to? But here's the true question: Has it already happened and we were all too busy that we missed it.

Looking back, I realize that a lot has happened. I've met an absurd amount of new people, discovered what I'm most likely going to do with my life, shot amazing pictures, lined up an internship for this summer, signed on an apartment for this fall, seen some amazing bands in concert, and fallen in and out of love. I've made new relationships, broken old relationships, and slowly mended hurt relationships.

I've been hurt and hurt others. I watched a hell of a lot of television and discovered others who understand that John Krasinski is the most amazing thing since sliced bread. I travelled to Chicago without my family and rode a Greyhound (A GREYHOUND!) back to Louisville.

I taught someone how to take pictures. I have my own income and don't ask my parents for money--unless I desperately have to.

I have a crush. I discovered my love for coffee. I read a book that changed my life. I've met people who've changed my life.

I've been published in a newspaper. I wrote articles for a newspaper. I decided that I want to go to grad school and have been told that UC Berkeley isn't out of reach.

I've danced in the rain and cried with friends. I've stayed out until 4 a.m. and regretted the decisions I made the night before.

I've woken up next to someone I truly cared about. I know what it's like to be in a relationship, and I know what it looks like when you've been hurt.

But mostly? I lived. I lived without limits, and let myself do things I never thought I would do.

So maybe I didn't drive to Canada or whatever. But I think my freshman year was pretty productive.