Blog 24 Starting college, surprise roommate, breaking up officially with Tina, etc.

(I am running out of young pictures and since this is a continuation, I will use the same picture.)

(College orientation)

Two weeks prior to my first college semester, the freshmen had orientation. It was mandatory. Not only did we meet all together, they put us in groups so we were sure to meet other freshmen. I saw it as a good idea because I loved meeting people. The group I was placed in had a great variety of characters and we had a blast. We finally found ourselves grouping up at night also. Partying was definitely something we all had in common.

Now, remember this was a catholic school and I am Baptist. I found out why they did not have a swim team! They turned the indoor swimming pool into this cool bar. It had made the pool floor into a double level flat wooded floor with a bar down in the deep level and a dance floor in the shallow end. Sitting booths, tables, conversation areas and another bar were around the pool at ground level. It is still my favorite designed bar of all time. And it was priced for the college kids budget.

(The Talent show)

I was already placed in my dorm room, but did not have a roommate yet. The school had two men’s dorms. One had air condition and the other did not. Since I had a roommate, I could afford the air conditioned dorm. I waited to set up my side of the room until I met my roommate. He was a junior and was expected on the weekend before classes started. That Saturday night, the freshmen had a Talent Contest and each group HAD to do something. The winning group won fifty dollars and second place got twenty-five dollars. .

Our group used my idea from high school to do two quick skits from the Carol Burnett show. They were really funny and everyone participated. I do not have to tell you that we won, nor what we did with the money. Correct, we went to the bar and partied hardy! I was flat-faced and could hardly stand as I headed back to my room. Now, can you guess what happened next? That is right! I had a roommate!!!

(My first meeting with my roommate!)

. When I entered my dorm room, I was greeted by three guys. It was quite obvious that I was drunk. Two of the guys left, and my roommate and I officially introduced ourselves. He was a Junior and had been in this room for the past two years and that he was well known at the campus. I was nauseated so I did not say much. We talked about the talent show and party. While we did, he had pulled out this bottle that had a spout. He pulled out a bag, matches, and a bottle of tequila. He then put towels under the door.

I inquired from my roommate as to what he was doing with all these things. He simply said that he could keep me from having a horrible hangover. I was excited about that, so I watched as he poured the tequila into the bottom of the bottle, which he called a bong. The bottle had a pipe attached and he packed some “chopped up tobacco” in the bowl of the pipe. He said all I had to do was place my mouth in the hole at the top of the bottle, light the tobacco while I inhaled, and then hold my breathe as long as I could. I had nothing to lose, so I did it. Nothing really happened so I did it again. This time my head was spinning and I started laughing. He then told me I experienced my first pot from a bong.

By this time, I was ready to go to bed. With my head spinning, I could not go directly to sleep. But, when I did, I had hallucinations that you could not believe. This went all night long and when I woke up, my mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. I was starving. BUT, I was not sick or hungover! It was unbelievable. When my roommate woke up, we talked awhile, went to breakfast, and started arranging our room. My parents did buy me a small television to put in the room. It only came in black and white, color TV was still very expensive to have in 1979.

(Nobody is perfect.)

During our first week, I learned a little too much about my new friend. He had people coming into our room all during the day and evening. I could not study because all the interruptions. The nights that I did not have early classes, we would go to the running track and jog one or two miles. Ironically, when we were through, we would go to the bottom of a hill and race to the top. The loser had to buy the first pitcher of beer at the club, But, again, we would get back to our room, he would have friends that would come in and smoke some pot.

Before the end of the week, I realized that he had other things than pot and I saw him do a sell. Then it hit me! (DUH) He was the college dealer. He was being so nice to me so that I would stay quiet. By that Friday, I told him it was too much for me to handle and try to study so I was going to ask for my own room. I promised him I would not tell anyone and he said that he still wanted to jog together, and that when I was drunk, he would let me come over and take a freebie use to not be hungover. I agreed.

(Giving up air condition)

When I asked to be moved, I said that my roommate had too many friends over nightly and I could not study. They agreed if I was willing to go to the dorm that did not have air conditioning. There were no places to put me in the air conditioned dorm. (It was cheaper) I had no choice so I accepted it. It was cooling down anyway, so I had nothing to really lose. For the record, I only smoked the bong less than ten times. I definitely liked having my own room, too.

(This is just the beginning of college. more to come in Blog 25}