Right now, I couldn’t be happier. It’s Friday, both of my classes have been cancelled, and I have a relaxing and peaceful weekend to look forward to. It’s a great day to not have to walk to class too, since I just witnessed a wicked rainstorm from the safety (and dryness) of my room. My iTunes is in full swing with “Come a Little Closer” by Cage the Elephant being the current track and the mood feels perfect for writing.
By the time this column hits stands, we’ll already be a few days into November. Oh how the time is flying by; last week was consumed with midterms and now it seems as though Thanksgiving break is right around the corner (and it nearly is). I can practically taste the homemade filling and cornbread muffins. I’m getting a little ahead of myself though. Halloween has just passed, and it was both incredibly entertaining (drug-laced candy scandal anyone?) and exciting. Walking around campus and seeing people dawning costumes instilled some sort of faith in my heart that college can still be light-hearted and goofy.
Besides the holiday-related festivities that occurred this past week, there were a few other things that I participated in as well. On Saturday Ellen, Katie, and I all walked to the West Chester Public Library. Ever since I found out about its close proximity to campus, my friends and I have enjoyed about three separate “adventures” there. It’s about a 15-20-minute walk, which goes by quickly when accompanied by comrades. That particular day was especially windy, and the leaves danced in circles as we made our way up the brick-lined sidewalks of Church Street. Being there, surrounded by aisles and aisles of books, movies, and CDs gave me an overwhelming sense of warmth and familiarity. Who would have thought a library could possess such powers? So it goes.
On Oct. 27, Katie and I attended the Sylvia Plath birthday celebration at the Poetry Center. I had stumbled upon the event online a week earlier, and eager for the opportunity to delay homework a little while longer, the both of us jumped on the chance to go.
The event featured seven women, including Poetry Center director Kim Bridgford, who read Plath’s poems and other writings. Two of the women, Holly Trostle Brigham and Jo Yarrington, even made special artworks to memorialize Plath. The celebration was touching, and afterwards, everyone stayed to enjoy a delicious birthday cake.
This week may not have been as “exciting” as I wanted it to be, but I believe that’s ok. Maybe this week was meant to just be tranquil, and it’s true that us college students need that peacefulness every once in a while. So with Wilco’s “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” just now starting to play, I know that this column should end on a calmong kind of note. Trying to think up a clever moral or piece of advice to end this column with, I recalled one of the best quotes from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Rachel Alfiero is a first-year student majoring in communication studies. She can be reached at RA806657@wcupa.edu.
Thu. Apr 25th, 2024
