The ‘rental units dropped me off in Kingston on Sunday. During dinner at the Sleepless Goat, we watched a young man repeatedly and unabashedly violate his girlfriend at the next table. Later, an amicable drunk asked to try on my dad’s glasses in the street. As we strolled through the student ghetto on the way to my house, we observed the usual debauchery, intoxication and lawlessness that is Queen’s frosh week. What a scene, that unholy trifecta of boys, booze and boredom (or alternatively: bros, brews and bravado). All this prompted my dad to comment, “Kingston seems to have more than its fair share of alternative types”. Well spotted dad. Welcome to Kingston, a city where students and ex-cons, PhDs and dropouts, crackheads and jarheads all contribute their unique flavour to the cultural melting pot.
My mom left me a care package with trail mix, peanut butter, Asiago cheese and more. I can’t help but notice that the theme seems to be calorie density. Recently, a family friend asked me if my health was alright. Another straight up told me that I “don’t look good”. Oh well, at least my XC coach seemed pleased by my gaunt physique. The other day I found a newspaper left on my table open to story about some lanky guy who wants to gain 50lbs of muscle to improve his appearance and self-confidence. Very tactful mom and dad. Apparently I just need to cut my mileage, throw around some iron at the gym, slam a few steaks for good measure and I’ll “look good” in no time.
Classes start next week and I’m definitely going to miss my summer lifestyle of semi-employment, naps, cooking, aimless strolls and the pursuit of sub-sub-elite triathlon glory. Now that I’m in fourth year, people keep asking me what I’m doing next year. A word of caution: all but the most self-assured, high-powered students despise this seemingly innocent question. It forces us to face the great black void that is life after graduation. Many of us prefer to isolate ourselves from the “real world” in a bubble of denial as long as possible. Please don’t burst it with this question.
A string of poor decisions over the past few years have shown my apparent ineptitude at life planning. I keep hearing that crowdsourcing is all the rage these days. Maybe I’ll let other people plot the course of my life for a change. I’ll tap into the experience and knowledge base of my vast blog readership. So what I’m I doing next year? Year off? Grad school? Extend my undergrad? Pretend to be a pro triathlete? Master the art of high speed barbecuing? You tell me!
