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Blacksburg served up a round of sincere delight. And I return back to Lynchburg… again… again to instantly miss people, to miss places, to miss good times. Memories retained via digital film are certainly helpful, but they leave out a depth that isn’t easily replaced.

I am expecting this to be the last weekend trip to VT this semester, so my suffering is even more inflated. While there are more, near infinitely more, here are a brief seven instances/things that I absolutely crave when I am absent from the campus of Virginia Tech.

Friends. “What friends,” I hear you remark. Despite my independent swagger, I cherish the relationships I’ve formed with people at Tech. Nothing compares to having transparent conversation, and while I’ve only known some of these people for a brief time, being able to have them present expedites bonds and clears the way for self-disclosure. It’s a shame I can’t box them all up and take them back with me to Lynchburg.

Bollo’s. Yes, I am a crack-whore of coffeeshops, so to speak. However, I don’t bunker up there solely for a java fix. The atmosphere and quality of that environment fosters my academia within. Countless hours of studying and reading have taken place behind those classic, warped glass pane windows. Oh oh oh, and the barristas are great and it’s organic, every bit.

Classes, courses, and the professors. Since I wisened up after a, let’s sugarcoat this, … slow… first semester, I’ve realized my potential and have pursued the narcissistic title of Supreme Lord and Almighty Wielder of Mechanical Engineering Knowledge. I’m no four-point-oh-er, but I try my very brains out. It’s a blessing that I’ve blown so few fuses in my state of learning, but the growth expands to many levels other than the obvious knowledge spectrum - we’re talkin’ serious characta’ buildin’.

The wind. Have your first, wonderful experience of walking across the drillfield at 7:50 am on a moderate December morning and just try (this is a dare, now) to avoid being stricken with a mild form of frostbite. The Blacksburg winds are never gone - never leave for the summer or take a breather during spring break. They lurk, fittingly, in every breezeway; wait for you right outside the dormitory doors; and hit you, smack you, bludgeon you, and ironically, speed your way across campus to your destination all the while slashing through your supposive wind-breaker. If the forecast says 50 degrees, count on 35 from the wind; if you of clear skies in the days planner, that just implies kite weather. I’m not sure why I miss the wind, perhaps because it intimidates me, and there’s nothing intimidating/exciting about predictable weather conditions.

Walking. Here, there, and everywhere. I love to drive, I love to drive German vehicles ::drool::, and I love the smooth pushes through a manual transmission. But I hate paying for fuel, loathing it not because prices are “high” but because I believe it’s just a waste of money (kind of like slot machines, in my opinion). Plus, walking has added benefit of being a superficial alternative to exercise. Can’t beat a two-fer.

Speakers, lectures, and concerts. And they are all FREE, people!! (ok, generally most are). Where else are you going to sit down to an evening with Rev. Al Sharpton, Victor Wooten, or Elie Wiesel? This is one thing I sorely am absent of in L-burg; the social events here bring names that rarely are known outside the conservative, Christian world. Without bashing the culture, I’m sorry to see Lynchburg avoided by touring speakers and artists. I have a feeling things will change over the next decade or so - looking up for the better.

The general freedom to express. VT is a little melting pot of culture, not a perfect one I’d say, but a melting pot nonetheless. I love it when people sit next to me at Bollo’s and make me uber-jealous to know what they are speaking about in their foreign tongue. Culture is the breakfast for champions.

It took me a ridiculous amount of time to write up this entry. I kept pausing to reminesce. Especially about the walks, talks, and fun of this weekend. Look a’ me gettin’ all senta-menta’ like.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 3rd, 2005 at 5:16 pm and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.