Free at last!

My profuse apologies to anyone who reads this every day and has noticed a gap in posts. However, the past two days have been mildly busy with college fairs and driving to Maryland and trying to stay awake past nine (last night it was a fail).

Thursday was the most awkward schedule ever because I had a consortium that ended at 1 and a college fair that didn't start until 6:00. Unfortunately, my hotel for the night was two and a half hours from the fair, which meant that I was homeless in a random town in New Jersey for a few hours. Naturally I checked out the local cultural sites... and by that I mean I wanted ice cream, so I had lunch at Friendly's and quickly remembered why you should only order ice cream at Friendly's. And then I randomly stumbled across a Panera in an awesome strip mall, so I had a less-than-amazing latte over some free wifi and then heartlessly tried on clothes I had no intention of buying. And that was Thursday. The fair was a bust, and I didn't get to the hotel until around eleven. Why, yes, that does mean that I missed "The Office" and "Project Runway." The only redeeming part of the night was getting a goody bag upon check-in for being in the club. Free Doritos? Heck, yes.

Yesterday was a different consortium with different people, which meant I didn't get to hang out with awkward Office guy or seasoned and cynical rep. I did, however, wind up next to a fun artsy rep who told me fun places to go in Philadelphia. (For the record, I'll need someone to go with me to a haunted house at an old prison so I'm not alone when I pee myself.) Yesterday's prospectives included a kid who pretended to know a whole lot about the "south" but obviously didn't... sadly I cannot share his story without revealing the name of my alma mater. However, he wasn't the most entertaining kid of the day, so I'm okay with skipping.

I've found that in a mere two weeks I've become a seasoned rep who gives college fair kids a hard time. I was almost mean to a girl yesterday. She grabbed an academic brochure that had a "TABLE COPY" sticker on it. She was clearly a grabber, nothing more.

Me: That one's actually a table copy. You're more than welcome to flip through it, but it's the only one I have, so it needs to stay here. (pointing at stack of info she could take) This one has the general info you're probably looking for.
Girl: .... (grabs the other brochure, but tries to walk away without replacing the table copy)
Me: Can I have that one back?
Girl: (stares at me)
Me: The one in your hand. With the giant sticker. The one that says "TABLE COPY." And stays on the table.
Girl: (replaces it and walks away)

The true excitement of yesterday: I finally had someone stealthy steal a pen! I was so impressed! This girl comes up to the table and starts asking me about education. She acts interested, but doesn't take any information at the end. As she turns away, I notice my pen (and five or six others) sticking out of her back pocket. Well done, random girl. Well done. She probably doesn't even want to study education: it's the perfect major to ask about since everyone has it. I'm almost sad that I had crappy, cap-less hotel pens out... with skills like that, you deserve a real promotional pen.

I also met a mom who told me it was "so sweet" that I was so excited about everything on campus. Clearly she was never forced to graduate from college and confront the "real world," or whatever it is people keep talking about. And clearly she has never eaten in a "dining pavilion."