go!

I don't like the coffee in the break area right next to my work zone. They provide us with a brand called Flavia. You take a little metal pouch that looks like a miniature Capri Sun and you stick it into a slot on top of the coffee maker, then you wait 35 seconds for the pouch/machine to make you a cup of muddy, clotty, coffee-flavored hot water.

Across the building in another break area they still carry the Keurig brand of coffees- these are coffees and teas that come in little salad-dressing-sized cups that you put in the top of a little coffee machine and it brews you a relatively normal-tasting experience.

The price I pay for that is having to walk across my building in order to get a delicious hot beverage. In addition to that- Occasionally I have to submerge myself into the world of The Hens.

The Hens are the flock of cube inhabitants that nest over near the 'good coffee'. If you have ever run through a barnyard and heard the discordant reaction of the poultry on the ground near you, you see why they got their name.

The Hens in question were at full 'BOCK' today, discussing one of the ladies' little girl. Apparently, this gal is graduating this spring from high school, and Mama doesn't want her little chick to go all the way down to Atlanta to go to school.

The overheard dialog was:

"...because I KNOW that if she's in that element, with all those college people, she will get exposed to stuff and be on her own and there's a strong chance she might forget herself and do thangs [yes... THANGS] that people do in college. I want her to stay here at home where she will stay herself."

I got my tea and moved on.

A few thoughts:

I think everyone should go to college, if they can. Having a college education looks good on paper; and depending on what you study, college will prepare you with a delightful plethora of knowledge that helps you achieve your goals. I mean let's face it: high school didn't teach you anything valuable. Anything that WAS valuable for you to know about you re-learned in your core college classes your freshman year. Sad but true.

BUT-

The biggest reason to go to college is BECAUSE of the elements you will become exposed to! Isn't that the whole idea?

I couldn't tell you the names of the classes I took my first semester at Stephens. But I DO remember making out with Regina and tucking her drunk ass in on my couch instead of trying to 'seal the deal'. I remember the dynamic between folks I didn't think I would get along with. I remember sitting on the roof of The Guys House and drinking beers, and I remember about a trillion dates, pranks, comments, rehearsals, and instances where I became a better person because of it.

There is nothing like the feeling of living on your own, and yet still having that tether back to your family when you need help. It's completely different than just striking off on your own after school with NO help from 'home'. And I think it is a completely useful and unique experience.

Let your kids go away to college. Put $50-$75 a week into their bank account and let them blow it on T-shirts, cult movies, 6-packs and the occasional bag of grass. Insist that they get passing grades and that they keep a journal of their time there. They might not remember the names of their professors in ten years, but they will totally remember what it was like to room with a Muslim who's concept of God and right and wrong is slightly different than what they grew up with. And maybe they will become better-rounded individuals because of it.

Allow the poor chick to leave the nest, dammit.