Do you know what I hate? Time. It seems that this phenomenon is working against me and everything I know and love. It eludes me as to why I never listened to my parents, grandparents and teachers. I was also told to cherish the moments you have because you will never get them back.
This weekend, I finally realized how true that is.
Two friends of mine turned 21 on Sunday morning, so of course we went to Phryst right at midnight so they can experience their first bar-bought alcoholic beverages. It was a great time.
So as I'm being forced to stand on the bar table and take my Surfer on Acid shot while singing and dancing along to a cover of a Journey song, I look around at my friends and realize how soon the times like these will be coming to an end -- at least for me.
And recently, my thoughts have pummeled me this weekend like a ton of bricks. The fall semester is almost over, and it has hit me that I only have a few more months as a college student. That scares the hell out of me.
Fellow Collegian columnist Stephanie Goga wrote a column not too long ago titled 'Soft question now has hard answer,' and now I realize how true it was. I, like Stephanie, would brush off the question "What are your plans after you graduate," or I'd give some general answer. But when it comes down to it, the thought has been furthest from my mind.
So now, when I should be enjoying the little time I have left at Penn State, I have to start thinking about my future. Heaven forbid I have no post-college plans or else I may get the same looks that college dropouts get.
Still, this isn't meant to be about the future, but more so about the past and making the best of the present. Since I've failed to heed the advice of my elders, I implore to those who still have a significant amount of time here at Penn State to live it up.
If you are like me and don't listen to the older generations, listen to one of your peers. With graduation looming, time is up several touchdowns on me because there are so many things I haven't experienced at Penn State. I never got to sit in the S-Zone at a football game. I never had the honor of being involved with THON, for one reason or another. I didn't throw Frisbee out on Old Main's lawn when it was nice out, and I never took the time to play the Zombies vs. Humans game.
Granted, I still have some time remaining in the last semester of my college life to catch up, but in some cases, I missed out on a lot of scoring opportunities that I will never likely be able to take advantage again. It's my loss, but it doesn't have to be yours.
Sure, I've made some big plays in my time, like when I went backstage at the All-American Rejects concert in the Bryce Jordan Center my freshman year or meeting the multitude of people I've encountered through the years -- even making it onto The Daily Collegian's news staff.
But take my nostalgic trip down memory lane to heart and learn from my mistakes. I still might be able to get the win over time in the end, but I need to work my butt off to do so. For the juniors, sophomores and freshmen: Don't rely on the last quarter of the game to catch up.
Chris Bickel is a senior majoring in public relations and is The Daily Collegian's Friday columnist. His e-mail address is cdb5067@psu.edu.
