It was late last Tuesday night, and the Arts Editor and I were walking home from the Collegian when two drunken girls asked us to take their picture.

A photojournalist at heart, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to document the event, so I willingly obliged.

The four of us struck up a conversation as we continued along Calder Way. The girls were naturally intrigued by the backpacks we carried on our taut, muscular shoulders, and we explained that we had just come from the paper. They commented on our dedication, with one girl saying she could never be that dedicated to anything.

No, we replied, there must be something -- some organization, some cause -- that they felt a special connection to.

Nothing, they replied.

Shortly after this, one of the girls picked up a glass bottle. The Arts Editor and I were alarmed, because the night before we had seen a dude smash a bottle, claiming "it makes my dick feel huge" after he shattered it on the ground.

The girl had no such intentions. "I'm gon- I'm gon- I'm --" she mumbled, waving the bottle. After some more waving, she began walking again, still holding the bottle. Using powers of observation and interrogation tactics we've honed through our journalism jobs, the editor and I set out to discovering the bottle's fate.

It became apparent that the girl intended to recycle it. She always picked up discarded bottles for proper disposal, she explained.

"That's it!" the editor and I said. That's what she's dedicated to -- recycling.

Our friend from that night is not alone in her commitment to something greater than herself.

There are students dedicated to different things all over this campus -- fine art majors hunting for some inspiration, architecture majors surviving off a catnap and cup of coffee, recreation, park and tourism management majors who will not rest until they figure out the difference between a great waterpark and a legendary one.

It's a wonderful feeling to have something to commit yourself to. Paradoxically, living for something beside ourselves doesn't just make the world a better place, it enriches our own lives.

This April, the dedication of one group of students will be recognized when select senior film projects are shown at the 2008 Penn State Student Film Festival.

It's the culmination of two years of late nights, extra takes and script ideas thought up in the shower, and our dedicated film/TV reporters will document the final stretch of the project in four installments.

It's a little something different for Venues, and we'll hope you'll enjoy.

Seeing the commitment to creating a beautiful film is inspiration for all of us to dedicate ourselves to something. So this week, pick up that piece of trash, write that short story you haven't got around to, try out the club you always wanted to join but didn't.

If you're lucky, you might find your true calling.

Even if it's drunken recycling.

Billy Wellock is a sophomore in the division of undergraduate studies and the Daily Collegian Venues chief. He is dedicated to helping you have a fantastic weekend. His e-mail is waw 5010@psu.edu.