Some last reflections on Richmond

I'm a pretty cold-hearted person, so when people start talking about how sad they are that we're graduating soon, I usually just let my eyes glaze over and start thinking about what I need to buy at the grocery store this week.

Granted, I nod my head every once and a while and stick in the perfunctory "I know, right?!" But when push comes to shove, I'm pretty excited to get the heck out of here.

Sorry I'm not sorry that I won't really miss the midget-sized beds, trying to maneuver around my roommates in our one-person kitchen sans dishwasher, the moldy bathtubs, the parking services man, checking eSuds every .25 seconds to see whether any of the laundry machines were open, the laxative-ridden D-Hall food or trying to sleep through the sounds of drunk biddies roaming around the apartments at 2 a.m. on a Saturday.

Although the possibility of a queen-sized bed in a mold-free apartment with a fully functional kitchen and quiet, intellectual neighbors certainly brings me a thrill, I know that the second I'm in the "real world," I'll miss Sunday morning bagels at Einstein's with the roommates and spontaneous 80s dance parties on Wednesday afternoons.

I'll miss going home for month-long Christmas breaks and blaming my 24-hour laziness on needing to "catch up on sleep after finals." No longer will I be able to start my weekends on Thursday after class or charge coffee to my SpiderCard or belong to a gym with such a wide variety of cardio machines and eye candy.

So, although some of us may be "over college" at this point and done with the same old Saturday night drama, let's not let those things get in the way of our last few months here together.

Spend time sitting around with your friends: It's probably one of the last times that you'll get to frump with them for hours on end talking about who made out with whom on what night, with your computers on hand and Facebook up on the screen.

If your friends are pissing you off, explore the city. Sometimes I don't think we give Richmond enough credit for having a ton of hipster bars and really great food. I know I certainly haven't taken advantage of everything the city has to offer. So if you can, get out there and try a new place or just drive around and check stuff out.

Or if you fear the world outside of our bubble, or cars or something like that, go acquaint yourself with the geese. I hear they can be quite friendly every once in a while when they aren't busy pooping by the library or holding up traffic as they wobble across the street. When else will you ever be living on a campus this beautiful?

Soon enough, there will be bills, jobs, public transportation and pantyhose. We'll be responsible for more than just doing our homework and getting ourselves up and ready for class every day.

Never again will life be as simple as it is now, so soak it up. Sure, you may be ready to move on, Lord knows I am, but don't jump the gun on checking out just yet.

When I'm 45, drowning in debt because my kids want to go to Richmond, fighting with my husband, trying to get the plumber to come to the house, packing lunches, finding time to work out in between getting to my job on time and cooking dinner for the fam, I bet I will willingly cut off my pinky toes to be back here.