North on Monday

Late last week I made plans to go to State and check out Career Services and Placement. I would make the trip on Wednesday, the day after my job interview with Banana Republic. Herb had a recital/concert on Monday and I decided to move the trip up a couple days so that I could go to both. It’s been a tough time lately and I needed to experience something positive.

It has been a year since I last visited campus and it gets stranger to me every time I go there. That’s not a negative. Campus is continually a work-in-progress and there hasn’t been anything new that I didn’t like. Okay, perhaps the addition to Spartan Stadium is an exception. That makes the thing look so lopsided. But even though things are continually changing, much of it remains so familiar. I was excited to see some of the construction at my old dormitory, Philips Hall. It’s going to look great.

Going to Career Services wasn’t much help. The lady at the desk was really nice but explained to me that I now had to go to Alumni Services. I got some materials and went on my way. The Alumni Association wants me to reactivate my membership before I can access their systems. I love MSU but sometimes, I think that school wants me to bleed green. And that wasn’t a reference to school colors.

I picked up the latest LDAS packet for the LSAT at the College of Law. I took some time to sit and watch the law students come and go through the library.

Information about the Virginia Tech massacre was still unfolding while I was on campus. People at the International Center were clustered around the televisions showing coverage. It wasn’t as somber as 9/11 but still, it was a little tough to be there.

While I was there I tried to meet up with two friends that were still there. Christina wasn’t free to meet up but I did get to have a short drink with Dusty. It was great to catch up. He will be doing another internship this summer down in Kentucky and invited me to come down and visit someday. Sounds like a great idea to me.


I hightailed it out of East Lansing to get to Albion where Herb was having his recital. This was the part of the trip that I was looking forward to the most. Going to MSU was about finding a job. This was going to be more personal. First, I haven’t experienced opera singing before and I’m always up for something new. Second, I’ve never seen a fellow blogger in the flesh before.

The plan was to show up ten minutes before it started. There would be a crowd there and I would be able to slip in and not be noticed. It’s not that I didn’t want to meet Herb, I just didn’t want to show up unannounced. I feared that he would think, internet stalker. I know I would be thrown off balance if a fellow blogger showed up suddenly. Not that I wouldn’t welcome that, but I’d be thrown off. Not good for a performer, I think.

So I get there about ten minuets before and I walk in. I see no one there. Oh, do I have the right building? Yes I do as a couple ladies hand me a program and tell me to enjoy the concert. I make my way in and who do I see coming down the isle towards me? Herb. Oh, shit! So much for slipping in unnoticed. Well I couldn’t just slip past him thinking he might not recognize me.

“Herb, where is everyone?” Oh, as soon as I said it, I kicked myself for not coming up with something better. Believe me, I get incredibly nervous meeting new people and anything I do manage to say comes out inarticulately. Well at least, the hard part of actually meeting someone was over with. But it was cool and I took a seat, excited.

Soon, people started to fill up the seats. The girls that I sat near looked like they were there for a class assignment. They had their notebooks out and were ready to take notes. I brought out my own notebook, but to take notes for myself. As the performance went on, they were busy making their notes. Even though I had my own notes out, I refrained from writing. I wasn’t there for a class, I was there for the experience and I wanted to give it my full attention. Besides, I wouldn’t even know what to note. I get a feeling the girl next to me didn’t either as some of what I read didn’t seem too insightful.

I loved the performance. The whole thing seemed intimate. Like I was a part of something that only a select number of people could appreciate. Now, I will be the first to point out that I come up short when it comes to the arts. I may not know much, but I know that I can sit back and let the chips fall where they may. To my untrained ear, it all sounded great. There was only one snag in the program but I’ll leave that to Herb to write about if he so wishes.

When it was done, I stayed to meet Herb more properly. When he came out, we had a little chat. I would have loved to have stayed and talked some more but it was getting late and I still had to drive back home. I should have told him this, but that day was the best I have had in a long time and meeting him was the highlight of the day. So Herb, thank you.