I Would Do Anything for Love
They were playing that old Meatloaf song at the gym tonight and it transported me back to my sophomore year of college. My roommate and I had managed to secure the biggest room in the frosh/soph dorm, but it had a major drawback: the next door neighbor played “I Would Do Anything For Love” over and over and over again at the highest possible volume. All year. All. Freakin’. Year. I really hated that girl.
Sophomore year was a dark and dreary year for me. They say all sophomores get the blues and it rang true at my school. I don’t know what causes is, but everyone was walking around in a major slump.
I hated my roommate with a passion and did anything I could to avoid her. I would hide out in other people’s rooms. I would work hours in the yearbook room. I even took to studying in the Mansion. The Mansion housed the library so it was a natural place to study, but it was also haunted so it was rare to find people studying there. It was built in the 1930′s by an eccentric millionaire who thought the Nazis would invade. He was extremely paranoid and had secret passages, tunnels and stairways built into the house, along with a very old fashioned intercom system that connected to a big pipe organ. I loved discovering all the nooks and crannies as long as I had a friend along, but hanging out alone could get creepy. I would go and find a corner that no one was using and sit there with my books until I couldn’t take it any more. It would usually take just about an hour before I would become convinced that Mary Elizabeth (his daughter who supposedly haunted the place) was watching me from the window or the fireplace or a secret tunnel. I’d laugh and tell myself it was ok, but eventually the feeling of being watched became so strong that I would hot foot it down the spiral staircase and out the door. I know it was just my imagination playing tricks on me, but it seemed to happen to everyone who tried to study there. One night a student worker got locked in on accident and she later told me it was the scariest thing that’d ever happened to her. She was able to use the phone to call someone to let her out, but the whole time she was in there she thought ghosts were sneaking up on her. Now, I know legends and superstitions are all pretty silly, but it’s important to note that this legend was at a very conservative Christian school and the girl in question was a “super-Christian” who scoffed the idea of ghosts. I don’t know why we all had such strong reactions to being alone in that building.
Sophomore year was also the year that I learned to go to the movies by myself. My grandma sent me money for a car because she was convinced I would drop out of college if she didn’t buy me a car. I have no idea where she got that idea. It’s very embarrassing that she tells people that story and makes me look like a totally manipulative little bitch.
Anyway, I got a car and I had freeeeeeeeeedom! Instead of spending the weekend hiding away in the library, trying to avoid my sloppy, confrontational, bossy bitch of a roommate I was able to go exploring. I found a lake with a neat little beach that was perfect for laying out and catching some rays. I discovered a cool old movie theatre with rocking seats. I discovered myself.
Up until college I had never shared a room. I’d never thought about my need for alone time because it was built in. I had plenty of alone time so it was a shock to get to college and have roommates and friends who didn’t understand my need to be by myself. Sometimes I just had to get away from it all, so once I had the car I would go to the movies almost every weekend. It’s kind of funny because before that time I would never have considered going to the movies alone. Now I consider it one of the most relaxing things in the world.
Funny how a song can hold so many memories.
October 28th, 2003 at 9:50 pm
I can do better than that. The annoying girls next to my room freshman year played Green Day’s Dookie. ALL THE TIME.
Which may have been livable, had I not had a roommate who never changed her sheets. ALL YEAR.
October 28th, 2003 at 10:27 pm
I agree. Movies alone are the most relaxing thing! Speaking of… I think I need to take myself to one soon.
October 28th, 2003 at 11:39 pm
Car does = freedom. That happened to me my junior year. Nothing better than roaming about in your own little pod.
October 29th, 2003 at 10:42 am
Sophmore year was the year my roomate tried to kill herself…. but there were always questions as to whether she was actually going to do it or not. It seemed almost unanimous that it was one of her “attention getting” schemes….
I hated my roomates. There were always 4 of us since freshman year it was 2 rooms per bathroom, and the rest of the years we all had apartments, 2 bedrooms, 2 girls to a room. All 4 years it was almost the same 4 of us. Man, the wars, the backstabbing, and the drama. UGH.