College.

Ironic: I don’t think I understood the full impact of college until I got out of it.

The realization actually hit me at 2:30 am this past Friday morning when I was in town for the KU/ K-State game.

I was snuggled up on a friend’s loveseat, thrilled about the fact that scoring a couch meant a less exhaustion for following day’s tailgating shenanigans. I was just about to slip off into a slumber when the banging began. Then the laughing. The doorbell. It sounded like there were people outside trying their hardest to get in. I say trying their hardest because it took them about 20 tries to punch in the proper door code. I’m pretty sure somebody actually fell down trying.
I held my breath.

Please don’t get it. Please forget. Please just pass out on the doorstep. Go next door!

Dangit. Apparently their intoxication levels weren’t high enough to completely prevent entrance. As feet came thundering in I heard the words I was dreading the entire time:
“AFTER HOURS!”

…

You’ve GOT to be kidding me.

The tailgating begins at 8 am tomorrow morning and you want to do after hours!?
Even better: I managed to have staked my claim on the couch directly above the sub system downstairs. I may as well have just partaken in the festivities myself.

Instead I settled for listening to the intense conversation taking place on the top of the stairs. At first the banter was harmless but my ears perked up at this:
“Stoooooop!” I heard a whiney mouse-like voice say.
“Why should I ?” I heard a guy say, forcing his voice to drip with a deep (and if I do say so myself, failed) sexiness.
At this point curiosity killed me and I craned my neck to size this guy up.
Skinny, spiked hair, collared shirt, sunglasses (??REALLY?) , crocodile on the left breast pocket. Yep . Most likely a sophomore frat boy.
“Because!” the girl cooed, trying her hardest to stand up straight, “I have a boyfriend!”
And that’s where my eavesdropping stopped.
“EXCUSE ME!” I intervened. The girl seemed so startled she about took a straight tumble down the stairs. “Does one of you live here??”
“Yeah I do.” The guy said.
“How old are you??”
“A sophomore”. (a HA! I was right).

** Side note: why freshmen and sophomores who can’t even go to Aggieville need “after hours” is beyond me. If you guys can figure that one out, let me know.**

“Well just to let you know there are about 4 of us sleeping up here. We’re friends with your older roommates.”
That’s about all I said. As long as that chick didn’t cheat on her boyfriend I didn’t care much. After all, it is college. Let them have their fun.

One hour later, the sub music ceased.

Two hours later (This is now 6 am in the morning) the party resumed. Atleast they were our friends this time around. Due to my comatose state I can’t describe exactly what I saw to you, but I do remember watching a bunch of dudes parading around in a line clanging pots and pans, hearing Irish bagpipe music shake the entire house, and hearing the words “A screwdriver to start off the morning!”

It was that moment exactly when the epitome hit me.

How did I ever used to be able to do this??

Granted, no matter how gung-ho I was in college I never made it to after hours before an early morning tailgate, and “early” for me meant 8 am, not the crack of dawn. In fact, for most early morning games I hit the hay at midnight the previous night.

I guess that’s also a big difference between girls and guys. Watching guys get ready for games is probably one of the most entertaining things I have ever seen. They are like little kids anxiously waiting to go see what Santa brought them Christmas morning. The beer, the music, the food, the drinking, the “spiritwear” so to speak.
But that’s a whole other story.

So the tailgating began, we had a great day, and then the sleepiness started to set in. Luckily, we found another friend with an abundance fluffy couches to take our naps on.
Sweet.
Until half an hour later when about 15 people paraded in, turned on the music and began playing drinking games.
Well, there went that. Apparently a nap was not in the cards for us. If you can’t beat them, join them. (Although luckily I got to go visit a friend in Junction City instead.)


Don’t ask me how I survived an entire night at the bars afterward and still managed to have fun, because I don’t know. And just for the record, the whole weekend was a total blast and I’d do it all over again!

But I do know that it took me atleast 4 days of napping and chugging water to feel normal again. I literally had to strain my brain at work and double check everything I did because I was positive it wouldn’t be able to fully function after a weekend like that.

And to think that I used to be able to do this in college, wake up go to class, work, take tests, ect by Monday...