A long November, and there's reason to believe it's not ending anytime soon. Our primary dates are with our Apple I-Books, and, along with our new Le Sportsac totes, we're sporting brand new bags below our eyes. Sneakers have replaced stilettos for stomping down the street, and everyone on campus pants for flannel pants.
Winter is hovering, and as it inches near, relationships (like students) enter a hibernation phase. "I'm ready to drop," announces a fellow Boston girl, while curling on my couch. "Papers, presentations, even my nails are worn out," she moans, holding up her hands as proof. "And let's not even talk about the boy." She's been dating him since freshman year, but hasn't seen him for a week. "We'll talk before break," she shrugs, "though I don't know how much he'll have to say."
My favorite Southern belle has lots to say. "Are we together? Are we just hooking up? Who knows!" she sighs while sipping tea. "I hate it how we never talk." I tell her to try, but she shakes her head. "No way. I don't want to be that angry b----, screaming at him on how he can't commit." But we all know he's driving her mad, and if he won't commit, she'll soon be committed herself.
"What do I do over break?" she moans. "Do we call? Do we say goodbye? Dammit, this is driving me nuts." For this girl, impending break is judgment day--will he give her a proper farewell and validate his date? Or will they come back in January, ashamed, estranged or worse?
For this chick, break-time is the deadline for defining her boy bond. But for Duke girls like me, Thanksgiving break is like a good night's sleep--you fall into it confused and crazy, and when you wake up (or get smacked with the reality known as finals week), things make a lot more sense. Right now I'm so tired; I just can't sleep, even when I'm wearing my new Only Hearts pajamas. My life feels like a walking dream, and it's throwing everything off.
Backstage during last night's Macbeth, I got down on my knees and fixed a guy friend's sword. "You look a little flushed," he said. "What's up?" I sat down on the set and blabbed about my life: My current boy is pulling away. I like him too much to let go, but I'm also sick of his immunity to the word "boyfriend." Meanwhile, a long time crush has taken last year's bait, and now the chase is on. Crushes to the left of me, current flames to my right, and here I am--stuck in the middle and too tired to move.
"What are you going to do?" asks my acting bud before his opening scene.
"I don't know," I laugh, not knowing why. "I guess I'm going to sleep on it."
For some of my friends, break is business as usual. For others, it's a deadline for relationship definition. And then there are those of us who just need a good night's sleep before we can go on with our lives. Maybe when we wake up, the world will make sense again.
The weary days and sleepless nights are almost at an end. Hang in there, and sweet dreams.
Faran Krentcil is a Trinity senior and a senior editor of Recess. Her column appears every other Friday.
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