The double doors of the court room open as a group of men and women enter, dressed in their Calvin Klein neck ties and form-fitting pencil skirts. No music beats syncopate the sounds of their footsteps as they make their way toward the stand. Judge Mills does not have his gavel at hand waiting to preside over the legal woes of biter exes. This isn't an episode of "The People's Court." Welcome to the National Championship Tournament for the most talented mock trial teams worldwide.
THE WAY I SEE IT: Before I even turned the much-anticipated age of 21, I told myself (and so did my mother) that I would go to Vegas and be the best 21-year-old I could be. Translation: drink, gamble and do all of the reckless things I would not be able to do in a few years. This, however, never happened, and it was not long before I found myself in the same old routine: school, the occasional visit back home, the rare house party and the infrequent satisfaction of purchasing my own alcohol. Then I turned 22, and decided that this little "ring around the Vegas" had gone on long enough.
Picture this: It's a Friday morning and you wake up to bright neon numbers flashing directly in your face and the obnoxious alarm begging you to wake up after a long night out. You smack the snooze button in an attempt to gain a few extra minutes of sleep, only to wake up to the same situation nine minutes later. This is a common scenario. It's said that the few minutes of sleep you get when you hit the snooze button is the best you get of the night. However, it's often the most costly as well.
ASK GRACE: "I have a whole box full of three-ring binders that I no longer need. They were useful last year, but they fail to serve their purpose now. What do I do?"
CHRONICLES OF GNARNIA: The bee is quietly buzzing around Cara; it's not very much of a buzzing bee, just more of an annoying silent, small bug. I want to kill it, but no one else notices its buzzing. We're in a large circle, smoking in front of Jill's apartment.
When picturing college life, the images that come to mind are those of a crowded dorm, a Thursday night party or a table littered with red cups from a round of beer pong. Rarely does anyone think of sitting in traffic or enduring a grueling commute. For many college students, however, commuting is a part of their college experience.
Have you ever stared at the stars and saw a UFO whiz by? Caught a glimpse of a phantom out of the corner of your eye? Eaten at Veggie Grill to "cleanse" your system? Well, you're kidding yourself.
ZOT IN THE CITY: I call Brandon to give him a quick hello and tell a funny story about a friend's unfortunate bathroom incident, expecting a few good laughs and some light-hearted joke-cracking. Instead, Brandon abruptly tells me that he is trying to shoot some strippers, and asks if he can call me back later.
CHRONICLES OF GNARNIA: We are nearing Cachuma Lake. Huge green hills are on either side of me. I can see them outside the freeway through the windshield, bushes spotting around, and everything is bald-looking. "Mark! America!" says my dad, sitting in the driver seat.
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