I love being in college, for the most part. If I could some how find a way to get paid to attend college, I'd do this for the rest of my life. I'm sure everyone would agree with me. I love spending my days on one of the most beautiful and interesting places in this country, using its amazing facilities, learning things I have never understood before, and growing into an adult by the day.

However, there's a very confusing aspect of college that I have yet to resolve, and I hope its generally "normal" to feel this way. Usually, I feel like its hard to pin down the direction I would like to steer the proverbial vessel of my life. It seems that each time I arrive up on a solid conclusion, "I will be a teacher," it changes within the following hour, week, month, well you get the idea.

The toughest part is that the requirements for each major are so strict and inflexible that once you've made a decision (especially in your Junior year of study) you're basically committed. "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

Then comes the advice from others. Everyone who seems to care about me (or who is paid to care about me) usually has a different idea about what the ideal college education should look like: "Study only what you're interested in!" "Study something practical!" "Major in a lucarative field!" "Find a area of study that has an exceptional employment outlook!" AHHHHH!!!

The hardest part is that I've seen this thing go both (or all) ways: I've seen people who have studied what their interested in, only to find themselves with a piece of paper worth approximately $50,000 working at the local restaurant; but I've also seen people who majored in something "practical" completely unsatisfied with their lives. I've heard, "Do what you like," but I've also heard, "The secret to life is not doing what you like, but liking what you do."

So it comes down to this: is my future really dependent on making the right decisions right now, or is it more about making the best decisions I can right now, and learning how to deal with the consequences in the best possible way in the future? Is it about planning, or more about adapting? Should I study what I want, or should I study something I know will produce a stable income and benefit package.

More importantly, where can I find reliable advice to these questions?

As always, comments are highly appreciated and welcomed!

I guess I started to reconsider this phenomenon after a series of a few incidents. I think it started when I read someone else's blog who said that just publishing her thoughts everyday made her feel better. I've always tried to keep a journal, but it seems to "collect dust" more than anything. I always have good intentions to keep it going, but as always, more important things take priority. Maybe since I'm on the interenet at least once a day, I can just jog some ideas down when I feel like it. It's an interesting way to catalouge the ideas within one's head. Fascninating really.

Secondly, my mom sent me the link to Jessie Lybeck's blog. It was so amazing. She's currently spending a "Semester at Sea" and I loved seeing what she's experiencing right now. I definitely don't have anything as bohemian as that in my life right now, just school, work, and Minnesota. But, maybe this will be my inspiration to do something outrageous. Just so I can put it on my blog....maybe....

Lastly, my mom recently told me that she found my blog and looked at it. I was pleasantly shocked since I created this site last spring for one of my classes. Nevertheless, I have only one entry, about my first ride on the lightrail system. How exciting! But really, it was an interesting thing to document. Now that at least one other person has read this (besides my Professor who graded the assignment), perhaps someday, someone will somehow stumble across this site again. Wouldn't that be fabulous!?

So...here begins my official journey into the Blogmosphere...

"One giant step for man....one giant leap for mankind!"

And THAT my friends, is how I see it!

"I am anxious and exicted to ride the light rail. I rode the subway in Boston and New York City, so I basically know what to expect. We are getting on at the 50th Street Station, because Mom told me there's a lot of space to park on the adjacent streets. It's raining, it's windy, and it's kind of cold. I'm glad Brad is with to keep me warm with company."

My first experience on the Light Rail System was even more "enlightening" than I had originally expected. As I mentioned in my pre-ride entry, I had ridden the subway in both Boston and New York City. I've even experienced the chaos of Grand Central Station, so I didn't think there was any way Minneapolis' rendition of the time-tested model of public transportation, such as the subway, could even compare; but I was wrong.

As I said before, I boarded the train at the 50th St./Minihaha Park Station. My boyfriend Brad and I parked our car on the side street across from Capps. Since the weather was cold and dreary, we weren't as excited for our journey once we met the reality of an outdoor shelter really --much less than the "station" that we expected.

We quickly navigated our way towards the ticket-purchasing machine (which is currently located outside the confies of the shelter. This position really should be re-examined since in cases such as ours, on rainy and snowy days, paper bills have a tendency to become extremely flimsy when wet, thus making it impossible to insert them into the machine). We went through four different bills in an attempt to purchase our tickets. Racing against the clock, we finally had our 2.5 hour LRT passes.

We made our way south towards the Mall of America. I remember the airport terminals and Fort Snelling the most vividly. When we arrived at the mall, I assumed that the train ran in a circle, so we simply stayed on the same car. However, it wasn't until we started moving backwards in the same direction we had come from that I realized it was a "one-way-trip" type of system. Oops.

We decided to simply re-ride the route in its totality. We laughed when we approached and then departed from the 50th St. Station again. Once we arrived at the Metrodome Station, we decided to get off.

I analyzed the station, and continued with the "somnambulistic" theme of my journey. How oblivious I had been! When I attended the Twins game on Saturday night, I witnessed a gigantic line for the Light Rail. I was shocked to see all the people waiting for the train. I didn't understand what the big incentive was, until I took this trip.

We were the only people at the Metrodome station, since it was about 3:00pm Monday afternoon, and raining at that. I noticed that this station was much bigger and more comprehensive than the little pavilion we encountered at 50th St. One of my favorite installments at the station were the heating elements inside the booths. Since its April, the city apparently decided to turn off the heat because nothing happened when I pushed the button. I made a comment to Brad that they really must not know Minnesota weather since April has been known to produce huge snowstorms in the past.

Heat shortage aside, Brad and I made our way down Park Ave. towards the Old Spaghetti Factory. We had been talking about eating there for months, and it seemed like a perfect little piece to add to our adventure.

All in all, my experience on the light rail system was enlightening. I realized how big the Twin Cities Metropolitan area truly is, and how efficient and beneifical public transportation can be. Brad pointed something out that I hadn't previously considered. He said, "This doesn't stop for anyone, everyone stops for it."

In our fast paced world of individual determinism, public transportation inched ahead in my book.

And that's how I see it...