The first week of summer school has come and gone, and with five more cycles my summer studies in Gainesville will conclude. What have I learned from one week of pretending to be a student for hours at a time on campus, living in a muilt-room apartment, and experiencing much solitude without having roommates or many nearby friends?

1) Having my own kitchen is everything I thought it would be... and more.

Cooking has been passed along my family tree in all aspects. My grandma makes the most delicious pasteles, a delicacy completely untapped in America. My other grandmother--- she died when I was six--- passed the secrets of true Italian cuisine to my dad and later to my mom. My mom... madone! She'll make a dish that'll have me breathing heavy and moaning when all the flavors and textures spread to my mouth and nose. And though he rarely exhibits his talents, my dad can be a master chef as well.

My mom taught me the culinary arts little by little before I left for college. Only now am I able to freely cook whatever dish I want whenever I want. In the dorm, all my ingredients, meats, utensils, etc. had to be packed in my handy plastic portable cabinet that I carried down the hall and to the lounge. I had to rely on none of my 50 floormates using the stove or oven when I arrived. Crap, I forgot the butter! Gotta rush back to my room and let my food burn while I find it and run back to the kitchen. Even if I had all my ingredients, my shoebox of a fridge prevented me from stockpiling and potential meals. Everytime I wanted to cook a bonafide feast, I'd have to prepare a day in advance, get to Publix, buy only what I needed, and have all my food disappear the next day.

Now when I go to Publix, I've graduated from the little side basket to a full-sized grocery cart. I can refrigerate and freeze things. All my parts for the meal lay at my disposal. For some reason, a meal tastes so much better if you've made it yourself (with the exception of a home-cooked Big Red). This morning I made my first attempt at an omlette. Ham, muenster cheese, and a dab of hot sauce went into the solidifying egg mixture, and though honestly I expected failure, my omlette looked perfect. After sitting down and taking the first bite, I got so excited by the taste that I almost called home right then and there to announce my achievement! Then I realized it's just an omlette, so I sat and ate it instead. My wife has to be able to cook or at least willing to learn, and at the same time, she has to let me borrow the kitchen too.

2) I picked the right major, and without it I would have no chance at doing well this summer.

Intro to Corrections is the only reason I can awaken so easily to begin another 9-3 school day. In high school boring classes didn't hinder my learning experience because I had yet to find true excitement in education. Being smacked in the face by college chemistry was the first time I almost surrendered my efforts to do well in a class. Criminology had shown me my true academic interests, and chemistry fell on the opposite side of the spectrum. Two years later, criminolgy courses remain poised with psychology above all other subjects. Without a stimulating class this summer, I have the feeling I might skip some days and only study enough to pull off a C. I don't want a C, but it would be easier to fall into that hole if I was surrounded by three boring classes. Thankfully, Corrections gives me a break from forced studying and injects enough energy into me to be a decent student in my other, less desirable classes.

3) You can't always be friends with someone just because you were close in another timeframe.

This one I expected. If you start dating someone without establishing friendship first, there's no turning back. Without that foundation, the relationship cannot tread backwards. After we stopped dating last fall, I knew we wouldn't stay friends like so many break-ups shallowly suggest. She looks good--- really good--- and I'm glad she's doing well, but I have nothing to give her besides a smile and a hello. I'd like to think I could be friends with anyone, but I knew even when we had to see each other every day this semester, no friendship would develop. No regrets come from here. She's a nice person, but we moved our separate ways long time ago, and I'd rather keep it that way.

4) I enjoy hearing voices, even if it's my own.

Granted, I prefer to deafen my ears when my soft, thin voice is played on tape or video, but I now realize we all need audible words from the mouth of another person. Try to live an entire day in aboslute seclusion, depriving yourself of any company or the voices that accompany them. Avoid the television, radio, and cd player, which still provide people's voices. Now, keep yourself silent, living only with the sounds of lifeless products such as bristeling air spewing from an air conditioner or keyboard keys being tapped.

I would never try it. One day after class, I stayed in my apartment for the rest of the night without exchanging words with anyone. I noticed myself singing and uttering asides to myself much more frequently. We as indiviuals seek human connection and will resort to hearing our own voices when necessary. Tom Hanks in Cast Away conversed to himself through Wilson for this very reason. I have yet to talk to anyone today, but I will soon. Even though I'm shy, I really do enjoy socializing and talking with others. My mom and dad, Brandon, Haley, the Walmart cashier: this is a brief list of the people I plan on talking to today. People are cool; I'm glad they're around.

5) An open window does wonders.

Openning my bedroom window pushed just enough fresh air on my skin to relieve the growing heat that had no desire to allow me to sleep. Spreading the blinds in my kitchen spread a glow throughout the eating area and almost makes me feel as though I'm eating just outside some beautiful landscape. Of course, that thought quickly evaporates when I look from the window at the cars resting in an unspectacular parking lot. In Alaska some people wear these little hats with a light source to avoid depression in the dark winters. Open air and extra lumination make things more cheery and peaceful. Come on... open a window already!

6) No lesson here. Just time to get away from the computer screen and enjoy the day.