Lamest excuse for missing class EVER

But at least you know it has to be true. Because if I was just going to ditch, I’d make up something like, “My great aunt Gertrude got in a sky diving accident and I had to go to her funeral in Finnland,” not, “I couldn’t find a place to park.”

I don’t get it. I left an hour and a half before my class started, even though it only takes me 30-45 minutes to get to school normally. I took an alternate route to avoid the accident that closed 670, and I started with the Mt. Vernon lot thinking there’d still be a few spaces left. An hour later, I was still driving. So now I am camped out at the main branch of the public library, holding my own math 107 class since even if I walked over now, I’d STILL miss class.

And here I thought it was an exaggeration that Columbus State had a twitter account for their parking lots, and a website (not that either one does me much good since the ipod needs wireless and the cell phone has data disabled).

On the bright side, we are still only in unit 1.4, so even though I'm not in class, I should still be able to keep up. Last week's topic was "adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing real numbers," so I shouldn't have too much to worry about (can you tell I'm in the class for jeniuses?).

In case I forgot to mention (which I'm pretty sure I did), I am going back to school this fall (again) (duh). I'm picking up those pesky math and science credits that they don't give you art school so that I can go on to grad school. I've got remedial algebra (for us not-so-good at math people like me who also haven't had it in at least five years), French (immersion course; takes some getting used to), and physical anthropology (because I watch too much tv and I have the grande delusion that I could maybe be Temperance Brennan one day when I grow up).

I have been enjoying all of my classes so far. Until today. I will likely have to move my car in a few hours (or try) but I'm going to worry about that around, say, 1, and give myself two hours to find a space this time. Or maybe I'll just leave it. I'll check the prices again for the library garage.

Anywhere but here

Sometimes, when I'm driving on the freeway into Columbus, coming home, or walking the few blocks down Cleveland or Grant to the library, I imagine that I am in Montreal, or London, or Paris. Even New York, so long as it's not Columbus, not Ohio, not the midwest. I can almost fool myself for about three seconds.

I've lived in a small Ohio town my whole life. Going to the city for school was one of the best decisions I ever made, but this town is so industrial, dirty. The people have been mostly rude. I can't walk through the park without looking over my shoulder. Every person around every bend is a potential serial killer or purse snatcher. I don't have dozens of keychains on my carabeaner because they're cute, I have dozens of keychairs because if I put my fingers through the carabeaner, I can swing it around like a short metal flail and inflict quite a bit of damage to an attackers face.

The other day I went for a walk through a local park. It's less than three blocks away. As I went through my route, no less than three times did I think someone would kill me.

Supposingly, Columbus has a fairly low crime rate. We're supposed to be a pretty safe city. But I felt so much safer in Montreal. I didn't know the language. I didn't know the layout. But as long as I was standing by the front door before the sun set, I felt safe. Up there, you see families on the streets and in the parks. Here, everyone but the homeless people and a few stray joggers stay indoors. People will nodd and smile to you on the street in Montreal, and here, you look straight ahead. Do not make eye contact, ever.

This city is stagnent. I want out, and I hope to God/dess that I get accepted to the Study Abroad program so I can get the hell out. I don't think I can take another semester in this city.