I was riding down a biketrail this morning. It was along the canal here in Seattle. Anyhow it was foggy and unpopulated at the end I started that time of morning. It changed when I got to UW of course, and the joggers and such were out in force. It felt very collegiate. The well heeled people the autumn setting living in and around the(ir) campus. As I was riding I realized/remembered that i never got a handle on the mystique that colleges and University sub-cultures hold for me. I, as with most things, have mixed feelings. I like the thought of the academic lifestyle, the way the microcosm that is the school takes a forfront in your life (I imagine). Then again I probably wouldn't be at home there. I was recently recalling all the NPR junkies that seemed so prevalent at one point, I always found them somewhat annoying.
Where am I going with this?
If I really thought about it I would know that things are not what they seem and at best it would just be a "on the surface" situation. None the less it does have a respectability and its own inclusiveness. I can only imagine this is something grounded not just in attitudes and philosophies but also a landscape and set aside locality. It doesn't help I never got a chance to taste that part of life, some people's life that is. I still, as mentioned, have a thing for the culture. The assumed dignity of book learning, the smart and healthy people constantly being renewed. You can still see the effects in people as they are shaped into adults in that world. I think that might be the part that hurts me. I could go as far as to say the mystique of high school was as elusive to me too.
When will I ever have some idea of who I am?
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