As we get closer to inevitably filing into the O-Dome to shake authoritative hands, sway in bittersweet unison to “We Are the Boys” and turn our tassels, our thoughts will be many. Some will be looking forward to launching new careers. Most will be saddened by the thought of paying more than five dollars for a pitcher of beer. But without a doubt, all 2014 grads will be reflecting the four years in Gainesville that, for better or worse, have shaped who we are.
They’ve led you through New Orleans, accompanied you on a journey through midtown and even advised you to distract yourself from finals by whacking off. So without further ado, GainesvilleScene’s seniors bid you farewell with their top UF reminiscings and Gainesvegas missings.
1. PVC pipe crosses and fiery threats of damnation for wearing a shirt that bears a bit of cleavage. Needless to say, I’m going to miss that self-righteous bastard’s way of constructing an entire rant around one article of clothing. I don’t care what people say, that’s a skill.
2. After a long night of drinking or studying or drinking and studying, it’s great to know that you won’t have anywhere to be until your class at 12:50. Post-graduation, it’s all about that 9-5 life. I’m so not ready to give up my finish-the-bottle wine challenges I have with myself.
3. Every semester, getting that email that says that financial aid has hit your account is like having Christmas, your Birthday and the 4th of July all rolled into one glorious day. I’m going to miss having my bank account temporarily flushed with cash from financial aid refunds.
1. I won’t miss the hangovers, but I’ll miss the hungover mornings with my homies. There’s a real sense of camaraderie in feeling like shit while collectively recapping and regretting everything you did at midtown the night before.
2. Shouting “Orange” in the Swamp.
3. People watching in Turlington. There’s no better way to digest lunch than throwing on some shades and posting up on some of the brick in the school’s most popular free speech zone. It’s definitely more exciting when the religious fanatics are going at it.
1. Stumbling. From a game day in The Swamp to Fraternity Row. From my house on SW 1st to Fat Daddy’s, and from Fat Daddy’s to Pizza by the Slice. Distance is a complication in the real world, and cabs are expensive as fuck.
2. I’m an English major, so hear me out…third floor Marston cubicles. There’s no sweeter combination than an Adderall binge, the smell of crusty books and a mission to write ten pages analyzing Freud’s subliminal references to coke. I created many a masterpiece there.
3. My go-to meditation spot in The University Gardens.
1. I’ll miss Southwest Rec. Never again will I afford a membership to a gym that has a proper squat rack, a full track, TV’s on all the cardio equipment and insomniac-suited hours. Hello, Planet Fitness.
2. The sassy RTS driver who treats his job like a perpetual open-mic night.
3. And, most importantly, the free concerts. Where else on this planet will you witness Dispatch for free on an open field?
1. I’ll miss having all my best friends within a mile of me at all times. That doesn’t exist in real life.
2. I’ll miss those $2 doubles. Those don’t really exist in real life. Blacking out becomes a whole lot more expensive and strangers don’t really find it that funny.
3. Day drinking. *Sigh* The only time you’ll have an opportunity to do this is on your lunch break and that, my friend, will get you fired. That’s also really, really depressing.
1. Binges. Of every kind. Drinking too much, subsequently eating too much and sleeping too much without the looming threat of unemployment or parental-shaming. Substituting excess with balance is just oh so un-chicly adult.
2. Krishna. Judge it if you must, but just do so knowing that you’re missing out on a salad dressing creamier than John Legend’s voice and heaping plates of karma-free goodness for a mere $5. As a wise Jake Ross once said, “before you knock it, try it first.” Or was it Ben Harper? Tomato, tomahto.
3. Living in a mid-town house. I probably won’t live in another house until I’m putting down a mortgage and up to my eyeballs in financial stress, so the fact that I’ve been able to live in a 1960′s gem for a few years is downright groovy. Gainesville realty is eclectic and historic and beautiful and always malfunctioning, but altogether a unique experience. And living with my sister. I’ll miss that too.
Enjoy your last weekend of sweet, undergraduate bliss, Class of 2014, and cheers to your inevitable kick-ass future. The best has yet to come.
Featured photo courtesy of: Huffington Post
