I sit here in my crammed new dorm room at Point Park University, which brings to mind the living conditions of Barton Fink. After accommodating to the hospitable housing of my previous institution, Pitt Johnstown, my moving into this room was met with a slight reaction of “How the Hell do I fit all my stuff in here?” Much less could I imagine living, bathing, and sleeping between these four enclosed walls. My previous room was much, well, roomier, as well as more modern. There is no microwave, no refrigerator, no shelving, and the water streams from pipes that pre-date the civil war. The shower has two convenient temperature settings: Eskimo Ass Cold and Core of Hell Boiling Hot.
However, there was one shimmering quality about my new life box which redeemed itself and withdrew any second thoughts or regrets. I consider myself a man who appreciates a good view. I could stare at a sunset or star-sprinkled sky all day long, though that’s clearly impossible, the sun must shine at some point in the day. Even though the thought of living in such a bright and bustling city means I will see no starlight (a thought that brings a single silent tear to my mind’s eye), there lies hope in the 3 x 5 foot hole in the outer wall of my room. That’s a way of taking and entire paragraph to say, “The view from my window is really nice.”
From the seat of my desk on the 18th floor, I get a bird’s eye of a multi-faceted scene. I can see some city-scape with aw-inspiring buildings jetting into the sky, in the next level the Smithfield Bridge, whose decorated lit-up arches shimmer in the reflection of the Monogahela River (I googled that). Floating on the river are steam boats and ferries, and just on the edge of the other side of the water runs a train track, a single file march of box cars trudging infront of another sector of buildings. All of this is back-dropped by Mount Washington, a tremendously steep hill like a barricade, guarding the city from enemy forces. Down the mount runs a narrow blue streak of lights, the infamous incline. Atop the mountain range runs a narrow row of homes, from apartments to luxurious houses, the entire way down. What the view must be like from their window I can’t imagine.
As you can tell from my wordy description (I hope you’ve stuck with me this far), I really appreciate the view. “But we want to hear about your experiences thus far,” you shout at your computer screen. Well fine, have it your way.
After tossing my belongings in my room, I went with my parents to get some Primanti Brothers (as goes without saying for your induction to the city of Pittsburgh). After a quick stop for toilet paper (which I discovered was not supplied by the University), the parents dropped me off to be on my own in the Big City. My single first experience was walking into my building, awkwardly equipped with nothing but a 14 pack of Scott toilet paper. I tried to catch a lone elevator up to my floor, but before the doors of solitude could close, five pretty young ladies boarded. A 4 x 4 foot confined space – 5 chicks, and me – holding a big package of toilet paper. Great way to start my career here.
I moved in on Thursday night, and went to my orientation on Friday morning. After solidifying my classes and eating a decent meal, my first weekend in Pittsburgh had begun. It was a bit slow, as I’ve yet to meet many people, but luckily my good friend Alex (whom I became chaps with back in Jawns-town) was kind enough to drive me around his neck of the woods. He introducing me to an amazing Record/CD/DVD store with an overwhelming selection, as well as his friendly neighborhood comic shop. On Sunday night Alex arranged a lovely evening with some of his friends and me. We went to “The Golden Cue”, an awesome pool hall with an extensive selection on the juke box. I look to spend more time there. Afterwards we all went to Eat-N-Park (my 2nd trip in the 3 days I’d lived here). It was such a fun night with people I’d literally just met, yet it felt as if we’d all been friends for years. Good vibes, good times.
Monday brought the start of my classes. It involved trying to figure out where I was, stuffing into elevators with strangers, and syllabus review. The elevators here are packed during class time, stuffing the tiny metal box, carrying far too many people, and at each level, more pack themselves in. Just when you think capacity has been met *Ding* next floor. This was my first experience waiting in line for an elevator. I reminded myself that my legs do, in fact, work.
After returning to my room after my first class, I found all my roommate’s things were gone. I hadn’t even met him yet. Apparently he requested a bigger room and got one, so the room is all mine! That takes care of any spacial issues I had, and it’s a pretty sweet little bonus. It’s nice having a room to myself. I can dance whenever I want! It is strange not having a microwave readily available in my room, though there is one communal microwave on the second floor. Traveling 16 stories for Easy Mac seems a bit contradictory, but I will get used to it.
My classes, so far, seem to be give or take. Some look to be quite intriguing, while others seem trivial, but that’s to be expected (especially a semester of all pre-requisites). Now I’m just focused on trying to find a job, explore the city, meet some people, and not permanently be “The Kid Who Eats Lunch By Himself”. Not that I take issue with that character, but meeting new people and experiencing new things were my main reasons for coming to Point Park. I don’t mean to sound pessimistic about my time here so far. All of that comes in time, as I keep reminding myself, but I am very excited for that time to come.
Various Hysterias 