Last year around this time, when my cousin was going off to college, I was bantering my mom about what I’m going to do when it’s my turn. She said it would be a while away and that I need not worry. Well it’s now that time and now I’m worrying. I’m concerned with the fact that I may not have or will get all the necessities I need for college.
Of all the people who are helping me gather the huge list of things I need for college, it’s my grandma “Bubbie”. She is a 74 year old lady who runs around like she is in her mid 20s. She never stops helping me out especially being a guy and being completely irresponsible with the most basic tasks. Even during some of the dumbest things I’ve done, she has always been there to help me out and make me a better person.
Look, it’s the beginning of June, and I still didn’t even finish high school yet, and Bubbie is already having a panic attack about items for college. Maybe her inner clock and calendar are off, but the beginning of June for college supplies? You’d think this lady is nuts, but she is only doing this out of the goodness of her heart. We went out already and she has already made me get the bare necessities such as shaving cream, deodorant, and oh, I can’t forget this one, a green toothbrush because Oswego’s color is green. I think we got into an argument over why I needed a green toothbrush and then I realized that: A. Can’t argue with grammy, she’ll pull some embarrassing story on me that I want no other human being to hear and B. I’m a broke teenager who spends his money on stuff from Amazon and grandma drops cash on me like a tree in the fall losing its leaves which in my case is money.
I cannot forget my good old pal Jordie who is like an older brother to me. He’s been my family friend ever since I moved into my current neighborhood and have been friends since 2002. Although he is 23, and actually just graduated from Florida Atlantic University, we somehow just click. But besides all the background info, this older brother of mine is a clown, but a great one. He calls me up one day and asks if I wanted to use his egg crate that he used all four years, you know the thing that makes your bed turn from a rock into a cloud. I said I’d take it and that my mom would pay for the shipping. Well, oh well, what a character he is indeed. I come home one day from school, about a week after we last talked and I see this monstrosity of a clothes box barely taped shut and I instantly knew what it was. Now Jordie always has to make it extravagant and not in the way you are thinking of. As I opened it, I called him up and the first thing he told me was not to open it, oops. He told me he had to do unimaginable things to get that gremlin inside that small box. The guy at the USPS store said he had never seen something packed with that much tape and barely inside the box. That’s Jordie for ya!
Many around me have said, including myself, that I have a crazy family with even crazier friends. But not necessarily in a bad way. A lot of my friends have said they wanted someone in their family or a friend to be there like mine are. Even though I don’t see it now, down the road, I’ll be thanking the crazy lady with the out of whack inner calendar. And also that older brother, who isn’t my brother, who I call a brother.
If anyone wants to contact me my email is lpatmore@oswego.edu and my Instagram, which I live and breathe, is: @LJP1203.
Peace current and future Lakers!
~Landon | ‘19
It’s my sister’s room.