Day 5....

Yep, you guessed it. I’m at work. Again. The girl I’m working with is off in the lobby watching some special on the secret lives of Jesus. And I am manning the desk on my own for an hour or so. 15 minutes in and I’m already bored. So here I am, on the blog again. Here was my evening…

So I don’t know if you know this or not. But OSU is home to about 50,000 students. It does rank as one of the largest universities ever. But in the middle of winter break there is not a soul here. And it creeps me out. This giant campus, which during the quarter, is pulsating. People everywhere, going about their business, going from building to building, class to class. But now? Lifeless. Dead. Caught in the middle of campus at night, and there is not a trace of life for a mile on all sides. Eerie. To me it feels like the end of the world. It feels like I’m trapped in a twilight zone episode. You know the one. Where the guy wakes up and he can’t find anyone, not his friends, or family or even his neighbor who likes to borrow his tools and never returns them. The feeling of being somewhere otherworldly and strange is only amplified by the fact that this is the third day in a row that I have missed the sun. I go to bed before it rises and wake up after it has already set. So here I am, standing in the dark, and I’m utterly alone.

At the end of the world, my i-pod paints a melancholy picture. Sure, I could try to find something cheerful to listen to, but every time I click for a new song, the music gets creepier and creepier. I sing out, trying to provide myself with company, but my screams echo off the glass and brick and mortar of the buildings. I pace the pathways and streets under the black sky, hoping to catch some sign of life. The street lamps are glowing; traffic signals flash and change colors as they’re supposed to. But there isn’t anyone to obey the commands.

It’s just creepy. I shove my fists deep into my pockets and to fight off a chill. I look at my watch. I have two hours before work. I choose a direction and head off to find my dinner.