Back In Richardson

Well, here I am again, in the hottest place I have ever been. It seems I missed the majority of the hot streak, but the news is promising more over 100. Growing up I thought Kentucky was hot, but I was way off. Distovia is small, backwards, close-minded, and full of secrets -- I have many I never told anyone, and cannot imagine telling anyone -- but at least it rarely got over 90 there. And Dallas is ridiculous, the entire city closing at 2 a.m. Makes it the world's largest small town. I see many of the same attitudes here as I see back home in Marks County. Still, I had to get out of there. That place would kill me, drive me crazy. Here I can be a nice, boring, typical college student rather than the weird kid in town. I'd rather be conservative in a big city college than liberal in a small town, that's for sure.

I spent this last summer trimming Christmas trees. That was my summer job. Seriously. Me and a machete a pair of shears out in the sun shaping spruces to make the perfect Christmas trees. Next Christmas tree you buy, if you buy one from Kentucky, maybe I shaped it. You can tell everyone that you're decorating a Berkowski.

I told Claire I was coming in today. She said she was going to be coming in sometime this week. I missed her this summer, but I live in Kentucky and she lives in Oklahoma, and that's a long way away. At least, for me. We don't have a lot of money, though my parents are paying for my college. My dad's a coal miner and my mom stayed at home until I went to college. Now she's a waitress at the Dixie Diner. She hates it most days, but especially when the Vickery family shows up. They are the Vickery Victory Singers, and my mom says they are the worst customers she has, always rude and demanding and never leaving a tip no matter how good the service is. Mom says they are a horrible Christian example, which makes her mad, since we all went to church every Sunday morning and evening, and Wednesday evenings. We spent a lot of time at Perpetuity Baptist Church, and we have always been close to Pastor Carrol. He and my parents wanted me to go to Asbury College, which is in Kentucky, or at least to Dallas Baptist, if I just had to move, but I came to UTD instead. I'm not majoring in biology at a Christian college, sorry. Also, Claire's parents had wanted her to go to Oklahoma Baptist, but she ended up coming here, so maybe it was meant to be. My parents wanted me to date a good Christian girl, and I don't think they have anything to complain about in Claire. I can't wait to see her again. The summer was far too long.

I'm supposed to get a new roommate this year. Some guy named Marc. I see some of his stuff here, but I haven't seen him yet, even though I spent all day yesterday moving in and I spent the night here. His door is closed, but surely if he was here he would have come out to say "Hi" or something. I guess he was out. Maybe he has a girlfriend. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with some guy having his girlfriend over or whatever. But this is his room, too, so what am I going to do? Maybe I'll talk to him. Maybe he'll understand why that would make me uncomfortable. I don't know. We'll see.

In any case, I'm getting hungry. I think I'll walk down to the Masala Wok. It's a bit far, but I could use the exercise, even if it is a bit hot outside.