#danlifechronicle

Continued from Part III...!

Madness

Next stop, D-C Store to swipe out last one. I call up Manno once more, see how he’s doing. This time, he’s more somber than before. His operation to leave country draws nearer and nearer (formal day being September 7th). My food goal to get a to-go breakfast for Saturday morning. (Just came by D-C Store earlier during lunch.) Store becomes so crowded new people who want to enter are kept out due to fire safety risk. I spot Titian, Katerina as familiar faces. But with Manno, we return to discussions of Kenyon and his plans to depart. He reveals he may be interning with an Indian newspaper, which I think would be so cool. I mention he should write about the mentality he goes through as he leaves the country. He explains he’ll have to wait double-digit hours for flight transfers before he can reach India. In time, I reach front, place my order for sausage muffins.

Despite confusion with cashier, still get my milk and banana to compliment meal. Dylan had swiped out a meal too, so I briefly meet with him. My food’s already set, but I find Jesse sitting alone; so I decide to catch-up with him. Turns out he swiped out a pizza with his numerous swipes he’d left. Idalis passes through and offers us her fries, which I graciously accept because omg food. (They’re pretty good, too.) In time, Jesse’s meal arrives, time gets closer to Leadership Council meet, and I depart back to White Pine.

 Darkness

Leadership or Die” becomes a key phrase in our society. Anywho, Molly goes over more info ‘bout election processes, campaigning, etc. I’m super-interested in Outreach. Kris, like many others, going for president. Looking forward to elections and whatnot at next meeting. After session, back to dorm, tone down my attire for Wolf It Down Pancakes, then head off to join others at quad.

Despite coming thirty minutes early, line’s atrocious. Way past 10:30pm, but I wonder if Manno’s up to resume chat. This time discussion leans more on limits of Kenyon life: great professors, meh students; excellent food, terrible library. Band comes out to play (like the huge event couldn’t care the slightest bigger), so Manno and I shift to text; some pretty great numbers from Opening Ceremony as well as few new ones. I meet Kenna and Gavin of Reno! They head off to a side later, and line continues to clot up. (So frustrating.) I decide to hunt for Liz and White Pine since I recognize Liz’s signature Captain America pack. She introduces me to her clan of rifle friends! Largely uneventful wait, ever so slowly creeping forward. College cheerleaders and dance teams way more intense than high school, though. We wait in line ‘til 12:40 am.

But. There is a highlight of my night. A sudden rush of masked wearers of suit, rushing past the lines, swiftly flicking out their hands in offering, the blurring to another place. While so many in the crowd could scarcely tell who the beings were or what they stood for, I have the greatest inkling and tinge of excitement that they are the secret society my OG Anthony had spoken of. One stops before us. Hand outstretched, a card offered. Liz is a bit stunned, but excitedly I snatch it: they are none other than Coffin and Keys. COFFIN AND KEYS! Yaaaaaaaas. Giddiness floods my every being – so much excitement. Despite the long night, the visit by Coffin and Keys makes (part of) it worth the wait.

Finally, plates passed to us. Bacon, given to us. We’ve reached the End of the Line. Chocolate chip or regular? Definitely chocolate chip. Saving my pancakes for Thursday’s breakfast, Liz and I grab some milk then head back to White Pine. So tired. She helps me with doors. We say Hi to Cheyenne in lobby, then retire to our dorms. And sleep, great sleep takes me over.

Continued from Part II...!

Reporting

After class, I take off bit faster than before, as I seek to find a better seat in Journalism, nearer the main floor. I take the straight stairs, stepping quickly, briskly walking. I see Will and Ibzan and Trevor in passing; in no time I reach Knowledge Center! …Which just so happens to already have the lecture hall near full. Wow. I find an empty seat in row two near no one I particularly know (happens a lot, lemme tell you), but the girls, being amiable, make room for me.

Class starts with a quiz on our Amazon readings from the first assignment. (I’ve referenced them now and again in recent chronicles.) Laptop out, I sift through questions, hoping I’m making the right choices. One that seems particularly obvious, I spend a bit too little time on; so you can see where that takes me. Professor Mensing gives us some time, then she scrolls and reads a question aloud. I find that going over the answers so soon seems odd, but I raise my hand and give a response anyway. (It’s not easy to make an entire hundred-three hundred-student lecture hall laugh at once, but I manage.) Mensing was just reading/scrolling for the pen-and-paper people, but that was fine. I shrug with an “eh, it happens” smirk, and class moves on as usual. (Hope it made somebody’s day!)

For our next act: brief history of Journalism. We take notes and make timelines of how reporting began man-on-the-street, spread with printing presses into newspapers, multiplied with radio, flourished with television, and became the transcendent being we know as the internet. In some ways, today’s media of small clusters holding their own mass followings has brought digital return to the campfire-man-on-the-street ways of old (the era pre-literate).

In groups, we chose who’s made the nicest timeline (not mine), and snap and post photos to Piazza or Twitter #RSJ107. As one expects, people prefer Tweeting. But, we get to see our photo from Monday’s class of how many had ordered from Amazon last month, and many cheer seeing their faces. To finish class, Mensign brings us back into the article debate, where we agree the article has quality and deals with digital-age workplace issues unlike any seen before. Heading out from Knowledge Center, I see Orientation pals Connor and Cooper, which was a pleasant surprise.

Reconnections

Lunch with Kris and band squad Melyn, Fieven, Brianna after Journalism’s done. I try the pre-made salads for some variety, shorter lines. Turns out all the food burns though. Ahhhh. Since Kris and crew finish pretty early, they head off (so Kris can swipe out his remaining uses, too). Meanwhile, I find Sam Jantz and Zack Brill by some awesome coincidence and dine with them for rest of meal. Back at dorm, I work on getting more textbooks, finishing assignments. Scheduled a job interview with Inkblot of ASUN for Graphic Designer job, Friday and staff interview on Monday with an English professor! College Daniel’s on a roll…

Anywho, 7pm rolls around, and I find my way to Circle K’s first meeting of the year in the Joe’s Floor 3 Graduate Student Lounge. I feel at once like a freshman back in Key Club again: swathes of new, peppy faces, few open seats, and fellow freshmen caught in the sea. But, I find a spot not too far from entrance, sit down. Amy introduces herself to me, first new Circle K member I meet. I spot Gavino and Hya in crowd. (Haven’t seen her Officer Training Conference two years ago!) While I’m mostly confused just trying to take everything in, I feel solace knowing I’m back with my Kiwanis family after so many months of post-Key Club. Spends a lot of time gawking at the awesome PowerPoint slide. Next person who introduced herself to me is McXine, then I meet Andre, who sits beside me. Then comes Arosha, yet another totally-cool dude. Over on the far side I see Numfon and Eric. And thus, they are all the people I know then!

Overall, love the meeting. Trying Circle K Pledge for first time reminds of Key Club, yet I feel I enjoyed its different ideals and core values. Guest speaker from Teach for America picks-up from that goal to help others reach their potentials, and we fill-out requests for info. Really enjoy how different officers present different parts of meeting, with that branch of fellowship Key Club hadn’t had back when I was with them. Plus Circle K just has really stellar shirts. For ice-breaker, we have super circle, tossing ball around, saying movie titles (mostly Disney, mind you). Feels strange not to be the “photos-officer”, but I still take some anyway~ Happy-Sad Change (ugh I forgot my money) reveals one thing that stands out to me in Circle K vs. Key Club: its sheer diversity of people in all sorts of things. A junior who posed as a freshman, people with taking insane credits, people in secret societies, and all just happy to be here. They’ve even a weekly meeting raffle! After main session’s over, I fill out member application, meet Matthew, Jared, then swing back by to dorm.

Continued from Part V...!

NBS Begins: Opening Ceremony

We picked-up our items, and it was time to re-gather. The big event was set to begin. Following our counselors once more, we proceeded down the tree-shaded pathway to a new destination. As we entered another large plaza, we came upon the massive “Davidson Mathematics and Science Center.” Unlike the other reddish-brown brick buildings, this one had a more modern vibe to it: more metal, more “polish.” Inside was a huge auditorium-type room; this was wider, but still had the cushioned folding chairs with side-desks, the clear signs of a lecture hall.

As Las Craigas took our seats, I sat in the second Craigas row, on the far end of the right, next to Sean, the sociably confident Reno man. The city in orange sat ahead of us, the light green city across the aisle on our left. Across the aisle to our left sat the red city in front and the dark green city behind. I could see Kyle among the reds, Smitches and Taylor with the dark greens. The blue and brown cities arrived soon after. Looking at the projected display of the NBS logo, I became enthralled in the spacing between “Nevada” and “Boys’,” how it was perfectly balanced with the right side of Nevada. (Sorry, I’m a Graphics major, okay?) And so the ceremony began.

Our MC for the event was Craig Huntington, a strong-talking guy with an energetic voice. With him was Ryan Hamilton, as our lead counselors. Some special thank-yous went to Myers Paulsen, the man who got us here in the first place. During the Opening Ceremony, we were first introduced to the concept of Daily Honors. Tonight we had the chance to read the Boys’ State Creed from the projector, though they were clear we had to memorize it thereafter (already working on it). They also did a PoW-MIA presentation, in which counselors brought down a black and white flag, reverently placing it upon an empty chair. Here at Boys’ State, we recognized those are gone yet not forgotten. A very patriotic display.

So, the first lesson: “Who wants $20?” It was a simple question. A direct question. Out of seemingly nowhere, Craig revealed a $20 bill, holding it out for all to see. Was he for real? We were caught off-guard, certainly. Some people raised their hands, unsure of what was going on. Louder, more incitingly, Craig shouted again, “Who wants $20?” We weren’t getting the memo. Well, one guy did, at least. An orange guy in the front row, without asking for permission just got up, walked to Craig, and took the bill from his outstretched hand. The rest of us (most definitely me included) were dumbfounded. Did that guy just… take a $20 bill from that man’s hand? Well, turns out he did. That was our first lesson. At Boys’ State, we needed to smite any ounce of hesitation we held. If there was something we wanted, we needed only to go up and take it – just take it. It was already ours from the moment we thought of wanting it. All that stopped us was nothing. Nothing stopped us. Take the darn bill! And that is what we learned. That was a very important lesson for me. It also happened to be a metaphor for all of Boys’ State, and I just hadn’t realized it yet.

Beyond Daily Honors, we were introduced to the staffers who made NBS possible. Craig introduced us to the legionnaires, and the legionnaires introduced themselves to us. These were some very high-ranking men of their days. It was truly an honor to be graced by their patronage. My thoughts drifted to Patrick, my half-brother who counseled for Ohio Boys’ State, how it must have been over in the Midwest, or Johnston, how he must have experienced Boys’ State last year.

In contrast to the heavy formalities of Daily Honors and the legionnaire introductions, the counselor introductions were charmingly ironic. Each of those black-colored men (for whom there were many) was introduced with a very witty and somewhat hyperbolic intro. Oh, it was good. I was a bit surprised to hear Andrew introduced as “AJ,” but it made sense considering my own counselor was named Andrew (Moschetti).

Continued from Part IV...!

City Time: Honor & Respect

On the way out, I looked a bit closer at the area across the street – a church of some sort, with a row of high green hedges. Pretty neat. On the cafeteria side of the walk, we had more green shrubs contrasting the tall reddish-brown and white brick of the building. The sky was nice – very wispy clouds.

I followed Zack again, as our Craigas train rolled across the sidewalk, through the street, and now in a new direction: left. (Like I said, the counselors had a psychic map or something.) We walked up a hill, where there was a huge “University of Nevada, Reno” pedestrian route passing over the road. This reminded me of a walkway I’d seen in Indianapolis, once again making me feel such awe at the scale of things.

As we walked, we passed more large red-bricked buildings to our left and right. There was some sort of roped-off thing in the center of the road while we passed (so that eventually became a recurring sight). Some sort of academic life had been going on, too: youngish people were trekking the campus, doing collegiate things. Geez, I almost felt like we were on a tour of sorts – so displaced, yet within the environment all the same. We continued the path through a sort of alleyway, with a navy green tarp to our left (never questioned it once) and an outdoor stairwell on the building to our right.

Eventually we came upon a huge wide green area. Massive trees lined the paths that moved in and around the rectangular enclosure of grass. Oh, it was so great – certainly nothing the desert could pull off. It seriously felt like we were walking around the Midwest, not some part of Nevada. The counselors brought us past some other cities, doing a few ice-breakers, and then we were led to a bench.

We sat on and around the bench, facing the building, while our counselors gathered on the walkway, facing us and the grass. Moschetti led us in another word-using ice-breaker activity. Today’s theme, he explained was “Honor & Respect.” We were taught the importance of The American Legion, and how it is because of their generosity that we are here at Nevada Boys’ State. We were explained to treat the legionaries with the kindness and respect they deserved. Also, to talk to them; like the counselors, these people were eager to meet us and discover who we are. And as if on cue, a legionnaire trekked up the grass to us. Such warm smiles, those old men always had on.

  City Time: Human Knot

For our first ice-breaker activity, we were told to do Human Knot, and ice-breaker I had grown to become quite familiar with during my time with Key Club and Ambassadors – certainly an old favorite of mine. To begin, we first set-down all our belongings (most people with their delegate manuals). Then we gathered in a circle, closed our eyes, and reached out for some hands. There were two rules: do not grab the hand of the person adjacent to you, and do not speak.

As with most knots, I took a backseat. We were a team of leaders – not all needed to lead. Others in the main cluster got to work. I feel like Houston and Milen and Cruz were among those take-charge people. For my part, I was tugged and pulled every so often. I’d occasionally mouth a, “Shhhhhh,” as people tried to say some words to each other. The counselors watched as we went about our business. When the men needed a guy down, I’d usually take a knee. I gestured for people to step around others from time to time, but I mainly kept quiet, as far as my motions went – besides, the counselors said it themselves: sometimes leaders need to know when to lead and when to let others lead.

In time, one section of the clump grew unraveled, while mine was relatively stationary. At the time, I’d been kneeling, with my head low and my body directed away from the bunch. The grass had such a nice feeling to it: damp, but not wet. After a brief pause, my side started to move again. A chain of untangling ensued, and my group because slipping and sliding in and around ‘til we’d been freed – sort of. As it happened, my group had actually be a second, slightly smaller chain interlocked with the larger circle. Anyway, we were untangled, Moschetti congratulated us, and had us unlink. He mentioned having never seen something quite like it before.

After that, he had us gather into a second circle. Eyes closed, arms out, we reformed the human knot. This time, however, we could speak. Almost instantaneously, half the guys spoke up with suggestions. Arms were getting pulled back and forth, but it’s tough to say much actually happened. I decided to keep quiet again, this time just to keep the noise to a minimum. After a pretty good-looking further entanglement, Moschetti called-off the operation early. Sometimes we hadn’t all needed to speak. Sometimes we needed to listen to those around us first – weigh their opinions. He said he could easily decode the way out from where he was standing outside the circle; the challenge was for us to do the same. Yet we would get better in time, as we begin to learn each other.

Continued from Part III...!

Las Craigas Shout’n “Timber!”

And so, with mixed enthusiasm and, confusion, and straight-forwardness, the boys got to work. As we rose to the hall, I seized the opportunity to snap a few quick photos. Already, boys were getting to work. Truly, I was amazed. I hadn’t expected people to take charge so readily and effectively, but I soon realized that had been the point of the exercise. While we were planning, the counselors seemed to be wrapping up some info on their digital records. (Earlier in the day, delegates had been shuffled around, like Zack here.)

From what I recollect, Andrew Cruz and Houston were on the forefront of the operation. Our Javiers announced they could record, and the guys went on to planning the film. I feared the “Meyer for Mayor” campaign was in jeopardy. Yet with barely a moment of thought, the boys came up with our plan. The premise was simple: a growing cluster of dancing dudes, as our camera pans through the dorm hall. It sort of reminded me of a forest, since I interpret the song “Timber” as literally a bunch of lumberjacks in a huge forest… I don’t believe that is actually what the song is about, but this is how I rationalize.

Since the dorm entry doors are indented, guys grouped-up and took their places throughout the hall. I, having my cap reversed all gangster-style, was with Zack, at one of the first indents nearest the hall’s entry door. Nate was in the indent after ours. Connor, further down the hall, used the ol’ shirtless technique. Rei was quick to point out is a very ripped guy. We did a first run to see if the plan would work. In my crazy leaping, I dropped my NBS cash (which I’d conveniently forgot was in my nametag still) and later my phone case. Luckily both times, kind folks like Paul picked up my things for me to quickly secure in my shorts’ zippers. The group moved further down the hall, where we planned how to finish. There were a few ideas pitched, but we it would be some form of more rave dancing. I wondered if we’d be editing this video or whether it would just be a one-shot. No time left for thinking – show time!

And so it began. From our indent, Zack and I could hear the country music on Moreno’s phone resound, “It’s go’n down – I’m yell’n timberrrr!” Clark Key Club’s Cruz stepped in like a gangster on the lip-sync with Sean closing in. The duo were a riot. As the group passed the first indent, another crowd of guys stepped in with their own dance moves. Zack and I were next. When the crowd passed, I popped a pep in my step, fist-pumping and hopping all-out. We continued down the hall. More and more crowds joined in – oh, ya had to have been there! Connor leaping in only escalated the mayhem.

As we passed through the doorway to the stairwell exit, all kinds of crazy broke loose. The cameramen paused at the back, as we all filtered into the tiled room. As the way “ganster” music videos show clusters gather around central dances, we crowded around Cruz and Cronan. From twerking to scuba-dancing, they pulled out all the stops. I even did a classic Key Club pelvic thrust mixed with a sprinkler. Oh, it was a sight to behold. A tall guy with dark hair (I’d later know to be Milen) did boggling box moves with his arms.

After each spotlight moves, we stepped below, into a slightly lower level than the main dance floor. This allowed others to filter into their five seconds of fame, while we got a breather from the action. When we were all through, it was time for the reverse! The cameramen backed-up through the hallway again, while we all flowed back into view. I think Nate was near the front of this one. Anyway, we all spent the last few seconds of footage raving our way back from whence we had come. When the song came to a close, the footage was cut, and we all shouted hurrahs. Moschetti said we were great, and it was time for us to get some lunch.

  Venturing Beyond the Dorms

Before we left, we first had to gather together again. Pretty sure this was when I formally met Sean, though I suppose that could have been later. We shook hands, and he seemed to be a very formal, yet very approachable dude. A Reno guy, hence why we hadn’t met before. For this city gathering, we were being assigned our first numbers. I became #12, with Zack as #11 and Rei as #13. There were twenty-one of us in total. Not too shabby. We did a roll call of fast number-calling. Moschetti was pretty clear we needed to remember these numbers. He also told people to grab their delegate manuals, since we still needed to practice the Boys’ State Creed for Daily Honors. I grabbed and folded a few sheets of paper from my school binder for writing on – I figured I’d have to copy the creed from someone, anyway.

“Single-file, people!” We could have been in grade-school. But to be fair, single-file is a very effective strategy to literally keep people in-line. So, out we went into the summer Reno air. Unlike Vegas, in which our skin would be boiling off our limbs in noon sunlight, we were actually doing quite alright. The clouds were nice. During the first walk, I knew not exactly where our destination would be. Our train of yellow followed the all-knowing counselors in black, as we followed a sidewalk towards what appeared to be more red-bricked sections of the campus. It was all very exciting stuff, considering UNR was all very new to me. The design somewhat reminded me of Bloomington back in Indiana, what with the bricks and white windows.

Taking a photo of the guys behind me, Rei, Garett, and Sean were having a ball. You could say none of us had really been “broken-into” Boys’ State yet. We were all still very-much different guys with different backgrounds and goals. The only things were really had in-common at this point were our gender, grade level, and Nevada-citizenship – oh, and we’re all the very best. Quite important, that last one.

As we crossed the street, it became clear the tall building on the corner seemed to be our mythic counselors’ target. I felt as though we were in an island within yet outside society. Seeing people who weren’t with Boys’ State felt odd, as if regular day-to-day activities were going on beyond our simulated space – so weird! During this walk, like many, the counselors acted as though they were guided by some ethereal schedule, as they led us from place to place. But, as delegates, it was our duty to follow. We would learn more in due time.

Continued from Part II...!

Las Craigas Assembled

After a while, the boys of Las Craigas were called being into the hallway. I saw all sorts of the boys who were also of the city, though I knew few names at the time. Houston stood out as a leader-type. Apparently he’d be going for mayor, too. I worried about Meyer’s chances. Once a good handful of us had arrived in the hall, the counselors had us go to an unoccupied room by the entrance. In it, there was a sink, a cabinet, and a bed. Largely, the room was open, and thus, we delegates crowded in. Some sat on the bed, I sat on the room’s right side (from the door), with my back to a wall. Our Las Craigas yellow shirts (well, orangish-yellow) contrasted the white walls of the room. For whatever reason, Javier had a green shirt, but the counselors said he’d get a yellow one soon.

“Andrew Moschetti” introduced himself and his fellow counselors. Finally, I saw the face behind the emails! Besides him, we had Stephan, Stefan, and Ryan. Ryan explained how he’d have to leave for work on some days (couldn’t get leave), but he assured us he cares just as much about NBS as our other guys. Since we had two “Stephan’s” for whatever reason, Moschetti said we would get to choose who gets to keep his name: there can be only one! The guys laughed, though our counselors were serious. I’m pretty sure Stefan was the guy who signed me in, earlier at check-in.

For counselor introductions, they gave their years of being back at Boys’ State. I may be a bit off, but I think Andrew had fourteen, Stephan [Kim] had four, Ryan had three (though he took last year off), and Stefan had actually been a delegate just last year! I was amazed by the diversity of the years (far more than Key Leader had), yet I definitely had begun to realize why these guys were saying NBS would be an incredible experience. For a one-time experience, the counselors made clear this would change our lives. For some reason, I still had that whimsical Hogwarts-y image of Boys’ State still going in my head.

For delegate introductions, we went around the room discussing expectations and words to describe the group of boys we were. People said all sorts of words such as friendly, ambitious, amiable. After we said our words, we were told to recall the word of the guy to our left, while evaluating how we felt about it. As people went around the room for a second time, I grew worried, since I wasn’t sure I remembered the word correctly. As it happens, Eddie (the guy next to me) said “amiable,” though I just pronounced it wrong. (I had it spelled correctly in my head, okay?) Apparently Las Craigas had a second Javier, too! So that was our first ice-breaker. Counselors Moschetti and Kim made clear that after we had elected our mayor, they would take a step back and let us lead ourselves. Until then, the counselors would guide us.

Beyond the ice-breaker, we were informed that luck had totally been on our side: we would be the first city to do “Daily Honors,” along with another city. I remembered the gist of Daily Honors from what I had read in the delegate manual, yet I hadn’t taken it so seriously. The counselors, however, were quite serious: Daily Honors are a huge deal, and we would need to have the Boys’ State Creed completely memorized by tomorrow morning. Turns out we were supposed to have printed our delegate manuals (though the manuals never mentioned that). For any of us who didn’t have a manual, the counselors were very stern about this not being a very good way to start-off our week. (Hey! Not my fault!) As I later found, the manuals had been handed out at Orientation, being the only important info besides, “Boys’ State will be fun!” that was expressed at Orientation. Dandy.

Oh, and our city leadership would be elected tonight. Before all that would happen, we still had an opening assembly to attend, our first day of Athletics, and some meals to eat. ‘til then, it was time we broke into our first activity as a city. The task: film a music video for the song “Timber” before we dismissed for lunch. (There was another song option, though I fear the choice was Bieber.)

Continued from Part I...!

Exploring the Dorms

At the doorway, I noticed how an empty metal trashcan had been propped to keep the door open. Quite convenient, indeed. As I entered the dorm, I found a sort of hall-within-a-hall. On the left, there split off a door to some guys named Vincent and Alex. I almost immediately thought of an Alex I knew in my childhood back in Indiana and a Vincent I had met in Key Club. At the dorm-hall’s end, I found a door labeled for “Rei Vital” and “Daniel Lang.” I noticed our names were written a bit smaller and less “loud” than Alex’s and Vincent’s, but the comment was little more than small talk.

For my room, as with the others, there were two beds along the walls to the sides of the room. On the far end, there were two desks with two chairs, placed upon the beds. A large window stood opposite of the main door, giving a really nice view of some other building across the street – probably some other part of the campus, though I knew not. There were no sheets on the beds, hence why were we instructed to bring our own (or in my case, a sleeping bag). As soon as I stepped in, I placed my bags down and set everything on and alongside my desk.

Rei showed up right around the time I did. To my joy, he really was the Nerdfighter “penny-guy” I’d noticed when I first skimmed the Legislation list. Funny how the guy I’d been interested to meet turned out to be my roommate. During our first encounter, we focused on getting our belongings laid out. Our chairs were a bit annoying to get under our desks, since the space between the beds and the desks were quite thin, but we got them together.

Turns out Rei was from Liberty, so he knew Rionna and Natsuda (some girls I met back at Key Leader, and other Key Club events throughout the year). Neat connections, there. I forgot Natsuda already graduated, which once again kept giving me new perspective on what it is like to be a Senior. As Rei laid out his items on his bed and desk, told me he intended to trust that I was not a thief. I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not, but I decided not to ask. Besides, it seemed kindda fun to be accused as a thief on no precedent of my own! Selfies of me in the room!

With my sleeping bag rolled out and my bags stacked in a pretty good spot, I swapped my Key Leader shirt for the Las Craigas shirt, then went downstairs for breakfast. Turns out Zack would be joining the City of Las Craigas, too! (And so, I was joined by Nate and Zack, of my fellow Mavericks.) In the lobby, the counselors were opening some tasty looking options: big fruit and some pastries. Though the blueberry muffins were indeed very tantalizing, I opted for a big red apple and some of an apple Danish pastry. All very flavorful, very delectable things. I wrapped what I wasn’t immediately consuming into a napkin on my way back to Las Craigas. That lobby was getting crowded, fast!

When I returned to my room, Rei decided we should do some exploring. As I swung by the rooms, I noticed Vincent (Alex’s roommate) had arrived, though he seemed to be sleeping on his bed. I think Rei and I commented how odd that was to be sleeping when we just arrived. (I remembered Andrew’s words that if I was getting more than two hours of sleep, I was doing it wrong.)

Coming across the hall, Rei and I went to Garret’s room. “Meyer for Mayor” was his slogan, while I replied I’d be going for City Reporter. Rei christened Garret’s room, the “Party Room” almost immediately. In this room, one bed was higher than the other (for whatever reason). The window had an awesome view of a tree. Along with Rei, Garret, and I, Alex (from the room near mine) also joined us. Garret hadn’t gotten a roommate yet, and we wondered if he would have one. We didn’t have to wait long – Connor arrived, as the roommate. And thus, our earliest friendships had begun. No one knew quite how the week would play out; we were just sitting on the beds and socializing. Rei commented how he wished someone had a deck of cards.

Continued from Part IV...!

Bus Stop: Area 51 Alien Center

I slept barely 15min. Wow, I was groggy when I awoke. Our first stop was a place called “Area 51 Alien Center, around 1:40am. I assumed it must be somewhere around Area 51. Unlike the Key Club journeys, where we had no time to get out, the counselors were quite comfortable with everyone getting up and exploring. Quite soon after we stepped off the bus, I saw the masses gravitating towards a bright area not too far away. It was the sort of refueling station large trucks used. It reminded me of the time back in the summer of 2008 when we were moving from Indiana to Las Vegas. It also reminded me of an alien abduction, considering everyone just flowed to a central conglomeration. A counselor gave a brief greeting, then told us we had about half an hour before we had to get back on the bus. Pretty cool. Into the gift shop, we went!

Quite a few guys were already lining up to buy things, use the restroom, etc. I figured I might as well use it here, rather than wait later. In the meantime, I saw one of those photo-standing-things with aliens, so I stood with one to get my picture taken by Dezmond. Pretty neat-o. In time, we realized our man-numbers far surpassed the zero women up at 2am trying to use a women’s restroom out in the middle of nowhere, so some guys opted for the other side. All fine and dandy.

Once I was free from my business, I regrouped with Manno and Kyle, as we browsed through the items. Strange alien-themed cups and hands and novelties. These were the pretty cliché extraterrestrial oval-headed kinds. We joked about buying some, though we largely declined. Still, many dudes were lining up to buy other goods, like candy bars. We briefly stood in line with one of the legionnaires, and we shared a little about why we were here and so on. I feel that Kyle spoke the most. (I hadn’t taken many photos, so I cannot say for certain some of these details.)

Before long, it was time for us to return to the buses. [Looking back at my photos, I realize I had seen some of my fellow Craiginites, though I just hadn’t met them yet.] During the next block of time from 2-5am, I drifted in and out of sleep. Sleeping on a bus is not a particularly difficult thing for me to do, though I was occasionally awoke here and there. (Javier and Manno can vouch for this.) Really, I had no inclination to do anything when I awoke (especially considering how dark the bus was), so I simply returned to slumber after each awakening.

  The Morning: Last Leg to Reno

By 5am, the sun had risen, and photos could be taken again. We made our way into some town that also had an American Legion Post. (I never got the name.) By 6am, the bus had stopped again, this time at a McDonald’s for our breakfast. Since the counselors announced there we snacks on the bus, I decided to stick with the snacks rather than purchase anything. The snacks were store in these large bucket-bins in the front of the bus’s seats. Some people crossed over to the convenience store on the other side of the road.

I briefly followed the guys inside the McDonald’s to use the restroom, but beyond that, I did not stay. Continuing the power of our man-numbers, someone actually had to check that the ladies’ room was clear before a lady went into it. Anywho, back on the outside, I quickly found some of my Maverick friends gathered around a bench: Matt, Kyle, Zack, Parker, and Michael. It was nice to see some familiar faces, considering how many Hyde Park alumni the bus had. Talks were generally about A-TECH: teachers, classes, etc. For the most part, we felt like a gathering of Mavericks on a camping trip.

By 6:30am, we were ready to hit the road once more. On the way back onto the bus, I nabbed a few snacks: a granola bar, some more crackers. Pretty good stuff. Matt and Kyle decided to swap seats, thus leaving my back-of-the-bus group to be Javier, Kyle, Dezmond, and I. While Kyle decided to get some much-needed sleep, I opted to stay awake for most of the ride that remained. I went back to reading The Mark of Athena, now that I had the daylight.

Within twenty minutes of being back on the road, we began to pass by a huge lake. I did not often take out my camera during the remaining ride, though this was an exception. The scenery reminded me of my family’s summer 2013 road trip through New Mexico and Arizona, among other places. At this point in our bus journey, we had certainly left the desert. Regarding the lake, the water seemed particularly blue – bluer than most lake water. Perhaps it was the contrast between the water and the gritty hills of rock surrounding the pool. I know not for certain, nor do I know what lake we had passed.

An hour later now about 8am, the scenery had become something reminiscent of the Midwest: trees occasionally to the side of the road, and occasional small lil’ house, wide green expanses out as far as the eye could see. The terrain also seemed mountainous, like the Rockies of Colorado (though I suppose Nevada has Rockies, too): small, crisp streams ran alongside the road, homes were bunched together in clumps between the hills. We even passed a train!

Right around 9am, the terrain changed for a final time. Out of the country/suburbs, there sprouted larger buildings, of the more urban variety. Yes, this was the city of Reno, Nevada. In a way that reminded me of Indianapolis, we gradually weaved our way into the streets of Reno. The journey was coming to a close… yet the true adventure had only just begun.

The bus was filled with the joyful roars of my fellow boys, as we knew we neared our place. Next stop: UNR.