Orientation: Hijinks, Hard Hats, and a Hot Mess

Even though Jake and I left campus early ... we got to Sacramento (and our Orientation session) 30 minutes late. Our arrival was not so much "fashionably late" as it was a "hot mess."

Two things really hindered a timely arrival: 1) ridiculous road work (is it REALLY necessary to chop down trees in the middle of the day and let them drop half-way into a lane? I don't think so!) and 2) my absolute inability to know where I'm going ... seriously, I would like to know where my poor spatial abilities originate. There has to be some directionally-challenged ancestor in my family tree.

Luckily the Student Organizations and Leadership (aka: SOAL) team was all that is gracious and didn't seem to mind. After numerous e-mails, a couple of phone calls, and (admittedly) some web-stalking (I'm a creeper, get over it), I finally got to meet Alysson in-person. She's very poised, but also quite approachable.

My direct supervisor is named Leanna. She's a sweetheart. I'm thinking we'll work well together ... she seems to be fairly independent, which is great for me. I definitely don't do well with a heavy-handed approach from a supervisor. I had a moment of "oh, crap" when she started talking about what we would be doing this summer - and 90% of it involved Greek Life. However, she assured me that my lack-of-knowledge would not hinder me, so I'm going to push aside any twinges of uncertainty and just have fun.

In addition to being gregarious and fun-loving, the SOAL team is full of people who adore a good cart and Jake and I were on the maiden voyage. Tom and Karlos Santos-Coy (okay, his name is so fabulous I have type the whole thing every time) also both drive like they're ... well, me! My life (and the lives I imagined of the people we almost ran-over) flashed before my eyes as we careened around campus like a bunch of drunken fools. It was fabulous - life is always a little more fun with the threat of death (or at least the possibility of flipping-off of a moving vehicle into a crowd of undergraduates).

Our day of fun concluded with a tour of the new WELL. The WELL is Sacramento State's new wellness center. It's like the Mall of America of campus gyms (all you mid-Westerners should get that reference). We got to wear hard hats and reflective vests ... which, of course meant we needed a picture! Good thing I had my camera.