It's Wednesday afternoon, and the contemplation of the weekend begins. It seems like there is always something going on, something to do in Chapel Hill. The social scene in our mini-metropolis is the most varied I know of for a town of such small size. It seems like every weekend is a new adventure. The football season has begun, and the games are great. Everyone has so much school spirit, and I just love it when we win. My other favorite thing about a football game is that everyone gets blue-and-white pompoms. I never quite understand what is going on during the game, but I usually know that when one of our guys runs a little bit and then falls down with the ball, it's time to wave the pompoms and cheer. Football games are also fun because they get people of all ages together. Old men can yell at the players like they do when watching television at home. Students can see and be seen, socialize and work off the week's stress by yelling and cheering for our team. Our band is good, and the dance team is fun to watch. There's something for everyone, and we all still have a good time, even if we don't win 'em all. Football is synonymous with fall for me. Soon the leaves will turn and the winding roads will be full of colored treetops that meander along the little hills, making Chapel Hill even prettier. I like living in Chapel Hill. Sure, we get a lot of parking tickets, but the University meter monitors are awfully nice about letting you slide with a warning when you appeal. All in all, it's a pretty fun place to live. There are so many different types of people on campus, so I am interested in what students have to say and what you want to read about. Sometimes I wonder if there is anything that we all have in common. But the differences are good. From going to some wild house party, to relaxing at Goodfellow's, to taking off and exploring something besides the nightlife of Chapel Hill or just sitting at home with all your under-21 friends and chilling, the different types of people make the experiences all the more interesting. In just the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to meet and hang out with a lot of people that I probably never would have, including feminists. I've realized there are a lot of different but very cool people whom I go to school with. I've also met people who I totally disagree with and yet totally respect. I know it's easy to always stay in your same social group, but everyone should get out and mingle a bit more. It's amazing what you'll find you have in common. There is often far too much emphasis placed on a person's outer appearance and who a person's friends are, rather than who they are. I did think of one thing that unites us all - Halloween. I know what you're thinking. "Gosh, Anne Marie, we have a whole month until Halloween." But if you want this to be the best Halloween ever, you have to start planning now whether you want to dress up as "the Ladies Man" or an ALE enforcer. And if you're like me, having just realized you have an exam Nov. 1, you have figure out how you're going to explain/beg/whimper to your professor as to why you shouldn't be given an exam the day after Halloween. I can't wait, though. Halloween is like the Mardi Gras of Chapel Hill. Of any event our town holds, Halloween is tops. The only other event that ran a close second was when we made it to the NCAA Final Four last year and everyone rampaged Franklin Street, setting the toilet paper in the trees on fire. Yes, Halloween is a much more calm, but shocking parade of characters. I remember the year people dressed up as trees and stood together in the street like a big bush. Then they would slowly move, playing tricks on all the minds of the highly intoxicated. I also remember Bill and Monica, and a really big, vertical costume that is too R-rated to mention. And the only other memorable event was when the fake hand I had hanging out of my car was, would you believe it, stolen. One thing you can be sure of is that there is always something to look forward to, whether it's a home football game, going out on a Friday night or Halloween. And as soon as Halloween is over, we can all look forward to getting a wristband and getting up at the crack of dawn on Saturday mornings. I hope you've enjoyed letting your mind wander about what's really most important: the weekend. And if you happen to see me around somewhere sometime on the weekend just know that "today was a good day." Anne Marie Teague is a senior business administration major from Lumberton. E-mail her at teague@email.unc.edu and enjoy Fall Break.
