{"id":820,"date":"2011-06-12T15:25:40","date_gmt":"2011-06-12T19:25:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=820"},"modified":"2025-02-26T14:55:18","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T19:55:18","slug":"chapter-26-the-meat-market-and-fate","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=820","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 26: The Meat Market &#8230; and Fate"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Playing the Field<\/h3>\r\n<p><strong>I was still enjoying dating casually.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>I met a tall blond guy named Mark M at Boreman Hall downtown, and we hung out. He played <em>Hello Again<\/em> by The Cars for me because I liked it.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>&#8220;Hello Again&#8221; by The Cars<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375880507841\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'120', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Cars-Hello-Again.mp3\">The Cars &#8211; Hello Again<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\r\n<p>A guy named Ron came up to my dorm room several times throughout the semester to make out. Julie was crushing on him but he flirted with me. He was handsome in a rugged sort of way, with a 5 o&#8217;clock shadow most of the time.<\/p>\r\n<p>Stan, a junior and fellow music major, wanted more of a relationship than I was ready for. He helped me with Written Theory, and would come up to my room. We spent some time together, and at our parting, he gave me his wallet-sized picture to keep.<\/p>\r\n<p>I also kissed a really cute guy, Jack, from the 9th floor at Towers. Too bad he was \u201ctaken\u201d\u2026 but apparently and to my delight, some beverage of an alcoholic nature had temporarily compromised his discretion.<\/p>\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_4719\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4719\" style=\"width: 425px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4719\" title=\"Hangin' out\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/hallway-group-600x548.jpg\" alt=\"Hangin' out (Lisa in blue)\" width=\"425\" height=\"389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/hallway-group-600x548.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/hallway-group-300x274.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/hallway-group.jpg 924w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4719\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hangin&#8217; out (Lisa in light blue)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p>A guy in my written theory class, Greg H, offered to help me out with key signatures because I was having a rough time memorizing them.\u00a0That led to flirtation and a casual but brief relationship. This abruptly ended one time when after a rather steamy make-out in his room, he called me a \u201cdick tease.\u201d\u00a0I was shocked. Where had <em>that<\/em> come from? I sincerely apologized for the misimpression and got out of there.<\/p>\r\n<p>So that was the end of &#8220;Gorgeous Gregory&#8221; &#8230; the guy I\u2019d considered pretty sharp fast fell flat.<\/p>\r\n<p>Another snare player named Dave B took a shine to me and we did some making out but nothing else. A guy named Chris M (&#8220;teddy bear&#8221; according to my diary) from my English class expressed interest, called me, and we spent time together.<\/p>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-14285 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/icecream-335x268.jpg\" alt=\"Eating ice cream\" width=\"335\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/icecream-335x268.jpg 335w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/icecream-600x480.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/icecream-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/icecream.jpg 810w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>Another guy, a different Chris, invited me over to his apartment at Evansdale\u00a0 and cooked me a venison dinner. I wasn&#8217;t a fan of deer meat, but the date went well and he was very nice.<\/p>\r\n<p>All semester, it seemed there were swarms of cute guys for the picking.<\/p>\r\n<p>I really enjoyed college life. I ate a good breakfast in the morning before classes, and attended to any other necessary matters on my own.<\/p>\r\n<p>Mom sent letters, care packages and correspondence to sign and relay to Mr. Patteson at the WVU Financial Aid office.\u00a0I replied with colorful descriptions about what was going on in my freshman music major\u2019s world.<\/p>\r\n<p>I rode the PRT and got around pretty well, at times catching a ride with a lucky car-owning upperclassman friend.\u00a0I went to violin lessons, recitals for class credit, band and orchestra rehearsals, and logged practice hours.<\/p>\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_4721\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4721\" style=\"width: 750px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4721\" title=\"Group shot\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/group-shot.jpg\" alt=\"Group shot\" width=\"750\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/group-shot.jpg 1094w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/group-shot-300x252.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/group-shot-600x504.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4721\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">8th floor friends<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p>Patrick, a guy from the 9th floor, had a pet snake. I went up to his room to see it, and was surprised to discover it was soft to the touch.<\/p>\r\n<p>One day, I was there at feeding time, and the snake swallowed a live white mouse whole. This was a visual I didn\u2019t care to revisit. (Sadly, years later, I would find out that Patrick died very young.)<\/p>\r\n<h3>Quarter for your thoughts?<\/h3>\r\n<p>One night I played my first game of Quarters up there with a guy named Perry and his friend, each funnier than the other. We put a real dent in a case of Old Milwaukee (or <em>Old Pisswater<\/em> as we called it).<\/p>\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_4726\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4726\" style=\"width: 424px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"  wp-image-4726 size-large\" title=\"Parties just seemed to find us\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/9th-fl-party2-424x600.jpg\" alt=\"Parties just seemed to find us\" width=\"424\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/9th-fl-party2-424x600.jpg 424w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/9th-fl-party2-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/9th-fl-party2.jpg 793w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 424px) 100vw, 424px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4726\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Parties just seemed to find us<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p>Like other dorms, Towers was \u201cdry\u201d, and we were underage, so our selections were rather limited.<\/p>\r\n<p>We had plenty of fun with<em> Old Pisswater<\/em> and they eventually carried me down to my room to deposit me on my bed.<\/p>\r\n<p>I slept fine that night \u2026 quite unlike <a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=242\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">my initial acquaintance with booze<\/a> back in the summer of \u201979 with my cousin. And I went to all my classes the next day.<\/p>\r\n<p>Two days later, however, a hellacious headache and stomachache struck, and quite unexpectedly. I was on the downtown campus, in Oglebay Hall.<\/p>\r\n<p>After Psych 1 class, I felt a clammy, numb sensation on top of what must have been a roaring migraine. It took me completely by surprise. I found a rest room, and made my distress known. A passerby called an ambulance.<\/p>\r\n<p>I was rushed to the WVU Med Center, where I was immediately tested for meningitis via spinal tap. I don\u2019t remember much besides feeling sick and alone because Mom was so far away.<\/p>\r\n<p>The tests determined that the root of my misery was not the dreaded meningitis. They gave me a posterior shot of Demerol, which cut the awful head pain, and Student Health admitted me overnight.\u00a0Because I was still a minor, Mom was contacted, and she assessed the situation with the attending doctor.<\/p>\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_4725\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4725\" style=\"width: 750px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4725\" title=\"Ray and friends\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/9th-fl-party3.jpg\" alt=\"Ray and friends\" width=\"750\" height=\"406\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/9th-fl-party3.jpg 1285w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/9th-fl-party3-300x162.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/9th-fl-party3-600x324.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4725\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ray and friends<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p>Our floor Resident Assistant Beverly was notified. She and Lisa stopped by bringing my pajamas, toothbrush, diary and some other necessities, which I really appreciated.<\/p>\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_14288\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14288\" style=\"width: 335px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-14288\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/lisa-me-600x548.jpg\" alt=\"Lisa and me\" width=\"335\" height=\"306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/lisa-me-600x548.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/lisa-me-329x300.jpg 329w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/lisa-me.jpg 756w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14288\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lisa and me, and a Domino&#8217;s makes three<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p>Lisa came in Bev&#8217;s car to drive me back to Towers the next day. I went right up to my room to rest for the day. One guy I\u2019d been seeing, the tall blond Mark from Boreman Hall, brought me flowers. Ron left me a note of concern. Patrick checked in also.<\/p>\r\n<p>Julie, Lisa, and Andrea brought me chicken soup for lunch, and they made a run to 7-ELEVEN for more munchies. They really made me feel cared-for. Mom also called to offer me some TLC over the phone. The next day, I went to the pharmacy at student health to pick up a script for headaches. It turned out to be $30 (!!) so this poor college student paid half, for half the pills.<\/p>\r\n<p>I began to see a neurologist, Dr. Ringel, at the hospital about the headaches. As a headache patient since childhood, this was nothing new. This eventually became cost-prohibitive so the visits had to end, but I was able to get enough samples of Inderal until a prescription through my parents&#8217; insurance could be filled.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>&#8220;Cruel Summer&#8221; by Bananarama<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375880538745\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'120', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Bananarama-Cruel-Summer.mp3\">Bananarama &#8211; Cruel Summer<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\r\n<h3>Enter Fate<\/h3>\r\n<p>On October 2, the course of my life would forever be altered. I caught a ride back to the dorm with Alice and Andrea after band practice, and tuba player John (straight brown hair with mustache from freshman orientation band video fame) was in the back seat of the car.<\/p>\r\n<p>I was still none-the-wiser to his feelings for me.\u00a0We ended up at the Towers dining hall with a few mutual acquaintances eating and talking about classes.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Lori: I&#8217;m having some trouble with unit CLX in Psych 1.<\/strong><\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <strong> John: Oh, I&#8217;m a Psychology major; I can tutor you.<\/strong><\/span><br \/><strong><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Lori: (Still quite oblivious) OK, I&#8217;m in room 1815, how about at 7?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>John finally got his &#8220;in&#8221;! Little did I know I&#8217;d made this guy&#8217;s day \u2026 and set the stage for the rest of my life.<\/p>\r\n<p>That night, I don&#8217;t know how John kept his cool during the tutoring but afterward he confided his feelings for me. I was completely blindsided\u2014I&#8217;d no idea. I was happy being unattached and was flattered, but was really not interested.<\/p>\r\n<p>Thirty years later, at 2014 WVU Homecoming, John admitted that he&#8217;d told a small fib that day\u2014in front of a table full of college friends.<\/p>\r\n<p>He hadn&#8217;t <strong>actually<\/strong> changed his major to Psych yet. <em>He was still registered in Political Science at the time!<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p>After some playful ribbing, I realized that sometimes a little lie is just plain necessary &#8230; after all,\u00a0\u00a0Mom and Dad had lied about their ages.\u00a0If they hadn&#8217;t, you&#8217;d now be staring at an HTTP 404 error!<\/p>\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_4723\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4723\" style=\"width: 340px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4723\" title=\"Quite the cutie\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/john-cutie-201x300.jpg\" alt=\"Quite the cutie\" width=\"340\" height=\"507\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/john-cutie-201x300.jpg 201w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/john-cutie-402x600.jpg 402w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/john-cutie.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 340px) 100vw, 340px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4723\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Quite the cutie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p>Anyhow, I tried to politely let him down easy, but it would eventually prove as futile as attempting to roast marshmallows in a blizzard.<\/p>\r\n<p>From then on, John was always there, with his puppy-dog eyes and offering to give me a ride back from practice and take me out to eat. All despite being friendzoned.<\/p>\r\n<p>Our first unofficial \u201cdate\u201d was on October 9 at <em>Wings &amp; Things<\/em> (now <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wingsole.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wings Ol\u00e9<\/a>), a Tex-Mex place with great burritos, shakes and fries &#8216;n bleu cheese.<\/p>\r\n<p>John became that good ol&#8217; best guy-friend you just like so much, but for whom there are no real romantic feelings.<\/p>\r\n<p>All through the rest of the marching band season John and I were together, palling around, but he was far more &#8220;into it&#8221; than I was.\u00a0John would often come up to my room, but after he left, Ron or Stan came up to take his place.<\/p>\r\n<h3>First Kiss<\/h3>\r\n<p>I remember my first kiss with John, which happened one evening in October, outside the door to my room. John still had that mustache, which I didn\u2019t particularly find attractive, but it was a tender affectionate kiss.<\/p>\r\n<p>John must have seen a few fireworks because he whooped and jumped and bounded all 8 flights down the stairwell. I\u2019d detected maybe a firecracker, but it was still kind of nice to kiss him.<\/p>\r\n<p>John\u2019s feelings for me were so prevalent that he even told his <em>parents<\/em> about \u201cus\u201d and invited them down one Saturday to meet me after a football game. We all ate at the Flame restaurant downtown that evening. I don\u2019t know what sort of impression I made on these staunch Pennsylvania German folks; they were polite but reserved (that never changed).<\/p>\r\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>&#8220;Easy Lover&#8221; by Phil Collins<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375880571826\" class=\"{skin:&#039;black&#039;, animate:false, width:&#039;120&#039;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Phil-Collins-Easy-Lover.mp3\">Phil Collins and Philip Bailey &#8211; Easy Lover<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\r\n<p>Around that time, a clarinet player in the Band named Donna had a thing for John. They\u2019d dated briefly in the beginning of the semester, but John had seen no thrill there and cooled it.<\/p>\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_14292\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14292\" style=\"width: 335px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-14292\" title=\"Who can resist that smile?\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/John-muscle-392x600.jpg\" alt=\"John striking a pose\" width=\"335\" height=\"513\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/John-muscle-392x600.jpg 392w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/John-muscle-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/John-muscle.jpg 723w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14292\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">John striking a pose<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p>However, she continued to pursue him, annoying him, and this continued even as he was beginning to get involved with me.<\/p>\r\n<p>After morning practice the Saturday of the Boston College game, John and I were relaxing up at the Law Center on the hill before suiting up and marching down to the stadium.<\/p>\r\n<p>John had his arms around me from behind, when Donna appeared. She demanded to know why he was with me. \u201cBecause I love her,\u201d he replied simply.<\/p>\r\n<p>She threw a royal raving fit and tore out of the building.\u00a0John chivalrously went after her, but ended up receiving a sound smack in the puss in some \u201cwhy didn\u2019t he care\u201d tirade.<\/p>\r\n<p>She never bothered him again. We beat BC, the fans stormed the field, down came the goalposts, and I won the guy.<\/p>\r\n<h3>&#8216;Stache-B-Gone (woo-hooo!)<\/h3>\r\n<p>I was extremely gratified the weekend of the WVU-Penn State game, as John made good on his promise to shave off the bloody mustache if West Virginia won.<\/p>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-11454\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/wvu-1984.png\" alt=\"WVU 17, Penn State 14 1984\" width=\"600\" height=\"631\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/wvu-1984.png 401w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/wvu-1984-285x300.png 285w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>Well, it was in the bag\u2014October 27, 1984\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1984\/10\/28\/sports\/west-virginia-stops-penn-state-17-14.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WVU 17, Penn State 14<\/a>, final.<\/p>\r\n<p>Following the application of the Schick and Barbasol, a new attraction surged within me. This guy was pretty fine, indeed.<\/p>\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_3614\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3614\" style=\"width: 335px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3614\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Kappa-Kappa-Psi.jpg\" alt=\"Kappa Kappa Psi\" width=\"335\" height=\"494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Kappa-Kappa-Psi.jpg 217w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Kappa-Kappa-Psi-203x300.jpg 203w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3614\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kappa Kappa Psi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p>It was the first time I <em>reeeeally<\/em> enjoyed kissing him. With no upper-lip caterpillar distraction, his sexy smile and sparkling brown eyes were front-and-center.<\/p>\r\n<p>I pledged <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kkpsiomicron.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WVU\u2019s Omicron Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi<\/a>, the honorary band fraternity that fall.<\/p>\r\n<p>John, already a member from his days at his previous college, was my sponsoring \u201cbig brother\u201d.<\/p>\r\n<p>I made my own paddle (which hangs in my home office today). It had decals and white tape where people in the fraternity and sister sorority, Tau Beta Sigma, signed it.<\/p>\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_14336\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14336\" style=\"width: 335px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-14336\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/paddle.jpg\" alt=\"My Kappa Kappa Spi paddle\" width=\"335\" height=\"1189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/paddle.jpg 504w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/paddle-169x600.jpg 169w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/paddle-433x1536.jpg 433w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14336\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My paddle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p>John of course was the first, and I even brought it home and had some family members sign it, including Mom and Dad.<\/p>\r\n<p>I dutifully maintained a Pledge Book, and was installed into the fraternity later in the semester with the other pledges, thus adding to my already jumpin\u2019 social life.<\/p>\r\n<p>That November, I turned 18\u2014finally an adult.<\/p>\r\n<p>Unfortunately, it was too late for me to vote in the 1984 general presidential election.<\/p>\r\n<p>Once I\u2019d registered to vote, Mom had tried to have the age requirement waived in our district on my behalf so I could participate by absentee ballot.<\/p>\r\n<p>Though the election occurred within days of my birthday, this was not to happen. I would have to wait four more years.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>John arranged with Lisa and some of our friends from the 8th floor to have a little surprise party for me in Julie\u2019s room. We had pizza and cake and a wonderful time.<\/p>\r\n<p>Among our many demo band trips was a Pittsburgh Steelers game at Three Rivers Stadium. Now familiar with the &#8220;drill&#8221;, we loaded the eight Central Cab buses and hit the road.<\/p>\r\n<p>It was a huge facility, filled with welcoming NFL fans that roared when we did halftime.<\/p>\r\n<p>John\u2019s parents drove the hour or so into Pittsburgh to see the performance. (Three Rivers Stadium was leveled in 2003 to make way for the larger Heinz Field.)<\/p>\r\n<p>We had a lot of fun on the 8th floor. We had a big ice cream party with the 9th floor guys one night in our lounge.\u00a0We also had a Tower One floor-decorating contest for Halloween, in which I played a large part.\u00a0We didn\u2019t win the pizza party, though our display was pretty good as I recall. There was a similar contest for Christmas.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>&#8220;Too Late For Goodbyes&#8221; by Julian Lennon<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375880643654\" class=\"{skin:&#039;black&#039;, animate:false, width:&#039;120&#039;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Julian-Lennon-Too-Late-For-Goodbyes.mp3\">Julian Lennon &#8211; Too Late For Goodbyes<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_4758\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4758\" style=\"width: 750px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4758\" title=\"Trick Or Treat\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/halloween.jpg\" alt=\"Trick Or Treat\" width=\"750\" height=\"587\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/halloween.jpg 1129w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/halloween-300x234.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/halloween-600x469.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4758\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trick Or Treat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p>A lot of our floor-mates dressed up to go Trick-Or-Treating, and the funniest costume was Bizz as a \u201cSuper Tampax\u201d.<\/p>\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_4759\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4759\" style=\"width: 340px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"  wp-image-4759\" title=\"No comment...\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/halloween-2-207x300.jpg\" alt=\"No comment...\" width=\"340\" height=\"491\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/halloween-2-207x300.jpg 207w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/halloween-2-415x600.jpg 415w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/halloween-2.jpg 725w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 340px) 100vw, 340px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4759\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Don&#8217;t ask.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p>Naturally, there was a lot of imbibing of various beverages with a double-digit proof rating on the sly, and plenty of dorm room wastebaskets were filled as a result.<\/p>\r\n<p>One guy from the 9th streaked down the stairs and through the halls of our floor (probably a dare). We chased him back upstairs, whooping with laughter.<\/p>\r\n<p>There were so many pranks, it was hysterical. One time, Ray the 9th Floor R.A.&#8217;s room was filled with newspapers (Bev was the culprit), and he and some other guys came down and dumped her in the shower. A bunch of us did the same to him.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>One girl, Leslie, was sweet and seemed to live on the edge as a frequent carnal companion to a few of the Mountaineer football players of varying races.<\/p>\r\n<p>Another girl, Sheila, had a nice Pontiac Fiero on campus but it was vandalized one day. She was so upset that I accompanied her to Student Health to make sure she was all right.<\/p>\r\n<p>There was always something going on somewhere. I hung out with Bizz and Laura and a few others.\u00a0Lots of pizza and nachos were consumed at all hours on a regular basis.<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a title=\"Chapter 27: Home For the Holidays; Bowl Bound\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=830\">Chapter 27: Home For the Holidays; Bowl Bound<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13050\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/drum-avatar-thumbnail-sm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" \/> <a title=\"Return to Memoirs\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=13681\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Return to Chapters<\/span><\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Playing the Field I was still enjoying dating casually.\u00a0 I met a tall blond guy named Mark M at Boreman Hall downtown, and we hung out. He played Hello Again by The Cars for me because I liked it. &#8220;Hello Again&#8221; by The Cars The Cars &#8211; Hello Againmap :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=820\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Chapter 26: The Meat Market &#8230; and Fate&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14335,"parent":4,"menu_order":27,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-820","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=820"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17157,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/820\/revisions\/17157"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}