Now it’s time to say goodbye to all of Potomac… P-O-T… “tee” you real soon! O-M-A… “a”? Because we like you! Cee-ee-ee-ee-eeeee… Wow, that was cheesy. But with the end of the year coming within a week (May 4 to be specific), it’s time to pack up and say goodbye to Potomac Hall and everyone in and out of it until August. As with any end-of-the-year, it’s a happy time and a sad time all in one. The happy time can be described very simply – no more work until August. However, it’s sad, too. I’ve been living with 417 other people in Potomac Hall, and I’ll have to say goodbye to every single one of them, some for three months, some for longer, and some forever. I wrote back in August in this spot that there’s a certain magic in these dorms that is destroyed when the end of the year arrives and everyone moves out. It still holds true. I will be returning to Potomac Hall next year as part of the hall staff, and it truly will be a different place. The building will be the same, and for the most part will unchanged, except that the sign seen at right may be replaced by the cheesy purple ones that are popping up all over campus this year (you can see some of these around The Schumin Web), as well as maintenance and such. However, there will be mostly different people living within its walls. It’s true that Mecca will still be the Hall Director and a number of others will live in Potomac again, but of all the people on my floor, I’m the only one who’s even living on campus next year. Everyone else is living off campus in apartment-land. Still, college dorms truly are communities. And when one leaves for the summer, another moves in the following fall to replace it. And while nothing can replace the contents of the special place in my heart (and my Web site) where I keep my memories of McGraw-Long last year, as well as my memories of Potomac this year, there’s always room for more. While our 2000-2001 community is coming to an end, we all look forward, as we anticipate our respective communities next year… Potomac, Wayland, Wampler, Frederikson, Chesapeake, Chandler, Converse, Spotswood, Bell, Chappelear, and then off campus with Hunters Ridge, Forest Hills, South View, Stone Gate, Sunchase, The Commons, Ashby Crossing, Squire Hill, Madison Manor, and more. We retain our friendships formed in past years, and are anxious to get to know the people who are occupying the spaces around us (and breathing more than their fair share of air) a little better. However, before we are ready to meet these new faces, we’ve got three and some change months worth of summer, the time when we work to make money for the coming year, as well as do just about anything that’s not illegal (except maybe speed to try to get to work faster). And so to everyone at JMU, have a great summer, and to everyone at Telegate (where I’m working this summer), I hope to see you all very soon!
And for those of you who are wondering, The Schumin Web will continue to be updated during the summer, and the Web Cam will still be going this summer.