Periodicals

I'm sitting in the periodical of the library. Because it's finals week, the library is open for extended hours until 2am. This is the time when procrastinator really unite! it's bizarre:
When you ride in a tiny 8x8 elevator squished next to strangers, you don't get off cheering and smiling at each other. No sense of comradory or fellowship develops at all.
You can stand in line at subway by someone for 20 minutes without even acknowledging that they're there.
But when you stay at the library until closing time, something changes. That glass wall you put up to keep people out shatters. The guy across the room is suddenly one of your best friends.
By around 12, the once jam-packed periodicals are clearing out, with some empty tables. by one, only a handful of the truly stalwart remain. The janitors start vacuming under your seat at about 1:30 and the tension in the room doubles. The clicking keyboards get louder both to compete with the noisy vacumes, and as everyone tries to finish up that paper and sprint to the finish line of the long race. at 1:50 they make their consistently friendly reminder that you must now leave the building or be arrested and fined. and then... they start the music.
Here's where the amazing change really takes place. all the tension completely dissipates. friendly greetings are exchanged along with pats on the back and high fives:
"..what you been working on?..." or, "...yeah these finals are killing me too.."
We form a support group for each other! that kid in the yellow baseball cap, kiddy corner my table cares that I do well on this test tomorrow. I believe it. I know he's got my back ..along with the creepy asian guy a few tables behind him.
It's this sense of fellowship and love that sets us apart and makes this elite little community. that, and our similar work ethic, and shared characteristic of procrastination...
Either way, I'm proud to be here.


"Mia (Colin) just got a new best friend. His name is FINALS."