Hot Pink is the new Lime Green

For those unacquainted with Emory Orientation traditions, the T-shirt color revelation is perhaps one of the most contested and excitable events. What begins as a guessing game, the color selection evolves into a philosophical debate, where opponents of all hues wager their hot breath and silly pride on nothing but a whim. The standards are red, blue, and green, but occasionally someone will defend macaroni and cheese or salmon, even burnt orange. The 2006 Orientation shirts surprised all the OL's (Orientation Leaders, that is) when Lime Green reared it's electric flare onto our Monopoly themed shirts.

This year's revelation, however, surpassed all expectations, debates, and philosophical stances, while even fulfilling a bit of old OL lore. "The shirts are going to be pink." It's the common thread (and to some, the cruel joke) that passes down from OL year to OL year. With any T-shirt color conversation, pink is surely to be introduced and then snickered at as if surely that won't happen. Well sure enough, Hot Pink entered with a blaze this year. A Nintendo themed presentation was hilariously going according to plan (and align with my instincts of a red T-shirt). The final shirt popped up, was red, but blank. A quick disappearing act, and Tanya reemerged from her hula hoop, Mario-pipe-like curtain to display none other than eye-catching, laughable, and dare I say sexy hot pink. The colored font really doesn't do the shirt justice so just magnify the pink intensity by ten and darken the shade a bit, and you'll be spot on like the color matcher at Home Depot (how the heck do they do that?). The only thing I left to do is to shower in the morning, throw on the usual khakis, white tennis shoes, and roll into that bright pink shirt to welcome the incoming freshmen.

Turn on the Bright Lights

The MCAT is done. To be honest though, the test actually concluded four months ago, and with the closing of the exam and some additional brooding, the drama of "am I good enough?" has flushed away. So now it's essay time. The white light in my head is going off, and I have idea, idea, idea to jot down onto a piece of paper so I can crank this personal statement out. With one less job and the awkward down time until the first day of class, I am pressing my fingers to the keyboard until 5:00 am this morning for some draft (maybe not even decent) of a personal statement. I am simply excited.

Personal statements tend to be this long drawn out process. You have so much to say (a life story even) but not enough words to say it; not only that but in addition, every word uttered seems construed and constructed to glorify yourself in an ego-centric manner. Where's the humility in that? You can down play your attributes and activities but that just leaves you looking like another high rise apartment in satellite shots of Chicago. How to be unique? You just write. Write what you think, feel, believe (in the present moment) without rethinking. It's taken me four months to remember and practice the forgotten art. Now, I can write idea, idea, idea until the pages fill.

(This post dedicated to Jenn Eick and Jane Hershman.)