Turkey Days at school

This Thanksgiving I am at my apartment in Berkeley. My roommate is with me. The other two are gone. J and I are positively ecstatic to have it to ourselves. But that's another story. So why am I not at home? On this 4-5 day weekend? Why am I not waking up in my own bed as the sunlight streams through my dusty curtains and hits my pile of mail that has been accumulating since June? Yes, June. That was the last time I was at home. Why am I not getting a waft of that turkey that I will not eat anyway (but I'm sure my parents will try to get me to eat it). No, that's another story too.
One of the great things about being 2,000 miles out-of-state is that you get real familiar with how much a flight should cost. And I know that $800 (though I'm sure rates did not stop there) is ridiculous for a flight home and I'm not going to take it. As much as I enjoy dead bird, I'm afraid I'll have to pass.

Being social

I no longer live in the dorms. But I'll admit, it was a grand ol' time. The people on my floor were a very good bunch and we still stay in touch now. There were about 20 of us and we were secluded enough from the rest of campus to spend a significant amount of time together. You see, our dorm was on the North side of Berkeley, and everything else was on the South side. By everything, I mean everything. The shops, restaurants, frats, dorms, hobos, - everything. But we grew to become very close And all of it revolved around cake.

No, our cakes never looked so spectacular.

But there was a whale one time from Carvel (on the South side). Thanks to this nifty little tool called Facebook, you can get your birthday announced to the world a few days in advance. There were purchased cakes and made from a mix cakes. There were cupcakes and multi-layer cakes. Chocolate and vanilla and ice cream. It was wonderful.
Food really does bring people together. Everyone gathered in the common room or a dark closet to wish someone happy birthday and then eat cake. It was delicious. And we would be so discreet about it too. "Um... we have to go somewhere... for some undisclosed amount of time or until springy and firm when pressed... to do something... We'll be back... so you should definitely be here when we get back..." As we march out of there holding cake mix and cake pans. So stealth, we were. Like James Bond.