Moved into the dormitories at the University of Nashville, Peabody Campus, Davidson County, Middle Tennessee. Killebrew Hall, one block north of Wedgewood & 20th and arranged with two other motel-style dorms in a broken “U” shape around a parking lot and some trees, room 314. Five floors, technically co-ed, but with girls on one side (odd) and guys on the other (even). Sean & I chose this school on a whim after seeing a television commercial and the residence hall after its hilariously genocidal-sounding name. Nah, actually, we both auditiond for and were accepted into the Acklen School of Music, set in the Belmont campus, and these dorms are centrally located. UNash extends from Belmont in the southeast, along 21st Avenue thru central campus (Peabody), up to Vandy campus in the northwest. Old Vanderbilt is where the law, divinity, medical, and engineering schools are. Peabody is the liberal arts and science college. Belmont is music and fine arts and business. But—the way it’s set up, all the freshman music classes are held in the Waites Complex, which doubles as a magnet arts high school, out past the children’s and psychiatric hospitals, next to the athletic fields & event parking. So—we’ll hustle out that way in the daytime for classes, then hike the other direction at night for recitals and scholarship work in the big booming concert hall at the top of the hill.
This morning we frantically loaded everything up—while eating a hurried breakfast: toast, yogurt, coffee—gathering it all into three vehicles: mine, Mom’s, and the ancient Oldsmobile belonging to my brother Luke. Mom almost loses blind, black Samson the cat, but he’s hiding under her bed like Luke & I thought he would be. Said goodbye to Dad & nephew Will, then I lead the caravan up from the Smyrna and Antioch districts thru Metro via Nolensville Pike (avoiding the interstate for my nervous brother’s sake) hitting all three major intersections: Old Hickory, Harding Place, Thompson Lane—then left at the fairgrounds, along Wedgwood and the numberd streets, into the Athens of the South. This vast district encompasses most of West Nashville beneath the Cumberland River & is roughly divided into quadrants containing clusters of schools: in addition to UNash, there’s Fisk & Tennessee State in the north, Watauga, Montgomery Bell, and Saint Cecilia in the far west, Trevecca & the Redoubt in the eastern part, and lonesome Lipscomb down south. And in case you didn’t pick up on all of the hints, included in the district, right in the centripetal midst of these storied academies, is majestic Centennial Park, with its replica of the Parthenon, surrounded by magnolias. No, really.
The Yardboros were already there. They’ve been our across-the-street neighbors for the better part of a decade. Sean is my best friend & bandmate. We call ourselves the August Fools, tho we’ve been trying to think of a better name. It was so ridiculously humid that we were all dripping wet after everything was brung up to our third-floor room. We coold off in the AC a minute, then they took us out for Chinese food at the Jaded Dragon on West End. Sean’s little sister Junie was there, sucking up all his attention. (I am honestly not that botherd by it anymore—they’ve toned their act way down and I’m so wrapt up in other things that I don’t give a shit.) Soon the parents & siblings were gone and Sean & I were officially collegians.
It’s a culture shock compared to how I spent my summer. Hall meeting, everybody seems cool. Sean & I “settled in” all day, organizing stuff, setting up, etc. As luck would have it, we share a bathroom with the floor’s RA, Greg So-and-so. That means no chance of toking. Too bad. But it’s also true we’ll never have to worry about cleaning the bathroom, because he has to do it anyway. Not to mention there’s less foot and asscheek traffic since only 3 guys will be using it instead of four; we can also get away with longer showers. We do have our own sink tho. Sean took the back half of the room and I took the front. My slim bed is prest right up under the window, next to the door. “Home,” we thought to ourselves. We both have computers, we both have TVs, we’re both probably spoilt out of our minds; but we’re happy, we’re on our own (for good now) and we’re taking our lives somewhere.
I better learn how to balance my goddamn checkbook because tonight I learned that I had $90 in overcharge fees. I guess I miscalculated my summer spending. This also means that the Muse probably got about $150 more out of me because of it. Oh well, it wasn’t their doing or anything. I’m the one who mest up. In a hurry I sped down to Malvern where my bank is and deposited my two (stipend) checks to balance it out. When it’s all said & done I’ll probably have $1200 in the bank to last me the year, $200 less than I’m suppost to. I guess these first few months will be tight as far as money goes. Hopefully drummer Ceejay will give me the $200 he owes me and everything will be dandy. Hopefully.