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Locusts

The new semester has come, and with it the students. It's like an annual invasion of insects with drivers' licenses. People are double-parked everywhere, sweating parents are trying to conceal their glee and/or sadness, and a new crop of freshman are positively vibrating with excitement at being let loose upon the world.

This is truly an event that fills me with ambivalence. I work at a university. I wouldn't have a job without the students because I study them. I even really enjoy teaching them. However, there's that moment when I'm desperately looking for a parking spot and some kid who has no idea how to parallel park is blocking traffic and if I could wiggle my nose and make them all disappear, I would. This also happens when it takes twice as long to get coffee at Cool Beans, when they use the elevators to go to the second floor, and when they appear to not understand that walking in front of my car is a bad idea. Really, it is.

The end result is that the noisy invaders of my quiet world have arrived, and it's time to gear up for a new semester of data collection. I try to look at each semester like a roller coaster ride. Once you get on, you can't get off until the end. There will be highs, there will be lows, and it will fly by. Sometimes it's terrifying and sometimes it's exhilarating. Here we go.

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