Saturday, November 08, 2008

You Can't Go Home Again

Recently I visited UCSD and had lunch with Ross, a professor I used to work for. He is doing great, BTW, for those of you who know him. He is exactly the same happy self and doesn't look a day older. Still traveling a lot and has an office with a fabulous ocean view. Tenured life very much agrees with him (not that untentured didn't)!

Walked around campus and wow, has it changed! When I was a student there ten years ago, it was very sprawling. I have memories of times in the middle of the day when I'd walk from one building to another in the middle of the afternoon, and if it wasn't during that 10 minutes rush between classes, I'd be the only one out. Now, I don't think that solitude and tranquility could exist there anymore. It has become very built up. The field where we used to have SunGod is now some more engineering buildings. Parking structures exist by Price Center, where before we had to park in sprawling lots at the edge of campus. The edge of campus has been pushed further back. Some baseball fields are now buildings.

But most surprising of all, the Price Center got pregnant and had triplets! There are about 10 times as many restaurants and the bookstore expanded as well. We quickly grabbed a T-shirt for Lauren (per Ryan's request) which has Snoopy on a surfboard. Though I remain on the hunt for that elusive T-shirt I've seen people wearing but never see for sale. It says, "UCSD Football. Still undefeated after all these years!"

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