Thursdays with Jesse

In the fall semester of our senior year, Jesse and I spent a great deal of time together, because we had all of our courses together. We became a little unit: traveling back and forth between Blake, Cutler, Beveridge, and Schauffler Library, bemoaning our homework load and talking each other through the stress of early decision college applications.

Though this was a stressful time in our lives, we both took great joy in what would happen on Thursday. We would get out of Erik Cooper's AP European History Class (see picture below) at 11:00.

We would promptly sprint up to the dining hall, which had just opened moments ago, where we would walk right past the other food to get to the taco bar which was only there on Thursdays, where we would quickly slap together a taco or two each, grab a cup of coffee, and precariously balance these items in our hands as we rushed to Cutler Science Center for our Environmental Science class, laughing and leaving a little trail of spilt coffee in our wake.

Panting, we would fall into our seats beside each other and wolf down our tacos during the first several minutes of class. Because class was extended on this particular day, our teacher, Becca Leslie, always brought a delicious assortment of doughnuts, which Jesse and I would always happily sample. After class, we would head back up to the dining hall, usually too full to eat (although on occasion we would make nachos at the taco bar) and spend a while just sitting there, stomachs full, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation in that stressful period of our lives.

Also, because I can't resist: us and our final Environmental Science project, the genius of which was fueled on tacos, too much coffee, and our extensive knowledge of eutrophication.

-Lilly Richardson/ Ithaca, NY/ NMH '08