My Top 10 Cal Poly Observations From Day One

Today was my first ever day attending any university. That is a big deal for anybody but it seems to me that at age 44 that adds at least one extra order of magnitude of "big dealness". Of course I am at least slightly self-conscious of my age in that youthful environment. Nobody accuses me of being or treats me like I'm an old fogey. My insecurity is wholly internal, of course. Personality-wise I have the youthful playfulness and vigor and enthusiasm and mischievousness of a 22 year-old all the while I seem to have a deep understanding of people and the human condition, a street-savvy world-wiseness,  command of our language, PhD-level body of knowledge that crosses through several disciplines and the conversational acuity of someone my age (or even older as I have been accused of being an "old soul").  This has worked to my advantage at Cuesta College where I ultimately evolved into a veritable "Bull in a China Cabinet" (not in a bad way whatsoever). I pretty much had free run of the place both in class and out. I ended up feeling too comfortable by the end of my run there. Being at Cal Poly is important for me for not merely educational and career reasons. It is an important part of my evolution as a man. I am now a smaller fish in a much larger pond. I'm temporarily outside my comfort zone and this is forcing me to grow which is what I need.

As might be expected today, I observed/experienced some unexpected things or unexpected magnitudes of things I had already expected coming into today. Below is my Top Ten List of them.

1. Poly Dollies Galore! Holy Cow: there were no cows, only varying degrees of cute gals! I had heard that this university possibly possesses the highest concentration of college-aged feminine hotness in the entire nation or even on Earth. Today's anthropological observations by me confirm this is most definitely true. I was severely sunburned by their collective hotness. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing I'm not 22! Then again: it might end up not mattering.
2. Boy was it HOT today and I'm not referring to the heat from Item #1's! Shortly after arriving on campus this morning I realized I had erred in my wardrobe choice of wearing pants as it was already hot in SLO before 11 a.m. this morning. Of course, this was more conducive to less obscured observation of Item #1's. 
3. Student population: I expected there to be a lot of students on campus given the enrollment is nearly 20,000 students. However, today I was nonetheless blown away by the sheer number of them all over the place all the time. Not once did I feel claustrophobic despite repeatedly being crammed in a crowd in the university store or in a hall in a building. It helped that a significant percentage of the student population are Item #1's. 
4. The Robert E. Kennedy Library is absolutely my favorite building on campus. I LOVE the floor plan and design of the place as well as how it is adorned (and in some cases NOT adorned). Given the square ring floor plan with open courtyard in the center and diagonal staircase headed up four levels from Floor Two to Floor Five with stepped entrances from it into the different floors of the library and all the non-bookish things going on throughout Floor One and much of Floor Two I felt like I was transported into the floorplan of a cool 1980's-era Dungeons & Dragons module dungeon exploring for hidden treasures guarded by cool monsters. I found my hang-out for the quarter on Floor Two in situ of the cafe there. Also, there was an abundance of Item #1's throughout the building. 
5. I'm A Cal Poly Rose Parade Float Volunteer! I stopped into the Rose Parade Float Office in the McPhee University Union. The two student volunteers turned out to be ASI people (Associated Students, Inc.) and one of them gave me a great debriefing and invited me to work on the float project this Saturday which I plan to do. My debriefer was an Item #1. 
6. University Store: also located in the McPhee University Union. This facility was jam-packed all day long. For much of the day I avoided making any much-needed purchases there. However, when it was time to head home for the day I stopped in there and bit the bullet, selecting my purchases and then headed into the monstrous line snaking through much of the huge room. I ended up being blown away by how fast they got us through there with a combination of the impressive organization and design of their checkout installation as well as the efficient professionalism of the ASI student employees, many of whom were Item #1's. 
7. Technological asymmetry: some buildings on campus are marvels of modern technological advancement while some of the older buildings which appear to be from the 1960's and 1970's are not only a bit dog-eared in appearance but also are not up-to-date technologically-speaking. In my Spanish class today our instructor spent the entire first class session struggling with getting his computer hooked up to the classroom projector. He also teaches at Cuesta College where he has no such problems. During the course of his struggles today he received help from four students: two males and two females. The two females were Item #1's as is most of the female half of that class. The cute little thing seated behind me forced me to do a double-take.
8. Professor Christina Firpo: easy on the eyes but hard on the expectations... which I appreciate. Her online professorial rating comments by past students were mixed. One item which came up more than once was her being a hottie... which she most definitely is. However, DO NOT let that fool you into thinking she is a lightweight. She will be the most difficult instructor I will have this quarter bar none. If the definition of Item #1 included faculty she would embody the faculty manifestation of that phenomenon.
9. On-campus Christian presence: it was nice to see the Gideons offering bibles to Item #1's in the university union area. Also in the university union area was an Intervarsity Christian Fellowship booth at which I was helped by an Item #1. I do believe I will be involved with this on-campus organization. 
10. Did I neglect to mention all the Item #1's on campus?