I write this having just finished studying for my East Asia test tomorrow, my Foundations test on Thursday, and a paper that is due tomorrow as well. Oh, the studiousness that is my life. (I actually love it.)

But, really, you don’t want to hear about the novella The True Story of Ah Q. And, to be honest, after two hours with it I really can’t stomach the idea of saying anything else on poor little Ah Q. He needs a break. I can however tell you all about my spring break, which was the pinnacle of amazingness. (No, that is not a word, and yes I just used it anyway).

So, it began by spending ridiculous amounts of time with the best friend, Alyssa, as we were the only two people in the universe on spring break. We watched a lot of Will and Grace, a lot of bad television, and generally sat around my house eating. Productive, I know. I also worked on some writing I had to get done—namely, my project of doom for Dr. Snyder’s class. Seriously, that paper beat me up and robbed my house. But, I think it worked out okay. I pray it worked out okay.

Anyway, Alyssa also helped me pack, because I was headed to the Garden State midway through break. And when I say she helped me pack, I mean she ate chips on my bed and refused to let me pack brown pj pants on the basis that they were “hideous.” They were not. Eventually I was packed and on my way to see the boyfriend on Thursday…and then was promptly slapped in the face by Newark Airport.

To make a long and painful story short, I was in the Pittsburgh Airport from roughly 11 in the morning to about 8 at night. The entire place reminded me of my high school library—the carpet was ugly, the seats were uncomfortable, and everyone was unhappy. Newark finally decided to let my flight come in (after being bumped to new flights no less then three times), and I made it to New Jersey smoothly.

There I was met by Phil, who had the task of explaining how the numerous subway/train things worked. I understood none of it, but hey, nice try. I got to see his campus (they have a view of the New York skyline, but we have green things here. Hence, we tied), meet his cross-country teammates, and generally view the life that is Philip.

On Friday I went to his track meet at the Armory, which is the track of indoor tracks for those that like that sort of thing. Saturday we went into the city, and I managed to run in heels without dying (we were terrified the BAM theater wouldn’t let us in if we were late). There we saw Macbeth with Patrick Stewart, and it was GREAT. I could write a novel on why the production was stellar, honestly. So so so so SO good. I also had my rear handed to me in Mario Cart and went on a one a.m. run for donuts. I know, I’m a dangerous girl.

The flight back home on Sunday was easy, which was a big relief. Tim, one of my good SVC friends, was flying in from Boston, so I picked him up as well. We could have turned around and driven back to SVC that night, but I really wanted home cooked food and my bed. That, and I’m pretty sure my parents wanted proof that I lived. Thusly, Tim and I drove back obsessively early on Monday (we both had morning classes). We drank tea out of novelty travel mugs older than me featuing Thomas the Tank Engine the whole ride home, which served to make it a good day.

But, to point, because I’m assuming these blogs are to be relevant beyond that of “Jill’s-life-is-fun.” As a future college student, possible prospective student reader, chances are you may be forced to rock a long distance relationship.

Phil’s in New Jersey, I’m in Pennsylvania. That’s a tad long. Now, as we’ve been dating for a while I was used to the whole separation thing prior to college (he is an older fellow), but the general issues still apply. Yeah, it can be rough, and yeah, you better hope that you like AIM or cell phone conversations. But, if you follow three simply guidelines I’ve perfected through the ages, you’ll come out just fine.

I now share them with you:

1.) Trust the person you’re dating. If you’re in a relationship, I’m going to assume that you actually like one another. Good. Roll with that. It is impossible to keep tabs on one another, so learn to let go. If your boyfriend/girlfriend talks to a boy/girl, it is probably not because they hate you and want you to die. It is because they are tired of staring at the wall and discussing Plato with their pet fish Heraldo.

2.) Don’t be insane. Really. Do not be that person who calls every fifteen minutes, buys matching his and her mugs in a non-ironic sense, and spends all their free time pining. Life. It’s out there. Enjoy it, and chances are you’ll actually have something to talk about with your significant other beyond “No you hang up. No you!” for three hours. Also, if your future roommate does this, I’m pretty sure PA law allows you to assault them with rotten foodstuffs if you provide prior erbal warning.

And 3.) Be aware that it will be not-fun sometimes. But, if its worth it, you can manage.

And thus, I give you my long-distance dating rules. If you have a comment, please drop me a line—jillian.janflone@email.stvincent.edu is the address, and I’d love to add to my manifesto o’ relationships. Or hear your thoughts on tea or Patrick Stewart. Either works.