Fitnitiative: Real-life Revolutionaries

As it turns out, becoming a graduate student is a business that requires a lot of footwork. Call this office, pick this up, drop it off here - send this in, pay this fee, sign this, email that - so on, and so forth. All of the while your goals, dreams, and the next five or so years of your life hang in the balance.

Not too stressful, right? Hah.

Today I had the task of getting my undergraduate records transferred to the director of Graduate studies in the English department. Sounds simple enough - call Graduate Admissions, tell them what you want - done.

Wrong.

Approx 1:30 PM - Call Graduate admissions and get placed on hold
1:36 PM - After 5 minutes of dead air, hang up and call again
1:37 PM - Get a different person at Graduate admissions who completely misunderstands my request and transfers me to the English department
1:39 PM - After explaining to the receptionist in the English department that she's talking to me due to the folly of the Grad admissions office, she transfers me to the records office
1:40 PM - Records office requires three different explanations of my very simple transcript request
1:43 PM - Records office informs me that there is ONE individual employed by the ENTIRE university who handles transcript requests - she rattles off his number, tells me to call him.
1:44 PM - Me: "Couldn't you just transfer the call?"
1:45 PM - Call transferred to "Mark" at Records
1:45 PM - Mark at Records answers the phone and immediately takes acception to my qualms with the Records office and the University's phone etiquette as a whole. He and I exchange laughs about how much we hate ignorant people.
1:48 PM - Mark informs me that instead of having me jump through flaming hoops, he would like to personally deliver my transcript to the English department. "Mark, you are a true revolutionary sir!" "Thank you so much! I haven't been called that in years!"

When I arrived on the 4th floor, I called Mark and moments later he walked through the door carrying my transcripts. The moment he stepped into the hallway, I thought "Yeah, this dude was definitely an activist early in his life." He looked like a 5'4 version of Icabod Crane! Short, hyper but pointed with his energy - his long white hair sloppily wrangled into a pony tail. We eagerly shook hands, grinning like kindred spirits.

Mark and I flamboyantly delivered my transcripts to the department's main office. A professor standing nearby watched the entire display, simply uttering "Impressive." I wanted to turn around and say "That's exactly who I am, and that's exactly what I do!"

It's remarkable to me sometimes - that we can go our whole lives never reading every book, never seeing every thing of beauty, and never meeting every person who could brighten even a portion of our day - but we can still be happy with what we have. Today, one person made me happy with my ability to connect and let my personality be my guide through tough situations.

Thank you, Mark from Records. One day, you'll have a pack of Marlboros in your mailbox courtesy of yours truly.

For now, I'm reading comics, working out, and hitting the hay. Hopefully tonight I'll actually get some sleep.

Oh, but here's some photos: