The Farrell 15

Happy Black and Gold Friday to all our Deac families. It’s a beautiful day today – started out overcast and a little cooler, now the sun is out and it is nice and warm.

I had a meeting earlier today in Farrell Hall and had 15 minutes to try and do a quick Five Senses post – so here goes.

I see…

– A half-empty Living Room. I count and there are 16 groups of occupied tables or chair groupings. About 8 of the 16 groupings have just one student, most often with laptop and/or cell phone they are working on. Many have earphones in as well.

– For students in groups, about half of them are all men or all women, and about half are mixed with men and women.

– What looks like a prospective family coming for an admissions visit. Nicely dressed woman, man, and a [very young looking to me] student.  But at this point to me, they all look young!

– A student in a walking cast gingerly making her way across the floor.

– One student sitting outside on the patio in the comfy chairs there.

– One of the tables near me has four guys. Three are all talking to each other, the fourth has earbuds in and is plugged into his laptop. I find myself wondering if he is doing something for class, because otherwise why would he be sitting with friends and not talking to them?

– A lot of workout pants and t-shirts for women, and generally not dressy clothes. Both men and women alike seem to be dressed down.

– That it is overcast outside. The trees are still about 98% green, but you are starting to see some yellow poking through on some of the leaves.

– A puff of what looks like smoke from an e-cigarette as someone strolls through the Living Room. I did not think that was allowed indoors?

– The table with the three guys and a fourth plugged into his computer turns out to be two guys, the plugged in guy, and a girl with her hair back in a baseball cap (who from behind looked like a guy with long hair).  Oops.

– A student with big Beats headphones on.

– A couple of students who look like they may be student-athletes (given the identical shirts they are wearing). As they leave, I notice one is on crutches and with a walking cast.

I hear…

– Beeps from the Einstein’s microwave.

– The whifffff sound of paper being turned. Sounds like someone is proofreading and has a bunch of loose sheets of paper that are being turned over, or straightened.

– “You have a string and a wire – and it’s gonna cause tension!”  This is coming from a group of two people who appear to be studying for something (my guess is physics).

– The sound of ice being dispensed into a soda cup.

– Soft, female laughter from a table nearby.

– “Thank you” from a student getting his order.

– The sound of a cellphone being dropped and it hitting the floor. No cursing or grumbling afterwards, so I take it the phone survived.

– The crinkling of an Einstein’s bag being opened (or maybe crumpled up to be thrown away).

– The squeaking of chair legs dragging across the floor as people come and go.

– [From the physics table as they depart] “I’m nervous about this test. Maybe I’ll go back and reread…”

– More beeps from the microwave.

– A female staff or faculty member’s heels click click clicking on the floor.

– The sound of a foreign language. I suspect that it is Chinese, but I can’t be certain.  Later on in my 15 minutes, I hear another assumed Chinese conversation.

– “PLAIN BAGEL!” being called for pickup by an Einstein’s worker.

– The sound of a girl coughing.

– The refrigerator door opening at Einstein’s.

– As we approach 10:45, there is a growing sound of voices. Sounds like a class just let out for the day. The sound grows as people come down the stairs.

I smell…

– Toast. As soon as I got into Farrell and started towards the Living Room, there was an inviting smell of toast, and just a hint of cinnamon.

– The smell of a freshly toasted Everything bagel as a student passes by me. The onions on the bagel smell absolutely fab!

– MORE TOASTED EVERYTHING!  Several times over the 15 minutes I am there, I smell the bagels that people are getting. Maybe Everythings are just a lot more pungent (in a good way) but I feel like I keep smelling that.

I feel…

– Peaceful. Farrell is pretty quiet while I am here. You have some silence to just think and be, which is a good thing.

I taste…

– Nothing! And *man* am I grumpy about it, because smelling these toasted Everything bagels for the last 15 minutes has been like torture!  They are not even my preferred bagel type, but they smell so good it is insane.

There’s your Five (well, really Four) senses of Farrell.  As always, think about calling your Deacs today 🙂

Have a great weekend!