The Oswego winter seems like it is here to stay, but it is too bad that we will not be. In two weeks, many of us will be home for winter break, eating, drinking and being merry with our families and friends. Finals will be over and mom’s home cooking will have replaced the grub served up by the dining hall on plastic tray that, if you’re lucky, have a witty statement carved into it with a knife or fork.

For some, this is the end. Congratulations, though holding your graduation party might be a bit tricky. The pig roast that you’ve been planning may sound like a good idea, and I would certainly attend (note to readers: invite me to your potential pig roasts), but it still might not be the best season. Go on, your four years—well, in this case, perhaps three and a half years (way to go overachiever!) have served you well. Best of luck and do not forget to keep your alumni donation checks coming.

For many others, this is the end of only their first semester in college. Was it all you thought it would be? I can only imagine your face when you pinned your newly purchased Animal House poster to the wall, only to realize that half the people on your floor have the same poster. I bet it looked just like John Belushi’s: mouth agape, confused. You weren’t quite the trendsetter you thought you were.

When I was a freshman, I broke the golden rule of saying that Boondock Saints is not a very good movie. I was immediately ostracized and given weird looks, like I had a lobster crawling on my face or something. The sequel was even worse, but that is an argument for another day. Boondock Saints is bad, Pulp Fiction is good and unlike many of the poster owners, I have actually seen both Animal House and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and quite enjoyed them. There. I think I covered them all.

But for me, it means I only have one semester left. Only a few more months until I must face the real world, the world where having only fifteen hours a week of commitment is a thing of the past. Hopefully. The job market is not looking so good these days.

So while I scour any connection and resource I have to find an internship—who knew offering free labor would be so tough?—take a moment to unwind and step back from the craziness that graduation and the job market entails. Where will I move? What job will I have? Is it relevant to my field? Does it pay well? Does it even pay? Does it even exist? I’m not picky. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t panic. I have six months; I can just put it off until then.

But what I cannot put off any longer is the fact that the semester is winding down. As I write this, the airy clusters of lake-effect snow that are so characteristic of Oswego float down outside my window. Until now, the nights of sitting outside eating dinner because it was too hot in my house don’t seem that far gone.