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opinion
Shinoda
says 'Sayonara'
So this is it. We have come to the end. And while putting
out the final issue of the paper seems like a great accomplishment,
I also feel sad to put it all behind me. I have been at Cal
State Long Beach for five long years that have gone by in
a flash.
I have left my blood (falling off my skateboard, resulting
in chin and elbow scars), sweat (working out at Frog's, working
on deadline) and tears (crying over ex-boyfriends, being extra
hormonal) to this school, and hopefully left the campus with
some issues of the On-line Forty-Niner that will be remembered.
As a tiny freshman (okay, I'm still the same size now), I
could not even find my way to LA5. I lived in the dorms, ate
horrible food and prayed for chicken strips or lasagna. I
chose to watch 90210 reruns instead of going to class and
didn't have a car as a freshman, so excitement for me meant
walking to the Ralph's on 7th Street.
Later, I got my car and enjoyed free beer at various fraternity
parties. Interesting times were had in the dorms. I left my
mark there on several occasions, mainly in the form of vomit.
Although I have not kept in touch with many of my comrades
from Residence D, I will not forget you. Especially my old
roommate Laura, who with her love of rainbows, could be mistaken
for a lesbian. I found out later that she only loved boys,
namely Marines. Thank you for putting up with my messiness
Laura.
While on the topic of roommates, I reminisce about all my
former college roommates. In five years in the LBC, I've lived
in two different dorm rooms and three different apartments
with eight different roommates. Of these, the most memorable
was in Beverly Plaza, apartment 93. I can never forget all
the parties broken up by rent-a-cops, late night break ins
to the pool and spa, green dragons, our closet, cockroach
invasion, new Sig Ep friends, oscillation, and our neighbors,
the Carolina boys and the English kids.
Thank you Marissa, Mark, Preston, Thuc, Cara, Jakie and Sam,
mostly for dealing with my chatter, shenanigans, messy room,
and party-throwing. Without you, I would not be the person
I am today.
Joining the journalism department has been a life-altering
experience. My lungs have adjusted to the windowless basement
where I have spent hours and hours socializing and drinking,
oh yeah, and working for the On-line Forty-Niner. From clueless
reporter to clueless city editor to not as clueless managing
editor to today, I have met many people who have inspired
me in the pursuits of writing. In no particular order, thank
you to Julio Laboy for inspiration and redundancy, Lisa Glatt:
hope, Lee Brown: guidance and Kaoru Oguri: confidence.
To my fellow editors, past and present: thanks for making
my job that much easier. I wish everyone luck and chance in
this dismal field. Take pride in knowing that we are doing
what we love, although we are only getting paid peanuts.
To friends who have stuck by me through various hair colors
and ages of immaturity and still recognize who I am, I cannot
thank you enough. Cara Garcia, thank you for creativity and
laughter, Thuc Luu: stability, Tim McAbee: loyalty, Ryan Mortensen:
humor and Billy Papagno: lunacy. And then there's the Northern
Californians, my hella cool counterparts: Bobby Dienst: Marshall
memories, Jeremy Vaa: scamming McD's.
I wouldn't even be at CSULB without the urging of my parents
to get out of the house. Mom and dad, Baba and the rest of
the family, thank you for your support, both financially and
emotionally. I appreciate the e-mails, letters and care packages
more than you know.
And to the person who is the reason I have not gone crazy
this year, Josh Schaefer, I cannot thank you enough. You have
kept me sane, had meals ready for me after a long night at
the paper or in class, cleaned the ants out of my room, and
most of all you didn't give up on me. Thank you for the happiest
times of my life.
Lyndsey Shinoda is graduating with a degree in print journalism
and a minor in creative writing. She plans to get a job and
eat lots of candy and pickles after graduation.
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Lyndsey Shinoda
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