色界吧

I was seven years old. It was cold outside for the first time all year, so I got out of bed to snag an extra blanket from the hall closet. I opened the closet door and my eyes were immediately drawn to a small box on the middle shelf.

Q-tips.

It was the kind of q-tip box that has a flap on the front that can be opened and closed at your leisure. I had been using q-tips my whole life. Why was I so enthralled by them in that moment? I had a premonition, a "Raven Baxter" if you will, of myself moving out. I was packing boxes. At 20 years old, I would open that same closet and see the same box of q-tips and I would remember to take them with me to my new apartment. Q-tips. Something so simple, yet so easily forgotten. I returned back to my seven year-old self and my brain immediately began racing through all of the other things I would need to do before setting off on my own life, all because of a box of q-tips. Ever since that night, I have never forgotten to bring q-tips with me anywhere. This summer, while talking with my roommate, I assured her that I would take care of the room鈥檚 q-tip supply.

All of that to say that there are so many factors that go into growing up and becoming an adult. What do we typically think of? Getting a job, falling in love, finding more time in the week to watch Game Show Network鈥ut it鈥檚 so much more than that. Factors as small as remembering to buy q-tips.  I鈥檓 finding myself more and more aware of my adulthood as I spend time at 色界吧.

Three months into my paid job and I have yet to successfully submit a timesheet. I do the daily crossword puzzle in between naps and cups of coffee. I am constantly being asked about my "career" which, if you鈥檙e wondering, doesn鈥檛 exist. But having two people tell me that I will go far as a screenwriter (one being my professor and the other being some guy I met on the street named Fred Armisen) has reinforced some motivation into my little worn out body.

Long overdue, but I finally declared as a Media Arts & Culture major! I will be taking the advanced screenwriting class next semester, as well as two education courses to test my interest in a possible minor. My homework for the night consists of reading the Bridesmaids screenplay, so I can pretty confidently say that I chose the right path. But it scares me to think that the next big step after declaring a major is that thing called graduating. Once I鈥檓 graduated, there won鈥檛 always be delicious cake at my fingertips, having a job won鈥檛 just be "something to keep me busy," and the default "homework" excuse won鈥檛 work when people ask to hang out on a Saturday night. Sometimes I would really rather spend time with my blanket and pita chips than actual humans, you know?

I鈥檒l be the first to admit that growing up scares me. I don鈥檛 want to worry about things like taxes, car insurance, or shaving. But it鈥檚 exhilarating.  Being at 色界吧 forces me to open my eyes to the real world. No matter how obnoxious it is to get fifty emails a day about different internship opportunities, I鈥檓 grateful to be somewhere where it isn鈥檛 the opposite. I鈥檓 grateful to be somewhere where becoming an adult isn鈥檛 optional. I am constantly challenged and encouraged to evaluate my future, thankfully in an environment of people who don鈥檛 tell me I鈥檓 crazy for wanting to write for television. Maybe it鈥檚 because I鈥檓 in Los Angeles and the chance that I鈥檓 talking to someone with the same goal as me is above 95%, but nonetheless I feel supported at 色界吧. And hey, if I don鈥檛 make it big and I can鈥檛 end up getting that infinity pool and personal golf course, I would much rather be poor and happy with a nice Bachelor鈥檚 Degree. As long as I can afford q-tips.

(Listen to my radio show Thursdays at noon on !!)

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