Sometimes it is good 1to be on the road ...

The summer before I entered college, I read a book that profoundly influenced my perspective on life. That book was Jack Keourac's "On the Road." It was after reading this that I decided that I would never be able to work at a desk job. The whole concept of a cubicle now scares the bejesus out of me.

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About a year later, I read CHRIS NIELSEN Hunter s. Thompson's "Fear and -------------

You know, running away from your problems really gets a bad name. Supposedly, it is better to confront issues head on and immediately. At least that's what I've always heard. Do you know what? That's a load of bull.

One of the great natural highs is a good road trip with friends. There's something very therapeutic about going out on the road. The destination matters, but it's not everything. I actually do believe that getting there is half the fun.

Loathing in Las Vegas." My favorite line was "I went on the road in search of the American dream." Really, could anyone put it any better?

Obviously I just got back from a road trip. This time is was to New York City. 1\vo girls I'm friends went up to the city on Thursday to see a Robbie Williams concert. I'm not a fan, so I passed on that. However, me and my friends Mike and Torn did drive up on Saturday to hang out with Jenny and Lauren in the Big Apple.

There were a couple of things

I learned along the way. First off, Crack is Wack. That's what the billboard says, anyway. Second, when in doubt, always turn left. Also, it's not smart to say you'll meet someone in the middle of Times Square. That is a big place, and you can't really ask strangers whether they have seen two Irish girls. You deserve to get the finger for asking something like that, and you'll probably get it. Guess what else? New York taxi drivers like honking their horns. And they will always cut you off if you let them, so don't. You gotta be aggressive. No, that's not enough. You gotta be a jerk to drive in New York. So we met up with the girls and we stopped by the youth hostel they had stayed at. Tom kept mistakenly calling it a halfway house. They are really two different things, though. Halfway houses don't usually have mice in the bedrooms.

From the city we wanted to go to stay at my old buddy Brady's place in Staten Island. It was Wagner College's homecoming, and they were having an all-day and all-night party. There was just one problem. I love to drive, but I have no sense of direction. It took us over three hours to get to Staten Island. Depending on who you ask, we drove over the Goethels Bridge anywhere from two to six times. And supposedly I drove the wrong way down a one-sided road, but I don't think I really did that.

Once we finally made it to Wagner, it was the kind of chaos that I've come to expect when I visit my friend's college. As for my fellow Cabrini students, they were surprised at how little the R.A.s have to do there. Every RA on duty knew about the keg outside by the tennis courts, but no one particularly cared. I think I saw one or two of them there.

On the way home, Mike suggested that our weekend would make for a good commentary. I didn't think so until he said something that tied it all together: "I had a wilder time here than at Cabrini, but I like Cabrini better." celebration was cut short, because Cabrini softball has no field.

After generally dissing our college on the way to New York, we were more than ready to come back on Sunday. Somehow things back at Cabrini don't seem so big and important after a weekend away. It's just like the Jimmy Buffett song "Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude."

So instead of either going home or hanging out in the apartments every weekend, maybe hit the road once in a while. Just remember one thing: You don't really know how to get anywhere without getting lost first.

Chris Nielsen is the perspectives editor of Loquitur. Someday he will write a commentary that had nothing to do with kegs. Maybe.

One more and it's ours. Strike one. ''Two down, plays at first," I yell, trying not to sound nervous. The batter cracks a solid hit to Lisa Jackson, our third baseman who makes a perfect throw to me. "Batters out," and the next few minutes are a blur. A celebration follows. Cabrini's softball team is the 1999 regular season champions. Endless months of training, long hours in the gym, and 7 a.m. practices had all paid off. The journey was long, but it's not the end. Excitement, pride and determination find our team smiling with the victory. It is finally our turn. We now have the opportunity to host the PAC Championship at our own field, and immediately start the tournament with the home field advantage. But our

So, what do we do? During the season our home fields range from Easter College, one of our rivals, to Villanova University, a D 1 program, and Archbishop Carroll High School. Perhaps this doesn't seem like a big issue. Maybe other teams wouldn't mind sharing a field with a high school or a rival team in their own division. We wouldn't know because all of the other teams are provided with a location to compete at. We are the only softball team in the PAC that does not have a field. The bottom line is we have adapted as much as we could. However, it has gone from a simple inconvenience to affecting the outcome of our season.

For those few fans that did make it to Eastern to support us in the PACs, they know it didn't turn out to be our time. This year we are training even harder and are eager to bring home not only the season title but the PAC title too. And we'll do it regardless of where we have to play. We are just tired of authority figures fill- ing us with hope and then walking away with no real intention of ever providing us with a field of our own.

When I was recruited, I was told the field was "coming along." At this rate, I am hoping I can see it before I graduate. Until then, we will be "borrowing" our opponents field and will continue to have shorter practices because the tenth graders need their field back. We will still pile all the freshmen without transportation in a car to sit in rush hour traffic just to get to practice. And we will continue to appreciate the few fans that do make the effort to travel off campus and find where we might be playing that day. Even though our voices do go unheard, we hear theirs loud and clear.

Megan Merkel is a staff writer for Loquitur. The softball field should come along sometime after Phase VII of renovations to Founders Hall.

We're offering you the chance to take them witb you in an easy-to-carry,

The yearbook staff will be taking orders for the 2000 yearbook on Oct. 25-29 and Nov. 1-5 at 12:301:30 p.m. in the Wigwam and Cafeteria.

Ok, so we're not actually going to give you any money, but Loquitur is looking for a business manager to take care of ours.

We need a business manager to work with outside companies who want to advertise in Loquitur. Our business manager will also handle on-campus ads.

Basic business knowledge is a plus, but not necessary--we can teach you what you need to know for this job.

Call Ben or Janice at 610-902-8412, or stop by the Newsroom anytime.

One Night Music Blast

Thirty Dollar Magic

The Catinos and Friends Club wou d like to apologize to all who attended the legal party.

ogether For The Final Time

To anyone that waited for the DJ to show up at Saturday~sLegal party, the Latinos and Friends When Where Saturday, Oct. 23, 1999 The Red Cloud Coffee House Club sincerely apologizes.

Tlte DJ was stuck in traffic, and did not arrive when he was sup-

Opening Act Featuring the Music of Shanna Fanelli posed·to. Agaiq. the Latinos and Friends thank all who