Terra Incognita

what i've learned
Er*ca Br**ks, former student, 22
Columbia, Mo.
The college version of my favorite Esquire department.

E-mails can come back to bite you in the ass. Don't write anything you don't want broadcast on CNN. (Exhibit A: the J*n R*mmel debacle. Exhibit B: Bloodgate)
Who you work with is as important, if not more so, than what work you do.
I need to start saving for retirement now.
Don't give a t-shirt to an athlete. Do not visit the University President past curfew. A coach with a coke habit is detrimental to a university.
Great friendships can be made online.
Glasses are stylish.
A solid friendship will remain so even after a two-year absence.
Locking one's keys in one's car, or forgetting to take the CAAP exam is not as traumatic as getting lost in Italy.
A corretto (or glass of wine or cup of coffee) and a desert are key ingredients in saving the world.
There are actually rational people who think "liberal' is a four-letter word - and I can still be their friend.
All computer programs should employ the use of the hand tool.
The best feeling in the world is stepping onto a foreign street and having an entire day before you to explore, with only the phrases "I don't understand," "Where is...," "I'm sorry," and "I would like a glass of red wine" at your command.
It is alright to have two servings of gelatto one right after the other.
I know a hell of a lot of people.
However, it's all about who knows you.
Naps are a beautiful thing.
This world manages to be ginormous and diminutive at the same time - and yet I never run into Beyonce.
A good roommate can make even the most difficult living situation livable.
Everybody was a walking fashion faux pas in the eighth grade.
Even the most ordinary photo looks artsy in black and white.
If you talk and act like you know what you're doing people will treat you like you know what you're doing. That gives you the time to figure out what the hell you're supposed to be doing.

What have you learned? Add your own.