I'm in. First and foremost, I must post the good news that I have been accepted to the Ball State University Graduate School; to the Digital Storytelling program. This is thanks in no small part to the knowledge, support, and unwavering encouragement from Gerry. He's a one of a kind fool.

Now that that's out, let me back up a ways. I woke up unnaturally early this morning (sin-against-nature early) in order to tag along with Gerry and his family to BSU. We were going to peruse apartments, as Gerry has imminent need for a place to live while working at the college during the summer. I went along to get some idea of what I might be paying, assuming that I would be accepted for the fall. The van ride down to BSU was pretty much what I expected. Gerry and I sat in the back seat like a couple of eight year olds while the adults drove. Appropriately enough, we discussed comic books and cartoons, gazed out of the windows into the vast expanses of Hoosier corn and soybean wasteland, and lazily counted the exits until the iconic figure of Big Jack loomed on the horizon, marking the turnoff to go to Muncie.

Pulling into Muncie, Indiana is sort of like flipping through Dante's Inferno like a flip book animation in reverse. You start with nothing but more fields, then eventually come up on the fringes of the town marked by a Meijer and a Menards near the highway; two of the huge corporate megastores responsible for squashing and supporting almost every small town in the America. Within minutes, the remaining semi-independent businesses are revealed- a greasy steakhouse and a see-it-to-believe-it Goodwill store. Across the street lies a Wal-Mart Supercenter that is equal parts John Steinbeck and Steven King. Further on and a few turns later, at last, is Ball State. A misfit collection of drunkards and scholars, dullards and geniuses, and a diverse enough minority population to repopulate Epcot five times over. Everyone seems really friendly, though. It's the kind of mix of people that every good college should have.

The apartments we looked at were pretty much what one would expect for off-campus housing. Some were too large, some were too small, but one or two were just right. I'm not sure where I'll live, but I have time to talk to a few people I know to find out what the best deal for me will be.

After a morning spent exploring living options, we convened to the atrium dining area on the ground floor of the Journalism building. I had a grilled cheese sandwich, a familiar staple item from my previous college experience. While I was waiting in line, a young woman was talking to Gerry about something or other. Then, seemingly in mid-sentence, she turned to me and started telling me about how she uses Softimage (3D program) and how they're merged with Avid and how [sic] like everybody in the industry are using Softimage. She told me about a new 3D class in the architecture school that is trying to attract art students. It sounds like something I might get a kick out of if it fits my schedule. I also got to meet the legendary Moses, the Robin to Gerry's Batman for many a Halloween party. I feel like I should've prepared a little something to say for when I met him, but a hearty handshake seemed to suffice.

After lunch the whole group went on a little walking tour of the building, and on the way we encountered the very professor I needed to talk to in regard to grad school. He told me that he had everything that he needed from me and that I was accepted as far as he knew. Perplexed, I ventured off to the grad school office with Gerry as my Cardinal sherpa to find out what the heck was going on. I found the right office and explained my situation as best I could to the person on the other side of the desk. I failed to make any kind of sense, so she entered my social security number and figured out what the hell I was trying to say by looking at four different variables. All that was needed was written confirmation from the aforementioned professor. A ten second phone call later he had e-mailed an affirmative that I was accepted into the program. In less time than it takes to beat world 1-1 in Super Mario Brothers I went from confused to elated.

We departed for home after taking a nostalgic look at Gerry's old apartment complex. Not much to say there, really. We got back in town and made a spur of the moment decision to go buy comic books. Crazy fun indeed. Then I went out to a celebratory dinner at Biaggi's and stuffed my face with torteloni al forno.

In summary, today I got a new purpose in life, comic books, and good food. w00t.