A blustery force of innate headwinds faces every incoming freshman at UF, and that's before you count the crappy weather. For starters, there's the budget deficit strangling the liberal arts program (hope you're good at engineering!) and, for those who get hosed by the lottery system, the impossibility of scoring football tickets without selling a kidney. These challenges may seem daunting but manageable with determination and a spare organ.
The Elm Street nightmare that is on-campus living proves a different matter altogether. It's bad enough to have to shower on the grimy bathroom floors in Broward -- don't forget flip flops. It's much worse when your roommate, Larry, is belting out Cher tunes one stall over.
Luckily for you, the local music scene provides a host of excuses to cut out on Larry. Need a night away from home? Mark these events in your semester planner, and while you're at it, cross off a block for apartment hunting.
First things first. On Oct. 5, Gainesville natives Against Me! team up with indie veteran Ted Leo for a night of screaming and stage-diving at Common Grounds. Given Leo's political bend and the immediacy of the coming election, this doubleheader could very well resemble a Barack Obama rally. The dirt-cheap $10 cover should have even the poorest college students chanting "Yes we can!"
Count on busting out the black leather and biker chains for Halloween weekend as The Fest 7 invades your favorite local bars Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. An annual rite of passage, The Fest transforms the downtown area into ground zero for punk mayhem courtesy of No Idea Records. Don't be surprised by the international influx â€" two-steppers from all over the world partake in this homage to mosh. To quote Michael Stipe, "The pilgrimage has gained momentum."
No orientation would be complete without a nod to the Reitz Union Board Entertainment. RUB is the arm of the UF entertainment committee that promotes music you want to hear. Not fired up about Brad Paisley at the O'Dome? Check out Fallen From The Sky and Battle! on Oct. 2 instead. Athens hippie Madeline, a Cat Power in training, is also in the early-season lineup.
RUB hosts weekly events on school grounds at an affordable price â€" affordable as in free. What's more, they hand out rubber duckies as party favors. Then again, leave those. It's not like there's a hot bath in your future.
