Hell by Squirrel Nut Zippers

It was the summer of 1997, just before my Junior Year abroad in Barcelona.  Ariel C. had come over while I was studying and listening to music.  He said that he hated that I was listening to such depressing music.  Now I could understand if I had been listening to Tori Amos, which I also did quite a bit as I was going through a major breakup that summer.  But I was listening to Squirrel Nut Zippers!  Granted, the song is literally called HELL, but it is totally upbeat and funky and fun.  I never understood why he thought that particular music was depressing, especially since I wasn't feeling that way at that moment.

I was living in Berkeley for the summer because due to some poor planning, I needed to finish up a couple semesters of Spanish in order to study abroad.  So summer school it was!  I found a summer sublet and my mother was horrified and rightly so!  The linoleum in the kitchen was so dirty and worn that it had worn out completely.  The bathroom was covered in mold.  She is magic though so we washed at least my large room from top to bottom and stored everything, down to my dry foods and dishes, in the built in cupboards in the bedroom.  It was a pretty cool room when we were finished and more importantly, all mine to share with no one! 

It was a really great summer and I enjoyed myself immensely, in spite of the breakup.  I loved my Spanish class and classmates.  I also worked 2 jobs - the Cal Annual Fund and Security Monitor at the Unit 3 dorms.  The Security Monitor job was especially fun (and perfect) for me because I got to be very social and friendly.  During the summer, there are tons of international students.  I quickly got to know 3 great guys from Puerto Rico and we spent much of the summer together.  I would finish my shift and head up to Ariel C. and Harry G.'s room where we would be joined by Armando R.  They would crank up the merengue music, pour me a rum and coke (Cuba Libre) and we would dance the night away.  They were so full of life and energy and I found it so exciting and fun.  I am so glad I met them for a variety of reasons, but what I didn't realize until about a month later is how well they prepared me for the nightlife and Spanish lifestyle!