The Problem With Feeling Nostalgic
Hello readers, I hope you are all in good health.
Today's post concerns that nostalgic feeling we all get once in a while.
I don't know about you, but I usually get to feeling nostalgic when I view something (usually on tv). For example, whenever I watch VH1's "I Love The 80's" I usually go into a week long fit of listening to 80's music and watching "Miami Vice" on Sleuth (and say what you will, Miami Vice was the most kick ass show on in the 80's!!). I also get to thinking that I'd love to go back to those days.
Well, today I did something that made me nostalgic for my college days. Usually, I only get to longing for a return to my days at Pitt when I am actually in Pittsburgh. However, through the modern wonder that is the Internet, I managed to find a webcam located on top of Hillman Library. Hillman Library is the main library for Pitt. As I was scrolling through the views from the webcam, all those good memories of college came rushing back. I looked at the sidewalk in front of the library and memories of working in the stacks came to me. I looked over at the Union and the memory of meeting up with the brothers from my fraternity (Alpha Phi Omega-Beta Chapter) to go on service projects came back (God, I miss those people). I looked over at the Cathedral and remembered my classes there, along with one of my most treasured memories, my first date and, subsequent, first kiss with Kat (and getting caught by the security guard making us both feel very 16 again). I won't go into Kat too much except to say that I dated her for about a year and a half, fell head over heels in love with her, and ended up losing her (something that, even after ten years, I've never quite gotten all the way over. Suffice to say that it doesn't interfere with my life today, but she will always occupy a special place in my heart). I continued to look around on the webcam and memories continued to flood my conscious mind. I looked toward the Carnegie Museum and noticed that they took out the big parking lot in front of the library. They replaced it with a grass field. I like the idea, but where is everyone supposed to park? As I continued, there were so many memories that I had to stop looking. Not because I don't want to remember these things, quite to the contrary, I do want to remember, but because of the feelings they bring up. I loved my time at Pitt. It was quite possibly the best time of my life. The memories that came up only served to remind me of how much I miss the people I associated with and the fact that, without a time machine, I can never go back to those days. The fact that I lost touch with the people who were my friends in college, and the fact that I can never recapture what was, is utterly heartbreaking. Couple that with the realization that, while I knew at the time that these were good times I was having, I never stopped to savor them as I should, and you end up with the depressing truth that a longing to return to those days just leads to wishes unfulfilled and more depression. And that is the real problem with feeling nostalgic.
As always, I am Chuck and I'm going to go be depressed and smoke cigarettes.
PS. If there are any members of APO-BC from the mid 90's (95-97) out there reading this, leave me a comment, I would love to hear from you.
Edited 17 Jan 07 @ 0125 hrs EST for typos and revision of content.
Today's post concerns that nostalgic feeling we all get once in a while.
I don't know about you, but I usually get to feeling nostalgic when I view something (usually on tv). For example, whenever I watch VH1's "I Love The 80's" I usually go into a week long fit of listening to 80's music and watching "Miami Vice" on Sleuth (and say what you will, Miami Vice was the most kick ass show on in the 80's!!). I also get to thinking that I'd love to go back to those days.
Well, today I did something that made me nostalgic for my college days. Usually, I only get to longing for a return to my days at Pitt when I am actually in Pittsburgh. However, through the modern wonder that is the Internet, I managed to find a webcam located on top of Hillman Library. Hillman Library is the main library for Pitt. As I was scrolling through the views from the webcam, all those good memories of college came rushing back. I looked at the sidewalk in front of the library and memories of working in the stacks came to me. I looked over at the Union and the memory of meeting up with the brothers from my fraternity (Alpha Phi Omega-Beta Chapter) to go on service projects came back (God, I miss those people). I looked over at the Cathedral and remembered my classes there, along with one of my most treasured memories, my first date and, subsequent, first kiss with Kat (and getting caught by the security guard making us both feel very 16 again). I won't go into Kat too much except to say that I dated her for about a year and a half, fell head over heels in love with her, and ended up losing her (something that, even after ten years, I've never quite gotten all the way over. Suffice to say that it doesn't interfere with my life today, but she will always occupy a special place in my heart). I continued to look around on the webcam and memories continued to flood my conscious mind. I looked toward the Carnegie Museum and noticed that they took out the big parking lot in front of the library. They replaced it with a grass field. I like the idea, but where is everyone supposed to park? As I continued, there were so many memories that I had to stop looking. Not because I don't want to remember these things, quite to the contrary, I do want to remember, but because of the feelings they bring up. I loved my time at Pitt. It was quite possibly the best time of my life. The memories that came up only served to remind me of how much I miss the people I associated with and the fact that, without a time machine, I can never go back to those days. The fact that I lost touch with the people who were my friends in college, and the fact that I can never recapture what was, is utterly heartbreaking. Couple that with the realization that, while I knew at the time that these were good times I was having, I never stopped to savor them as I should, and you end up with the depressing truth that a longing to return to those days just leads to wishes unfulfilled and more depression. And that is the real problem with feeling nostalgic.
As always, I am Chuck and I'm going to go be depressed and smoke cigarettes.
PS. If there are any members of APO-BC from the mid 90's (95-97) out there reading this, leave me a comment, I would love to hear from you.
Edited 17 Jan 07 @ 0125 hrs EST for typos and revision of content.
Labels: Alpha Phi Omega-Beta Chapter, memories, nostalgia, University of Pittsburgh
posted by Chuck | 17:27
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