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Fernando Yebra, a senior environmental design major, took this
week’s attention!! photo using recording film and double exposure.
Fernando will be At Ease photographer for summer and fall.
Spring is for dreaming and
Fm definitely a dreamer. a:
It’s this time of year with its h
lazy afternoons that is prime tf
daydreaming time. I like to find nr
a sunny and secluded spot u
where 1 can relax, collect all my a
wits and really immerse myself a
in a good daydream. si
Sometimes I can find this f<
spot poolside at Wofford Cain d
Pool, with the right amount of a
sun reflecting off the water and
outside noises drowned out by ii
the tunes on my Walkman. h
Other times it will be at Lake /
Somerville, with all the s
atmosphere of the pool plus a c
teasing breeze and the 1:
openness that provokes c
thought. Whatever the l
location, it usually has a l
healthy dose of sunshine that 1
seems to paralyze
consciousness and encourage s
dreamfulness. t
I think the best thing about 1
daydreaming is that you can
dream about anything you <
want — spring break in Fort (
Lauderdale, climbing the ]
Himalayas, defeating John
McEnroe in straight sets, finally
meeting Mr. or Miss Right, or
catching up in all your classes
— ugh!
The thing I most like to
dream about is my future, not
any specific event but rather a
general picture type of dream
usually revolving around my
career and interrupted by
random concerns such as my
marital status, my life away
from work and whether or not
my schedule will ever allow me
to finally attempt a couple of
personal campaigns of mine,
namely skydiving and
triathlons.
It usually starts simply
enough, with graduation from
Texas A&M University
coinciding with commissioning
into the United States Air
Force. I feel confident that this
is what I want to do, at least for
now.
But what will I be doing in
the Air Force?
I know I won’t be flying
because my eyes don’t meet
the qualifications. My next
choice is in the Office of Special
Investigation, working in the
counterintelligence field.
OK. Let’s assume this is the
assignment I receive. (You
have to assume this type of
thing in dreams.) What does it
mean? Where will I be
working? Will I have to
assassinate anyone? What
about the infamous code of
silence? Will I be able to tell my
family and friends what I am
doing?... Or will I end up with
a desk job?
These questions get the
imagination snowballing...
here is the world famous
American spy stalking the
streets of Moscow, on the trail
of the ever-elusive embassy
bugger. Wait! In the reflection
of my watch I see a shadow
behind me. I turn! Three red-
bearded men are upon me,
knives slashing through the air,
... and I wake up drooling on a
stack full of papers at PoDunk
Air Force Base, Potatoefield,
Iowa.
So at least that’s resolved. I’ll
either be involved in high-tech
global espionage or pushing
paper.
On to the next question.
What about my quest to
attend law school and/or return
to school to pursue an
advanced degree?
This is an easy one because
regardless of whether or not I
join the Air Force and what my
assignment might be the
answer is basically the same —
I think. I definitely plan on
pursuing my education. The
only variable is time.
If I don’t join the ranks of the
men in blue, then I can pursue
law school directly after
graduation. If I do don the
uniform, I am planning on
staying only four years, so I can
return to the classroom then. In
the rare and unforeseen event
that I decide I want to make a
career in the service — what a
concept — then I can continue
my education while on active
duty and even have Uncle Sam
foot the bill!
Usually, it is at this point in
my dream where I get into the
really speculative part—
marriage!
al Speculation centers around
the questions of who and
when, and in my scenarios,
usually the second controls the
first.
It’s a difficult decision
whether to remain a confirmed
bachelor or not. The thought
process goes something like
this:
• I want to marry an Aggie
because being an Aggie is
simply too big a part of me to
have to explain to a non-Aggie.
• If I don’t meet the right
girl in my next three semesters
of school, my chances of
meeting the right female Aggie
in the Air Force are comparable
to finding the proverbial needle
in the haystack.
• Consequently and
logically, this means I need to
meet my wife soon. But does
this mean I have to marry her
right out of school? I don’t
know but I hope not, because I
have always promised myself I
was going to “live some”
before I settled down.
• This brings me to my
marriage corollary: I think I
have already met my wife but I
don’t know who she is. Talk
about mind-boggling.
So I usually end with the
conclusion that whenever I
figure out who my wife is, I am
going to have to decide
whether to marry her directly
after graduation or foresake her
because we met at the wrong
time in my life and settle for
someone who wasn’t supposed
to be my wife in the first place.
Understand?
Good. Me neither. But hey,
that’s what dreaming is all
about.
Russell Pulliam is a
junior journalism major.
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