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I was just remembering this goofy story from when I worked at poster store called Graphitti on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley. It was kind of a low-end poster store, mostly catering to the students at Cal and also, I suppose, to the late 80s "alternative" high school kids, like me, who hung out on Telegraph.

Anyway, a lot of gross frat guys would come in and buy posters of cars. My (least) favorite was the one that had an airbrushed picture of a 3-car garage with 3 ridiculous cars in it — like a Lamborghini, a Mercedes, and some other sports car or whatever — with the title "Justification for Higher Education." Barf.

One day this kind of faux-sensitive college freshman dude came in, and asked me the dorkiest question. He was a sort of hippie-light type — probably a big Spin Doctors fan. Anyway he asked me:

"If you, as a girl, came into my dorm room, what kind of posters would you want to see?"

I have to say I think I was pretty snarky to him, but I can't exactly remember what I said. Just something like:

"Maybe you should pick out posters based on what you actually like versus what you think would impress a girl."

Well, maybe I wish that's what I said. But I think whatever I did say was better than just saying "I don't know," looking the other way, and wishing he'd leave.

But I can tell you that it sent me into a brief angst-spiral regarding college. You see, I was still in high school, and I had a lot of hope that college would be better. But this representation of collegiate life was too gruesome for words. Alas, the reality of college life was also, in many ways, too gruesome for words. But that's another story.