I don't really want to grow up
The Associated Press
CHICAGO - Call it college nostalgia, those pangs felt by any number of young working stiffs who long for the days when they could roll out of bed and into class or hang with friends any night of the week, at any hour.
Russin Royal knows the feeling, particularly this time of year, when campus life and football season are well under way. It's what brings him to a Chicago bar that caters to his fellow University of Texas alums where they can sing "The Eyes of Texas" with unabashed enthusiasm and down a Shiner Bock, the beer they drank in college.
"It's a connection to your past like something you want to hang on to and not let go of," says Royal, who is 26 and admits to having both license plates and a pair of shoes that feature the "Hook 'Em" battle cry of the Texas Longhorns.
"I think I own more Texas paraphernalia now than I ever did when I was in college," he says.
For him, hanging with other "Texas Exes," has been a way to find community in a big city. Others, like Joe Curry, live where they went to school, allowing them to keep the ties particularly strong.
Curry graduated from the University of Minnesota last year and still lives in Minneapolis. He regularly takes the "scenic drive" through campus on his way to work and organizes dinners and "breakfast club" reunions with former dorm mates who live in town.
He has also decorated his apartment bathroom in Minnesota Gopher maroon and gold.
It might sound like a bit much, especially to those who never went to college or, if they did, didn't like it. But a professor who studies human habits says that craving the life of a student is pretty normal, even many years after college.
"If I had my way, I'd be a college student the rest of my life," says Robert Billingham, an associate professor of human development and family studies at Indiana University.
"There's a lot to miss," he says. "You don't have so much freedom in the work world. So for a lot of people, it's a big shock the expectations and accountability. All of those things are just a real bummer."
Maria Pendolino knows what he means.
As she puts on her business suit and nylons each weekday morning, the 22-year-old finds herself looking "longingly" at the flannel pajama pants and hooded T-shirts she used to wear to class.
"I miss a lot of little things naps, sleeping in until noon and the feeling that you are in the same place in your life as everyone else," says Pendolino, who graduated earlier this year from Binghamton University in New York and now works in the finance field.
"In college, I was a big fish in a little pond," she says. "Now I'm a guppy in the ocean."
Angela Yarbrough also has found frustrations with the new rules of life, post-college.
Sometimes, she says, she would like to raise her hand to disagree with her boss. She has learned that keeping quiet in the workplace is often best.
"You don't want to be the topic of the water cooler," says Yarbrough, a 21-year-old who graduated from St. Mary's University in San Antonio last year and now works for an image consultant.
It can get so overwhelming that Lindsay Fowlston, a New Yorker who recently graduated from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, thinks schools should offer a class called "Real World 101."
Some of her suggested topics: how to search for an apartment; learning the difference between a 401(k) and an IRA; office politics; how to make friends at work; and how to maintain relationships and friendships after college.
Making the transition from college to work can make you feel as if you have "landed on an alien planet," says Alexandra Levit, the 28-year-old author of "They Don't Teach Corporate in College."
She was faced with having to figure out the notion of networking, office bureaucracy and the value of "face time" with the boss, she says.
That may be so, says Gabe Cahill, a 27-year-old investment banker who lives in Chicago and graduated from the University of Notre Dame. But he says most people adapt, eventually.
"To me, Notre Dame was a blast. But your 20s are much more fun," Cahill says. "You have money and time to enjoy it."
Royal, too, is learning to appreciate life after the University of Texas.
Sure, he misses his days on campus -- taking a date to home football games, a Texas tradition; breaking a bottle of champagne when he and friends got their first jobs; and spur-of-the-moment road trips, including a trek to Houston, just to eat at a favorite waffle house.
"But I still wouldn't trade it for now," he says, smiling. "I think being out of school is a different kind of good."Pizza Antica is an upscale optionpizzaantica_scene_CMYK_fmt.jpgby Alexander Aragon--the santa claraWe all know basketball shorts and your high school senior class T-shirt is preferable attire for a normal night's dinner. But if you're looking to go upscale and feel like a trendy 20-something, try Pizza Antica in Santana Row. Featuring unique brick oven-fired pizzas, exquisite pastas and impressive house specialties, you'll have a tough time deciding what to order. Order with friends or a date to pick off each others' plates.
Ambiance: The low lighting takes more than a few minutes to get used to. The tables are also too close together to easily maneuver, but if your date is boring, you can eavesdrop on someone else's. The restaurant is geared toward a younger adult crowd that makes for an upbeat and boisterous sitting.
Dress Code: Jeans and a shirt are fine, but if you have low self-esteem, you could develop a complex here. Coat and tie shouldn't be worn if you're under 30. If you are that kind of guy, though, there's a Burberry across the way. You can hang out there while the rest of us impoverished, non-beautiful people finish our meals.
Bonuses you won't find on the menu: Frequented by NFL players Kevan Barlow and Brandon Lloyd, you'll find yourself in good company. Pizza Antica also has an outdoor patio dining area.
Downfalls: They don't take reservations -- be ready to wait up to an hour on weekends. Call 30 minutes before to put yourself on the waiting list. There's no full bar. The pastas and specialties are rich, so don't plan on athletic activities after you eat. If you want to go lighter, try the Brussels Sprouts Salad -- you'll change your views on the vegetable.
Service: Almost seemingly overstaffed, this is a non-issue. Servers are a young, talkative crowd, and some are Santa Clara students.
Recommendation: If penny-pinching isn't part of your vocabulary, the dishes will leave you with a full belly, a smile and that feeling you get when you depart from a trendy atmosphere. Remind your server to bring bread, otherwise he will probably neglect the task.
Don't waste time on appetizers. They are overpriced and don't fill half of a small plate. As for big dishes, try the Braised Pork Ragu with Pappardelle Noodles or Braised Short Ribs with Red Wine Glaze and Truffled Mashed Potatoes. The Short Ribs melt in your mouth with an elegant taste.
With pizzas, take time to look at all the ingredients, and don't be afraid to ask what some of them are. Go with what you know, indulge in the fine food and walk around Santana Row to work off your meal when you're done.
334 Santana Row
Phone: (408) 557-8373
10:30 a.m. -- 10 p.m. Sun-Thurs, 10:30 a.m. - 11 p.m. Fri- Sat.
Prices $10-18
* Ã Ã Written by Teru Olsen