My BFF, Norton

Well, I did it. I've tried to stay away from the stereotypes. I never thought that I was "that guy". But yesterday I slipped up and let my B.A.-in-English monster surface after almost a year of being repressed.
To fund my pursuit of a Master's degree in Higher Education Leadership at Mizzou, I have been working as a graduate assistant in their student leadership office. Students come in and out of my office all day. I hear about their relationships, their roommates, their hangovers, their roommates' hangovers, and a whole lot of other things that make me feel a lot more prude than I know I already am.
One surprising aspect of the position is that I don't get to talk much with students about their academics, which really is unfortunate because I love to talk about learning and ideas (typical English major, right?). Well, yesterday that changed and provided me with an opportunity to bring my B.A. to the surface. As I was walking past a lounge area near my desk, I saw a student who often hangs around our office sitting on the couch reading a book.
"Hey Justin," I said to him as I walked quickly by him. What was in his hands caught my eye and made my typical quick stride (caused by my incredibly long legs) grind to a halt.

It was my dear friend, The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Volume E. What was going to be a short, polite greeting turned into something that was totally unexpected (by me and Justin). I pounced on him, unleashing a barrage of questions at him about the authors in the book, his favorite stories, other English classes, Shakespeare's sonnets, and Chaucer. The kid was probably terrified, but I was thrilled to have the opportunity to talk for a few minutes about a subject that once took up so much of my life. And the short reunion with my academic past was refreshing.
Since graduating, several times I have reflected on those great conversations that occurred in the classroom about so many fascinating topics. While I don't really miss most of the strains and deadlines that were often attached to those conversations, I do occasionally long for those stimulating moments where we sit around and discuss the good stuff: a feeling I did not quite expect. For now, I've got Justin to chat with about American Literature post-1945. That is, if I didn't scare him away from our couch.