Based on The New York Times’ “Metropolitan Diaries,” the Middletown Diaries feature awkward, funny, novel, or sweet anecdotes, stories, and memories that happen at Wesleyan and in Middletown. To submit to the Middletown Diaries, please email kgrealish@wesleyan.edu.

Dear Diary,

Two weeks ago, I hit two cars in the span of 10 minutes. And no, I am not joking.

Let me preface this story by saying that I am very new to driving. I got my license over winter break and learned to drive on the mean streets of New York City. Driving in New York City is a whole different ball game. There are no rules in New York City. Literally, I could run three red lights and no one would even notice.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that driving in Middletown has been a bit of an adjustment for me. And two Thursdays ago, I learned that the hard way.

It was a normal Thursday afternoon, and I was driving home to get something from my room before I had to be at The Argus office for production. Instead of going around the roundabout like I normally do before parking in my driveway, I decided that I didn’t need to that day. I don’t know why I decided this, but I did. So, I began to pull in, and as I did this, I hit the back bumper of the other car in the driveway. This car was my neighbor’s car. 

As I felt the impact of my car hitting another car, I panicked and hit the brakes as hard as I could, but the damage had already been done: his back bumper was about to fall off, hanging on for dear life. I immediately started crying, and backed my car awkwardly into a spot across the street, next to the dumpster. I was freaked out. I had never hit a car before. I called my friend sobbing and she came to rescue me and helped assess the damage. After talking to my neighbor and explaining the situation, it was time to get back to The Argus office. My friend told me to follow her in her car, so I obliged. But this is where I wish that I hadn’t.

Tears still in my eyes, still frazzled, I began to reverse. Unfortunately, as I hit the gas, I reversed right into another car that was parked on the street behind me. And that car’s owner lived with the owner of the car I had just hit. Basically, I quite literally hit two cars in the span of 10 minutes. 

And the damage to this guy’s car was bad. He fully needs a new door put on. And, thinking back to this situation, I don’t even remember how I hit the second car. It’s all a blur. I think I blacked it out. 

Anyway, the rest of my evening was quite embarrassing, as you can imagine. I had to tell two people I hit their cars, and they happened to live together. It was an evening full of tears, awkwardness, and me trying to explain how I hit two cars within 10 minutes. Luckily, both of the car owners were very understanding, but now I am known as the girl who hit two cars within 10 minutes. I will never live this down. 

Moral of the story: DO NOT LEARN HOW TO DRIVE IN NEW YORK CITY. Also, if you see me on the roads, you should stay away.

-Jane Herz

 

Dear Diary,

Hello again. I was sitting in Olin this Sunday when something kind of miraculous occurred. The mid-afternoon sun was streaming in through the windows. I was sitting across from my friend Anna, reading, or to be more precise, thinking about trying to read. As the words slid past my eyes, Anna looked up from her art history paper and whispered to me.

“Sophie. To the right.”

I looked to my right and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

“I meant left!”

I turned, and there, by the infamous nap pod, with two friends, was Beanie Feldstein ’15. This was less shocking than it might seem—I’d been told she had been spotted earlier, at ’Swings and in front of Exley—but I was still what can only be called jazzed. My friends from high school and I saw “Booksmart” three times last summer and loved it. One of those times was pirated, so my apologies to Beanie. After Anna and I freaked out for a second, I gathered myself and walked over to her and said, “Hey, sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to say I loved ‘Booksmart,’” and we had a nice little small talk conversation. I said bye and walked back to my seat. I couldn’t focus on my reading, but I didn’t care.

-Sophie Griffin 

 

Dear Diary,

I will never understand the weather in Connecticut. One day my hair freezes upon walking outside, the next I sweat through my clothes.

Today was one of the latter days. I woke up and got dressed for my 8:50, without checking the weather. I grabbed my two (!!) jackets, and left my room. As soon as I walked outside, I realized my mistake. 

It was warm. Very warm.

In a rush to get to chemistry and turn in my homework, there was no time for me to change. As I entered the class, I felt even more underprepared for the day. Everyone around me was in shorts, dresses, or skirts. And there I was, in a long sleeve shirt and leggings. 

The rest of the day I saw similar trends. Everyone had clearly taken advantage of the nice weather to bring out their best warm weather outfits. I considered going back to change just so that I could do the same, but didn’t want to trudge back to my room. 

Regardless of my choices in attire, and the troubling fact that it was 60 degrees in February, I enjoyed the weather and am glad it lasted while it did. 

Tomorrow’s forecast is cold and rainy, and I will be prepared.

-Hannah Docter-Loeb