I Want To Believe

I Want To Believe
July 25, 2008

Some of my favorite college moments did not happen at a bar…or a party. Instead, many of those moments happened in the dark living room of our dorms at Loyola College on Sunday nights. Sunday nights, you see, were X-Files nights.

I only missed a handful of episodes in the entire run of the X-files, and all but one of those was in the first season when the show aired on Friday nights while I was at work. Once the show moved to Sundays – there was no stopping me. I would call my brother (also an X-Files junkie) from college and we would sit completely silent during the show. House rules – you were only allowed to speak during commercials when the X-Files were on.

Yup – it is probably one of the more dorky facts about me – but little by little I converted my roommates into dorky X-files fans as well. Except for one – who brought to the table a love of the X-files as great as my own. Jen, a girl who lived in the room across the hall, and I hit it off pretty much right away. The beginning of our friendship was hanging on the wall of my dorm room – a big X-Files “There’s Something Out There” poster sparked a conversation that turned us into fast friends and roommates for the last two years of college.

After 6 years of waiting, tonight was the premiere of the 2nd X-Files movie. Jen, my fellow X-Files guru, flew from San Francisco to Baltimore on the red-eye to watch the movie in theaters on opening night with me. As excited as I was to see the movie – I was more excited to see Jen.

Once again – I get to marvel at my good fortunes. Not only did Jen fly in from San Francisco, but Teresa came down from Harrisburg. Jen, Teresa, Rich and I made our way over to the Avenue in Whitemarsh to catch the 8:00 show. Admittedly, the movie was not as good as we wanted it to be – but that didn’t bother me at all. It was money well spent because it generated a memory that will always make me smile.