Minnesota 59, Indiana 58

Oh, what a bad night for the Hoosiers. My friend invited me to a place called Yogi's to watch the Indiana v. Minnesota Big 10 basketball game. I am not a huge fan of sports, but I had been inside most of the day and figured it was a good excuse to get out among people. In the last 1.5 seconds of the game, Minnesota did the impossible - tossed the basketball from the other side of the court, one of the guys near the basket caught it, and in the net it went. All of us in the bar clapped our hands to our mouths and just sat there, thinking, Can it really be true? Are we out? With just 1.5 SECONDS LEFT ON THE CLOCK? Last I knew, that was still the case, and the Gophers beat the Hoosiers. So sorry, Indiana. But it made me realize a few things, and I'd like to share this with you. I call it Fitting In:

1. If you move to a college town, better get to like sports, especially your local team, because if you don't, you will forever be an outsider and likely an outcast. And remember to take it seriously because everyone around you will.

2. Get a sweatshirt of said team that you wear whenever you go to support said team.

3. Whenever you're asked to go somewhere, even if it's not really something you want to do, go. If you say no too many times in the beginning, people will stop asking you, and then when you really want to go, nobody will tell you what's going on.

4. Explore the city. While I was getting my Indian food yesterday for my computer date with Wiley to celebrate our anniversary, I got a little lost. I knew the general vicinity of the restaurant, so I didn't bother looking it up because I figured I would find it if I turned down enough streets. Sure enough, I did, and I got to see a bit more of the city and piece places together.

5. Remember to listen more and talk less. This is a great psychology move, and I'm surprised more people don't catch on. People like to talk, and they especially like to talk about themselves. If you ask somebody about themselves, they will give up a lot of information, and at the end of the night, they will say, "Well, that Jim Beam there's a swell guy," and not even realize that they did most of the talking. Try it; it works.

6. When you're at a bar, and you don't feel like drinking, order soda pop. I got two glasses for free. I was told that perhaps it was because everyone else was drinking, so what's a couple of Cokes? Or you can tell them you're the DD and not have to pay for your drinks. I don't frequent bars enough, so this was news to me. So if you knew this little tidbit, thanks so much for not sharing!

So those are my tips. Remember them as you move around cities, countries, whathaveyou.