The walking contradiction

There was a point in junior high where there were certain social constraints -- where the cool kids didn't play computer games, skaters hated rap and anyone who was athletic got some chick just based on that fact and that fact alone.\nBoy, how things change.\nIn his book, "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs," Chuck Klosterman briefly mentions a "college cachet to being a walking contradiction" -- how we can indulge in everything that interests us, even it all seems outwardly conflicting. We're not the little bastards we once were, restricted to one group of people we could only be seen with, and a group of things that could interest only us. Back then, anyone who blurred the line between any social boundaries wasn't just an outsider -- they were considered abnormal. You could say it was the junior high equivalent of being post-modern except it was a lot more painful and traumatic.\nBut now it's all different. Now that we have access to the entire spectrum of culture, many of us want to embrace as much as we can. I love it how my roommate goes to basements to see unsigned bands, plays videogames involving dragons and characters who have names like "Titus" and take place in locations such as "Zohar," but can still rattle off the statistics about current American League pitching like its his job. My other roommate reads 18th century English literature (and likes it!), can build furniture of the highest quality AND has an affinity for ska. Another friend who's a Wells Scholar and is applying to Harvard probably watches professional wrestling more religiously than anyone else I know.\nShould any of that make a lick of sense?\nAs I've slowly (emphasis on "slowly") matured and I continue to do so (emphasis on "continue"), I've noticed how appealing these modern renaissance men and women can be. I'm naturally drawn to people who don't have that one card they play where they are always "the wacky guy," or "the frat guy" or the "punk kid." No, the walking contradictions are the kids that you can't put a finger on. They elude stereotypes and categorization, which makes them a lot more fun at parties. Especially when you get them really drunk.\nWalking contradictions don't take it all too personally, because why should they? Nothing and everything are sacred to them. Neither are constant, and nor are they. And what makes them even better is meeting them is always a surprise. They can always blindside you with their mosaic of charm.\nPersonally, there is NOTHING better than the surprise of meeting a girl who can easily be passed off as "just some hot sorority chick," dancing with her to Jay-Z and then listening to her talk about how she thinks "Magnolia" and "The Blues Brothers" are brilliant films. Oh, that shit is SO hot.\nBut the downside to all of this is that it seems like the walking contradiction might be something that will be confined to the joyous limits of college. When you get a job and a spouse and a dog and kids, it's hard to dabble around, discovering new little things everyday like you do here. But I'm romantically hoping it won't be. You could argue the guy with action figures all over his cubicle is proof we have hope, but it takes more than that. The real world doesn't push new experiences on you. It doesn't have the Ryder Film Series or the Hip-Hop Congress. It doesn't have crazy house parties that blast "Just a Friend" by Biz Markie.\nSoak it up while you can.