That time I bought nail decals at the bookstore

It’s practically mid-September, and that means two things:
  1. #birthdayweek is upon us. This can be noted in your calendar with a single, hand-drawn crown on September 20th.
  2. I have lived in America for an entire week!
Great things have happened this week. My apartment is organized to the point that I can walk down the hallway without tripping over a displaced item. I discovered American Dream, a local pizza place that will offer to slather your pizza crust in melted garlic butter – and what could be dreamier than that? I paid less than $20 to fill my car’s entire tank with gas (and didn’t even have to pump it myself, since it’s illegal in Oregon to do so). I finally have wi-fi in my apartment.
But here are two even better things about my first week in Corvallis. One, I met my assistantship supervisor for the first time and learned more about my role as a graduate teaching assistant. A quick snapshot of my first month includes residence programming for first-year students (I have residents again?!), training for my role as an academic advisor, and my favourite part – teaching a first-year class. If there was any doubt that my first month in grad school would be a whirlwind, I think this quick conversation confirmed it. I’m excited (and terrified?) to dig in so fully in such a short period of time.
And two, I took a trip to the bookstore.
As an undergrad, buying textbooks was one of my favourite parts about academia. A big part of this was likely the fact that, as an English major, most of my course materials were novels, plays, and Shakespeare anthologies. Buying textbooks was all about growing my well-rounded and slightly pretentious library.
As a staff member at my alma mater, perusing the bookstore quickly became one of my favourite activities – not for the books, but for the unique and charming selection of items that complimented the book selection. My favourite pieces have included shirts that said “Univ of British Columbia,” aisles and aisles of UBC-branded bucket hats (?), UBC tracksuits that were velvet and pastel-coloured (I imagine this to be a homage to Juicy Couture circa 2001), and the greatest of all: an entire display of UBC apparel (t-shirts, hoodies, water bottles – the works)  in the traditional colours of none other than the University of Alberta.
The UBC bookstore is a glorious place.
You can only imagine my surprise to enter the Beaver Store (i.e. the bookstore) at Oregon State and find the complete opposite. Orange and black fill the entire store as if no other colours exist (as it should be). While I spent an embarrassing amount of time observing every item, I walked away equipped with the knowledge that if I ever needed to furnish an entire home solely with OSU gear, I could. Here are my favourite findings:
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1. For those rainy Pacific Northwest days. As you stomp through them, the puddles will have no doubt that you are a proud Beaver.
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2. Novelty shot glasses in every shape and style. I like the ones that look like tiny beer glasses – appropriate for every occasion, you know?
img_35463. There is a civil war happening and we’re all just caught in the middle of it. This is the perfect sticker for families torn between the rival Oregon universities.
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4. An OSU tutu really needs no further explanation.
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5. These tiny Beaver nail decals made their way into my shopping cart faster than I’d like to admit. I plan to wear these for key occasions such as game days, LDOC (is that a thing here?), and my thesis defense.
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6. How gorgeous is this white/rose gold folder? OSU, your aesthetic is so on point.
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7. And finally, any bookstore with an outstanding collection of Kate (and Jack!) Spade items gets a 10/10 from me. Beaver Store, I will be back.

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