I remember telling my parents one night at the dinner table, "I want to go to college as far away from you as possible."

I wanted to see the world and explore what it was like to be away. What about somewhere tropical like Hawaii? Or somewhere cold like Alaska. Okay, so I never wanted to brave the cold weather in Alaska, but I wanted to get the heck out of Dodge.

Lucky you, I ended up here. I just can't believe this is my senior year. And thank God I didn't go out farther than the 240 miles east from my hometown to good old Ruston. I can't imagine not being able to jump on Interstate 20 when I need to get my hair done.

It would be horrible not to be able to go home when I was feeling homesick. But most importantly, how would I have coped if I didn't get to see my dad a week or so before he passed away? So I count my blessings that I didn't end up too far from home.

Which leads me to where I am today. I will be your editor in chief this fall. I am proud to be, yes, an American, but just as proud to be a Lady Techsters softball player. I'm proud to say I will graduate with a journalism degree from Louisiana Tech University.

I've been to Hawaii, courtesy of Tech athletics, and I must say, I couldn't wait to get to back to Ruston. Sometimes I jokingly compare Ruston to Mayberry, but they say there's no place like home. And they're right. For you non-country music listeners, just go to www.Google.com and type in Mayberry and Rascal Flatts. Read the song lyrics. You'll see.

I've braved the first three years away from home, and it hasn't been easy. These are experiences I will always carry with me. I've met (hopefully) life-long friends, two-faced backstabbers, sweet guys who aren't cute, cute guys who aren't sweet, teachers who love you because you're an athlete and teachers who despise you just because you're an athlete.

I've eaten very tasty cafeteria food and thrown away some food I couldn't identify. I've put on the pounds by eating those irresistible waffle fries at Chick-Fil-A, and have attempted to slim down by eating the salads in the food court.

And how about the daily trips to the post office that can either make or break your ego? It's at that point when you know the let's-keep-in-touch line from high school friends is just that -- a line. You know it's sad when you get excited about seeing the little slips of paper that remind you to submit a change of address form. Ê

Freshmen, you will know soon enough what I'm talking about.

Let's not forget dorm life. Who could forget the joys of hearing a drunk roommate or two stumble into the room at 2:30 a.m.? Or the repetitive ringing of her phone from the boyfriend she just broke up with É again. Of course there's always the girl down the hallway who complains about how loud the softball girls are, even when it's not Dead Week (finals week).

The best part about dorm life is undoubtedly the community showers and bathrooms. The janitors do an excellent job of cleaning; it's just the lack of cleanliness from the others.

You can't wait until the winter quarter when the hours required to move off campus drop dramatically to make room for those who actually want to move on campus.

And although the subject has been discussed way too much, everybody knows you can't have a fun-filled dorm experience without the excitement of parking. Suddenly you start to hate your driver's ed teacher for not taking the time to teach you how to properly parallel park. A little dent here and a little paint chipped there isn't so bad, right?

Wow! Again, I can't believe I have only three more quarters until this is all over. I've had some ups and downs, but I wouldn't trade my experiences for the world. Welcome to Tech. Welcome to your home away from home. And if you're like me, be glad you're not too far away.

Amber Miles is a senior journalism major from Dallas and serves as fall editor for the The Tech Talk. E-mail comments to anmiles24@hotmail.com.