This week, the li’l munchkins of TCU are moving into their dorms. TCU has taken steps to try to slow the spread of COVID-19. They’ll isolate students who test positive and set them up with care coordinators to set up virtual classwork.

And students are not moving in like they would in a normal year. To prevent long lines or big crowds, they’re moving in phases. Each li’l rascal got a time slot, leading them to question how they’d meet new folk.

One student was moving in from Denver, Colorado for her freshman year. She was outside the campus bookstore with her mom. We talked about how hard it is to make new friends at college in the era of social distancing. Naturally, I made that discussion about me.

For instance, the roommate I mentioned in that clip [actually, listening to it now, I realize I should have said he lived across the hall. Hashtag: Fake News] who lives in Florida was working for Ball State a few years ago. I went to visit Muncie while he was there. Ball State had just started demolishing the complex where we stayed freshman year.

Naturally, we went to go say goodbye to the place, completely sober, mind you.

He also visited North Texas with his family once for, I swear I’m not making this up, Wrestlemania.

In that case, I took him to Dealey Plaza. I believe his aunt took the picture of us wandering into the street to take pictures of the “x” [though another associate who’s much more of a JFK connoisseur pointed out we took pictures of the X from the first not shot, not the, as he so diplomatically explained, “kill shot.”] 

I saw another associate when I was back in Ohio a couple weeks ago. He recently brought his li’l munchkins [In that case, I do believe they were completely sober] to see our old freshman dorm. I thought it was strange they’re still trying to knock that thing down two years later.

When he sent that picture, a thought occurred [actually, I had two separate thoughts. My mind apparently was really racing today]. I responded, “Look at how many room air conditioners are in the windows. Snowflakes.”

In my day, LaFollette Complex had awful food and the temperature inside was about the same temperature as whatever it was outside. That builds character.

But that wing of the dorm, the wing where my associates and I stayed is the only part that’s still standing. 

My other thought was the Brayton Clevenger wing [or, “BC,” if you will] must have been spared demolition because it’s been designated a historical site to mark all my associates and I accomplished.

I also chatted up two roommates at TCU, one from Azle, the other from Houston. They also said it’s strange to come back with the social aspect gone.

Obviously, they haven’t been the Cheesecake Factory in Downtown Fort Worth. I was sitting at a red light Saturday night and thought the line was notable enough to take a picture.

A lot of restaurants, even with capacity limits, say they’re still struggling to fill tables because people are nervous about going out to eat. Cheesecake Factory seems to have licked that, though.

“We must be working through some cabin fever for Cheesecake Factory to draw this big a crowd,” I explained to everyone in the car who hadn’t asked. “Of course, they do have that extensive menu.”