Indiana University

I can't define Hoosier, but I know it when I see it. Big Guy, Birdie, Tequila and I toured Indiana University. The campus is beautiful; the trees are packed with squirrels; and pretty much every inch of sidewalk is scrawled with chalk. I arrived excited with the prospect of observing Hoosiers in their natural state. Mostly I saw exceptionally well-dressed college students walking to class. Then again, I missed the football game.  And the residence hall tour didn't include a peek at the dorm bathrooms. I suspect, both are prime places for Hoosier sightings. But the visit wasn't about me or about Tequila chasing squirrels. It was about Birdie. While Indiana University was the seventh college we visited, it was the first with an administrator blunt enough to tell Birdie that her intended major won't make her rich. Birdie didn't take the news well. Big Guy and I laughed, sort of. We know Birdie better than Indiana University. Chances are, if Birdie sets her sights on "rich," she will get there. And she will have fun, too. Eventually Birdie cheered up. We left campus satisfied that we'd seen enough to keep it on the Birdie list. Then our time in Indiana turned much better: We scored a major Hoosier sighting. That's a story for another day.