If you’re anything like me, you’ll recall every scene from the 2004 American comedy masterpiece, Napoleon Dynamite, known for it’s quirky humour and bizarre taglines. I remember the first time my brother and I laid our eyes upon Jon Heder, with his silver-wire aviator glasses and emotionally moving rendition of Some Say Love by LeAnn Rimes, spoken through sign language. The first time we watched it, we didn’t laugh at all, but like any good meme or movie, we began to realize over time just how rich and life-giving Napoleon Dynamite is.
Where am I going with this? I’m glad you asked. If you fast forward approximately 39 minutes in, you’ll see Napoleon dressed in a full, burnt-orange suit, ready to go to the dance with his date, Trisha. His uncle Rico is driving him to the dance, but first, he has to make a stop to finalize the sale of a 24-piece set of Tupperware. Napoleon gets tired of waiting, and so he leaves the parked car and runs through the dry countryside of Preston, Idaho, to Trisha’s house. Napoleon’s run is reminiscent of a slightly disadvantaged turkey on Thanksgiving Day. This, dear readers, is where I come in.
My name is Allison, and I’m in my fifth year here at UPEI, studying Sociology and Anthropology. Some would call the fifth year a ‘victory lap,’ meaning that you took longer than the traditional four years to complete your degree. Thus, every extra year is called a victory lap. A classic victory lap would see the runner holding out both hands, clapping the hands of those on the sidelines, and running leisurely as they celebrate their win. This, folks, is not me. I am here, with my head down, running like Napoleon Dynamite through the halls of UPEI, just tryin’ to graduate. Â
On a more serious note, let me tell you about myself. I’m an island girl born and raised, and I’ve lived with my parents in the same house for my whole life. For the islanders who will understand, I went to Charlottetown Rural, so I’m a perfect blend of city and country (see: Stratford).  My favourite band is Switchfoot, and for those of you who won’t go check them out right now, they did the soundtracks for A Walk to Remember. The most important thing in my life is my faith in God, from which everything in my life flows. Following in importance after my faith is my family, my friends, and my bull terrier named Mac. When I’m not avoiding eye contact with people on campus, you can probably find me crafting unicorn frappuccinos behind the counter at Starbuck.
I joined the Cadre as a managing editor with the ambition of bringing forth some fresh, juicy content about what’s happening here at UPEI. I hope that my writing serves you all well. Â
Allison
allobrien@upei.ca