11 Convulsive Decision The University of Miami. The humidity dropped me in my tracks (too much cold Norwegian blood?), the palmetto bugs swarmed in red, flying clouds fifty feet wide, splattering on my windshield like blood clots, and everybody on campus was an athlete. But, if you can't beat 'em … I cut my hair short, bleached it blonde, got a Coppertone tan, wore white shorts and tennis shoes, and learned how to throw a mean shot put. Variety and eccentricity. I also acquired a king snake who stayed in my dorm room and ensured my privacy by being one of the world's least popular animals. In fact, the best athletic move I've ever witnessed was executed by a pudgy girl who, upon sighting the snake, jumped five feet in the air onto the top of my dresser in about one tenth of a second. She was not ordinarily agile, but the snake's presence called forth instant Olympic ability. Encouraged by that performance, I kept the snake, more for entertainment value than an actual affinity for reptiles.
