Well, it’s finally here — I turn 21 tomorrow. So what better way to prepare for my celebration than to dedicate this week’s Mint edition to a 21 run on the Palouse?

While living in a college town we have lots of options to celebrate, including a plethora of Greek houses to visit, bars to try and houses to trash. Each option presents some perks and some downfalls, so this could be a really tough choice.

Having never been to a bar, I do not know what type of atmosphere to expect, and since I’m not a part of the Greek community, I decided a house party was the best way to approach my celebration. But, I am also pretty excited to be able to go see the live music at Rico’s and attend Latin Night at Etsy Bravo.

How do I act nice in a bar, what is the protocol for ordering a drink? I always see in the movies that people just put the money on the bar itself, but is that really how that works?

The Palouse community has some great bars, the names in particular are amazing. “Oh honey, where are you going?” “Oh, just to My Office.” Amazing, absolute gold. Also, some bars and restaurants around town give free drinks on your birthday, so I’ll totally be hitting some of those up.

Maybe what I’m most excited for is to be able to order wine at dinner. It’s going to feel so classy and I just know it’ll make my dinners that much better. I’ll have to make sure I have a designated driver, in case I want to try every kind of wine they have.

Speaking of designated drivers, make sure to have one. It can be hard to convince someone not to partake in the party fun, but it’s essential. And apparently some people really like to be the designated driver … I’m not really sure why.

Now that I’ll be 21, I’ve got a feeling that I am not going to enjoy my future birthdays as much. Not that they won’t be great, but what else is there to look forward to? Once I’m 21, I will be able to do pretty much everything except run for president. So now, it’s just going to be all about getting older.

But, we can hope that I can still enjoy my later birthdays with great friends and loved ones, right?

Jennifer Ladwig is a senior communication major from Washougal. She can be contacted at [email protected].