UR bee takes on

I felt magical as I placed on the giant bee head one faithful Friday. It was my time to shine. It was a day of destiny, for I had become the UR bee. I emerged from the laundry room of central issue to smiling faces, people looking for high fives and just a chance to hang out with me. Oh the fame, the power, the prestige, it was a beautiful thing and I was transformed.I triumphantly walked out of the Georgen Athletic Center and headed for Club Rochester at the Meliora. I ran into the restaurant ready to greet all the happy folks. Surprisingly, no one paid me much attention. Wow, this was sort of awkward. I approached my friend, who knew who I was and reminded me of my anonymity. I started making the rounds and throwing up high fives and pointing excitedly. I was back in action, people were loving it.I left to get a drink at the Pit and prepare for the girls basketball game. Again, I was met by fanfare and excitement by the Pit staff and I even received a free Red Bull from their campus representatives. I took a quick break in the laundry room and then headed out to the game, ready to wow the general public.When I arrived at the game, I immediately noticed my presence did not invite any excitement. The previous game was still going on, so there were noUR fans. I was lost. I was looking for meaning in this scenario. Nobody wanted to hang out with me. I tried to think like a bee. I went up to the ticket windows and put my face up to them and tried to stick it through – sort of like a real bee would do. The ticketing people were not amused. I headed for the concessions stand. I stuck my head into the various boxes of candy bars. The concessions girl was not amused. I was lost. I stood idly untilthe UR game started and headed for the stands. Surprisingly, even the UR fans wanted little to do with me. I sought refuge with the band. During timeouts, I got up and shook my stinger like there was no tomorrow as the band played. I did get some looks, but still no real interest. What happened, where did my fame go?I tried to go back to the fans and sit with them. I figured it would be a fun novelty and maybe they would hoist me up in support. All I got were some uninterested “What’s up bee?” comments to which I could not respond – as to not violate the mascot code.I realized that the UR bee took center stage in conventional environments, but when it came to the actual game, the mascot was pushed into the shadows. People came to see the game, not the mascot. As entertaining as I could be, I was always going to be in the shadow of the actual event.As I exited the game, a sweaty defeated mess – under the suit – a small boy stopped and smiled at me. I gave him a high five. I knew he would eventually grow to be unimpressed by me, but for now I enjoyed his praise.Rosen can be reached atjrosen@campustimes.org.