Meet Mr. Walsh

Join me for an extra close close-up with this week’s campus celebrity, Mr. Brian Walsh, at a downtown Starbucks.
So, how often do you go to Starbucks?
Oh my god. If I can help myself? Not more than twice a day. But, most of the time I do once a day or every other day. It’s not cheap, I’ll give you that. Most often I go because I sit in class all day and have plans afterwards, and when you get out of sitting in class for three hours straight, you’re a fricken zombie. That’s my thoughts on that.
If you had a 3-day paid vacation from school and work, what would you being doing?
Oh man; probably a 3-day Chill Fest. I’d definitely rent a scooter on the beach and just cruise.
What color scooter?
Something loud and obnoxious. Like an Iron Man-themed scooter. I think that would be most amusing. And I would definitely wear a scarf that was just way too long. So it flapped boastfully behind me.
Would you do anything else?
I would definitely rent a beach hotel or a hotel around here and just invite everyone. And we would clearly go out and just have a good time. And get completely smashed, because I have a hotel and we don’t need to drive home. That’s probably how that would go—responsible, yet still alcoholic.
Why are you majoring in journalism?
I remember at the end of high school – actually, all throughout high school – I had an English professor who motivated me. I really enjoyed discussing all the different ways in which writers can convey emotion or experience or knowledge, you know –how you can kind of capture life on a page. I started thinking about it and I said well, I want to write. I want to be a writer; I want to make money writing. And then I thought about it for awhile, and said well, I’m no Stephen King, so I should probably just go into journalism. And that’s what I did.
And then I got Neighborhood News Bureau and decided that that was a mistake.
Was it because of the class or because of the entire industry of journalism?
The industry at large, for sure. I don’t know, you just look at the papers and they seem so pious to me. They seem so full of themselves. And they look down on entertainment writers and… why can’t we all just get along?! 
Like if there’s anything I’d rather do than just be like ‘oh by the way, three people got shot, yadayada whatever, drug lord, etc…’ I’d rather entertain people than tell them about all the horrendous crap that goes on in the world. I pity the people that write about the courts—God save their souls. Especially litigation law –Holy Boring, Batman.
What’s one thing you like about USF?
We have a lot of fountains. We have multiple fountains. I don’t know how many other colleges can say that. Yo’ fountains ain’t shit!
What’s one thing you don’t like about USF?
I don’t know. I mean, I love the school, I do. And I definitely wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. I just wish they would chill out about parking, oh my god. Like chill out. I got a ticket when I was in the library for not even five minutes; I was printing a copy. I feel like the guy followed me, watched me park and then giggled while he wrote the ticket. Yeah I don’t know—just chill out about parking. It’s not that big of a deal.
What are some other interests you have?
Movies for sure. But I don’t do horror movies. Like I saw The Crazies, and I called every single event in that entire movie before it even started. I’m tired of these cookie-cutter movies. They just change out actors and it’s annoying.
What food could you live on for two days straight?
Fettuccini. Yup. With mushrooms and chicken, oh my god. I don’t know—there’s something about cheese and noodles that nourishes mah soul.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Oh, I hate that question. I don’t know. In a gutter? Who the hell knows. I don’t know. I want to be working in Public Relations. I want to be someone who wears a suit and just looks top notch every day (even though I sit here in my hood and sunglasses as the sun is going down). I want to be in a job where I can use my social skills and connections, working for a nice PR agency promoting clubs and restaurants. We’ll see. I also don’t like to put pressure on myself because maybe ill change my mind again.
Where do you like to go out to eat?
Wherever, downtown especially—privately-owned restaurants where you’re not just a cog in the restaurant wheel. That’s always nice. Especially because once you live in an area like this for so long you start to know everybody. I know the Starbucks people, I know half the bartenders down here if not more. I don’t really see myself as a popular person, but when I walk down the hall and run into like 4 or 5 people that I know it’s like oh shit, I guess I do know everybody. When you’re as sociable as I am, it’s easy. I think my least favorite thing is standing in line or a public area with a lot of other people and no one’s talking. It’s like New York City –all these people are slamming themselves into the same tiny area and ignoring each other, even though we’re right in front of each other’s faces.
 
Fast-Facts about Mr. Walsh:
Age: 21
Class: Senior – Journalism/Media Studies
Hometown: Babylon, Long Island, New York
Favorite drink: Ketel One and Cranberry
Turn-ons: People with opinions, business casual dress, and sports bikes
Turn-offs: People who lack knowledge of social cues, People who lie to themselves, and people who are “all business.”
Song lyric currently stuck in his head: “Oh, so evil spirit, some evil this way comes. They told me how they fear it now their placing it on their tongues. Oh, to see it with my own eyes.”