I was thirteen when CoreyHickey (my cousin) moved into CZ. For the next two summers, he lived with my family while working in Silicon Valley. Most of the time, the only way we could tell he was home was the CATV cable snaking under his door and the little clicking noises of his keyboard. At the time, he was (as I remember) always on ICQ. Maybe he was talking to other Czars? All I know is that we usually only saw him at dinner.
At dinner, he would tell us stories about CZ, specifically the FYSU stunts. I remember hearing about the McDonald's flag on Loth, the giant Z next to the C on the hill, and the stealing and dismantling of Cloyne's porch swing. At the time, I remember thinking it sounded like an amazing place to live. But I was never going to go to Berkeley--it was too close to home.
I applied to Berkeley because it was an extra checkbox and $55, and was surprised when I got into the College of Engineering. All of a sudden, I didn't know what I was doing with my life. Eventually, I decided to come to Berkeley (cheap school, great department).
My best friend at the time lived at Loth, and for over a year I'd been escaping to Berkeley as often as I could. A lot of the elves knew me. Some even thought that I lived there. Before I'd even graduated from high school, I was attending food orgies and getting involved with the co-ops. When I came to Berkeley, I knew that I didn't want to live in the dorms. The idea of sterile, controlled, expensive dorm life was not appealing in the slightest. I applied to the co-ops, with Loth as my first choice and CZ on the list because of Corey. I got into CZ.
The first day I saw the house was move-in day, Fall 2005. I've always been amazed at the two happy accidents that have shaped my life over the past couple of years, getting into Berkeley and getting placed at CZ. Since I was Corey's cousin, the old Czars seemed to accept me a lot more readily tha they did most of my generation. I had an in.
It's been the best time of my life.