My days at the Culinary Institute of America are winding down, suddenly, much faster than I ever would have believed. In 100 calendar days, I'll be bidding adieu to this chapter of my life to start building another.

On the one hand, I'm obviously excited to move into the "real world" as 99% of my friends already have. Granted, I took a longer route, but thank God for longer routes. For years I thought I'd work in the grocery store or in human resources, only to find out that those jobs didn't hold my long-term interest. In a round-about way, they were the means to the ends, but it's surprising, even to me about where I've ended up.

But to leave this place, even in 100 days, is making me a little nostalgic. For me, this has been the site of my personal renaissance where I shed the old and embraced the new. For that reason alone, I'll always look back fondly of my time here. Did the dorms suck? Oh yes. How was it without a car? Miserable. But to have such opportunity to learn and be exposed to innumerable things has been worth all the dollars and suffering.

I guess what I'll miss the most is that it marks the end of my time as a young adult. Granted, I'll probably never be one that stays in one place for a long time or does the same thing forever. I think I've proven this, just be taking stock of my personal hobbies. But what I am excited about is that my time here has given me the personal confidence and the skills to go out and do something, finally.