Where the mice are...

Early 1990s. 

When I started college, I didn't have a car to get me back and forth. So, for a brief time, my mom would drive me to class, do some shopping, and then pick me up. She would meet me on either side of the campus, and had a little shorthand way of remembering where to pick me up.

If she was picking me up on the "old" side of the campus, near the bookstore, she'd say:

"I'll pick you up by the kids."

I know what you're thinking: what are kids doing on a college campus? Well, near the bookstore and in between the English and History buildings, there was a daycare center. Obviously this helped her find her way back to the same spot each time she'd pick me up.

Likewise, if she was picking me up on the "new" side of campus, near the science buildings, she'd say:

"I'll pick you up where the mice are."

I know what you're thinking. What? Apparently, she had seen a few mice scampering about while she was waiting for me one day. Thank God she'd told me this, or I'd have been sure she was losing it.