Umm, culturalification is totally a word. It's in the Dictionary of Made-up Words. Duh.

My best friend and I decided long before we graduated that this summer we'd make an effort to be more cultured, to do things we wouldn't normally do and see things we wouldn't normally see. Unfortunately since we're poor college students, we have to do these things on the cheap. Finding culturally enriching activities near us that are inexpensive has been a difficult task, but I think we've managed.

The Pre-College Culturalification Process

1. Plan a trip to Philadelphia. Itinerary items include: the world's largest clothespin, world's largest LCD screen, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and a free performance of a modernized version of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Abington Art Center, located 30 minutes outside the city.

2. Convince my father that we wouldn't get raped, pillaged or maimed while in the city.

3. Convince my father that the car wouldn't get stolen.

4. Convince my father that we wouldn't get kidnapped.

5. Convince and demonstrate to my father that I know how to change a tire, use flares and dial 911.

6. Go to Philly, have an amazing time and only spend $15 per person, including parking, food and gas. All our activities were free. Also, return with all our limbs intact.

7. Attend a performance of Les Miserables put on by our local Teen Professional Theatre, starring a couple friends from a state-wide choral group we were in together and also in the hope that a guy we both adore will show up because he is also friends with them. Cost: $10 per person.

8. Attend a performance of a completely student-run production of Little Women the Musical because it featured the aforementioned guy. Coincidentally sit behind who we now know are his girlfriend's parents. (She was in the stage crew and somehow whenever she was moving props and set pieces around, the word, "whore" came out of our mouths. It's a very weird affliction.) Cost: $10 per person, plus the added benefits of hearing our guy sing (He's amazing. Truly. And also going to school to get a BFA in musical theatre so the world will probably know his awesomeness soon.) and the knowledge that the proceeds would be donated to Broadway Cares.

9. Go to the County Fair. See a couple of girls hit on a semi-attractive carnie and make us wait 10 minutes to ride this awesome new ride. Have a serious conversation about Madison and college while on the Ferris wheel. Make awesome slushies at the slushie bar and top off a quintessential summer night with the windows down and We the Kings' Stay Young blasting from my car speakers. Cost: $5 for admission, $10 for ride tickets, $3 for slushie. Total: $18 per person.

That's all we've got so far, but there's still 11 days until school starts. Tie dye's planned for Wednesday but I'm sure there will be more events to come.