Precursor 3

Just got back from the Purdue bars. Feeling pretty fantastic. I went to lunch with my roommates (at least the ones in town) at Buffalo Wild Wings. Needless to say, most of us had a drink (except Dave, my ginger roommate). Anyway, we had some wings and a beer or two, a screwdriver for Meghan. We came back home, with the intention of getting ready for the wedding that I attended today. Which obviously led to another round of beers, or two...who's counting? My best girlfriend Gina came and picked me up for the wedding, later in the afternoon. And we had a great time there.

The grandma (I'm assuming or other relative on the bride's side) sitting behind us was a riot. She kept cracking really funny jokes about how long it was going to take everyone to make it to the reception. She was sitting with a few youngens and kept telling them that she wished this was a "bring your own cooler event." Unfortunately, Gina and I arrived at the wedding reception and were unable to sit next to our comically hilarious friend. Minus the fact that the reception was a cash bar, I had a great time.

It's close to 2 in the AM here, and I am heading home around 10 in the AM tomorrow. Naturally, I thought it would be a good idea to continue drinking tonight after I got back from the reception. So I went over to my friend Meghan's place with a bottle of wine. We chilled outside and people watched for an hour or so and traded stories about life. A bit later in our endeavor, we made a few pit stops at some local bars. Surprisingly, one of the campus bars Jake's was closed for Memorial Day weekend. So we took our rowdiness to Brother's and Harry's. Meghan called it an early night and went home after just a drink at each bar. But I stuck around and small talked with a friend about post-college career opportunities. Apparently, he was an elementary education major with a reading specialist degree. Smallworld.

My mom is in the process of completing her second masters. She is looking to become a principal of her own school district (most likely in a high needs area). So I told my friend I'd ask my mom what she knew about job openings in early education and reading specialist positions. Strangely enough, he also met some teachers from the Chicago area. They ended up talking to him for a while about possible job openings. I hope things work out well for him. But seeing as it is past 2 AM, it is well past my bed time. Peace on Earth.

Precursor 2

It's getting closer to beercation, and I couldn't be more excited. I graduated college on Sunday. And I have been hanging around West Lafayette, Purdue's hometown. Summer drink specials started on Sunday. With the current state of the economy and $1.50 well drinks at Jake's, who wouldn't love this? Me. Being in West Lafayette with a majority of my friends gone is sad. The fact that college is over and I didn't get to say goodbye to some of my friends makes me want to stay another semester or year. A victory lap would be awesome but not financially viable. I might be sad that college is over, but I do have a lot to be thankful for. My family came and supported me during my graduation. They stayed with me Saturday night and said goodbye to my campus. On Sunday, my family attended my graduation ceremony. I will admit that the music was great...at waking me up when I needed to stand. Honestly though, it was a great power nap. After the ceremony, we had the opportunity to dine at my favorite restaurant/bar in West Lafayette, Nine Irish Brothers. My dad and I had the distinct privilege of drinking Guinness's 250th Anniversary stout on tap. Aside from the good eats and drink, I'm very grateful for the job I have with Chase.

I start work on July 20th but am much more excited for my summer. I'll be in West Lafayette the rest of this week and will be attending a wedding here on Saturday, with my friend Gina. Sunday, I head home to celebrate Memorial day with the fam. The weather is looking good, and I love hanging with my family and grilling out the backyard. A cold beer always improves this occasion (maybe a blond or hefeweizen). After this extended weekend, I am heading back to Purdue to finish packing up my things and say goodbye to my roommates and friends before I head home for summer. One of my roommates Olivier will be leaving for France next week to spend the rest of summer with his family. We might be making a day trip to Six Flags Great America this Sunday. But my sister also has a choir concert the same day. So, I'll have to make a decision to where my loyalties lay. But my family is most likely going to come first in this one.

Precursor 1 to Beercation

This summer my cousin Matt, two of his friends (Andrew and Ben), and myself will be making an epic road trip called Beercation. Beercation will take the four of us across the country and border, stopping only for breweries, pubs, landmarks, friends, and sleep occasionally. This 5000 plus mile trek will be documented by blogging, camera, and videocamera...fingers crossed (hook that up mom and dad). I am thinking that Ben will be doing some blogging, too. He's currently traveling from Asia to Australia, and I strongly encourage you to checkout his blog

So Many Roads I know

I'd also like to share a quote from the show Cheers, as it explains the buffalo theory, obviously my favorite theory:

Well you see, Norm, it's like this...A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the heard is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.

In addition, I'm thinking about making a YouTube channel to follow our "fact-finding mission," as my cousin has jokingly dubbed our trip. Not sure if that will happen or not, but I know we will be wicked smart on this trip.

On a side note, Happy mom's day.