Picture Memories - Dorm Drinking

A little over 2 years ago I wrote a blog post about how I was going to start posting pictures from college and telling stories about them. My intent was to take my favorite pictures and write a little something on my memories of the event and what the meant to me. But, after the initial post I never bothered to write another one. Well here's to round two.

That picture is me and my best friend Mark drinking in the dorms freshmen year. The picture is us on a tiny futon in Natalie and Rachel's dorm room freshmen year. If I had to guess it is from second semester. I still have the shirt I'm wearing, but have no idea about that jacket. From the looks of it, we are about to drink some vodka shots and chase with Dole Fruit Punch. Knowing those two it is probably Burnetts vodka, and this could be the night that Natalie tricked me into taking a Midol.

It's a great picture because it doesn't preface a specific story, but rather it is a reminder of life in the dorms. Sitting around and drinking with new friends. It's amazing how long ago it feels, but how much optimism there is in the picture. It's like a sense of knowing that we had a great base of friends going into the next four years.

Six years later everyone in the room that night has moved out of the state. Next weekend I'll be attending Mark's bachelor party and hopefully the same shit-eating grin will show up on both of our faces like it has so many times in the past. Here's one to the memories.

I ain't no Randy Wagstaff

I have a interesting relationship with the police. I've called the police a few times when I saw a crime that needed stopping. But other times, I find myself siding with the criminals. Take tonight for example.

Right near where I am staying there is a little plaza. I walk through it every afternoon on my way home from work, and there are always the same 6-8 kids skateboarding in plaza. Just hanging out and skateboarding reminding me of the sweet nose manuals I used to pull off in Tony Hawk.

Tonight I left to go up the street to grab some takeout Indian Food (because I'm bored at work and look forward to spending time in the bathroom playing games on my phone). On the way I passed a bunch of kids throwing their skateboards in the bushes in between the two buildings near the plaza. When I got to the plaza I figured out why. A cop had caught one of them and was patting him down as I walked past.

A few minutes later as I was walking back down the street towards the plaza 3 or 4 police cars came out of nowhere with their sirens blaring and a bunch of people were pointing and telling the cops that the kid had just took off on foot.

I walked back to the hideout where the rest of the skateboarders where hanging out and asked him what their friend did. They said they were just busted for skateboarding. I think busting kids for skateboarding is bullshit. And if other people are going to help the cops arrest someone for riding a skateboard, I'm going to help the skateboarders achieve freedom. Just like William Wallace.

So I tipped them off there there were a whole bunch of cops in the plaza and that there friend ran off. In return they called me "one cool-ass dude". Which is the best compliment I've received since a black lady complimented me on my fashion.

My Birthday / Work Training

I dedicate a large amount of blog content to something I really don’t care about: Facebook Birthday Wall Posts. I never write on anyone’s wall for their birthday. Like not even members of my family. But every year I find it interesting the people that take the time to wish me a happy birthday.

My favorite is this guy named Ray. I used to do class work in the Ross Academic Center (the one for athletes). It was one of a few locations on central campus that had CAEN computers to hook up to the engineering network. The CAEN centers in the UGLI and Fishbowl were always packed, but the Academic Center had 3 CAEN machines in a private room that were never used because very few athletes are engineers. One time I went in there and this guy named Ray was in there as well. We talked for like twenty minutes while we were doing work. That was the entire extent of our interaction. The next day he friended me on Facebook. I accepted because I thought I might see him down there again, and I’m a friendly guy. But I didn’t ever see him again. Yet, every year without fail he wishes me a happy birthday.

I sometimes wonder how long he will keep it up. Like when I’m in my 40’s and my kids (assuming they’re not illiterate) ask me who is that “Ray” guy is who always wishes me happy birthday on the facebook machine. And I have to tell them the whole story of the 20 minutes we spent exchanging pleasantries in the basement of the academic center back in 2008.

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We have this online training class that we are required to take annually at work. It’s a training on anti-terrorism that tries to use real life scenarios. So imagine this: I am assigned to go to a conference in LA. On my flight there my plane gets hijacked by terrorists. After that happens I get followed by a strange van to the hotel. After I check in I go to a restaurant and where I am solicited by someone of the opposite gender for information. The next morning I go out to my rental car and find a grenade booby trapped under my car. At this point I still don’t consider saying “F it” and going home. Then that night someone claiming to be room service breaks into my hotel room and holds me at gun point. They then call me an imperialist. Then they hold me hostage overnight before the police come in and rescue me in the morning. It is only at this point do I decided that maybe the trip isn’t worth the hassle and go home. Talk about realistic training, because this happens to me like every time I travel.

Also, if you really want to have a bummer of a birthday try taking the annual training on human trafficking awareness. Because nothing ruins a perfectly good day like spending a few hours learning about people being kidnapped, abused, beaten, sold, prostituted and forced into being suicide bombers.