So I got to Charlotte Thursday night. I had dinner with my good friend Schulie and her BF and we had a great time catching up on life. I then headed up north the 20 or so miles to a little town that is near and dear to my heart: Davidson. I was quite nostalgic driving on the highway, one that I had driven countless times on my way to and from Atlanta. Since I graduated from college, however, the area has really changed. Exit 30 off I-77 used to have a stop sign and a gas station. Now it has two traffic circles, a Harris Teeter, a hotel, a strip mall, and 2 gas stations. Alas, progress. I checked into my dorm room, and you can imagine my thrill when I found out I was staying in my old freshman building. I walked into Cannon Dorm, and I swear to you it still smelled the same.
That night I got to catch up with my other good friend Bandy (of Little Rock fame) and her husband at the new bar in town. That makes two bars now at which Davidson students can waste away their Thursday nights!
Friday was pretty chill as more and more old friends arrived on campus. We soaked in a few hours of sun at the lake campus, had a meet-and-greet in the Union for alumni, faculty, staff, and coaches. And, in typical young alumni fashion, the class of '06 decided to forego the trivia night and instead throw a party on the porch of one of the frat houses, just like we used to back in the good ole days. It was such fun.
Saturday I picked up Mike, and you can read a bit about that in his post. What he left for me to share, was that following a nap after our cornhole defeats, I got sick. Really sick. Mike didn't even get to his food at dinner before he returned to our dorm room and rescued me by taking me to an Urgent Care center. There I was hooked to a saline IV to treat my ever-worsening dehydration. I returned to the dorms and promptly fell asleep. Mike checked on me a number of times throughout the evening, but I refused to let him stay in the room for long since he was only in town for 24 hours. I was so disappointed that I missed the festivities and getting to see many of my old friends. I'm STILL disappointed. I can't believe I have to wait another 5 years to see some of these folks.
Sunday a small group of friends had lunch at our old favorite, Joel's, who used to be located right next to campus and we could pay for our fried rice and cheap sushi on our Cat Card. It was as delicious as we all had remembered, but bittersweet because this was our last meal together as we relived our college days. Soon after, we all went our separate ways. I went on to Atlanta to spend a couple days at home while out on the East Coast.
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Staycation and History in the Making
I'm behind on posts. It happens. I'm going to try to catch up on some important life events over the next few days. First, as Mike mentioned in his last post, my good friend Anna visited me over her spring break. We had a really good time as she vacationed and I staycationed. Beaches, wine, ballgames, minor celebrities including Miss Maryland and the Harris brothers from Deadliest Catch, shopping, and good eats were all had that week. See some earlier posts for some good pics. Anna was a trooper and enthusiastic about sleeping for 5 nights on "Chocolate" - the nickname she gave my brown couch - while she was here. We had such a great, relaxing time. It was a little disappointing that we didn't have warmer weather. We went to both Santa Monica and Malibu beach, but I was in jeans both time because it was a little nippy.
As many if not all of you know by now, it has been an eventful night across the world. For posterity reading this, 3 hours ago, President Obama announced that American Special Forces killed Bin Laden. It is hard to describe the mix of emotions that I'm feeling. It is tough to take pleasure in death. But seeing the spontaneous gatherings of Americans in D.C. and New York make me proud to be an American, and I feel, perhaps hopeful is the right word, that Americans have reason to celebrate in the elimination of the worst enemy my generation has seen. I remember the exact seat in which I was sitting in my senior high school economics class on 9/11 when I learned that the towers had been hit, and I remember how my stomach dropped the first time I saw video of the second plane hitting. I think I will remember, nearly 10 years later, that I was sitting in my overstuffed pink chair tonight watching West Wing with Mike when he showed me CNN's homepage announcing Osama's death. We stopped the DVD and turned on live TV, and I suppose the rest is history.
Some of my friends from D.C. have been posting on Facebook about heading to the White House. This is the first time since we moved that I wished I still lived in D.C. Even living outside the city I would've been tempted to brave the traffic and craziness to be a part of history in Lafayette Park. Anyhoo, I'm sitting on my couch chanting with the rest of the country: U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
As many if not all of you know by now, it has been an eventful night across the world. For posterity reading this, 3 hours ago, President Obama announced that American Special Forces killed Bin Laden. It is hard to describe the mix of emotions that I'm feeling. It is tough to take pleasure in death. But seeing the spontaneous gatherings of Americans in D.C. and New York make me proud to be an American, and I feel, perhaps hopeful is the right word, that Americans have reason to celebrate in the elimination of the worst enemy my generation has seen. I remember the exact seat in which I was sitting in my senior high school economics class on 9/11 when I learned that the towers had been hit, and I remember how my stomach dropped the first time I saw video of the second plane hitting. I think I will remember, nearly 10 years later, that I was sitting in my overstuffed pink chair tonight watching West Wing with Mike when he showed me CNN's homepage announcing Osama's death. We stopped the DVD and turned on live TV, and I suppose the rest is history.
Some of my friends from D.C. have been posting on Facebook about heading to the White House. This is the first time since we moved that I wished I still lived in D.C. Even living outside the city I would've been tempted to brave the traffic and craziness to be a part of history in Lafayette Park. Anyhoo, I'm sitting on my couch chanting with the rest of the country: U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
BBQ, Korean style
Let me start this post by saying "I wish I had taken pictures of this!"
Last night Mike had a reunion with his friends he met on the trip to Israel. Significant others were invited along to meet for Korean BBQ at a local haunt. I've never had Korean BBQ until last night, but suffice it to say that I will be back for more. Soon. You order the meats you want to try and they bring them out to you uncooked. You slap the raw meat down in the middle of your table that has a built-in grill and you cook your food to your liking. We had so much food last night. We ate for two and a half hours. If we hadn't closed the place down, I'm sure Mike would've stayed for more. We tried so many amazing foods. There was pork, beef, chicken and seafood, in all types of varieties. Like pork belly. And sirloin. And octopus. And brisket. I can't wait to go back. I want to try pork neck and large intestines and tongue and calf intestines, too. I really enjoy playing with my food (fondue, build your own fajitas, create your own ice cream sundae), so this was such a fun way to eat.
The company wasn't too bad, either. Mike enjoyed the chance to catch up and reconnect with some of the folks from his trip. I had a chance to meet them and put some faces with the names I had heard so often upon Mike's return. Unfortunately, the place we went was jam-packed, and we had 10 people sitting at a table for 7, and I was on the far end and couldn't hear a whole lot. But it was a great time nonetheless.
Also, for anyone interested, I've started an additional blog. It is all about food! Shocker, I know. Check it out! http://yourreallifefood.blogspot.com/
Last night Mike had a reunion with his friends he met on the trip to Israel. Significant others were invited along to meet for Korean BBQ at a local haunt. I've never had Korean BBQ until last night, but suffice it to say that I will be back for more. Soon. You order the meats you want to try and they bring them out to you uncooked. You slap the raw meat down in the middle of your table that has a built-in grill and you cook your food to your liking. We had so much food last night. We ate for two and a half hours. If we hadn't closed the place down, I'm sure Mike would've stayed for more. We tried so many amazing foods. There was pork, beef, chicken and seafood, in all types of varieties. Like pork belly. And sirloin. And octopus. And brisket. I can't wait to go back. I want to try pork neck and large intestines and tongue and calf intestines, too. I really enjoy playing with my food (fondue, build your own fajitas, create your own ice cream sundae), so this was such a fun way to eat.
The company wasn't too bad, either. Mike enjoyed the chance to catch up and reconnect with some of the folks from his trip. I had a chance to meet them and put some faces with the names I had heard so often upon Mike's return. Unfortunately, the place we went was jam-packed, and we had 10 people sitting at a table for 7, and I was on the far end and couldn't hear a whole lot. But it was a great time nonetheless.
Also, for anyone interested, I've started an additional blog. It is all about food! Shocker, I know. Check it out! http://yourreallifefood.blogspot.com/
Monday, February 7, 2011
Super Bowl XLV
We had some folks over for the Super Bowl yesterday. We had a blast. We don't have a very big place, but we managed to set up stadium seating so that everyone could see the game. And we moved some furniture around (and the still-unpacked moving boxes) so that there was more space. I had a really great time cooking - stuffed mushrooms, potstickers, veggie tray, carrot bread, chocolate cookies, and lots of dips! It's the first time we've had people over to our place since we moved in (not counting Mike's study sessions.) I think we should make it a regular thing. Next up, dinner party!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Update on My Life
I don't remember that last time I posted on this blog, so I thought I should update everyone as to what is going on in my life.
First, the recent events. Last night Meg and I joined the Davidson alumni group in Southern California at the LA Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors game to watch fellow Davidson alum Stephen Curry. Events with Davidson alumni groups are always fun; there's a special bond that brings us all together and its amazing how easy it is to converse with complete strangers who share that bond. Anyways, the game was fun, even if the Warriors lost, and Steph played great, racking up 32 points and 8 assists. I had a chance to see two old teammates of mine and catch up. Plus, this is our second event with the SoCal group, so we're starting to see some familiar faces and get to know people a little bit.
The thing that's been dominating my life right now is recruiting. It's only January and I'm already well into the search for a summer internship. Last week alone I had three interviews: LEK Consulting, Abbott Labs and Intuitive Surgical. This week I've got six more, with a variety of healthcare and consulting companies (plus Mattel, just for kicks). I've already heard one "no" (LEK), but felt good about the Abbott and Intuitive interviews. We'll see how the six next week go, but I'm already planning ahead and have applied for a couple more just in case.
In total, I think I've applied to about 25 jobs (with 7 responses still outstanding). Those 25 "resume drops" require not only customized resumes, but also customized cover letters. In order to customize a cover letter, not only do I need to research the firm and job, but it helps to talk to either current employees or second year students who interned with the firm last year. Setting up those talks takes some time, but really,I just hate trying to come up with interesting questions. I usually can answer any questions I have simply by research a firm, and asking questions like "What's a typical day like?" just doesn't do anything for anyone because the answer is usually "There is no typical day."
I'll be glad when this is all over and I have an internship. And I know Meg will be too. Even though I only have three classes this quarter (vs. five last quarter) I seem to have less time for her. I'm trying to make time - carving out 30 minutes for dinner or an hour for a walk, but I know she would like to see more of me (and me more of her). Hopefully I'll have more time when this ends in a couple of weeks. If not, I'll have to rethink how I organize my time.
First, the recent events. Last night Meg and I joined the Davidson alumni group in Southern California at the LA Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors game to watch fellow Davidson alum Stephen Curry. Events with Davidson alumni groups are always fun; there's a special bond that brings us all together and its amazing how easy it is to converse with complete strangers who share that bond. Anyways, the game was fun, even if the Warriors lost, and Steph played great, racking up 32 points and 8 assists. I had a chance to see two old teammates of mine and catch up. Plus, this is our second event with the SoCal group, so we're starting to see some familiar faces and get to know people a little bit.
The thing that's been dominating my life right now is recruiting. It's only January and I'm already well into the search for a summer internship. Last week alone I had three interviews: LEK Consulting, Abbott Labs and Intuitive Surgical. This week I've got six more, with a variety of healthcare and consulting companies (plus Mattel, just for kicks). I've already heard one "no" (LEK), but felt good about the Abbott and Intuitive interviews. We'll see how the six next week go, but I'm already planning ahead and have applied for a couple more just in case.
In total, I think I've applied to about 25 jobs (with 7 responses still outstanding). Those 25 "resume drops" require not only customized resumes, but also customized cover letters. In order to customize a cover letter, not only do I need to research the firm and job, but it helps to talk to either current employees or second year students who interned with the firm last year. Setting up those talks takes some time, but really,I just hate trying to come up with interesting questions. I usually can answer any questions I have simply by research a firm, and asking questions like "What's a typical day like?" just doesn't do anything for anyone because the answer is usually "There is no typical day."
I'll be glad when this is all over and I have an internship. And I know Meg will be too. Even though I only have three classes this quarter (vs. five last quarter) I seem to have less time for her. I'm trying to make time - carving out 30 minutes for dinner or an hour for a walk, but I know she would like to see more of me (and me more of her). Hopefully I'll have more time when this ends in a couple of weeks. If not, I'll have to rethink how I organize my time.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thanksgiving
As Meg mentioned on Wednesday, we're in Atlanta for Thanksgiving. We flew in late on Wednesday night and I leave late tomorrow night, while Megan is staying until Tuesday. We had a great extended weekend here, full of food, family, friends and some cards. My parents came down from Harrisburg, and Meg's sister Elaine and her boyfriend Isaac drove in from North Carolina, so we had eight people for a great Thanksgiving meal.
Since we are combining two families with our engagement, we thought it only appropriate to include other family traditions for Thanksgiving. On Thursday night, all of us went over to Dale and Susan's house (friends of Kevin and Julie - Meg's parents) for some drinks and an annual poker tournament. Even with 22 entrants, both Megan and I made the final table of 9, with Megan getting knocked out in 5th place while I claimed 2nd. My finish was worth $70, so not a bad way to spend a few hours.
On Friday evening, the Miller's came over for more food and more cards. Gary Miller and Kevin grew up together and have remained friends all these years. Gary and Cathy, their two daughters and their significant others all came over, so Kevin fired up the grill and BBQ'ed some burgers and bacon wrapped shrimp for everyone. After dinner and drinks, we pulled out some cards and played Shanghai (a mix of rummikub and something else). Meg redeemed her 5th place poker finish with a victory in Shanghai.
Today we took it easy and stayed home most of the day. I got some school work done (thanks Finance professor for assigning not one, but two problem sets over Thanksgiving break), Megan and her mom and sister put together a puzzle, and Kevin got a much needed nap.
As I said, I leave tomorrow, bit its been a great weekend. It was nice to have my family spend some time with Meg's family. Even though they've met a couple of times before, the two sets of parents haven't really had a chance to get to know one another much, so we appreciated everyone agreeing to spend this holiday together. Hopefully in a few years Megan and I can invite everyone to our place (wherever it may be) for a fun Thanksgiving weekend together.
Since we are combining two families with our engagement, we thought it only appropriate to include other family traditions for Thanksgiving. On Thursday night, all of us went over to Dale and Susan's house (friends of Kevin and Julie - Meg's parents) for some drinks and an annual poker tournament. Even with 22 entrants, both Megan and I made the final table of 9, with Megan getting knocked out in 5th place while I claimed 2nd. My finish was worth $70, so not a bad way to spend a few hours.
On Friday evening, the Miller's came over for more food and more cards. Gary Miller and Kevin grew up together and have remained friends all these years. Gary and Cathy, their two daughters and their significant others all came over, so Kevin fired up the grill and BBQ'ed some burgers and bacon wrapped shrimp for everyone. After dinner and drinks, we pulled out some cards and played Shanghai (a mix of rummikub and something else). Meg redeemed her 5th place poker finish with a victory in Shanghai.
Today we took it easy and stayed home most of the day. I got some school work done (thanks Finance professor for assigning not one, but two problem sets over Thanksgiving break), Megan and her mom and sister put together a puzzle, and Kevin got a much needed nap.
As I said, I leave tomorrow, bit its been a great weekend. It was nice to have my family spend some time with Meg's family. Even though they've met a couple of times before, the two sets of parents haven't really had a chance to get to know one another much, so we appreciated everyone agreeing to spend this holiday together. Hopefully in a few years Megan and I can invite everyone to our place (wherever it may be) for a fun Thanksgiving weekend together.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Some Random Thoughts from 30,000 Feet
1. I saw Glee last night. It was the wedding episode. Fair warning for the bridal party, you may be asked to sing and dance down the aisle.
2. I like veggies. Mike and I have been trying to eat healthier, and we've decided to go veggie one night a week. So far it's been pretty great - we eat a lot of salad or stuffed pasta those nights. The best part about it is that I get to experiment with new veggies. Like leeks (blanched with a dijon citrus dressing) and kale (sauteed with olive oil, garlic, and red pepper. Oh! And next time I will add pine nuts because that sounds delicious) and fennel (julienned with green apple matchsticks and a bright citrus dressing). And I feel like with this and using our reusable canvas bags at the grocery store we are saving the world.
3. Mike and I are on our way to Atlanta for Thanksgiving. (Hooray for free WiFi on the cross-continent flight!) His parents are already there. I brought my stretchy pants for dinner tomorrow since Mom has created a menu fit to serve half our neighborhood. Nevermind that there are only going to be 8 of us at the table.
4. Our good friend Garen is in Mexico for the holiday competing in an Iron Man triathalon and has been raising money to find a cure for ALS. You can read his story here. Good luck, Garen!
5. For those that have made it to #5, I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. One of the traditions we have is that before we say grace, we go around the table and everyone has to say something for which they are thankful. I have so much to say! Don't forget to take a moment this weekend to share what you are thankful for!
2. I like veggies. Mike and I have been trying to eat healthier, and we've decided to go veggie one night a week. So far it's been pretty great - we eat a lot of salad or stuffed pasta those nights. The best part about it is that I get to experiment with new veggies. Like leeks (blanched with a dijon citrus dressing) and kale (sauteed with olive oil, garlic, and red pepper. Oh! And next time I will add pine nuts because that sounds delicious) and fennel (julienned with green apple matchsticks and a bright citrus dressing). And I feel like with this and using our reusable canvas bags at the grocery store we are saving the world.
3. Mike and I are on our way to Atlanta for Thanksgiving. (Hooray for free WiFi on the cross-continent flight!) His parents are already there. I brought my stretchy pants for dinner tomorrow since Mom has created a menu fit to serve half our neighborhood. Nevermind that there are only going to be 8 of us at the table.
4. Our good friend Garen is in Mexico for the holiday competing in an Iron Man triathalon and has been raising money to find a cure for ALS. You can read his story here. Good luck, Garen!
5. For those that have made it to #5, I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. One of the traditions we have is that before we say grace, we go around the table and everyone has to say something for which they are thankful. I have so much to say! Don't forget to take a moment this weekend to share what you are thankful for!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
80's Party? Yep, 80's Party!
"Why in the world did people ever wear these ridiculous outfits?" That was my primary thought most of the night last night as about 250 first years gathered at V Lounge in Santa Monica to celebrate the end of Orientation and the beginning of classes with an 80's Party. We saw all kinds of ridiculousness, including legwarmers, fanny packs, spandex, and linen suits. The cast of characters included: Rainbow Bright; Mario, Luigi and Yoshi; multiple Magnum PI's; both officers on CHiPs; Maverick in both a flight suit and dress whites; seven inhabitants of Sesame Street; and multiple Daniel-sons.
Meg and I got into character as a 80's rocker chick and Marty McFly. Amazingly, Meg knitted her own legwarmers, one bright pink, the other neon blue, to go along with fishnet stockings she already had and a cutout t-shirt she picked up on the cheap from Goodwill. I grabbed a denim jacket and red vest also from Goodwill and threw it together with a borrowed skateboard and some other clothes to do my best impression of Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future.
(Click on photo for bigger picture)
Overall the night was a lot of fun, but also really ridiculous. Why a bunch of 20 and 30 year old's spent so much time thinking of and creating costumes is beyond me (even though I did the same). I guess it's just an excuse to relive our college years one last time.
On a side note, while the 80's certainly missed the boat in terms of fashion, they definitely got the music right. Lots of incredible rock songs like "Livin' On a Prayer" and "Don't Stop Believing" (or as Meg likes to call it "Streetlight People"), awesome hip-hop songs like anything Michael Jackson and some great 80's style music that's great to sing and dance to like "Take On Me" and "Whip It." Music during the last decade just can't hang with those awesome songs.
Meg and I got into character as a 80's rocker chick and Marty McFly. Amazingly, Meg knitted her own legwarmers, one bright pink, the other neon blue, to go along with fishnet stockings she already had and a cutout t-shirt she picked up on the cheap from Goodwill. I grabbed a denim jacket and red vest also from Goodwill and threw it together with a borrowed skateboard and some other clothes to do my best impression of Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future.
(Click on photo for bigger picture)
Overall the night was a lot of fun, but also really ridiculous. Why a bunch of 20 and 30 year old's spent so much time thinking of and creating costumes is beyond me (even though I did the same). I guess it's just an excuse to relive our college years one last time.
On a side note, while the 80's certainly missed the boat in terms of fashion, they definitely got the music right. Lots of incredible rock songs like "Livin' On a Prayer" and "Don't Stop Believing" (or as Meg likes to call it "Streetlight People"), awesome hip-hop songs like anything Michael Jackson and some great 80's style music that's great to sing and dance to like "Take On Me" and "Whip It." Music during the last decade just can't hang with those awesome songs.
Monday, August 9, 2010
So Nice They Named It Twice
We spent last weekend in New York on the last leg of our so-called "victory tour" of the East Coast seeing some friends and being tourists again. Technically, we stayed in West Chester with our friend Jason (pictured below) and not NYC, but who's counting.
We got to New York on Friday afternoon and visited Jason at his summer job working at the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture. Stone Barns used to be the Rockefeller's dairy farm, but a few years back they donated the 80 acres and it now operates as a sustainable teaching farm and restaurant.
On Saturday, we got into the city in the early afternoon and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to eat real, New York style pizza at Grimaldi's. Even though the wait was an hour long, it was definitely worth it. We had a thin crust sausage and black olive pizza that was fantastic. Had we not seen ice cream in the neighborhood, we probably would have had another pizza. After eating, we walked around Brooklyn Bridge Park, and then back over the bridge to go see Ground Zero. Unfortunately, we're not VIPs and couldn't really see anything at Ground Zero except a whole lot of construction.
We spent Saturday night hanging out with two more friends from Davidson, Garen and Will. (FYI, Garen recently finished in third place in the Block Island Triathalon - he's pretty awesome.) Besides the company, I think Meg's favorite part of the night was the drinks we had at this little dive bar. The first was a dark n' stormy which came in little tiki glass. The second was called a Rusty Knot (named after the bar) which was some frozen concoction that included basil.
Sunday was our travel day, so we took things easy and met up with Garen and another friend, JP, for brunch at a cool little spot called the Spotted Pig. After enjoying a burger with bleu cheese (for me) and strawberry french toast (for Meg), we hit the road.
All in all, we now have traveled about 2400 miles on our three-week victory lap. We've survived with each other thus far, so hopefully another two weeks and 3500 more miles won't be a problem.
We got to New York on Friday afternoon and visited Jason at his summer job working at the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture. Stone Barns used to be the Rockefeller's dairy farm, but a few years back they donated the 80 acres and it now operates as a sustainable teaching farm and restaurant.
On Saturday, we got into the city in the early afternoon and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to eat real, New York style pizza at Grimaldi's. Even though the wait was an hour long, it was definitely worth it. We had a thin crust sausage and black olive pizza that was fantastic. Had we not seen ice cream in the neighborhood, we probably would have had another pizza. After eating, we walked around Brooklyn Bridge Park, and then back over the bridge to go see Ground Zero. Unfortunately, we're not VIPs and couldn't really see anything at Ground Zero except a whole lot of construction.
We spent Saturday night hanging out with two more friends from Davidson, Garen and Will. (FYI, Garen recently finished in third place in the Block Island Triathalon - he's pretty awesome.) Besides the company, I think Meg's favorite part of the night was the drinks we had at this little dive bar. The first was a dark n' stormy which came in little tiki glass. The second was called a Rusty Knot (named after the bar) which was some frozen concoction that included basil.
Sunday was our travel day, so we took things easy and met up with Garen and another friend, JP, for brunch at a cool little spot called the Spotted Pig. After enjoying a burger with bleu cheese (for me) and strawberry french toast (for Meg), we hit the road.
All in all, we now have traveled about 2400 miles on our three-week victory lap. We've survived with each other thus far, so hopefully another two weeks and 3500 more miles won't be a problem.
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