SRY

    I apologize to my few followers for such a long lapse in time since my last post. Since I got back from Chicago I have been so busy with work, getting ready for school, and traveling on the weekends.

WWII Memorial with Krista

    As a quick re-cap, I have started moving into my new apartment, got a bus pass, have worked many hours hostessing and promoting beer, traveled to DC for the weekend, and am starting to freak out about the fact that I will be starting law school very soon.

    DC with Krista was crazy. I love cities, and for me, DC is a small, cleaner, and cheaper version of NYC. I love that almost all of the museums are free and that its close to home. We went out, met up with W&L friends, and had an overall blast. We also went to the Newseum which I hadn't seen before and was very impressed! We spent over 4 hours inside! I also was reminded that I am no longer a fresh spring chicken/freshmen in college anymore, and cannot drink in that manner any more either. The 5 hour drive home on Sunday was painful to say the least.

    After DC Wayde and I received the keys to our first apartment the following weekend! I must say it is very convenient living so close to my parent's house because I can slowly bring all of my stuff over. I will post pics of the apartment once I am totally moved in. For now, I am focusing on brining my large wardrobe over... and tackling my roach problem. I have found 3 so far! I understand that living in an apartment means dealing with bugs, but I hate bugs, and I especially hate cockroaches. If I see another I might have a breakdown.

    Aside from all that, I am getting excited for orientation. Its not a whole week like I was given every year at W&L, but I guess I have to sacrifice some things now that I'm slowing growing up. The next thing on my list is
to buy a back to school outfit!

Chicagooooo

      It has been a week since I went but I have just been so busy with work that I forgot to blog about my trip to Chicago! I planned my trip to Chicago because one of my best friends Lauren is living there for her summer internship and I had never been to the city. My only real experience with big cities is NYC so I compared much of my visit to it.

Ohio Beach

     
      Going to Chicago was one of my first trips really traveling by myself--in all other trips I either go with a friend or my family, and even though Lauren lives there, she had to work during the day on Friday so I was left to my own devices.  Surprise surprise, I liked being alone! When you go around to tourist attractions and museums, its nice not to have someone following you or nagging you about stuff. And being the planning neat-freak that I am, I made a list of all the places I wanted to visit and foods I wanted to try. And I printed it off and crossed stuff of as I did it. Obviously.

Crown Fountain

      Some of the highlights of my trip: Millennium Park, Skydeck (the top of was what perviously the Sears Tower and now the Willis Tower), The Art Institute of Chicago, Navy Pier, and just hanging out on the "beach."  Yes these are all touristy things but they were great. For a couple of hours one afternoon I just sat in Millennium park by the Crown Fountain and watched the kids splashing in the water. I just lost myself in their happiness and lack of care about anything!  I also tried some Chicago deep dish pizza, but must admit that New York has got them beat on that front.

      Speaking about the city in general, I loved it. The people were friendly and the city was clean and easy to navigate. The only negative was that the public transportation was nowhere near as proficient or all-encompassing as NYC's. And I doubt I would enjoy their winter's. But I would definitely say that I would go back!

Hat Rack by Marcel Duchamp--I wrote about this piece in part of my Senior Thesis and got to see it in person at the Art Institute! 

The Whole Beer

    Today and tomorrow I am sampling Shock Top's Belgian White and their seasonal Honeycrisp Apple Wheat (a combo of their Belgian White and apple cider). A guy in his late 20s comes up and asks me if I am giving free samples. I reply yes, but before I have a chance to pour some of the bottle into the sample cup, he grabs the beer and takes a swig right from the bottle. I look at him like he is crazy and tell him that I am only giving samples, not the entire bottle...

    Do people honestly think that they could get an entire bottle of beer for free? And walk around the grocery store with it? 

STELLA!!!

    Although I don't have anything terribly interesting to report, I can give a quick synopsis of my last week.  Not much happened during the week per say but I did go out to eat at Acme in Carrboro. Although I am not a huge fan of Carrboro for various reasons, Acme was quite tasty (but very pricy). 

My Stella set-up 

    For Harris this week was was promoting Stella Artois, the world's best selling Belgian beer. It is quite tasty and actually my Mom's favorite as well. The deal we were running was that if you bought one of their 12-packs we gave you a signature chalice along with it. The cup was actually a really nice. And I don't mean to brag, but I sold a bunch of beer this week, not sure if it was me or the glasses, but I killed it. 

  I didn't go out at all and it was raining and storming all weekend so I just relaxed and came down with a cold which really sucks. I will spend tonight getting lots of sleep and trying to get healthy again.

   I look forward to going to my friends lake house on Thursday for the 4th! Should be fun!

Chapel Hill Sunset

Beer Maid

    Yesterday I worked my first beer sampling for Harris Beverages LLC.  I posted up at two Harris Teeters in Durham for two hours each.  While it is a fun and very interesting experience, I need to start wearing some more comfortable shoes because standing on your feet for four hours seriously tires your back. During the break in my shifts yesterday I ran into Randy's Pizza (best pizza in Durham) to grab some dinner. My car officially smells like beer and pizza. I might as well be back at college.

    My favorite part of this job is hearing peoples response when I ask them if they want to sample the beer.  Here are some of my favorites from yesterday:

• "Give me a sample of both. I don't even like beer but I need something to get me through grocery shopping with my family."
• "No thanks I gave up alcohol for the week!"
• "Nope, I quit alcohol in 1967!"
• And then there was they guy who stood by my table for 15 minutes discussing the history of beer and so on... 

    I also noticed that people sample beer in different manners. There are those who take their tasting in three sips, those who do two sips, and then there are the tasters who just chug the whole thing. The one-sippers are usually the funniest to talk with, not surprisingly.

    Just as an FYI, I am sampling the Brooklyn Lager and Brooklyn Summer Ale this week, two very tasty beers. Today I will be at the Harris Teeter in Meadowmont (4-6) and then the HT at University Mall (6:30-8:30) if you want to stop by! 

My setup 

Weekend Update

    I have started a new job for the summer, something totally different from the NYC law firm I have been at the past two years.  This summer I am working for a beer distributor, one of the largest in North Carolina, Harris Beverages LLC. They distribute Anheuser Busch products through most of the triangle. During my past week with them I have learned the basics of beer: from differentiating between lagers and ales to learning how to pour the perfect draught, I am becoming quite the aficionado. As my friend recently noted in an email, I should tell W&L that I am putting my four years of school/intense drinking to use... 

Beer tastings

    It is very refreshing working for Harris Beverages (and I'm not just talking about the drinks). The offices is much more laid back than I am used to but I like it. I get to sample numerous beers and will soon be going out to local stores to promote our products. Recently, craft beers have become all the rage and that is what I am focusing on. 

    Along with the fun atmosphere and interesting topic, not having to work 9-5 is a big relief. It gives me time to hang out at home, sit on the couch, and read. Things I will not be able to do much of once law school starts.

    

    But I don't want to talk about school... for now I am enjoying the summer! I have already booked a flight to Chicago to see one of my best friends. I have never been to Kanye's home town but I am very much looking forward to it. Aside from the fact that I love cities, there are some great art museums and galleries for me to check out! 

Brian, Me, John, and Kevin

    Part of my to-do list for the summer is visit as many friends as possible. Last weekend I went to Charlotte to watch my friend John play for the MLL team the Charlotte Hounds. He is an amazing lacrosse player and it was fun to watch him continue to play the sport he loves. I also got to hang out with a couple of other best friends from high school. Not sure how I feel about Charlotte (its no NYC...) but I will admit I had a good time while there. 

    The Sunday I got home my family went out to eat at a place in Durham called G2B. It was surprisingly delicious. Many typical pub type ingredients and foods but made in an upscale restaurant type style as far as combinations and serving. My sister and I decided to eat a 1 pound monster of a burger. 1 lb of home ground meet, fried bacon, foie gras, arugula, gruyere cheese, and onions. It was amazing.  

The Madness

  

  The only annoying part of this summer is the fact that our house just went on the market.  This means that the house has to be kept spotless 24-7 and whenever someone comes to look at the place, we have to get the dogs out for at least an hour. I really hope this house sells quickly... 

    I am happy to be getting back into the swing of blogging and I hope everyone else is too. 

Postgrad

As I sit on the couch at my lake house, I am starting to absorb the fact that I am no longer a student at Washington and Lee University.  I'm not sad because I have lasting regrets of things I did not do, but rather because I just will not get to go back in August. I have a feeling that law school will be a big shock to my o-week anticipating self. 

I could go on for pages about how awesome W&L is, but you could just look at all of my Facebook pictures to see that. I am very excited to see what all of my classmates will do with their lives--as our class president said in his speech during graduation, we have people going all across the world and doing all sorts of jobs, research, and continuing their education. 

Here is a list of the top five things I will miss about W&L:

1. The friendliness of students and faculty

2. The beautiful campus and walking along the colonnade

3. Teachers who truly care, not just about your education, but about your life

4. The parties (I mean, come on...they are the best)

5. The endless opportunities to reach your goals and become the person you want to be thanks to the great resources and friends and faculty who are there to help you

I cannot thank my parents enough for supporting me these past four years and allowing me to attend such an amazing place for college. I would not be the person I am today without those experiences at W&L. The friends and memories I have made will last me a lifetime (and if I ever start to lose my memory, I have begun writing some of my best memories down in a diary).