10.12.2006

The Countdown...

The weather is changing (although mostly to rain around DC), the leaves are changing, and the Blades and Booze party is quickly approaching. First off, all your party info can be found at the party homepage updated again this year by the tireless organizers Rob and Bruce. Second, if you read this blog then yes, you are invited. If you're interested in coming, send me a note and I can hook you up with directions and details. As an attendee of every party, former half host, and bio page owner, I feel I'm qualified to offer up some sage advice on the B&B party:

1) Start Early - If you don't know yet what your costume is, close this browser immediately, find something to write on, and begin brainstorming. If you know what you're going to go as (bravo), then (excuse the engineering dorkiness) prototyping your costume is always important. It'll quickly show what works and what doesn't and give you more ideas on how to complete your costume. Prototyping could be the difference between Marvin the Martian and a Flower Costume...just ask Rob.



2) Not your typical costume
Most at the B and B party don't go for the typical zombie, Frakenstein, or Ghost (although Otto almost went at the last minute with a frilly sheet and wisely thought otherwise). I think the best costumes have been something out of movies, television, and even cartoons. Not saying that we haven't had great "typical" costumes, but being creative is key. You don't want to be the third superman with a white collared shirt and blue superman t-shirt underneath.

3) Reserve a bed early -- You're going to get wasted; the plethora of alcohol options pretty much gurantee that you will be drunk even before the Rumplemintz shots start. Needless to say, a lot of people sleep over...this means call that premium floor space near (but not too near) the bathroom or that cute girl early. As an alternative you can always reserve a bed at you're neighbor's apartment, then pass out there while everyone else is still at the party and wake up in a pillow full of dried-up blond hair dye...not that I know anything about that.



If you don't reserve your space early, in a druken haze you could end up next to this cutie



4) Have Fun - 'Nuff preaching. Even if you design your costume on the day of the party, and its not that creative, and the sleeping arrangement is less than ideal -- you will still have a blast!

See you there...

10.05.2006

Back on Track...

First I must apologize...I haven't written a blog entry in about 3 weeks. If you go back to the beginning of this blog, I set out to write an entry about once a week. I know I get frustrated when I click through my favorite blogs and find nothing new for a period of time like three weeks. I don't even have a good excuse (we've already moved across the country and officially settled in a month ago); that's why I'm biting the bullet and plunging into the blog entry even though I don't really have a topic.

Sure we've been busy, our sand league Volleyball team had a fairly large turn-around to end the season; our first half record of 3-9 improved to 8-4 for the second half of the season. Incidentally, this was enough for us to make the playoffs and despite my absence, almost won the first round of playoff games. I happened to miss the playoff game because I was down in Charlottesville, a common occurrence recently. The reasons have been varied, but it always seems to include eating dinner with Ben Darling. Let's see, I saw our team lose our homecoming game (you know the one that is intentionally scheduled against a super weak team) to Western Michigan, played beer pong with friends now back in grad school who are still living the undergrad life, and then had to go back to recruit UVA students for my rotational program at work (in a strange coincidence I recognized at least one guy from beer pong the weekend before). We also went through Charlottesville again in a road trip down to North and South Carolina to see various family members, and attended our niece's first birthday party in Richmond. Add all of that up and you've got a pretty busy stretch.

If you don't buy the busyness excuse then too bad; its not the truth that matters but the truthiness (at least that's what my gut tells me). I could create an article on Wikipedia proving that busyness is the reason for my blog dry spell, I just need to find some time to do it...