Driving Down Memory Lane

Yesterday I decided to go see a football game at the college I graduated from. I had emailed a few friends that still live in the area and before you know it we had a decent group getting together including one classmate who flew in from NYC. My old roommate lives near me so we rode together and talked on the way to the game. We havent really had a good talking in quite some time.

Our first stop (well second if you count the stop for $2.65 gas while it is $2.90 next to my house) was to a little sports bar that opened up I think my Senior year. It was there that I had my first buffalo wings and they were as good yesterday as they were the first time. The rest of the crew had originally planned to grill and tailgate but most joined us for wings instead. We left the group and went driving around. My former roomie wanted a chocolate-bananna milkshake and then we were off to go see his fraternity little brother but he wasnt home. We called another friend who is a high school principal in the area but he and his family already had plans for the day (sorry for the last minute call Shaky). We drove around the campus and stopped to say hello to a couple of former teachers. One has a significant other near my house and he promised to stop by on his way to or from.

The campus has changed. When I was there, the buildings were a hodge podge mix of architectural styles but now they all look the same except for one of the girls' dorms (the one where the sororities reside). The dorm I stayed in my Freshman and Sophmore years has been demolished. That was kinda sad. I guess that is what I get for not coming back to visit that often (I think it is at least 7 years since I was there).

Next stop was the game. We decided to sit in the student section but there wasnt that many students. The band has been moved from the endzone to the 50 yard line so that it looks like people are at the game when the games are televised. Gone are the Fraternity and Sorority seating sections and as a result, gone also are most of their members at the games. And speaking of sororities, when I was in school there was one sorority that all of their members were stick thin blondes with long hair. They definitely are not that sterotype today. The other big change at the game is the pyrotechnics: sparklers and fireworks as the team takes the field and then more explosions when we score (I thought they were going to run out of fireworks yesterday as we kept scoring and scoring and scoring).

After the game, most of the group went to a new restaurant (there are a lot of new places that werent there when I was in college) but me and my former roomie wanted to head home... after a stop at our favorite BBQ place. We asked for a side of Brunswick Stew and the waitress said she didnt know what that was. Can you imagine a BBQ place that doesnt know what Brunswick Stew is? I was dumbfounded.

We ate quick and then drove back home while having lots more conversations. He plans to go back in a couple of weeks for homecoming but I have other plans for that weekend. Who knows, maybe I will change them.