August's Last Stand

Ahh yes, the end of August, that time of the year when the little kiddies pack up the minivans and head to institutions of higher learning in the hopes that they might become fuller, more worldly persons (at least that's what I hoped for during my first days at SJU. Let's see if that pans out.) As I rolled up to Hopkins today to once again take my share of free internet, I was greeted by a scene that hearkened back to those days spent on the majestic Gest Lawn of my illustrious alma mater, Saint Joseph's. Young men and women, fresh from teary goodbyes with their parents, were sprawled upon what I can only assume to be Johns Hopkins' campus "quad." (after all, I have no idea what this campus looks like.) Grills were smoking, frisbees were flying, and music was blasting as the class of '13 looked to squeeze the last bits of juice out of a succulent summer. As I pushed my bike up to la biblioteca to sit and write to you from this very computer, I lamented the fact that I am no longer in college; those carefree days of fun and excitement are long behind me. However, if I continue to have weekends like the one I just had, then I could certainly get used to this "year of volunteering" thing (hey Mom and Dad, I think I might want to live on a stipend for the rest of my life!)

Friday night was the epitome of thrift. The roomies and I had planned to go to the Orioles game, not so much that we are diehard fans of the O's (though they could use all they help they can get), but because tickets were only 6 dollars. That, coupled with the fact that the JVC office passed on two free tickets, and that Mr. Moore gave us all coupons for free burritos at Chipotle, made for the cheapest night I'd seen since my college days. After enjoying our hot, spicy little bundle of free-ness, we proceeded to Camden Yards, hoping the rain would hold off. Well, it didn't (sort of). The game was delayed for about an hour, which was fine by us because we could sit wherever we wanted (I wanted to sit in the dugout but apparently you need a uniform for that. What kind of rule is that?!) Irregardless, the Orioles beat the Indians by some score that I don't remember, and we had a wonderful time with all 17 of Baltimore's fans.

Saturday was spent playing the legendary game of Ultimate Frisbee. Myself, Kelly and Tom, plus about 15 other people all related to JVC or Jesuits in general met at Druid Hill Park to take part in a friendly game of frisbee-toss. Now, this being the first time I had engaged in such a sport, I have to tell you, it was a BLAST! I couldn't tell if my shirt was drenched from sweat or the humidity, but we were all very fatigued after the game. We spent the afternoon doing some feng-shui'ing of the downstairs furniture, and we spent the night over an intense game of Monopoly (Kelly "technically" won, but I feel I had a better long-term strategy..Long term as in, if the game were to go on for years).

That brings us to today (or Hoy for you Spanish-speakers). On such an immaculately clear day, my only choice was to hop on the ol' two wheeler and pedal down to the Inner Harbor for some people watching. Overall, it was a great weekend in Charm City, one that didn't cost an arm and a leg (which is good, because that would make it difficult for me to ride my bike. That, and I wouldn't be able to do my secret handshake with Mr. Moore).

Hopefully you had a weekend of equal or greater value, and perhaps I would like to hear about it! But for now, please excuse me as I pretend I am a Johns Hopkins student so as to fill my bag with free food and drinks. And maybe a frisbee.

(Check out the photos I took from this weekend here.)