Monday, October 22, 2007
The College Experience
As I mentioned, I was back at Purdue this past weekend, seeing old friends and the Purdue-Iowa game. Good times, as always. Usually, though, I don't stay near campus overnight. This time, however, I did stay in a nearby hotel with a couple of friends and we went to a couple of the campus bars we used to frequent about a decade ago.
Some random things from being back on campus...
At one point, I was driving down an alley heading to a friend of a friend's house for a post-game cookout. As I drove slowly down the alley, a student dressed in a weird, perhaps Scottish-style golf outfit with huge sunglasses kind of flagged me down.
"HEY!" he greeted me.
"What?"
"Have you see my FUCKING golf shoes??" he asked with a grin.
"No, man, sorry, I haven't seen them," I answered him, in a serious voice.
"Shit!" came the eloquent reply.
Later that night, as we were walking around the village area where there were tons of students milling about and five or six bars all within feet of one another, another student -- who appeared already drunk -- stepped on the back of my shoe as we walked. He quickly said, "I'm sorry, sir."
My friend Christy noticed the "sir" and I saw her hide a smirk.
Then later we were in a crowded bar and as another student tried to get past me, he gave me a "Excuse me, sir."
Back in college, that would have been "Excuse me, man" or "'Scuse me, dude." This time, Christy couldn't help by laugh at it.
Later on, I was at the bar waiting to order a couple of drinks for me and my friend Zac. When the bartender finally got to me, I told him, "Crown and diet; and a Grey Goose and 7Up." This caused the student sitting to the right with his back to me to turn around and give his loud approval of my ordering decision.
"Yeaahh, man, nicely done!"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, that's a serious drink order."
When I got back to Zac I told of this exchange and he reminded me of our college years... and asked if we would have ever considered buying drinks like that -- hard liquor was usually too pricey and top shelf was kind of out of the question. But that's fine because you haven't acquired a taste for good liquor at 21 years old, either, unless you've got a serious drinking problem.
One thing that I have always loved in the few times I've gotten back to college bars since I became somewhat gainfully-employed is the fact that what's an expensive Saturday-night price for collegians is a bargain for me. I ordered those aforementioned mixed drinks and, being used to NY/NJ pricing, gave the bartender a $20 and didn't expect a ton back. And I got back $13.25. $6.75 for two top-shelf well drinks?? Not too bad.
All in all, a good trip. And for as much as it sounds like I was sensitive about being a decade older than most of the kids, I didn't feel that out of place. I think that'll come when somebody asks me if my kid goes there or something.
Some random things from being back on campus...
At one point, I was driving down an alley heading to a friend of a friend's house for a post-game cookout. As I drove slowly down the alley, a student dressed in a weird, perhaps Scottish-style golf outfit with huge sunglasses kind of flagged me down.
"HEY!" he greeted me.
"What?"
"Have you see my FUCKING golf shoes??" he asked with a grin.
"No, man, sorry, I haven't seen them," I answered him, in a serious voice.
"Shit!" came the eloquent reply.
Later that night, as we were walking around the village area where there were tons of students milling about and five or six bars all within feet of one another, another student -- who appeared already drunk -- stepped on the back of my shoe as we walked. He quickly said, "I'm sorry, sir."
My friend Christy noticed the "sir" and I saw her hide a smirk.
Then later we were in a crowded bar and as another student tried to get past me, he gave me a "Excuse me, sir."
Back in college, that would have been "Excuse me, man" or "'Scuse me, dude." This time, Christy couldn't help by laugh at it.
Later on, I was at the bar waiting to order a couple of drinks for me and my friend Zac. When the bartender finally got to me, I told him, "Crown and diet; and a Grey Goose and 7Up." This caused the student sitting to the right with his back to me to turn around and give his loud approval of my ordering decision.
"Yeaahh, man, nicely done!"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, that's a serious drink order."
When I got back to Zac I told of this exchange and he reminded me of our college years... and asked if we would have ever considered buying drinks like that -- hard liquor was usually too pricey and top shelf was kind of out of the question. But that's fine because you haven't acquired a taste for good liquor at 21 years old, either, unless you've got a serious drinking problem.
One thing that I have always loved in the few times I've gotten back to college bars since I became somewhat gainfully-employed is the fact that what's an expensive Saturday-night price for collegians is a bargain for me. I ordered those aforementioned mixed drinks and, being used to NY/NJ pricing, gave the bartender a $20 and didn't expect a ton back. And I got back $13.25. $6.75 for two top-shelf well drinks?? Not too bad.
All in all, a good trip. And for as much as it sounds like I was sensitive about being a decade older than most of the kids, I didn't feel that out of place. I think that'll come when somebody asks me if my kid goes there or something.
Labels: bars, do you even need to check my ID?, Purdue
