Hoosier Country

I was due for a visit to my alma mater since I returned to the Midwest. However a hectic and unpredictable schedule make the task next to impossible. However the stars and planets aligned in the galaxy and somehow I managed to have open the weekend of November 8- the date of the Indiana-Wisconsin football game.

I acquired the very last of my late grandfather's IU football season tickets and headed east on I-70 for Bloomington, IN. Like most respectable college town, getting there isn't easy because the town doesn't lie on a major U.S. highway. The weekend was about as unpredictable as my life as of late.

I arrived Friday evening and went to the Sigma Nu house to kill some time. Believe it or not, but I actually still do know some people there. I played catch-up before meeting up with my friend Miranda who invited me to a work party. Contrary to what this seems like, it was actually a professional moves versus an event with free food and beverage. Miranda works for a PR firm and is trying to help me get a job- SO THERE! All in all the evening ended rather early because we all wanted to get up early on Saturday for tailgating.

Saturday morning came soon enough. We bundled up, loaded my truck and set-up shop in the reserved parking section right outside the stadium. My friends both new and old were impressed with my "hook-up." The weather was less than favorable. Overcast skies, temperatures in the 30's and a heavy wind from the west. I think I picked the worst weekend of the fall to attend a football game, but after a few beers and/or mojitos everyone was in much better spirits. In a moment of weakness I bought a fleece IU jacket because I was so cold.

The first half of the game was incredible. The Hoosiers fought tooth and nail with the Badgers. In the third quarter, reality set in and the Cream & Crimson had a nuclear meltdown. I'll give the girls who came to the game with me major props. Despite the poor weather, not once did a single one of them complain. They were troopers. Sucked it up and had fun regardless. One of them was a former IU cheerleader who had never tailgated before. We left shortly after the third quarter.

We took power naps before venturing out for a night on Kirkwood Ave. For those who have been fortunate to socialize on this beloved street, then I need say no more, but since most of you haven't, well, that's too bad. We went to the favorites: Nick's, Upstairs Pub and even Kilroys was thrown out there as a possibility but we thought better of it.

After a slow Sunday that included breakfast at everyone's favorite hangover-cure hot-spot Village Deli, Miranda and I went to a concert at Bluebird. Monday morning I woke up and drove home.