Some thoughts from this past weekend’s Delt alumni events (apologies to the non-Bradley people who won’t know what the hell I’m talking about).
We all know that the Shelter, built in 1990 by the university and designed as a “temporary” housing building meant to last 10 years max, is really starting to show its age. The walls reminded me of those whores, or old actresses, you see who have 1/8 inch of makeup plastered on their face to cover up the years of use and abuse. With that much spackle though, it draws attention to the problem areas and doesn’t blend in well.
A lot of cities in America have experienced rejuvenation in the downtown area. While the main highway and bridges going through town has totally been redone since I was last there, Main Street still looks the same if not worse. Going up the hill on the way to campus there are still sketchy stores, abandoned storefronts and basically a reminder that there are still Rust Belt areas that are past their prime and have yet to be renovated.
With that being said, the drug-addled blocks of crack houses that were behind the Student Apartment Complex aren’t there anymore. There’s a boatload of really nice (at least on the outside) brick apartments along with a nice softball field. If the city could just apply that same attitude towards Main Street it would be a nice stretch of street from downtown to the campus.
The two bars we used to hand out at couldn’t have been more different now. Jimmy’s was absolutely packed and had a great vibe. Even more amazing was not only was the same doorman there (Vince – he said it’s been 16 years he’s been there now) but the three bartenders were the same too. Sully’s, on the other hand, couldn’t have been deader. I’d daresay it was 20 percent full on a Friday night. Oddly enough, a small group blocked the entrance to the bathrooms and we had to rudely muscle out way through to relieve ourselves (and take pictures – see yesterday’s post). Sully’s used to be a Bradley hangout but now it’s hanging by a thread. It was amusing to see the name of a Delt a few years younger than us with his name etched on the Wall of Fame (I forget the requirements, I think you have to drink all their beer 3 times over to get your name engraved) because they misspelled his name!!!
Seeing the new Sigma Chi house being erected is going to be a massive recruiting tool for them. When that house it complete it will look like it belongs on the shores of Lake Michigan north of Chicago. That’s what happens when the university wants to buy your old house and you also have decades of alumni ready to donate. Maybe some day…
The actual Formal event itself was kind of anticlimactic. On the sheet they gave everyone showing that night’s schedule, they listed the event being Open Bar. That’s a massive typo to print for college kids since it was a Cash Bar. Once the agonizing long ceremony was complete, they literally turned off the lights for dancing. It wasn’t like they left on some soft lights like they do in theaters when the previews are running. No, this was almost pitch black and that was a real deterrent in trying to talk to people and catch up with them. To make matters worse, us old guys then headed for the light in the hallway but they had a guy standing there not letting anyone take any drinks out so we were forced to either finish a drink to talk in the light, stand in the entryway to talk and drink, or pretend we were still doing those old spelunking parties and talking in practical darkness. Don’t get me wrong, we all had a good time but the setup could maybe have been a bit different.
With the dance room being so dark, I wasn’t witness to what some of my friends saw. I guess the new thing for “the kids” to do now is to not just dance dirty but to dance filthy. Dry Humping While Standing Up is so "2001". What’s new now is to Dry Hump With Your Girl On All Fours. Wow, and I’m bringing another girl into the world?! How will they dance when they’re of college age? Will it simple be bukake dancing, with a girl taking pints of cum on her face and hair from 30 guys while on the dance floor?
As for the food, Avanti’s pizza bread with pepperoni tasted just as good as the old days. Usually when I revisit something unhealthy that I used to love when I was younger, it usually tastes disgusting to me now. But this was exactly as I remember it. One World Café is simply printing money now and their breakfast was really good, despite the 4 hour long wait (or so it seemed) after ordering your food.
All in all, I’d say it was a damn fine weekend. The youngsters seem to have a good head on their collective shoulders. With so many alumni in town, it was actually difficult to talk to everyone you wanted to. Hair is greyer, bellies are fatter, but the personalities are still the exact same (with a few exceptions) and that’s exactly what I expected.
Do I miss Bradley? Sometimes. Sure, I miss struggling to wake up in time for an 11 AM class but I also don’t miss the utter poverty one can experience as a college student. I don’t miss the days when I had to ask someone in the fraternity if they could cover a check for 16 cents for my Columbia House bill (one of the few times I didn’t fuck that company over) because I only had 7 cents in my checking account.
Being up until 5 AM both nights/mornings is a tad tough on a mid-30-year old body. I was fine at the time but when I finally got home on Monday (after a 2 AM night in Chicago on Sunday), the old Finely Tuned Machine said “No Mas, Senor”. But it was worth it to catch up with everyone. Every damn minute of it.