A Year of Anniversaries ... and Other News

This May marked the fifth anniversary of my graduation from college and my ownership of Billie (my Mazda 626), and on this Labor Day I will complete my fifth year of working for a living. Also, ten years ago this June I graduated from high school, excited to leave TPHS behind and anxious to conquer much bigger challenges at UIUC.

The ten year high school anniversary is really quite insignificant. Mostly, my life since high school has been a lot better than my life in high school. And I only casually keep in touch with a handful of my old classmates, so I was ambivalent when the invitation to the high school reunion came in the mail. And, since it was going to be held in Oak Forest on a summer night (this Saturday); I hesitated to attend the event. Finally, at $88 per person, I could think of a lot of better ways to spend the night. But alas, the opportunity of a lifetime arose; a beautiful Italian friend of mine happened to be coming to Chicago in time to attend the reunion with me, and so what was going to be ritualistic and obligatory for me, became a chance to share an American cultural hurdle with someone who would truly appreciate a slice of the American experience.

It is with some regret, therefore, that I announce that the reunion has been cancelled due to lack of interest! I say some regret because with cancellation comes a refund check of $178 that I will try to put to good use. There is no need to email or comment with suggestions for the use of this money; I’m on top of it!

In Other News
Last week and this week I’ve been in Dallas. The people have been great and I’ve been enjoying the local Tex-Mex and BBQ cuisine, but the heat has been considerable. I escaped the Dallas weather (in the 90s) to come home last weekend. On Friday Chico Blanco and I met up with Mark, Ceebs, Tara and Nick for some drinks, and then Ceebs came to The Palacio for another couple beers on the balcony.

Saturday I did a deep-clean of The Palacio for the first time in too long. After that Chico Blanco and I went up to Arco de Cuchilleros for some good tapas, and then to the Hop Leaf for some good Belgian brews! After that I met up with Mark (who had just left the Kelly Clarkson concert, by the way) and others for a few more hours.

On Sunday I woke up realizing that I still had a lot of work to do before I could return to Dallas, so I had to skip seeing the family. But I did buy a 2006 GMAT study guide, and I’m on my way toward completing the exam by the end of this calendar year! It’s been hard to study in the summer, but I’m thinking I’ll buckle down in autumn. Although, now that I know where I’m going in September, I probably shouldn't say that!