Off to Ann Arbor for Casino Night tomorrow. Sunday marks my 23rd birthday (geezus, 23 is staring at the barrel of 'over the hill') and celebrations shall also be part of the festivities. I would've loved to join Eric in NYC for the Gorillaz concert Sunday night, but it would just be too much for me to handle, financially and mentally. I've been on and off the road so much I have no conception of time anymore. Just how I like it.
Summer plans have been determined. I will find myself learning how to run Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore with a focus on operations integration. Totally psyched.
Next international trip is in the works....possible ideas: Belize and Tanzania. One of them will happen. Also, a potential reunion in Austin in late May is looking like a possibility. Oh the places we will go....
I've been in North Carolina with the family recuperating the last few days of Spring Break after what was arguably one of the most intense and fun weeks of my life in Ireland and Amsterdam. While the stories told could be endless, I'd prefer to focus on a few moments:
- free booze on KLM international flights - getting to Karola's and the first thing we do is absinthe - 1 hour into Dublin and Kee Won and I are so hammered that we trip and fall down this gravel hill (which I later find out is a rather level parking lot) and I tear up my entire leg and proceed to bleed throughout the day - dancing at Ceili Mor with thousands of people without knowing one Irish dance step - live Irish music at pubs - teaching the Brazilians and the Irish how to play quarters; ultimately we ran out of beer and had to take shots - Irish cabs will not pick you up - losing Colleen (even after actively searching for her) in the club, only finding out later at 4 am that she is stuck at an Irish police station....she doesn't know how she got there.... - Irish breakfast = cure for all hangovers - England vs. Ireland rugby is one of the best sporting experiences ever. - Getting lost with Kee Won in the streets of Dublin and somehow finding the Turk's Head - Meeting up with AIESEC Michigan alums - Don't ever go on a crazy amusement park ride after eating 5 pieces of ham and still hungover. You could pull a Randy and boot in the National Gallery - Losing Colleen again on night 2 (Belgian 1, American 0) - Playing Nordic Circle with 7 people and a fifth of vodka at 6 am will destroy you - Walking around Dublin - Porterhouse Dublin - one of my favorite bars in the world - There will never be as sweet a nectar as a Guiness from the factory (and not to mention the view from the gravity bar) - the walk around Dublin to get to the factory was one of the most difficult yet rewarding experiences ever - A 1 hour nap on Aer Lingus does wonders to rejuvenate the soul - 18 hours in Amsterdam can be spent in many ways - The flight back could not have been more painful unless the plane actually crashed
All in all, one of the best experiences of my life. Busy schedule ahead: Chicago tomorrow til Wednesday, Ithaca Wednesday and Thursday, Ann Arbor either Thursday or Friday til Sunday (CASINO NIGHT), then a possibility I'll be in NYC on Sunday night if I get the Gorillaz backstage passes courtesy of a friend (time shall tell)........
Monday - Law 662 exam Tuesday - Corporate finance exam Wednesday - Corporate finance and SS Law problem sets due Thursday - Johns Hopkins interview Friday - drunk in Dublin
This weekend I probably studied over 30 hours and drank about 12. It seems like this style of living is harder than it used to be. Trying to stay calm....
The last three weekends have been spent in Chicago for ROKS, Ithaca for ROKS, and New York City this past weekend with the sense that my liver will lose the inevitable battle to preemptive cirrhosis. Hoboken has a crazy St. Paddy's day party that definitely primed me for Dublin. The Hobo-Hookah was a successful model and I'm grateful to the Doctor for giving me a prototype as a parting gift after the evening's festivities.
Needless to say, I think I'm slowly realizing the effects of my 'work hard, play hard' lifestyle, or maybe I'm just getting older. When I was a senior in high school, my doctor warned me that if I continued to live my life the way I did (2-3 hours of sleep a night, working my body to exhaustion day in and day out, getting insane stress-induced ulcers (Eric, do you remember the Mock Trial competitions back in the day....)), I'd die by the time I was 29. While I couldn't determine whether he was being serious or facetious, there was a hint of urgency in his voice that gave me chills. I never think much of it and still wholeheartedly believe in living life to its fullest. Currently, my weekdays are spent with long hours in the library, balanced out with weekends (usually out of Ithaca) that are normally filled with revelry and jollification, but are physically fatiguing. What is the moral of the story here? There is none. I am going to continue doing what I do because I feel that this is the equilibrium I need to make the most out of life. If I'm still blogging by the time I'm 29, I'll know I've beaten the odds.
The upcoming travel schedule is looking like a challenge but one that I can't wait for:
March 15: NYC March 16-21: Dublin, Ireland March 21-22: Amsterdam March 22-26: Raleigh, Fayetteville, North Carolina March 26-29: Chicago March 29: Back to Ithaca March 30-April 2: 23rd (wow that sounds ancient) birthday celebration in NYC April 7-9: Back to NYC for the reunion
I just need to make it through these next 9 days and then it's Ireland navidad!
