Rereunion

Pitzer College built a new dormitory, celebrating its completion with a ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday. Indeed, the construction has come a long way since being just an unconventional outlet for pervs. I had some friends attending the event, but it was a Monday, so of course I had better, more margarita-y plans in mind. Besides, if you've ever seen one ribbon cut, you might as well have seen a whole ribbon factory impaled, you know what I mean? (You shouldn't, that doesn't quite make sense.) On my ride home from work, I was hungry and not in the mood to make dinner, so when I found out Pitzer was serving free food for this event, suddenly my mind was changed. Yes, Pitzer, I will attend or your ribbon cutting ceremony, or rather, yes, I will eat the food you provide then leave before the ribbon cutting ceremony.

I met up with Christine for the meal. At first glance, I was surprised by the food, it looked fancy, and as I expressed to Christine, "I thought it would be, well, you know..." (Outdoor meals at Pitzer are notoriously underwhelming.) Rest assured, though it appeared snazzy, it tasted bland as ever. Still, a free dinner was better than one I paid for, even if it includes quasi-cooked carrots. (Overheard: "Are these raw?" "I can't tell, but they're wet.")

Notably, a lot of people were moved to stay because of the speeches, two of which were notably delivered by Robert Redford and Ed Begley Jr. As of late, Redford has been a total fop (Friend of Pitzer, and yes, I made that up) after filming part of Lions for Lambs starring Mr. Katie Holmes and some up-and-comer by the name of Meryl Streep, an upcoming movie that he directed. I was also displaced temporarily from one of my grad school classes so they could film an interior classroom scene, so I'm definitely going to have to see this movie. Check out the trailer, and get excited. The first three scenes shots are of Pitzer (excluding the roaring lion, of course):

1. Look, there's pretty Pitzer and the clock tower. I've rode my bike there, too.
2. Look, there's Mead Hall where I once lived. There are fliers on the door where I once posted fliers.
3. Look, there's the hall director's office. I've half-heartedly promised to stay sober while others consume alcohol in my dormitory suite there.
Obviously, there is much more aesthetically-pleasing footage of Pitzer to be found than certain news outlets would lead you to believe.

At any rate, these celebrities came to speak in order to commend the school for constructing buildings "pursuing the highest level of green [environmental] certification." Still, I was not interested. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud too, but the green on my mind then was that of the tint of margaritas. And with that, Christine and I bounced to "greener" pastures: Margarita Monday.

It was a good choice. Sure we missed the "light show" at Pitzer (what is Pitzer, Disneyland? A four-year-old's birthday party?), but as usual, a great time was had by all. Spencer spent a long time pondering whether to have a third margarita because he had to finish his last grad school paper, then suddenly found himself drinking his sixth, which I'm pretty sure might actually be dangerous. I'd be interested in reading this paper. Personally, I limited my intake as I vowed to last week after a gross next morning. Even having two, however, can cause problems. When Michael Michael asked how my day was, I told him that I spent nearly an hour trying in vain to plunge our clogged toilet. The alcohol clearly clouded my judgment, since as I said this fact, the guest (who I love) who had clogged the toilet was sitting next to me. Everyone instantly recognized this faux pas, as did I about two seconds too late, and reacted. Wouldn't you know, the only person not to hear my toilet comment was the clogger emself. So then the person asked me to repeat my comment, I hesitated but owned up to it and thankfully it went over well. I made sure to make it clear that the toilet breaks/clogs frequently (which is entirely true), calling it a "shitty toilet" without recognizing the pun. It is at this point that Passed Out Patty, who I was going to drive, insisted on driving me instead. I agreed, provided she leave me in charge of unlocking the doors. Burn!

So we wound up back at Pitzer for the alumni-only after party. Yet again, it was a reunion I never expected to go to until I actually went. As much as I don't like being on my old campus anymore, this event was one I could enjoy as everyone there was at least a bit out of place. They served a lot of free booze, but I stuck to my vow and abstained, though insanely Spencer, not even an alum, didn't. I chatted up the lead singer of 90 Proof and spouse, which is always pleasant. I also saw old familiar faces and recounted with them the places on campus where I pooped outdoors. Erica, a current Pitzer senior, crashed the festivities temporarily, so I made a point to throw appetizers on the floor in front of eir while screaming about how I was wasting eir tuition money. There was talk of an after-after-party, but as a responsible teacher, it was time for me to turn in. Besides, I was nearly out of poop stories anyway.