I could use several adjectives to describe last weekend: crazy, busy, full, fun, very college. I drove about 300 miles, stayed up until 4 AM twice, and attended two very different Halloween parties. Every weekend should be so good.
I started Friday's trip home later than usual. I had my car loaded and ready to go by 2:30, but it wouldn't start. I had a dead battery from leaving the dome light on for a week and a half. kindly agreed to give me a jump, however neither of us knew for sure how. I knew one had to follow a particular order when attaching the clamps, but we didn't know what it was. Sad, I know. After three cell phone calls to various people, we had the situation straightened out and my car running. In what in hindsight was a tactical mistake, I didn't leave right then. was holding tryouts in the Union, so I went to try my luck. I didn't do well on the 30-question tryout quiz, mainly because my pop culture trivia knowledge is seriously lacking. My car again failed to start when I got back. Eric patiently agreed to jump it again, and I was finally on my way around 4:30. Aside from unusually heavy traffic, the trip home was uneventful.
When I got home, I spent some time with The Parents, then went to hang out with Laura for the evening. A quick mexican dinner, then off to the pumpkin patch (read: church parking lot) for reasons that will become clear. I chose a round, basketball-sized pumpkin while Laura shopped and shopped and shopped and chose a short, squat one. We then went to a rather halfhearted haunted house. 45 minute wait for black plywood, dripping neon spraypaint, and guys in clown costumes. It was something to do, but I wouldn't recommend it too highly. By the time we left, I was amazed to see the lines had grown longer than any amusement park rollercoaster.
But our evening wasn't done! We rented , a documentary about America's addiction to fast food and the director's quest to eat nothing but McDonald's for a whole month. Laura and I both tend to eat healthily, so we had a grand time cringing at various scenes. At one point it talks about fast food and school lunches, and that scene alone should make the movie required viewing for any middle school health class. We finished the evening watching a little more TV and part of . Around 4 AM— the first of the two late nights— I drove Laura home.
Saturday was another full day. Eric's family invited Laura and me to their annual pumpkin-carving party. Such fun. Laura and I brought our pumpkins from the night before and jumped into the goopy fray. I drew and carved a computer mouse while Laura chose the most complex, intricate design possible. If we could do it again, I would have drawn the mouse differently and I think Laura would have chosen a simpler pattern. The poor girl was the last to finish. In any case, twelve carved pumpkins was a sight to behold.
After dinner, pictures, and a quick stop at Laura's house so she could change out of her pumpkin-ey clothes and into a witch/vampire costume, Laura and I set off on a road trip back to Purdue. Michael, Chris, and Stuart were throwing a Halloween party in their apartment. Road trip for a party: very college. It was only my second Purdue party, and it was about what one would expect. I was a little bored (sorry, guys), but Laura seemed to enjoy herself (that's what's important). She and I eventually left the party and hung out in the dorm for a while, playing Katamari Damacy with the sound turned off so as to not wake Eric. It was only around 2 AM by that time, so we did the obvious thing: we retraced our steps from earlier in the evening to make the trip back home. We told stories as the deserted highway blurred by, driving into our hometown at exactly 4 AM.
What a weekend.