Orientation, Girls, Bars, and Beer

Today was "The most boring day of your life." aka "Graduate Student Orientation Day." Today was the day they told us "We're here to help, we have a health center, we have a counseling center, we have a computing center, omfg don't harass each other, omfg don't date your students, omfg have fun." I discovered that Amanda has a bf (wtg paying attention to key words). So I guess its just friends for us. After that was done, I rode the bus down to Brown's (the local brewpub). The bus system here is AMAZING. Not only are they identical to RTD, but they have LED displays that show where you are, so you know when to get off the bus. Plus, the people on the bus are really interesting, and there were even a few cute girls. :o

The brewpub was pretty cool. I struck up a converation with a moderately aged black guy who was really amusing, and who told me alot of details about the area. His name is Bob, and I'm sure I'll see him again. I was ambushed by a group of 4 really hawt chix who sat down at the bar, and ordered Hefeweizens, and then left. :( I guess my persona wasn't that radiative at that point. All in all I had a Pilsner, an IPA, and a Hefeweizen. The first and the last were what I expected, but the IPA was really off the mark. It was hoppy, but with what they call "NY hops." It was really earthy and profound. It was like you were drinking peat. Not at all what I was expecting from an IPA. I managed to get through it but it'll take some redefining of my terms before I can fully understand it.

Mostly what I wanted to talk about was what it means to be the same old stuff, and the pub really emphasized this. The pub had the same: hot chix, live music, talktative people, untalktative people, buses that got there, buses that went away from there, bartenders, cash registers, equipment, vodkas, gins, beers (to a cetain extent), wines, drunken stupors, and decorations that I had in Denver. It was all the same (with the exception of specialty microbrews and Hellman's mayonaise). But what was exceptionally different were the people. The black guy I talked to, the 4 hot chix, the bartender's personalities. They all lended a slightly different slant than what I had in Denver.

So I guess my point is its all about the people. We live in such a national economy that much of what we deal with is the same old stuff (i.e. national brands). But the thing that makes it all different is the people, and (a bit of shameless advertising), the beers that they brew. I'd never had an IPA like Brown's in Colorado, and I feel priveleged to have it be a part of my career here. So now my goal is to relate to the people (a much harder goal that I set out originally, but I think one for the best.)

Wow this was a ramble.................