7 AM: Last day of class. I have slept a collective six hours out of the last 48 and it feels like my eyeballs are full of sand. I prop myself up on caffeine for the final leg of the struggle to finish my last term paper. Four hours later, I save it, print it, and dash off to class.
11am: I hand in The Final Paper. The heavens open and angels sing as the stress from the cumulative work I have done this semester instantly dissipates. I am…free. To fully exercise my new freedom I go home, power nap and pour myself a stiff drink, in that order. Bliss.
2PM: Refreshed, I decide to get dressed. It’s sunny out now, but block party is usually wet and rainy. Do I risk shorts? Jeans are obviously more practical, but it looks like spring outside. Screw it, it’s last day – shorts it is. I check to make sure the mini of vodka I shoved into my bra isn’t noticeable. Perfect.
2:30PM: Except I didn’t have time to put on makeup this morning and I forgot to put it on before I started drinking. That’s probably okay though, makeup isn’t that hard. Right?
3PM: Oh my god. I must be more drunk than I thought. I look like a raccoon. But I don’t want to take all the eyeliner and stuff off because it took forever. Alright, well this is obviously as good as it’s going to get. I finish my consolation drink, grab my roommate, her boyfriend and my bottle of wine and head over to the pre-party at my friend’s place.
3:30PM: Pre-partying at Gage is definitely the way to go. There’s snacks, wine and excellent company. Making my way through my second (third? whatever) glass of wine, I have a small twinge of guilt – I should be in the basement of the CHEM building listening to a dry Phil lecture. I eat another cupcake and drink some more wine and I feel okay again.
4PM: We all decide it’s time to get in line, so we don our sunglasses and head down. At this point the end has wrapped all the way around the side of the SRC. Darn. It’s actually not as bad as I thought it would be though – I keep running into friends from class and work and residence. People pass around coolers and we all take turns saving place in line as we visit other people or run into the SRC for a bathroom break.
Photo credit: Cherihan Hassun Photography
5PM: We’re in. I make it safely past security with my mini still hidden. We wander about, running into even more friends. My roommate buys a huge bucket of fries that tastes like deep fried heaven. I’m not sure who’s on stage, but they sound good. I try and take a selfie with everyone I run into, but I keep forgetting. #letmetakeaselfie
6PM: I try and go to the bathroom with my friend, but the line is too long so we give up. I try and go buy a beer with someone else, but the line there is also too long. That’s okay though, because we break out my trusty little mini. Is that Dan Mangan playing? Happiness.
Photo credit: Cherihan Hassun Photography
7PM?: I seem to have lost most of my friend group, but I’m having a great time dancing! The bathrooms are a bit less crazy now, so I finally get chance to pee. The beer line is still ridiculous, but that’s probably for the best – I don’t really need another drink. People from one of the booths are walking around with free snacks and water and I eat best damn mini donut I’ve ever had.
Photo credit: Cherihan Hassun Photography
???: I’m getting tired. We leave the crowd and wander around the food booths. There’s my friend group! We all get assorted deep fried vegetable products that look awful and taste like glory. I’m re-energized a bit. Some other people from Gage are heading down to the beach, so we join them for a fire and songs. The waves are magnificent. Life is magnificent.
LATE: I finally get home. I strip at the door because between the mud at Block Party and the beach, I am disgusting. Don’t care enough to shower though, so I climb straight into bed. I pass out the second my head hits the pillow with a smile on my face. Today was a good day.
Photo credit: Cherihan Hassun Photography