The girls and I made our third, and lets-be-honest-not-at-all-final trek to South Bend, Indiana this weekend for the annual Holy Wars – the “football game” in which B.C. plays “rivals” Notre Dame.  I say “football game” because this time neither team played it as if it was one and “rivals” because it’s a non-division game that couldn’t mean less to either team in the grand scheme of things.  To us, of course, it’s so important that we haven’t missed seeing this game in seven years straight and won’t date anyone from that joke of a school ever.  Sad? A little. Short-sighted? Maybe.  Ever changing? No. 

En route to Notre Dame the girls and I visited our fallen soldier Katie in her new home at a prestigious B-school outside Chicago (figure it out).  For those who know her through this blog slash real life, she is being very happy and wildly successful. 

Between that experience, our trek through the city of Chicago, and our 12 hours back-and-forth to N.D. in a party bus, I gathered countless observations applicable this blog.  Unfortunately my moleskin didn’t fit in my game-day bag, and I’m left spotty on the day as a whole.  As such – here are the eight observations I remember on the topic of all the topics that I witnessed.  

1. Yeah – it’s true.  The guys in Chicago are on-the-whole a tad taller, better looking, and down-to-earther than their Manhattan and L.A. counter parts. Vs. Boston, tough call – they seem very similar to me, but that could be because 1/2 of Boston College was there… Now it should be noted that they’re also more homogenous, less overtly edgy, and have strange accents.  That said, Chicago is officially a good place to meet many straight men. Both male and female Chi-town residents confirmed this.
2. Business school in Chicago is like general Chicago except all the people there applied to be in an elite group with crazy credentials, strong work ethic, and substantial future income.  I used to criticize people who said, “business school is a killer place to meet guys.” I’d say, “that’s so trite, and how can it be possible??”  Then I went there and saw it in person.  Now I say, “it is possible and fuck trite.”
3. There are two kinds of people in this world: people who will travel far and wide for a football game then stand in the freezing rain consuming cheap beer and under-cooked burgers before sitting in expensive seats to enjoy that game in the very cold and people who will not.  If you are people who are then it’s imperative you find people who are too. That football game is a good place to start.
4. If you theme beers cans in a school’s colors people will drink 50% more of them, guaranteed.
5.  “Hahahaha – I’m totally mobile uploading that shit!” and all variations on the phrase has happened.  Get behind it.  You can’t beat it.
6. Straight men of many backgrounds love the song Party in the U.S.A by Miley Cyrus.  This cannot be explained but should be appreciated because it’s really funny when it comes on and they go, “WOOOOOO” like women. 
7. When a person is among old college friends they either used to or used to want to hook up with they will revert to the exact behavior they used to engage in when around that person.  This was bad then because it didn’t work out and generally resulted in beer tears.  This is bad now because of the same reasons, plus we’re 26.
8.  If you have a closet set of girl or guy friends that you’ve had since college and hope to have for life, go see them.  Go all together.  Go with a plan or with no plan.  Go even if you really shouldn’t miss work or are totally broke or hate freezing cold football games.  Go now that you aren’t all married with kids but don’t stop going when one and then suddenly six of you are.  Life is about being able to say, “let’s create a series of photos from every time we’ve done the touch down Jesus pose.  Like we’ll have one from college, and then one ever time we come until we’re forty!” Because you know the response will be, “Great idea. Let’s pose here but then also in the stadium when we’re closer to Touch Down Jesus.”