Clubs and Pubs, Round One

Well orientation pretty much sucked. You take for granted how easy everything is at Madison once you know how to do it i.e. registration, email accounts, and scheduling. I most definitely felt like a freshman sitting in a lecture hall while someone is explaining things to me but I’m paying almost no attention and trying to figure it out myself because I'm impatient. On a positive note, after 8 or so hours of running in circles I think I have everything figured out. I've decided that I'm only going to take 4 classes (12 credits) instead of the 5 they want me too since I'm going to be at Madison 4.5 years regardless and I might as well slack off this semester since I'm sure I'm going to be preoccupied with anything and everything that isn't school. As of now I have class from 1 to 2 Monday, 2 to 4 Tuesday, 1 to 2 Wednesday, and 1 to 2 Thursday. Fridays off, Thursdays early and Mondays late - couldn't really ask for much better. Be Jealous. I'm not sure if that's all going to work out perfectly but still its ONLY 5 class hours a week, it doesn't really matter when they are. If it was up to me I'd do it all on Wednesday and fuck around for the other 6 days.

Aside from my semi-baggy jeans, I have also come to realize that I am just about the only male on campus that does not wear a classy black button-up wool coat with a quarter-zip sweater and scarf. Apparently tans and browns skipped British fashion. Plads and stripes seem to be 'cool' though so I'm alright in that department. The white Nike's transcend all cultural differences as well. I'm making improvements on running into people; only 2 or 3 today! It is incredibly strange for me to walk around a campus that doesn't have any significant traffic or major roads. I never really thought I enjoyed the commotion of the city but without it things seem somewhat boring - it always brightens up my day to see cars almost hit people and beep at them as if any pedestrians honestly give a shit.

Went to the pub on campus last night with a few amigos from my floor which was a good time. One of the guys is a barman (colloquial term) in London and as a result I gained a lot of insight on British beers and alcohols - none of which I had any prior knowledge of. I can now tell you the difference between lager and ale! No one really understands the concept of light beer here. I just don’t think there is the same oxymoronic desire to get absolutely blasted while at the same time not really tasting anything you drink and trying to be 'healthy' about it. In reality, it is pretty dumb when you break it down. Regardless Bud Light forever! People also think that I can't drink very much because I'm only 20 and thus cannot legally drink in America. It’s semi-difficult to explain American underage drinking culture and the bar scene because it is so stupid and foreign to them - rightfully so I suppose. The only indirect proof I have of my drinking ability until I can prove myself is Madison's long lost #1 party school ranking. Tonight is club night or something of the sort at the union so I'm going to go see what that is all about. People said it’s kind of lame for a club but I've never really been to one so I guess I should start somewhere and work my way up right? In preparation I made my FIRST LEGAL ALCOHOL PURCHASE! Definitely saving the receipt. Buying alcohol over here is sort of like a game of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. You walk into the booze isle and realize you haven't heard of any of the bear so you just sort of close your eyes and point. I decided on some Carlsberg lager and Olde English medium dry cider. Not entirely sure what cider is but it seemed authentic. Everybody should also be happy to know that Fleischman’s is present over here so if I'm ever real home sick I can just pound a liter by myself and take myself back to freshman year in the infamous 723b.

The club at the student union was actually quite impressive and I had a splendid time. It is everything you associate with a European club minus the strippers in cages. Two floors of body shaking bass, interesting techno remixes of 90s American pop hits, a lot of awful haircuts and bad white dancing/fist pumping when Kelly Clarkson or the All American Rejects come on. It was pound night (dollar night) so select beers, ciders and shots were only a quid which was nice even with the exchange rate. Needless to say I got rather hammered off of Fosters and shots of Sambuca - strange licorice tasting liquor from France I believe. The alcohol definitely helped bridge some of the social awkwardness of going with people for the first time. Apart from the club there are some Euro lounge areas where everybody chills on leather furniture and have sophisticated conversations in myriad languages. The aesthetic appearances of people around here are rather bipolar. It seems that there are a slew of ugly folks then about a quarter are gorgeous and there isn't really a lot of middle ground but maybe that's just because I had my 'beer goggles' on. I ended up sleeping until 1 today since I had nothing to do but I actually have to go to an hour of class tomorrow! Might go out to a club in Lemington tonight which I am looking forward to. It’s a nearby village where a lot of upper classmen live and is supposed to be very quaint and just an overall cool place.

I think that's all I have to report for today, I need to go get some groceries and a cell phone...hope everyone is well and please stay in touch! Also, how sick are any guys that read this of hearing about Mark Mcgwire's hall of fame status? I'm barely in contact with ESPN over here and I still cant stand it!