Party School

Since if everything goes according to plan, I am currently on vacation in CHINA!!!!, I wrote this post at the end of September and figured I'd share it while I'm gone. 

The other day, my brother sent me this article, indicating that U.Va. was ranked by Playboy as a top party school.  He laughed, and said it made him think about the night before my law school graduation, which he ranks as one of his top three drinking moments of his life (he was 17 at the time).  It made me laugh about that memory and think about my own top three drinking memories.  Why not share?

So the night before my law school graduation, I went to a bar with three of my younger brothers and a bunch of law school friends.  All my law school friends were about 24-25, I was 24, and my brothers were 21, 17 and 15.  We all drank.  I kept a close eye on the youngest two brothers to make sure nothing was too out of control.  And I actually told the bartender to cut off my brother who was 21, but to no avail.  He kept being served.  I figured it wasn't a huge deal.  No one was driving anywhere (except a friend who wasn't drinking and was our ride home), and no one was approaching alcohol poisoning levels, and C'ville in general is a pretty safe city, plus we were in a big group. 

Well, eventually it was closing time, and about 9 of us (including me, three of my brothers and the guy I was dating at the time) piled into a very average sized car.  I remember being piled up in the back seat.  Our completely sober friend drove and the first stop was the apartments where my family was staying, since that would unload 3 people from the car.

At U.Va., since it's a college town, there aren't many 9 month leases, so most law students who go to various cities around the country for their summer jobs are stuck paying rent on an empty apartment for those months.  At the law school, it's kind of tradition that first and second year students will let third year students rent the furnished apartment for family attending graduation.  Since I have a pretty big family, we'd rented at least 2 apartments, possible more, I don't remember exactly.

When we got out of the car at the apartments, my 21 year old brother could not be corraled to go inside.  He is a very funny drunk (well, at least he was at the time, I've seen him be aggressive and boisterous other times since, but generally he laughs a lot and is very friendly when intoxicated).  He was making funny noises and walking in circles.  He's pretty lean, but even at 21 was well over 6 feet tall and physically stronger than me.  Eventually, my then boyfriend and a couple of the other guys got out of the car and we all managed to herd my three brothers into two of the apartments.

I had a talk with my 15 and 17 year old brothers.  Under no circumstances were they to let our folks know that I'd let the drinking happen. 

Well, the next day was graduation.  As the story is told to me, my mom went to wake up my two youngest brothers -- and completely contrary to every fiber of their beings, they popped right out of bed and got ready for graduation.  Usually, completely sober, it takes a small army and multiple air sirens to get them out of bed and moving.  Boys that age sleep hard!  So she was very suspicious.

And my dad went to wake up my 21 year old brother.  I remember very clearly that he'd been sleeping in a very good friend's vacant apartment, staying on the couch.  He had apparently vomited all over.  Carpet, couch, coffee table, wall, trail to the bathroom, toilet, and bathroom floor.  And it appeared he'd gotten sick multiple times.  Needless to say, he did not make it to graduation.  There was no rousing him.

So on the day of my law school graduation, my mom was livid and barely speaking to me.  I am still floored at why it was in her mind MY responsibility to manage someone who was TWENTY-ONE and buying drinks with HIS OWN MONEY.  But you know, such is life.  Water under the bridge now and a story we all laugh about. 

But my brother who was 17, as I said, ranks that night as one of his top three drinking memories.  My law school friends are awesome, Charlottesville bars are great, and my family is a lot of fun.  Plus I think he had fun hitting on some of my female friends. 

The whole conversation prompted me to think about my all time three favorite drinking memories.  Two clear stand-outs are Poland and Blender.  The third needs some more consideration, but top choices are Mardi Gras or Valpo.  If I have time, I'll have to write them up and share.  Because who doesn't like reading about others' drunken nights?  Haha, actually, they're fun memories for me and I probably would read a similar post if someone I liked wrote it.  Why not?  It could be content for while I'm in China!