For those of you not familiar with this holiday, I will give you a brief run down of the event and traditions:
7:30 AM - Wake up after way too little sleep and attempt to get dressed in the typical festive attire: For females this includes sundresses (50% of which will be Lily Pulitzer), large floppy hats, and pearls. For males this includes collared shirts, khakis or various degrees of seersucker, and bow ties. All may come equipped with sunglasses (Ray Bans), croakies, and coozies displaying a greek lettter or three. For urban backpackers like myself, it is acceptable to wear jean in any form and in as many ways possible, evidence below:
9 AM - ALL aboard buses, shuttles, taxis, pledge-mobiles, etc. In tow, copious coolers of booze and numerous platters of Raisin Canes chicken + sauce. If you are lucky, you have rented a bus and can start the day off with a mimosa (or six) as you make your way the 5 miles to the Foxfields site, a trek which on average can take an hour or so.
10 AM or so - ARRIVE at the Foxfields Invitation Races! Get your ID and cooler checked at "security" and make your way to your plot. Generally, frat, srats, and other social clubs have a tailgating plot, where a car (usually truck) is parked, a tent is put up, and a table full of food and drinks is laid out. While people generally have a plot they call home for the day, after about an hour people start to wander.
3 or 4 PM - Stumble on a ride home, find a bed, and pass out for at least 2 hours. MAYBE have enough energy to order delivery Chinese... but then fail to answer the door when it arrives.
Usually, this day is warm and sunshine filled. However, this year was a bit different! My friends and I arrived at Foxfields a little late (getting old, getting slower), and by the time we off loaded the bus the rain drops had started. We raced to our plot, and all attempted to cram in one car and under one umbrella to wait out the storm. While many had their doubts, we were glad we held out (bloody Marys and Take it Away sandwiches greatly sped up this wait) becuase after about an hour the skies cleared and Foxfields was saved and was turned out to be one of the best in history! There were many highlights of the day, but my favorite memory was the CRAZY TECHNO dance party going on in the midst of the tailgates. Jams were bumping all day long, and there was not a moment when someone was not dancing or fist pumping.
Besides the dance party, a high of the weekend was getting to spend some time with a bunch of good friends, especially those who I do not get to see on a regular basis. It's amazing to me that this event draws everyone back to Charlottesville. There is nothing so spectacular about the horse race itself, but rather the memories of college and prospect of seeing long lost friends that keeps students and alumni coming back to the event year after year after year, despite obstacles such as bad weather.
To summarize this weekend in accounting terms, I had to think long and hard about which "accounts" in my life were substantially affected. Taking a break from work and email and the crowds of DC caused stress levels to go down. On the other hand, eating and drinking too much tailgate fare definitely had a negative effect on my well being. Seeing friends I don't get to see every day was a definite plus. After some deep thought, I decided that some things are better left unbalanced - this weekend was a good time, plain and simple.
Until next time...peace.
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