I flew back to Madison on Oct. 29th for the week. It was amazing to see rain; I really don’t get much of that here in the desert! Walking down the streets on campus, I was really struck by how young everyone appeared. Had I too been one of those bold eyed freshman at one time? Is that a sign of post-college nostalgia or simply the fact of growing up? I’m not quite sure.
The reason for me picking this weekend to visit would come as no surprise to any former UW-Madison student. It was Halloween, and we always have two parties on Halloween. While most students tend to favor the flowing kegs of light beer purchased eagerly at Riley’s just hours previously, we prefer a stock of gentlemanly drinks. Martini glasses are so much more attractive than a dripping red plastic cup.
Friday was an entertaining night. Jeremy, Josh, and Erik invited over their friends, Ben and Alex drove down from Minneapolis, and a few strangers off State Street walked up the stairway. Jeremy and I dressed as the Blues Brothers for yet another year, and again improved our costumes. Next year we should have the cop car with a bullhorn.
Saturday we woke up early to play paintball! Trisha drove down from Stevens Point and met us at the paintball range. We had heard that we were supposed to dress in costumes. I made a stegosaurus suit complete with back plates and a long tail, and Patricia dressed up as a care-bear. Turns out we were the only ones in costume, boy did I feel silly! It was still a fun time even if I took a Kennedy shot which still hurts!
Saturday night was our second party and I revived the Elton John costume for a second year. Nothing says “Elton” like sparkling glasses, a white suit, large diamond rings, and a pink boa! Elton danced the night away with some of his favorite girls.
I left Madison on the 4th after visiting with friends, walking the campus, visiting the old hangouts, and showing the LSID server to my former co-workers at LTER. Climbing aboard a little two engine prop plane, I feared the same fate that Otis Redding suffered in Madison over Lake Mendota in 1967! Luckily my plane made it safely to Chicago where I ran to catch the 757 back to Las Vegas. Sitting on the runway for 4 hours in the storm wasn’t fun, and neither was flying very very way to close to the ground for 30 minutes after we took off. It was the first time I had ever been scared on a flight.