The trip, in brief:

University of Richmond, 10/10
4 hour drive. Partook of Frosty Dairy Dessert (Wendy's) and listened to a lot of Three Doors Down and John Mayer. First to arrive. Movie being shot on campus: Living the Lie - small indie film for some festival or another. Sang - made a pig's ear of concert because of (a) poor acoustics, (b) turned-off crowd, (c) dispersed standing arrangement. Went back to dude's apartment (402). Jeremy and Dan played beer pong with Richmond folks. Knuth happy as the Cubs won in 11 innings. Some sketchiness and rum and assorted people making out in the kitchen. Rum and Coke(s). Smirnoff Ices. Wafflehouse run with Andrew and Knuth and Xander at midnight with promise that said Wafflehouse was fifteen minutes away. Drove for half-an-hour before conceding that we were lost and asking directions from Asian dude outside 24-hour pharmacy. Found that Wafflehouse was 15 miles away. Went there anyway. Found that there was a line for the place at 1:15 in the morning. Waited, amidst smoke and grease and the unemployed. Read a travel magazine on South-East Asia, felt momentarily nostalgic for home and, of all things, satay. Seated at 1:30, ordered hash browns, scattered, smothered and chunked. Discussed, among other things, Steve Buscemi, Andrew's father's new movie (set in Russia) "Love and Honor", Christopher Walken, maple syrup, carjacking and homestyle cooking. Drove back, caffeinated. Arrived back at apartment 402 at 2:30 to find no available space to sleep. Tried to sleep in armchair downstairs but failed because of incessantly chatting people, in particular this one Richmond dude who was convinced that Rebecca (one of our freshmen) is a lesbian, and was trying to get her to admit it. 3 a.m.: Xander gave up, and fled upstairs to the one available bedroom; went to sleep on floor. 3:05: Discovered that toothbrush was in Jeremy's car. Brushed teeth with finger. Stole someone's sleeping bag. Finally got to sleep at 4-something, downstairs.

Princeton 10/11
Woken up 8:00 (inadvertently) by Dan, who had to leave to get back to Duke for other rehearsal (The Wiz). Couldn't get back to sleep. Showered. Felt like hell and craved coffee. Searched for coffee; found none, only beer (everywhere). Waited as people woke up one by one about an hour-and-a-half later. Much passing around of Ibuprofen. On the road at 10 in car with Simon, Lindsey, Ryan and Kristen. Stopped at Cracker Barrel for comfort food: apple pancakes, ham, sausage patty, eggs (sunny-side up) and much needed caffeinated beverage. Tried to solve a Rubik Cube; failed. Tried to finish arranging score in car in afternoon; failed (battery died). New Jersey turnpike at 6, Princeton shortly afterward (New Jersey, state of no left turns!). Dinner at crappy school cafeteria, but good ice-cream afterward (peanut butter) at quaint Princeton pub. Pictures of cows of wall. Had strong craving for eggplant parmigiana sub, but too full. Sang in arch with Princeton Roaring 20. Very good that night, despite Jeremy forgetting pitch pipe and needing me to give pitches. Blend, volume, performance, energy: all spot on. Eating clubs afterwards (like last year). Terrace. Sketchiness in basement. Beer on tap. Place hot as hell. Gyrating, etc. Exact details of debauchery not included. Fast forward several hours - back in Elizabeth (our host's) apartment. Fell asleep almost immediately on fancy-shaped chaise-lounge - Liz's brother took the futon (visiting for Parent's Weekend) and everyone else was consigned to the floor. Heh. Middle of the night: Aditi (sophomore, our grp.) gets up, exits the apartment, knocks on the door of the adjacent apartment, and drunkenly spends the night there. Rest of us wake up following morning wandering where in hell she want. Found her. Story of the tour, etc.

Columbia 10/12
Left Princeton 11 a.m. following morning, after bagel, cream cheese, and exceedingly good brew. Anticipated 2-hour drive to NY, gridlock in Lincoln Tunnel bumped it up to 4. Dropped Andrew off to see his mother, and went to Thai restaurant with Betsy and Knuth. Had 100% genuine keropok, and fake, but nonetheless satisfying, Pad Thai. Took subway to Times Square. Walked around, shopped, marvelled once again at the Consumers Paradise that is the U S of A. Decided to see new Tarantino movie when back in Duke. Concert: 8:30 p.m, Lerner Hall. Sang - performance decent. Missed Yisheng, who had gone to see me, because I had to leave as soon as the concert was done (Knuth needed to get back to work on Monday). Roy Rogers at midnight. Duke at 5:30. Slept like death until afternoon.

I think that covers the barebones of it. It's hard to write in detail about anything on this crummy site, so that'll have to do. Live with it.