This year P.A.D hosted its annual boat cruise on September 27th, and except for a few minor snafus, the evening went off without a hitch. Fine, fine, the busses were a tad late and the line to get on the boat moved a bit slow, and a jacket seemed to disappear. Thankfully, the festive spirit in the air seemed to indicate that these small setbacks didn’t put a damper the evening.
Once the Spirit of Chicago left Navy Pier, the party really started. Nervous 1Ls, like yours truly, mingled with the upper classmen and beseeched them for tips and tricks for Professor Carter’s midterm. Many of the 2Ls and 3Ls gave out good, heart-felt advice; some just replied with a devilish grin. Having just taken the aforementioned midterm, I now fully understand the grin.
After the cruise was fully underway and Chicago’s scenic skyline slowly glided by our side, the party really began to pick up. The crew of the Spirit started serving the food (which, by the way, was fantastic) and the DJ started playing catchier and catchier tunes. It wasn’t long until the each and every of the ship’s passengers could feel a buzz of excitement in the air.
The dance scene started off a little slow, but as the evening progressed, more and more people started trickling onto the floor. By the time the ship docked again at Navy Pier, the dance floor was jam packed, and many cruise goers looked disappointed when they realized that the evening had come to an end. If I may, I’d like to give an honorable mention to the dancing 2L or 3L wearing the shades whose name I never got – Holy cow, you’re good. If your JD doesn’t work out, try Hollywood or Broadway. I think you could easily get filthy rich with your skills
I digress. As the evening came to an end and many of the cruise goers lined up to exit the Spirit, many sported a drowsy look; save finals week, many of us don’t stay up till 3 a.m. As I boarded the bus and snuggled up against my girlfriend to go to sleep, many followed my lead and did the same. Some, though, still had a little midnight oil to burn and chatted about life, the universe, and everything in between.
When we pulled into Valparaiso, the night ended calmly and quietly. Sober rides were available to take those of us home who had a little too much fun on the cruise. Rumors that Dean Adams would be waiting there to reprimand those of us that partied a little too hard turned out to be false, and everyone seemed to leave the event smiling. When I eventually made it home at 5:30, I mumbled something about usually getting up for class at that time. Oh well, at least I got to party in Chicago and a take a break from Civ Pro, if only for a night.
David is a 1L and can be reached at forum@valpo.edu
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