829 Southdrive

829 Southdrive

A New Jersey state of mind



Thursday, May 27, 2010

Landlocked!


This Memorial Day Weekend will not be a memorable
sailing weekend for us. It's not because of the weather
forecast.  Not because the boat isn't in the water.
And certainly not for the lack of desire.


This weekend is Princeton University's Reunions and
Graduation.  When the world comes to Princeton,
merchants typically don't take days off. Not these days.
Saturday is always the P-rade, during which still-alive
 representatives of the last 80 or so graduating classes
march, or attempt to march (depending on how many
martinis they had that morning) in the Alumni parade
down Old Nassau and through the campus.


The Princeton Marching Band provides spirited,
if not somewhat tacky, esoteric tunes for the
 thousands of orange and black faithful 
onlookers lining the streets. And fields.

Look, last year they even offered suggestions on
reunion apparel and accessories for the
smartly-dressed keg party attendees.  I especially
like the 2-carat diamond earrings.  Legend
has it that back in the 80's, the amount of beer
consumed during this weekend was the most 
anywhere, during that 3 day period, with the
Indy 500 a close second. Now I think Silver
 Cloud Marina in Forked River holds that
dubious distinction. Pretty sure.  

Usually they manage to get some big names to speak
at the commencement. He was thrilled to know that
there was a Starbucks on the corner and a
 great little cigar shop right down Witherspoon
Street from the podium.  

Ah yes, the priveleged ones.  The world is at their
fingertips. The future economists, financiers, politicians,
educators, physicists, philanthropists.  Go get em Tigers! 
I'll sail next weekend.

4 comments:

  1. Great post!

    Hasn't it struck you as odd that they picked halloween colors as their school colors?

    That's not the only thing about the school that's spooky, though. I always wondered how Brooke Shields got in. I guess she must have done really well on her SAT's.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I almost included a picture of a young, giddy Brooke standing on the sidewalk as the P-rade filed by.

    The colors don't strike me as being as weird as Columbia's. Have you ever seen a powder blue lion?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good heavens, to think I almost went there. I don't have a problem with the Halloween colors, however -- my birthday is Oct. 31. And I've always loved tigers.

    ReplyDelete
  4. My plans for our local Memorial Day race have shoaled on crew abandonment: MVP and spouse are out of town to go to her cousin's graduation (go figure!). And mainsheet trimmer is off to the island cruise and might be available if he gets back in time (do you think)?

    ReplyDelete