getting greased for the final four

so today i decided to take a walk from our condo down to the vcu bookstore to try and pick up another t-shirt to show my support for my alma mater, who are about to play in the final four, during a 10k race i am running tomorrow.

besides seeing half the citizens of richmond also in the bookstore buying vcu merchandise, i also saw a very odd site that made me do a double take and stop and ask some qustions.

as i walked out of the bookstore i noticed several members of the vcu facilities staff painting the light poles in the vcu section of broad street.  i thought how nice they are sprucing up the start area for the race that starts in this area tomorrow morning.  then i saw what they were painting onto the poles, petroleum jelly.  that's right they had jars and jars of vasaline and were using rollers to coat the poles as high as they could reach with long poles.  i'm a curioous guy so i stopped to ask what was the purpose of this lube job.  i was told they were trying to prevent people from climbing the poles and falling and hurting themselves during the celebration that would engulf the area if vcu were to win.  they also hope to prevent people from stealing all the banners that they had just put up with pictures of the players on them.

life can be so interesting when you stop to observe.  lubing a light post, what's next my friends.

a proud walk of shame?

yesterday morning i left our condo in downtown richmond and headed for my car parked just up the block. i got in my car and just then two guys walked by in what i can only call a blissful state, laughing and smiling as they walked.

yesterday was the day after our hometown team, the virginia commonwealth university rams, made the final four for the first time in school history.  from the news reports fans and supporters poured onto the major road that runs through the vcu campus.  people scaled cars and buildings and of course the police arrived to contain the crowd.  so a good time was had by all i suppose.

our condo is located just a couple blocks from the academic campus of vcu where all this took place and we are also just a few blocks in the other directions from the medical college of virginia's campus and hospitals.

so as these two young men wearing only hospital gowns and scrub pants walked by my car heading from mcv to vcu i could only think of what their night of fun may have included.  was this a walk of shame? i doubt it.  would they be met by their friends as heros?  i think they may.  what story could you tell of how two of you ended up at one of the major trauma center hospitals after your school had won a glorious victory over one of the best schools in the country and now you are walking back to campus without any of the clothes you started the day with yesterday?

i really am learning to love living downtown.