Pi Tau Sigma national convention
This weekend, I was in Ann Arbor for the Pi Tau Sigma national convention. The University of Michigan was hosting it. Unlike the Tau Beta Pi convention in Sacramento, this wasn't a new and exciting location. But it was extremely convenient, and I wasn't the only MSU representative. Chris, the vice-president, accompanied me.
He drove, since he's the one with the car, and we stayed at my friend Hayley's place both Friday and Saturday night. Hayley goes to the University of Michigan, and I realized this is the first time I've actually visited her while she was at school.
When we first arrived in Ann Arbor, we went to Hayley's house. She lives in Telluride House; everyone there is on scholarship. They live there for free and do stuff as a community, like service events and socials. Chris and I each got set up in a guest room. I had it really nice; Hayley had claimed one of the staff suites for me. I had my own bathroom, a queen size bed, and a living room area with an old school tv. Then we headed to the Holiday Inn where most of the convention guests were staying in order to register. Hayley and her boyfriend, Tom, came with us. We were gonna go out to dinner after registering.
For dinner, we went to Carson's American Bistro. It was a fancy place. The food was quite tasty but also very expensive. I spent like $30 on dinner. And the straws were really weird. They weren't made of plastic, but rather cardboard or something like it. I couldn't get over how strange it was.
For the evening, we just chilled at Telluride. Hayley was exhausted from a lot of schoolwork the last few days, and I was tired too. I've been sick all week with a cold, so all I've felt like doing lately is sleeping. We played a game of euchre then went to bed.
The next morning, I got up at 6:45 for a long day of convention business. We ate breakfast at the hotel. Then we had a meeting where all the committees presented any recommendations or motions they had. I guess the night before, there had been breakout meetings where everyone split up into committees and discussed stuff. We'd missed that part. The discussions went really long. We were trying to use Robert's Rules of Order, but everyone was speaking out of turn and it was basically a room full of people all arguing. Chris and I just sat there in exasperation wishing it were over.
The afternoon was a little better, and we took a break and walked around Ann Arbor with some people from Clarkson University. In the evening, we had a banquet. I had chicken Marsala; it was delicious. They presented several awards. Some people had won scholarships. No one from our chapter was eligible since we're not in "good standing." Basically, Texas Tech, Purdue, and University of Michigan took first, second, and third in varying orders for almost everything--outstanding chapter, service award, etc.
After dinner, there was a social event at Mitch's, a local bar. It was an open bar, so people were getting more and more drunk throughout the night. I didn't have much. But when I left, the dude working outside the door told me I looked a little tipsy and I'd better take the elevator, not the stairs. He stood in front of the stairs to block me. Mitch's is on the second floor. I was slightly offended; I felt falsely accused. I was not tipsy! I'd had one drink in the last three hours! I wanted to push him aside and prove I was capable of descending the stairs. But I figured I'd just get labeled as a belligerent drunk if I tried to argue, so elevator it was!
The final day of the convention went fast. Everything was done by 10:30. Saying goodbye to everyone was kinda sad. I'd met a lot of cool people; I wonder if I'll ever see them again.
He drove, since he's the one with the car, and we stayed at my friend Hayley's place both Friday and Saturday night. Hayley goes to the University of Michigan, and I realized this is the first time I've actually visited her while she was at school.
When we first arrived in Ann Arbor, we went to Hayley's house. She lives in Telluride House; everyone there is on scholarship. They live there for free and do stuff as a community, like service events and socials. Chris and I each got set up in a guest room. I had it really nice; Hayley had claimed one of the staff suites for me. I had my own bathroom, a queen size bed, and a living room area with an old school tv. Then we headed to the Holiday Inn where most of the convention guests were staying in order to register. Hayley and her boyfriend, Tom, came with us. We were gonna go out to dinner after registering.
For dinner, we went to Carson's American Bistro. It was a fancy place. The food was quite tasty but also very expensive. I spent like $30 on dinner. And the straws were really weird. They weren't made of plastic, but rather cardboard or something like it. I couldn't get over how strange it was.
For the evening, we just chilled at Telluride. Hayley was exhausted from a lot of schoolwork the last few days, and I was tired too. I've been sick all week with a cold, so all I've felt like doing lately is sleeping. We played a game of euchre then went to bed.
The next morning, I got up at 6:45 for a long day of convention business. We ate breakfast at the hotel. Then we had a meeting where all the committees presented any recommendations or motions they had. I guess the night before, there had been breakout meetings where everyone split up into committees and discussed stuff. We'd missed that part. The discussions went really long. We were trying to use Robert's Rules of Order, but everyone was speaking out of turn and it was basically a room full of people all arguing. Chris and I just sat there in exasperation wishing it were over.
The afternoon was a little better, and we took a break and walked around Ann Arbor with some people from Clarkson University. In the evening, we had a banquet. I had chicken Marsala; it was delicious. They presented several awards. Some people had won scholarships. No one from our chapter was eligible since we're not in "good standing." Basically, Texas Tech, Purdue, and University of Michigan took first, second, and third in varying orders for almost everything--outstanding chapter, service award, etc.
After dinner, there was a social event at Mitch's, a local bar. It was an open bar, so people were getting more and more drunk throughout the night. I didn't have much. But when I left, the dude working outside the door told me I looked a little tipsy and I'd better take the elevator, not the stairs. He stood in front of the stairs to block me. Mitch's is on the second floor. I was slightly offended; I felt falsely accused. I was not tipsy! I'd had one drink in the last three hours! I wanted to push him aside and prove I was capable of descending the stairs. But I figured I'd just get labeled as a belligerent drunk if I tried to argue, so elevator it was!
The final day of the convention went fast. Everything was done by 10:30. Saying goodbye to everyone was kinda sad. I'd met a lot of cool people; I wonder if I'll ever see them again.
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