Wyatt Earp

          I got up far later than I planned and booked it over to Madison Park High School for volunteering. I ran most of the way, slipping and sliding through the drifts, but things were quiet at the rec center when I arrived. The folks running the event, a job fair for the Department of Youth Engagement and Employment, set us volunteers to folding programs. I shared a pleasant conversation with Michaela, Georgia's roommate Alicia, and three others: a Mexican girl who complained about the cold, a powerfully awkward guy from the sociology department, and someone who said that my calmness reminded her of a friend. Like most people, I have a weakness for flattery. This, together with the way the other guy was acting, reminded me of how much I've changed over time. It's easier for me to talk to people now.
          We were put on crowd control for a while, channeling high schoolers through a gym full of information tables. Michaela and I were sent downstairs to direct people to an interview workshop, and once it started we were left to sit around and talk in the hallway. We had a long, deep discussion about social justice and our differing perspectives on it before our shift ended at noon. She elected to leave, but I needed more hours and stuck around to pick up a second shift. The next few hours passed quietly, and I walked back to campus with a bunch of the volunteers.
          It took some time getting home, so I showed up somewhat late for the men's basketball game in the afternoon. It was Senior Day for the Huskies, and they won in style over Drexel, 83-73 in OT to make up for that bad overtime loss to Detroit. With 0.7 seconds left, a pair of free throws could have decided the game in Drexel's favor after the Huskies blew the lead, but the shooter missed his second attempt and it cost the Dragons dearly.
          That evening brought the long-awaited hockey party, where we'd distribute the awards and penalties from last year's Stanley Cup bracket pool. We put on the 2015 Stadium Series game, and though most of the room was pulling for the Sharks, the Kings would take it 2-1. Hockey highlights: Red Wings 7 - Stars 6 in an OK Corral shooting gallery of a game; Capitals 3 - Islanders 2 in SO. Party highlights: Nathan accidentally turning into a juggalo while trying to do "husky" face paint; shotgunning beers; Ariel drinking a chalice's worth of Miller Lite; Jared wolfing down a butta burger like it was nothing. Chelsea, at the very bottom of our league still has to eat two of them; I have no doubt she's going to try and worm out of it. The next bracket pool is coming up in a few months, too.
          Quotes of the day:
"You can't pour bees!" - Jake C
"I dress for the bougie and subdue to the ratchet." - Ariel