Days 355-357: May 21-23, 2013

Today I got my new Fitbit, which is supposed to track your exercise and physical activity. Counts all steps, floors climbed, miles traveled, and calories burned over a day, and also tracks your sleep at night to determine how much sleep time you are actually getting. Should be a fun complement to my Sleep Cycle and Nike+ apps to track and collect data over time. I had been thinking about getting the Nike Fuel Band for a while, because it seemed like a fun way to track activity and collect more data, but was not too excited about having to wear it on the wrist all the time. The Fitbit is much more compact, seems easier to carry, and seems to both have more functionality and get better reviews online, so we'll see how it goes!

Wednesday we took a day trip to Charlottesville and I had an opportunity to walk around grounds and see some of my old university. Here is the Thomas Jefferson statue at the back of the Rotunda with the Seven Society stamp in front, one of the secret societies at UVA. I had a chance to walk through some old classrooms and take a look, but there is a ton of construction going on right now, so they seem to be updating and changing a lot of things. It will be much nicer to talk another walk through when they are finally finished.

Took a stop by Tropical Smoothie Cafe to grab a smoothie following a good evening run. Tropical Smoothie has some great smoothies, plenty of flavors, and also has a decent selection of sandwiches as well. Usually I stop by just for the smoothies, but it was nice to take another swing by as I have not had it in quite a while. They have two new smoothies that I enjoyed quite a bit, the Island Green Smoothie (spinach, kale, mango, pineapple, and banana) and the Caribbean Carrot (carrot, mango, banana, goji, and orange juice). Also got my oil changed again this week, making the next time up at 102,000 miles.

Day 140: October 18, 2012

Drove down to Charlottesville for the day to get some work done for my Second Annual Fall Break Pretend to be an Undergrad Day. The UVa students were pretty quiet in the library, almost like a real law library. It's a good thing my favorite library is the library in what used to be the original UVa law school. I also enjoyed a Bodo's breakfast bagel and some Greenberry's coffee and tea, which I haven't had in a while.

There was one funny moment when a student asked me if the dumplings stand in Clark Hall was closed for the day. I had to explain to him that there was never any dumplings stand when I used to be there. After the library I had a chance to walk the grounds for a bit. New construction is all over the place, it's going to be a whole new school by the time I come back again. Additional note to UVa administrators: I will not donate money to the school until you start giving wi-fi access to alumni!*


*also, until I get a real job.

Finished off the afternoon with a delicious Gusburger at the White Spot. (Technically, a Spot Special.) Every Thursday as a first year I used to head over to the White Spot to grab a gus for lunch. The guys used to always remember me every time I came in after I stopped the regular Thursdays, but I guess it has been getting too long because they don't anymore. The burger was still fantastic.

Day 135: October 13, 2012

Made a trip to Charlottesville today to watch Virginia take on the Maryland Terrapins. Unfortunately they weren't able to win the game, but it was a fun afternoon at UVA and a good opportunity to return to Charlottesville again. Started the day off with an amazing breakfast bagel at Bodo's (sorry BBC, they still got you beat), and enjoyed a nice fall day walking the grounds before the game. Even overheard some fans in the stands pondering the idea of Groh returning or what he would have had to do to still be coaching the team. I said it when they kept pushing for his dismissal and I'll say it again, careful what you wish for. Back in the Midwest, the Hoosiers almost capped a miracle comeback to win over #8 Ohio State. If you could take the talent on Virginia's roster and the coaching at IU, my two schools might actually be able to put together a pretty solid football team.