This year's Dillo Day (the day of outdoor concerts at my university) was rather strange compared to my previous two Dillo Days. It started out pretty similarly, but ended very differently. I got 3.5 hours of sleep after the Wrestlepocalypse party/my post-Pocs shower (a glorious occasion) upon which time I was awakened by the fraternity next door playing Ride of the Valkyries at 7:30AM. It was sunny, and despite my effort to go back to sleep, I was up for the day. I had a chance to get coffee and run a couple errands before starting my Dillo Day festivities.
I first went to brunch at my friend David's apartment. It was a very fun group of people to hang out with, and the pancakes and french toast casserole were delicious. I then went to my friend Sarah's apartment, walked with Sarah's roommate and my friend Phoebe to our friends' Annie and Shawn's apartment, then I re-joined Sarah and Melissa to go to see Melissa's friends and then walk to the concert site.
This was my one and only visit to the concert site. I got there, visited with numerous friends, and then made my way into the crowd with them to watch the band Walk the Moon play their set. I really liked them, so much that I decided to download their album and listen to it while I drive this summer. We grabbed our pizza and left the outdoor area for further sustenance. I stopped home to change my shoes then met my friends at the restaurant.
After refueling, we headed back to the concert site to see Smash Mouth perform, but when we got there, they had closed it down because of severe weather warnings, so we regrouped and headed for a building on campus to ride out the storm. We hung out there for a while and more friends joined us, and it was fun. Then, when the rain cleared a little, the group split and some people went to a house where a good portion of the group live and others (including me) stayed closer to the concerts in hopes of getting to see the bands soon. We got caught in a downpour while outside, and rode out the worst of the storm inside the student center. I think we were there for 2-3 hours, but it felt much shorter. I enjoyed visiting with this group because I don't get to see them very often as they are alumni now.
Around 8:00PM we parted ways, and I headed back to Shawn's apartment to hang out with the people from Midnight's Dream. That was fun, and I was there past 10. When I got home, I immediately ran into my CA from last year who had become a good friend. She is in medical school now and came to visit for Dillo Day, and we talked for a while. It was so good to catch up!! When she left, I went to my room, plugged in my phone, and found a text from my friend Ady telling me that there was a cookout at her place. So, at 11PM, I put my shoes back on and headed over there to end my night with a fantastic group of friends.
I am disappointed that I didn't see Smash Mouth. I know that they played, but by the time they went on, the field had accumulated a good amount of standing water, and the idea of standing in a crowded mud pit to listen to a band from the '90s was not appealing. I would have loved them with the same weather we'd had for Walk the Moon (sunny and warm with a breeze), but at night in the mud and the wet was not something I could handle. I also missed Wiz Khalifa, but I consider that less of a loss since I don't know his music anyway. I chose friends and comfort over the concert, and I don't regret that at all.
The weird part of Dillo Day for me this year was feeling myself and my friends getting older. Most of the people I was hanging out with during the day are graduating or have graduated and won't be in the campus area anymore. A fair number of them are remaining downtown in the city, so they are see-able with effort, but a bunch of them are aslo moving away. Dillo Day rings in the end of the school year, and it is freaking me out that the people who have been my friends for the last three years will suddenly no longer be in my immediate vicinity. I'm also wigging out about being "the old one" in my friend groups. As much fun as this Dillo Day was, it was tinged with a sense of nostalgia and loss as I realize that I only have one more week with these people where I expect them to be.
Overall, I did Dillo Day right. I was with friends. I had fun. I relaxed and didn't think about school or finals. I saw a great band and enjoyed their music in the sunlight. And I did it all on 3.5 hours of sleep out of 36 hours since I woke up on Friday. Win.
Today is awesome because of my friends. I love you all, I hope you know it, and I wish you all the best in everything you do. Thanks for making today awesome.
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