College

What a strange four years it's been. I came in as a young, relatively shy 18 year old, where my only real hobbies included eating cheesesteaks/cheesecakes, sports, and playing video games, and I left with those still hobbies in mind, but have developed so much more interests and abilities. I'm not sure if that is due to college, or life experiences, or just growing up, but it's great.

College is an unusual life journey. It's when you supposedly grow up and realize what you want to do. I don't think I've reached that point yet. I'm not sure you ever do. You're supposed to keep evolving, learning, and growing.

But damn, what's a fun four years I've had. From a small dorm in Rich Hall to a lovely (cough) apartment in South Campus, I've kept the same few best friends the entire journey - and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Sure, I've made a few other really good friends (including being adopted - AYO T & C), other random acquaintances, some ups and downs, and some people I'm sure I'll never want to see again.

It's funny looking at things through pictures - how we've grown, how we've stayed the same. Sure, I have the memories in my head of what we did, but not the photo evidence. It's crazy to go through them year by year. Real quick so you understand what I'm saying:
Frosh Year

Sophomore Year

Junior Year (yes we were legal drinking age)
And finishing it out where it began at graduation.

It's been great. You'll notice most of the same people in the pictures - I love it. Sure, I couldn't find one that had all of my friends, but I think it captures enough of our friendship over the past four years.

Last night was my first night back home, and it was brutal (although there was an unbelievable 24 on.) It's not easy going from the freedom to the unknown. No jobs, no real idea of what the future holds, and being so far away from your friends, with no idea when you'll see them again.

I do know that college has made me into a better person. It's a great feeling when at the end of four years, you can come away with a solid group of friends (with the most supportive parents for people they've never met,) knowledge and skills to succeed in a professional level, and just the overall confidence to believe in myself.

I don't attribute that to Boston University, because as I've made clear, I think they have some dysfunctional aspects of their own to deal with, but I do believe a few professors and most importantly the people I've interacted with on a near-daily basis have really helped to shape everything about me - and I'm forever grateful. The only thing that could of made it better would be to get a job - but that will come with time.

The best four years of your life. I just hope the next couple decades can match them.

PleaseDontRobMe.Com

The past few weeks I've gotten messages from a few of my friends (and my mother) regarding the advent of PleaseRobMe.com - the site that tracks you're FourSquare check-ins. If you know me, you know that I'm pretty into FourSquare - I LOVE the potential it has and I think that it really is the next big thing - if people and companies can understand that it's more than just "letting people know where you are."

Anyways, the premise of PleaseRobMe.com is a live feed of when people check into places and therefore they aren't home. I'm not buying it. For several reasons. One, they only list the 15 latest updates. The chances of you being listed as one of the most recent 15 is low. Last I checked, FourSquare has about 275,000 members. So 15 in 275,000. L-O-W. If you stay on the feed you'll get everyone's updates eventually.

So even if you were to come up on the feed, someone would have to be in your area, and then have to know where you live. The chances of all that adding up seems too low for me. The only people who could rob you would be your friends, and they still have to get into your building (pending apartment) and then into your room. It doesn't seem very logical.

I'm personally not concerned about it. I think it's meant to scare people. People like to panic. For some, it has caused that panic. For the people that understand and can utilize the technology, it's nothing more than another website that will fade away.

I Love Chickie's and Pete's

Chickie's and Pete's has become a staple of Philadelphia food. Typically, when people ask me about Philadelphia, it's always about the cheesesteaks. Some people know about Tastykakes. Yet over the past 33 years, Chickie's has established itself as the premiere sports bar in Philadelphia, with their crab fries becoming as synonymous with Philly as cheesesteaks.

In high school, I typically went to the South Philly Chickie's with my friends a couple nights a month. My mom even got me a Chickie's gift card for the holiday. This break, I've spent two of the past three nights at Chickie's, and the place is always full of people. It's such a great atmosphere. Even when there is no sports games on, you always have a good time there. But during any game (especially an Eagles game) it is like a huge family dinner. Everyone cheers and boos together. The experience is almost as good as being at the game.

But then there is the food. Sure, there is the crab fries. The buffalo cutlets are superb. Yet it's not just typical bar food. It's also got great seafood options. This usually isn't the route me and my buddies take, but tonight we got the crabs and lobsters. Delicious. I'm a pretty boring eater, and seafood is one of the last things I choose to eat, but I couldn't tell you when I had seafood this good. It makes me inclined to get it again.

Still, the crab fries. I keep coming back to them. They are so good. The concept isn't new, but they have perfected the art of the fries. Chickie's has opened restaurants in the greater Philadelphia area, including Philly International Airport, and also has kiosks at all of the ballparks. Their lines are always the biggest at the stadiums as well. Good luck getting crab fries in less than one inning. People can't get enough of it. It's the new Philadelphia tradition.