Beautiful Virginia

No, the fall colors aren't here yet. So I'll have to keep looking. 

One of the most beautiful drives I've done on an absolutely gorgeous October afternoon in Charlottesville. 

More Second Year Awesomeness

Went to listen to Carbon Leaf last night. It was much more than I expected. I had gone to the concert having listened to only half a dozen or so of their songs. Most of them were kind of pop rock-ish with good melodies. I had been planning to go since I heard about them playing at the Jefferson Theater but wasn't so sure since there was nobody to go with. Luckily, BW reminded me of the concert a couple of days ago and we decided to go together. 

We had more an hour and a half to kill before they started playing. So we talked about our summers, second year so far and her amazing business plan ideas, writing a book, not becoming consultants or bankers and life after Darden. It was fun catching up since we don't have any common classes. 

They played for 2 hours. From 10 to 12. Their lead guitarist was really talented. Apart from the fact that he played the guitar, mandolin, banjo and violin, his riffs were melodious and had a flowing quality to them. The mandolin and banjo added a folk/bluegrass feel to some of their songs. And the lead singer came up with a few flute solos too! A lot of variety on display. Totally enjoyable. We even bought a CD each - buying into their request to support local musicians (they are from Virginia and have decided to cut their own records severing ties with the record label they were with earlier). No, really, it was because the music was good.

Afternoon drive to Shenandoah

So I finished my only exam at 12:30 in the afternoon and had about 5 hours to kill before going to the Darden International Food Festival. I was pretty sure, I wouldn't be working on the paper I need to finish by Monday. The weather was warm and sunny so a short drive to Skyline Drive seemed like a good idea. The fall colors are yet to come but it was pretty scenic nevertheless. We stopped at 'Beagle Gap' and walked along short trail before driving back.

They were all over the place. The bright red a stark contrast to an otherwise ordinary foliage

Taken from a 'Scenic Stop'

I love taking pictures of the rear view mirror. This one came out good.

I want to come back when all the leaves change color.

The New Darden Student Bloggers

...have been announced. Go check them out as they talk about all too familiar topics like Darden Cup, TGIT, DA spreadsheets and settling down as a grad student in Charlottesville.

Second Year - Is it really worth the hype?

It is. And it didn't feel like that in the first couple of weeks. Especially when we were going to classes on Fridays while the first years had the day off. 'Oh, you guys have classes, right', said a first year one day with a hint of a smile. 

Then the first long weekend happened, I went to NYC and thereafter things changed. I went to Shenandoah one weekend, got my Driver's License, drove to DC and generally started to enjoy second year. My roommate bought a TV and I got back to watching re runs of sitcoms. No 8 o' clock classes meant I eased into the day much like old times in Bangalore. Wake up at 9, turn on the TV, check emails, have tea. Lots of free time meant, I would loiter around Darden for no apparent reason looking to chat up with people!

Last weekend was particularly satisfying. I had thought I would actually do some work like starting on some of the final papers that are due and study for my Valuations exam (about which I have very little clue as of now). But procrastination got the better of me and I ended up being happier for that. Take Saturday for example. After the usual slow start to the morning (the weather was absolutely gorgeous, by the way), I was just about thinking of starting on my paper when a friend emailed about going to the UVA Vs FSU tailgate. A couple of hours, a few beers and chicken nuggets later, I came back home. 

Next stop was the Crozet Music Festival. A 20 minute ride through very picturesque roads brought us to the Misty Mountain Camp Resort. It was essentially an open field with a couple of stages where the bands were performing. We sat down there, had a glass of locally brewed beer, met a couple of other folks and just relaxed while the music played.

The evening followed from where the afternoon had ended. An Asian Business Club social where we threatened to throw the president in the pool, followed by watching The Social Network in a packed theater (Yes, that's a rarity in Charlottesville. Our small group of 15 odd people had to split up and find separate seats).

Although Saturday was an extremity, I think I have reached a point where I am only doing things I care about. I no longer bother about giving my 100% to everything. Yes, that means going to classes unprepared at times (a lot of times, to be honest). That also means cooking more at home and hitting the gym pretty regularly. I'm quite liking this part of my life.