Friday, February 09, 2007

The End of an Era - Dustin's time in Whitewater

Six years of Whitewater (School, Residence, Work)

That is right folks, next time I am in Whitewater, it isn't because I go to school there, it isn't because I live there, and now it isn't because I work there! No, the next time I go to Whitewater, I will be nothing more than a visitor, and that feels pretty good. I was starting to think this time might never happen. I guess I started with baby steps, first I graduated, then I moved out a year later, now not even a year after that, I will no longer be working in this town we call Whitewater.

Did I get fired? No. Did I quit? No, in fact I sort of like my job. How did this happen then? I am going to be honest, it was sprung pretty quick, within 1 day to be exact. I find out on Thursday, February 8 that me and the rest of my department will be moving to Waukesha. This was terrible news at first, for I live in Madison, and seemingly need to drive even farther than I already do. True, I am going to have to go for at least some time. Also true, if I don't get a pay raise, I am not so sure I am going to want to move for my job when I can get another, higher paying job, in the Madison area. However, this isn't as bad as I initially thought. Turns out, that my drive time will be exactly the same! GOODY!

So, as I left work, I thought, this might not be so bad afterall. In fact, I am quite relieved that I no longer need to feel ashamed to tell people that I work in Whitewater. I then have some thoughts about my days in Whitewater, for six years. And what better way to memorialize those moments than with a blog few people will read. It is true, that I will still make some Whitewater memories, but here are some highlights:

Dustin's Days in Whitewater

-Saturday, September 1st - Freshman move-in day, where it all begins

-Sunday, September 2nd - Meet many of my floormates in a thrilling game of ultimate frisbee (my first time playing)

-Tuesday, September 11th - Yeah, I wake up to my dad calling me saying, "your classmate Clint was killing in an accident this morning. Oh, turn on the TV!" Kind of a bummer day, and I still had econ class that day

-Every Wednesday freshman year = 243 Prairie

-Common dorm time party houses - 243, Hockey House, Starin, Attic, Ice House, Castle House, Green House, Cow House...umm bunch more

-October-November 2001 – I basically lived in the girl’s wing and drank kool-aid. There was of course the Space Shuttle comment made by a friend who had never really drank before.

-Halloween 2001 – Army Guy and party at 243 (go figure)

-December 2001 – Moonlight Breakfast. After pounding vodka, I go eat Esker’s late night breakfast, which is supposed to be an incentive for studying. I miraculously win a game of Lightning and walk away from the whole blurred experience with a brand new inflatable chair.

-February 2002
– Opening ceremonies of Winter Olympics in Utah. Jon S. and I cap off an entire liter of Jose Cuervo in Tom’s room. Tom was puking, Jon and I were playing with a remote controlled blimp owned by the RA’s crazy boyfriend who was wearing at the time a purple robe and combat boots. Scuba Steve drank a drink he termed “rapehole” (ginger ale and vodka), I still make fun of that drink and that name to this day.

-March 2002 – 19th B-day! Stacey and Kristi make Jon and I a cake and we play Mario Kart. It sounds simple, but was actually simply amazing.

-May 2002 – Time to move out, say goodbye to new WW friends and move back home

-September 2002 – Move Back in for Sophomore year!

-Sophomore Move in Night – Most of you have heard this one before, the night I claim to have been rufied. Party at one of the frat houses. Two lines for beer, one for guys one for girls. The guy’s line is ridiculous so I have Kristen fill me up. I swear I only had a couple drinks and suddenly I wake up the next morning in my neighbors room having puked in my sleep. I have brief memory of walking around the 6 pack completely lost as to where I was. I called my LaCrosse friends asking them which house was theirs. Grass stains on my calves! It was interesting to say the least, by far the most I’ve been messed up.

-October 2002 – Plans to live with Schneits and some others falls through. After deciding to go to some apartment party with some guys new to 2nd floor I mention that fact to one of the new guys named Mike (who I remembered from Freshman year as the guy that walked home from Econ with Christine and I, and walked so damn slow). Mike explains that him, his roommate Andy, and the two guys in the triple room, Justin and Tim were possibly looking for a 5th roommate.

-Same Night as Above – On walk home across campus, when near the Williams Center a group of girls yells out to us, asking if we know where the rape poles (emergency blue light flashy things) are because the guys behind them were following them. They overall didn’t seem to concerned about the guys, but did ask that we gave them protection. I, in the perfect state of mind, pull a U-Turn and go back to Lee Hall with this group of fine young ladies. I find out that their names are Marie, Ashley, Barb, Kim, Ashley, and Jerilyn. We drank in Lee hall all night. This infused a whole new group of friends that would soon mesh. So, no matter which side you knew first, you can thank rape poles for knowing the other.

-Still October 2002 – Mike takes me to visit the house they were going to rent. It is a large blue house on Main St. It is pretty dirty, but Mike tells me tales of how they were going to pimp it out and make it a sweet party house. I am unsure until I go downstairs and see the Dalmatian print bar and the small crack you climb through to the other side of the basement. My god this is the Ice House! I sign immediately.

-Sometime Fall 2002 – After at the last second bailing my group of normal party goers to go to a different party because I had yet to ever go to the Attic whereas the other party on Starin I had been to for the last week straight it seemed like. When I returned to the dorm, I heard rumor that the party on Starin had been busted. After a couple hours my friends return, confirming the horrible truth. This bust set some sort of record and was all over the news. People were stuck in the basement for hours! I thank God for my last second decision.

-Homecoming 2002 – Drank it up in the “Ice House” yard…..#1 there

-Halloween 2002 – Not sure, I found a cheap suit at Goodwill and ran with it the best I could….no idea

-February 24, 2003 – Why do I remember this date? Because I look back on this day and shake my head. I started at Arrow Financial Services as a Collector’s Assistant. Turns out partying all the time and driving all over the state, from home, to Madison, to LaCrosse, costs a lot of money and quickly drained my savings. Time to get a job! I started training, and was happy to see a familiar face in Sara Guidinger who lived on 2nd floor with me Freshman year but then joined a sorority and moved out. Sara and I were merely acquaintances during our time in the dorms, but it was nice to see a friendly face to work with. It was on this day that I met my boss, Bernard. He helped teach me the ways of Title XIII, or the FDCPA. I remember three distinct things about my training with Bernard, we played Taboo, which was to help us learn how to not say certain words. He ordered us Pizza, I love free food. Also, I think I will always remember Window 10, the hot window, because he figured he was a perfect 10 on the hotness scale.

-Shortly after starting Arrow – I went to a small party, some friends knew some friends. Anyhow, I walk downstairs to see my boss Bernard! This was pretty scary; for he knew I was underage…I hoped this wouldn’t reflect poorly for me and my new job! (what little did I know, so naïve)

-March 5, 2003 – My 20th birthday, I don’t recall what I did, but I assume I got drunk

-All Sophomore year - Parties in the triple room, broken basement tables...things like that

-Hmmmmmm umm, May 2003 – Move out, done with dorms, back to work at the cheese factory for my farewell tour there.

-Summer 2003 – I help Mike clean the basement of the new pad on Main St. He lets me know that we are just going to call it the Blue House. Anyhow, we take out approximately 3,500 bags of dirt and garbage from the basement. I later develop bronchitis because of this experience.

-4th of July Weekend - First small party at the new house. Pretty good time, point is Matt passes out outside with money for Toppers. Toppers shows up, the money is gone. I would get pay back for Matt when it comes to Toppers

-August 2003 - I officially move into the Blue House

-Setember 2003 - Move in day for the dorms, naturally we throw a large kegger, it had yellow cups, how fun. Now I wasn't lying when I said I had a house cup. I end up riding around town in a U-Haul truck, don't ask.

-October 2003 - After months of planning it was time for a true party! Over 10 barrels, T-Shirts, Pizza, and 300 friends.....that is right, Homecoming. The party made the paper

- November 2003 - Coaster fight and kickball, see last blog

-All Junior Year - Darts, friends, beer, parties, keg-a-rator, front porch sitting, watching drunks walk home from the bar, throwing water balloons at the DZs

-December 2003 - We celebrate Christmas with a large tree decorated in beer cans. Play charades several nights. Then have a Christmas party, wine, large sub from jimmy johns, mistletoe, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, The Chipmunks....truly magical

-December 2003 again - I got promoted to be a collector at Arrow, goody

-New Years Eve - Lots of champagne everywhere, umm, it was fun but can't recall too much

-February 2004 - First kickball trophy (see below)

-February 2004 - Before sneaking into Pumpers for broomball Mike and I head to the Sigma house. I only knew the girls who lived in Knilans, and was most familiar with Sara. I got to know Boo Cha Cha Cha Charmin. Oh yeah, we made cupcakes for everyone. This was my first time in the Sigma House, it seemed so....forbidden, I even had to leave my alcohol outside (last time I ever do that). No one is really home, except I meet Leah, but she doesn't remember me that day

-March 4 - Night of my 21st, got pretty fucked up, we'll leave it at that

-March 5 - Highland crew rolls into town, do the 21 thing again

-March 17 - We heard the bars opened at 6 am for St. Patty's day, so not wanting to get up early, we decorate the house, buy some kegs and pull an all nighter before heading to the bars. We learn Styx is terrible at Moosehead. That day Leah met me , but I don't remember her that day (I just think those two inserts are sort of amusing)

ummmmmm

-May 2004 - summer is starting, I am staying this year. Then the night before they are to move in, the new neighbors on the other side of the duplex move in. Apparently it was one's B-Day, her name was Jennifer, but she liked to be called Jenn with two N's. She turned 20, but I later learned it was her 20.5 b-day, but then I later learned that it was actually her 20th b-day. Anyhow she couldn't walk, and the true point is these girls were pretty hot and liked to drink. We were worried because we had some pretty awesome girls there beforehand as well.

-June 2004 - After the last day of elementary school (my volunteer hours), Leah breaks up with me...now the only reason I am writing this is because to add insult to injury, she accidentally stabbed me in the leg with my own pocketknife. This night I got super hammered, and the summer of summers began! The summer of summers is called this because everyone that stayed in WW that summer, drank, every, night. I think I took off like, 5 nights of drinking all summer.

-July 2004 - Mike, Erin, Angie, and I, discover our love of Carny corn dogs at the WW 4th of July festival. This same weekend us 4 and Anus drink in the rain, then invite random girls that were on a walk to play football in the rain with us. We all go downtown wearing rediculous clothing. Later, we take Mark out for his 21st B-Day, no one actually knows what happened this night. This was the drunkest weekend of my life...and I ended up in the ER for my heart too, that was cool

-August 31, 2004 - Blue House Carnival!! It started as some random talk about carnivals and coupled with an idea someone had already, we decided to get a dunk tank, jumpy castle, and a jousting thingie. After the city tried to shut us down, we had everyone bring their own beer for the biggest beer pot luck ever. 800 pounds of ice to keep those bad boys cold.

-October 31, 2004 - Homecoming again! 21 Barrels then plenty of Jager later, we were ready to go to the bars for Halloween.

-Halloween 2004 - Guss, Larry, Mike, and I dress up as Care Bears....with children's costumes

-Senior Year - Basically, we just went to the bars every night. $6 all you can drink, $5 all you can drink....you know deals like that

Alright, this is getting too long, CONDENSED PART

- 3 more kickball trophys, graduation, move to church st, get job at generac, boone ct, bars, more bars, moved to Cottage Grove, still work in WW

- February 2007 - I get moved to work in Waukesha


sorry if you were saddened by me skipping 2005 and 2006 basically, but really all I did was go to the bars...i mean WW starts to become repetitive after a while anyhow. pics will come if you actually care

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