In England it's not terribly uncouth to nip off to the pub in the AM on weekends, especially for important sporting events such as football or the Ashes. I learned today that this is also accepted practice in Los Angeles, due to the three-hour time zone difference between the East and West Coasts.
I also remembered how much I love football Sundays in America.
A bunch of us Andersonians met up today at 10 AM at the unofficial Anderson watering hole, Q's on Wilshire, to watch the first weekend of the NFL season. There were multiple screens, multiple games, and groups of fans loudly supporting each team in action today -- barring, for some inexplicable reason, Arizona Cardinals, last year's Super Bowl finalists.
Europeans may have differing views about American football versus its English, continental, or Gaelic counterparts, but football Sunday is a uniquely American experience.
We were at the street-side tables with the bright, sunny Los Angeles morning to our backs, watching all of the action, consuming breakfast, then lunch (free hot dogs and grilled chicken!), then more snacks, and perhaps a few drinks (wink wink) - I opted for what's now being known as a John Daly, which is an Arnold Palmer (ice tea + lemonade) with vodka.
More than the food and drink, though, was that it was the perfect setting to really get to know people, because everyone is in their natural state. We've just gone through four intense, exhilarating, and exhausting days of orientation this week, so this was a chance to just be ourselves and not think about anything serious (other than our fantasy football teams).
I know it won't be long before school becomes stressful, before we are inundated with classwork and recruiting. So I'll treasure these moments, where my classmates and I can just be ourselves.
And the best bit is -- we get to do it all again next Sunday.
Laissez les bons temps roulez! Let the good times roll!
-- Sreesha
