Summer Fights Back

For this weekend to have been the date of the Midwinters dance, it sure was unusually warm, with temperatures clocking in at a balmy 55 degrees or so. I'm not complaining, mind you, it just made for a nicer time of it. As for a quick reflection on the evening, I enjoyed myself. The Burruss Square Tavern is a really nice place - it's amazing to think that there's someplace like that right here in downtown Blacksburg. It's definitely modeled after a bigger-city nightclub, but it still maintains a kind of local feel. I was delighted to hear and see the live jazz band play while we were eating dinner, though it made things quite a bit louder. Gina and I even tried out some dance moves on the large hardwood floor while we were waiting for our food, which was delicious in my case. I give the whole shindig an A.

The dance was a little less exciting, since the music wasn't exactly danceable. Fighting Gravity is a great band, to be sure, but a lot of people had a hard time dancing to their stuff. Plus, they were also really loud. Beyond all that, the decorations around the Commonwealth Ballroom were all really top-notch, and we had a fun group, so there are plenty of funny pictures I'll be posting soon.

... Here's something that may reveal my inherent dorkiness, but that I thought was interesting. Eben M. Byers was a socialite who died due to radium poisoning in the 1930's, but it was due to his habitual drinking of "radium water." I heard about this bit of historical trivia in a problem statement for an in-class example in Environmental Engineering (count the number of times can you say the meme "in" in the same sentence, kids). What crazy elixirs and potions they had back in the day! Just think: this guy could have exposed film with his jawbone. Be careful out there, and be wary of the radon gas!