Last weekend, one of my closest friends from DC came to visit. As if I’m not a big enough draw, her real 
reason for coming to Austin was to run the Austin Half Marathon – conveniently located just steps from my front door. I haven’t had any visitors since school started, and it was a blast having someone here that knows me so well from home, and to be able to show her around this town that I have grown to love so much.
Since she was a good friend, she agreed to let me drag her along with me to the Big Lebowski bowling tournament – part of the Cohort Games, and sure to be a hilarious event. I had heard from the 2nd years that last year’s event was hilarious, and this year proved to live up to its expectations. People were dressed in costumes – themed everything from White Russians (Big Lebowski themed) to Elvis to the Wizard of Oz. Imagine you were in a new city, and the first thing you do is walk into a bowling alley, greeted by a huge lion. She was a great sport. The night was a great time, and I even managed to bowl okay (by my standards)…breaking 100! My team was a mixed bunch – full of people from my cohort and other cohorts, and we had a great time.
The next day was full of wandering around Austin, hitting up the shops in the Clarksville neighborhood, and then the Whole Foods HQ in downtown Austin, a necessary stop for anyone – especially if you love natural or healthy foods. Next was a trip to UT, so I could show off the beautiful campus, the building I spend all of my time in, and the Gregory Gym (with two pools including a rec pool that makes me question whether I’m actually on a college campus). The Clinton Global Initiative was taking place on campus, so there was a ton of security and a lot of buzz and chatter about celebrity spottings. We topped off Friday night with dinner at Matt’s El Rancho for the obligatory Tex-Mex dinner, and then toured Sixth Street to experience Austin’s famed night life.
