My beloved alma mater

As it is two weeks before I leave for New Zealand I took a trip up to Hamilton this past weekend. As expected it was a fantastic time and being there made my alumni status even more real...as well as my longing for college days more intense. However, my appreciation for having graduated was quickly reinstated Sunday morning when papers, projects and tests became the topic of conversation at Sunday morning brunch. 'Sorry guys, but I've got to get going back to Binghamton, back to the pre-New Zealand world of college degrees and no homework...aka the world of a jobless nomad.'
All kidding aside I really do miss school. Nothing will ever compare to it and for those of you who have yet to experience the wonders of college, know that those four years are really the best years of your life. Sappy? Yes. Cliche? Most definitely. True? Without a doubt. Oh Hamilton, I miss thee so.

I spent a lovely lunch with Profess....I mean Doug (it's going to take some time getting used to this) where I experienced the greatness that is Lebanese food. I must admit that I am a bit disappointed I had never been to the Phonecian in my four years in Clinton. If you haven't been (folks at Ham-tech), you MUST get there asap. Before it's too late! I think that the meal could only have been outdone by the mode of transportation to and from the restaurant (and of course the fabulous conversation and endless knowledge gained over the few hours we spent chatting). (btw, if you want to know you'll have to ask Doug about the new toy sitting in his garage.)

Of course I spent a good amount of time at my second home on the hill, the pool. It's funny how, in just five months, all of the petty bs that you argued about with your coach becomes something to laugh about. Although I was very ready to close the chapter on swimming in my life, it is still a very hard thing to let go of. Sitting in that office, walking on that pool deck, watching videos of meets past (yes we did that, yes we are lame sports geeks) really gave me that "I want to kick someone's ass" feeling. Annnnd then the thousands of yards of butterfly flashed through my head and the feeling was gone. I think I need a few more months, if not a few more years to let my emotions towards swimming revert back to the good old days, so until then "we be bikin'". Not a bad substitute if you ask me. Not a bad replacement either. Who knows what could happen. Without getting too sentimental I will say that I owe a lot to swimming and I am grateful I had the opportunity to flop around in the water all these years. I won't miss the wretched chlorine burn though. Wretched it was.

I also spent some time with a truly exceptional woman who is very near and dear to my heart...padooden (Caitlin Pegnim to the rest of you...and yes call her padooden whenever you get the chance.) I won't go into the intensely fun weekend we had partying in downtown Utica and working the tables at Turning Stone (she even got on stage to sing with this local country cover band) but I will just say that it was wonderful to see her again and that I will miss her like crazy. She is the glue that held me together for much of my college career and I will never be able to thank her enough for it.

Much of my time was spent with my two surrogate families the Murphy's and the Rueckert's. I have been blessed to know these two families and I've had the pleasure to watch their children grow into the brilliant, talented, promising young people they are today.

Nick, with his imaginative mind constantly feeding his maturing acting abilities.

Jack and his sweet, caring nature, always available for a wonderful conversation.

Jacque with her sincere heart and strong personality, aspiring in an array of graceful pursuits.

And Patricia, adorable, tough, endearing...and growing up at an alarming rate.

I can't even begin to discuss John, Marilee, Tracy and Don who have bent over backwards to help me since the day we met. Looking at things in hindsight I consider myself extremely lucky as I met these two families by chance. It's funny how in the plethora of cards that life has put in front of me, I've gotten such a good hand many, many times. Knowing these two families helped me connect with the community around the college. Because of them I became acquainted with Clinton as much as I did with Hamilton, helping me to appreciate my four years on the hill so much more.



So that was, for the most part, my time at Hamilton. I did see a lot of old friends, teammates, professors, etc, but this post is entirely too long already and I am beat. If it bored any of you, well, you should have stopped reading it.

-NMK