Stayed in bed relaxing most of the day, eating pizza, and watching the Real Housewives of New Jersey with Kelly. Deliciously relaxing! Pictured is Anna and me doing the Mary Tyler Moore spin in front of Madison Square Garden after brunch at Agave and walk up 7th ave. 
Went to Boat Basin with Fareed, Stephanie, TJ, Tim, and Jen Nels, followed by margs at Rosa Mexicana and ending with a grilled cheese... somewhere. Here we are walking down the Hudson during the sunset. I saw a kite and I swore it was looking at me. All in all a very NYC night out!
I traveled 2 hours to get to Morristown, NJ today for focus groups... then turned right around after 4 hours (and a free lunch!) to take the train back for another 2 hours. At least the day ended with a company happy hour. I had planned to save my picture of the day for Kelly because she got home today, but then she pulled some "I'm on Europe time" BS and decided to fall asleep. So, in true every-day-is-a-story fashion, I walked home trying to find a picture, and when I got back to Kelly's having not found one, I just took a random right and kept walking. I ended up walking down the West Side Highway for a while until I came across this old pier that's been left to rot away. It seems strange that in a place that renews itself as frequently as New York does, every now and then you find a ghost town. 
Second day of work, and I already smell strongly like night time entertainment due to the excessive trial perfume I've been experimenting with. I walked the three miles home from work today which was relaxing and ended in me finding the Guinness Book of World Records record holder for salad with the most goat cheese - I win! After the salad, I met up with Berna to surprise Rory for her birthday. Stupidly I forgot to take a picture with Rory, but I did take a picture of this man carrying his dog on the way to work. I got incredibly confused on the way over to Rory's because apparently there is a Little West 12th street AND a regular West 12th street. Little West 12th comes after 13th... then there are a bunch of other random unpronouncable streets like Bethune, and eventually comes the "real" 12th. Seriously New York? Between Little West 12th, the half addresses, and your lack of cell service in subways, I'd think I was in the middle ages. That being said, you do make a good cupcake. I got really sad when Berna showed up with Magnolia cupcakes and then gave them ALL to Rory. Jeeze, Rory, happy birthday, I guess, whatever.
First day of work! On the way back from dinner with Aman, I saw this mysterious address which led me to believe I was not in Manhattan but in fact at the entrance to the Hogwarts train platform. 
Who said New York isn't pretty? I caught this view off of the west side highway on the way back from picking up an amazing salad at Westville. Great first night in the city, despite the fact that my bag weighs twice as much as I do and despite the fact that I'm sleeping in Kelly's apartment and have yet to see her! 
Goodbye Charlottesville! I packed up my apartment so that Rebecca could store her things there, and headed NE towards the fine state of Maryland and my summer internship. Sadly the golf clubs had to stay in C-ville. My mom has always told me this, but it's true that I don't do well with change. I got so sad driving away from the ville. As Nicki pointed out, I even got sad about the fact that I have to graduate in a year! I hate goodbyes. At least tomorrow, I have a day of all new hellos. Miles left: 631.5
So we woke up today thinking we would go camping. It was a noble pursuit... until we drove for three hours to find out every camp ground in the Charlottesville area was completely booked. We were all pretty bummed about it, what with all the food we bought. But, in the words of Scott, I don't care where I sleep tonight as long as it's in a tent. We called our good friend Suhey and 30 minutes later we were camping... in his back yard on Rugby Ave. This is a picture of us at the campsite (Horseshoe Gap). Ganter even came out of the house and ate dinner/breakfast with us. Nicole brought coffee from Greenberry's in the morning. All-in-all, one hell of a camping trip. Miles left: 631.5
Graham, Chloe, Patrick and I headed to Fridays after 5 on the downtown mall and ran into all of Darden there. We took in the music and drank local beer (my favorite being Love from Starr Hill brewery), and afterwards the four of us had dinner at Petite Pois on the mall... and ran into all of Darden there. After dinner I suggested the obvious choice for dessert: Arch's. The guey brownie was existentially amazing. Miles left: 634.25
I spent the entire day packing, and I managed to see this awesome coming soon to Charlottesville sign. Looks like Le Royce will be the finest antique joint around. Miles left: 637
The boys and I headed out for a round of golf at Birdwood. Here we are looking for the stray shots at the par 3 hole over the lake. You know what's slower than 4 people going at once on the golf course? 6 people going at once. And then some guy almost hit Brian and Patrick with his shot. Miles left: 641
Thelma and Louise, Day 6: A lone Joshua Tree lined the road as we drove out of Zion and headed back to Vegas for our flight home. Per Sproul planning, we arrived an hour early for boarding time, and I got the chance to catch up on a week's worth of blogging. You know it's bad when your mom judges you for being too nerdy. 
Thelma and Louise, Day 5: A day spent in Zion. We hiked three different trails. Mom was afraid of the “gila monsters” (tiny lizards) and at one point jumped 3 feet in the air because one turned around to look at her and she “hates their eyeballs.” The first trail gave us a view of the entire canyon. The second led us to a weeping rock. Water seeps through the porous sandstone over thousands of years, making it so that it is always raining under the overhanging rock. The third trail meandered for a few miles alongside the Virgin River, the tiny river that has single-handedly carved out all of the canyons in Zion. By the end of the day, it was a plot for “too much vacation” by the Berenstein Bears. We ended the day with Sauvignon Blanc poolside and two full hours of Grey's Anatomy in the fabulous Desert Pearl.
Miles left: 664
Thelma and Louise, Day 4: We got up at 5:45 to watch the sunrise. So tired. Afterwards, we took a 5 mile hike and by lunch were on the road, driving through canyons and mountains on the way to Zion. I’ve been reading my grandmother’s version of Love in the Time of Cholera, and I love the fact that she’s taken notes in the book. One passage she put a check next to was: “In the din of fireworks and native drums, of colored lights in the doorways and the clamor of the crowd yearning for peace, Florentino Ariza wandered like a sleepwalker until dawn, watching the fiesta through his tears, dazed by the hallucination that it was he and not God who had been born that night.” I wonder what she was thinking when she checked it. Zion is spectacular. It’s completely different from Bryce – primarily because you explore it from the base of the canyon, whereas we explored Bryce along the top. The sheer rock faces and sandstone monoliths feel like you’re in Africa, not Utah. We drove down the length of the park, through the tunnels and along the cliff bases, and even saw a bighorn sheep.
Miles left: 671
Thelma and Louise, Day 3: For the third day in a row, I was awakened by my mother opening the blinds in my face. We set off early for a 3 hour hike around the base of Bryce. This place is spectacular. It feels like you’re walking on Mars. The sky was a deep brilliant blue. I’m fairly sure this canyon can’t be real because it’s absurdly beautiful. We had a picnic lunch on our porch, napped, and headed out for a half day horseback trail ride which turned into (as our trail leader put it) the Donner Party. One woman fainted, hit her head, and had to be carried out of the canyon by eight medics (she’s fine!). Another man almost fell off his horse from near fainting and had to be rushed some kind of powdered hydrating packet in a water bottle before finishing the ride. My horse (Renee) had some serious attitude but I loved her. Mom’s horse was lame (not boring…limping). It was quasi-disastrous. We ended the night with a 90 min animated powerpoint talk given by a park ranger on nocturnal animals and astronomy. We walked out afterwards into the pitch black canyon to look at the stars, and all I could hear was lines from Mrs. Potter’s Lullabye.
Miles left: 677.25
Thelma and Louise, Day 2: We took a morning stroll down the strip for an iced latte from Starbucks and to take in the sights. At one point, we ran into a huge crowd and wondered what they were gathering to see… then we saw it was the line for Denny’s. After some pool time, shopping, and lunch, we headed straight for the hills, driving 4.5 hours through Nevada, Arizona, and Utah on our way to Bryce Canyon. The first area we passed through was North Vegas, an area that my mom aptly described as looking like a litter box. Muddy mountains, 102 degree temperatures, and flat acres of scraggly bushes, dust, and heat mirages. After an hour of that, we began the ascent into the mountains, and over the course of 45 minutes, we saw the temperature drop from 102 degrees to 59. The road side fields were dotted with lone Joshua Trees and cattle ranches. By the time we reached the top peaks, there was snow on the ground and the icy air was whipping through the car. As we came over the top of the mountain, we could barely see the red rocks of Bryce in the distance. We descended through an area of black volcanic rock and ended up in a small town called Duck Creek Village whose gas station was closed despite our arriving in the middle of business hours. A lone Scottish Terrier was sitting on the front stoop when we pulled up, but he eventually limped off. Most of the village appeared to be accessible by ATVs and snow mobiles only. Coming down into Bryce, the temperature came back up to 70, and the dry air, red rocks, and scraggly pines reminded me of Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney World. We checked into the Bryce Canyon Lodge and walked out to the edge of the cliffs to watch the sun set over the Bryce hoodoos (the stone posts that look like people lined up in an amphitheater). After spending years in cities and forested areas, I felt dwarfed by the enormity of the western sky. 
Thelma and Louise, Day 1: On the way to the airport, we said goodbye to Anna, who we wished could have made the trip with us. She assured us that she and Dad would have dinner together at least one night that week and would enjoy “the canyons of their own wit and the vistas of small talk.” We arrived in Vegas at 4pm and I was immediately slapped in the face with America. It was so American, it hurt me. It’s as if Walt Disney made a theme park for college students and degenerates. Have you ever walked down a sidewalk and thought, “Wow, wouldn’t it be nice if this was a moving sidewalk and I didn’t have to walk?” Vegas makes that dream a reality! America. We checked into the Venetian, which was complete with a fake river and gondolas. After some time at the pool, we made our way down to the Palazzo for dinner at Dos Caminos and the Jersey Boys show. Jersey Boys was fantastic! Upbeat, happy, and with great music. Afterwards we walked the strip, and I commented that the Bellagio seemed hokey. My mom replied, “Compared to what, fake Venice?” 
From: "Joseph A. Scott"
Subject: question
To: "Bailey Spaulding"
Bailey,
I found out that you are a co captain on the equestrian team and I have an odd request. My house is looking into having a cow bingo game and therefore we need a cow. I was wondering if the stable you ride out of has any cows that we might be able to recruit for a day and if they do if you could give me some contact info.
Thanks a bunch,
Joe
To whom it may concern,
I woke up this morning in a daze, believing it was Sunday when in fact it was Thursday and I have all my papers and tests due by 5pm on Friday. Apparently when one camps out for two days straight in Crozet, one's body starts to believe every day is a Saturday and real life happens on Sunday. This picture is of the view I had all day. In case you can't see, it's my porch, and it's beautiful out, and it's dark and depressing in my apartment where I spent way too many hours editing that moronic ELA project. Miles left: 695
Spent the day at Neal's, left briefly for a Follies dinner, and came back to find Suhey dressed as the Easter bunny. Dancing ensued and culminated with Kevin wearing the rabbit shoes out to Coupe's for Crosby's birthday. Scott B. taught me the correct way to dance with a disco ball. It continued to rain. Mother Nature did not care for our Cinco de Mayo intentions. Miles left: 700
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Neal threw a great 5deM party at his house, complete with slip and slide, smoke machine, disco ball, and clown pinatas. Above is Patrick preparing the ring of water on the slip and slide. I had beginners luck with my enchiladas (cheese in red sauce and chicken in homemade mole sauce). Hard to believe it was the last big get together on Dry Bridge Road. Will better take over next year and do it right. Brian, Nicole, Mike, and I all went to see Bruce... and he was amazing. Like many concerts I go to, I was surprised about how much music he's made that I've never even heard of. All in all worth the pain I put my parents through to get the tickets. My bbbbb. Miles left: 700
I published this classic photo to illustrate that little has changed between me and my sister since we were 5 and 3. Even with a bum hand, she is judging me.
You know what's better than watching one sporting event at Suhey's house? Watching four. Other than the brief 2 hour hiatus taken by yours truly to study DAO and whine about the ELA, I spent from 1:30pm until midnight at Kevin's house to watch sports. Here we are watching the Kentucky derby, an event that lost Parkinson $1,000 and caused Josh W. to make the outrageous declaration that he was never again betting on the derby. I enjoyed everything the jockey said, mostly because I had no idea what he was saying. The night ended with a Bollywood party and a stolen ("borrowed") keg in Liz N's apartment. Dance party!! I found Kevin wandering around Ivy G at 3:30am with a hard hat on and drove him home. In preparation for Cinco de Mayo, I purchased $125 worth of Mexican food, including 14 avocados, that is currently sitting in my kitchen waiting to be enjoyed alongside a marg and pinata.
