Traditions

Traditions are a strange and unusual beast. Take this very moment for example. It is not yet 10 in the morning, and I have consumed several celebratory beverages in honor of Founder's Day. Matthew Vassar, the founder of my Alma Matter, was born near this time, and every year, the first weekend in May, we honor his dedication to the education of young feminists in the mid/late 1800's by drinking a lot. To be fair, the man was a beer brewer, and if women's education hadn't succeeded, he was going to turn the whole college into a beer brewery, so this seems reasonable. So there is established college tradition. But each group of people have their own individual Founder's Day traditions. Take my group of friends (please!) for example: every year for quite some time we have concocted shirts of varying shades of hideously bright in order to be able to find each other despite the thick crowds that gather to honor the founder, and this year is no different. This year, we have a Spartan with a toothbrush (the theme is Candyland...BRUSH YOUR TEEEEEEEEETH!!) and a ridiculously cute molasses creature named Plumpy from the Candyland game. There was also a Limit sketch comedy show last night, and traditions were observed while watching this insanity. It's just strange how certain habits begin, and how they perpetuate themselves through social memes and through the actions of our friends. A quote that I enjoy in this situation is: "Without tradition, we'd be forced to rely on logic and free thought, and who wants that?" (Bear in mind, this was said in a facetious tone of text) and it was said by one of the world's great thinkers...ME! So, happy Founder's Day all you Vassar students/grads (many of whom I've just slept on the floor with), enjoy this cold, cloudy, slightly damp day as much as you can, and raise a glass of beer and sign a song in honor of our good old founder, Matthew Vassar. Happy birthday Matt.

See you on the other side,
Justin