Post #33: In Which I Remember That This is a College Town

There are young people everywhere all of a sudden. The older I get, the younger they seem.

They are out in quiet couples, arms wrapped around each other. They are out in loud crowds, populating the pubs and streets late into the evening.

The nighttime driving is more erratic... or maybe drunken.

I was visiting some friends near the University the other night. Around 9:30pm, there was an explosion of laughter outside and a sudden knock on the door. A glance out the window showed 10 or 15 young guys running around in their boxers, running up driveways, knocking on doors, and running away. As pranks go, knocking on doors and running away is pretty harmless. Doing it in your underwear, however? Well, that puts it somewhere between brave and amusing.

The young dudes came by again about 15 minutes later. The streakers ( are you streaking if you still have some clothes on? ) were having a good, if somewhat loud and drunken time. It reminded me of how much fun my first year at UVic was.

I left to head home around 10 and was just getting into my car when two of the young guys approached me. I was bracing myself for a drunken come on and was surprised when they politely asked me if I'd seen anyone pick anything up.

It turns out they had left their clothes ( and one of them, his brand new shoes and wallet ) on the curb and someone had taken them. Which is a bummer. I asked them if they were going to report their clothing stolen but they were too distracted by the fact that it was "so lame that someone had taken their hoodies" to hear me. Besides, what would you say to the police... "Someone stole the clothes I left on the road when I was running half-naked through this neighbourhood knocking on doors." ?

It really was too bad that someone put a damper on their evening. However, it's also kind of funny. It was tempting to drive around the block to see how many of them were going to have to walk home pants-less.

I hope they get their stuff back. I'd hate for karma to deal with them so harshly.

Besides, it'll make a way better story if it ends happily.

"Dude.. this one time? In first year....? "