It seemed like a typical night at O'Neill's - the background clatter of dishes, a basketball game being broadcast over the bar and a table full of University students getting ready to pay for dinner.
Eat it or wear it The scent of eggs and ground beef permeated the air under Newcomb Plaza's Big White Tent yesterday as first-year College student Vince Martyn achieved one of the University's most coveted honors - champion of the annual Gusburger Eatoff. "It's all a blur," Martyn said after devouring four Gusburgers in three minutes during the second heat of the competition.
I have not exactly spent my time at the University immersing myself in the world of academia. I haven't been a bad student, of course.
This year, April Fool's Day engaged in a little tomfoolery of its own. With daylight-saving time going into effect beginning 2 a.m.
Pre-game with Gillen If you're looking for free food, free T-shirts and a chance to rub elbows with the men's basketball team, stop by the Student Appreciation Day tonight at the University amphitheater before you watch the NCAA Championship game. The basketball team along with coach Pete Gillen will arrive at 5 p.m.
If you enjoy wind blowing through your hair experiencing brief moments of peaceful relaxation, harnessing Mother Nature's energy and fearing for your life, then sailing is the activity for you. Don't get me wrong; sailing for long periods of time can be exhilarating - that is, if you're watching it on television or perhaps listening to someone talk about it. Seven years ago, my father decided to take the sport seriously and picked out a brand new catamaran to serve as our home away from safety.
Polish up for spring> Before finals start creeping up and fingernails are bitten down to nothing from stress, treat yourself to a little something at the University Bookstore: a free manicure. Beginning yesterday afternoon from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
In the "Party Game," an innovative form of the old-fashioned guessing game, there is a host and four to five guests the host does not know.
Many restaurants try to make up in atmosphere what they don't achieve in food quality. Luckily Mono Loco balances both and creates a very fun dining experience.
A can of Pepsi: 50 cents. Hiring 100 steroid-induced male dancers: $300. The joy of Britney: Priceless. Just in time for Derby Days, Britney is back with her killer moves and killer abs.
Spring Awareness The race for spring a cappella concerts has begun. But this weekend, though the Virginia Belles surely will hit the high notes in their first concert of the season, the tune will be to a slightly more somber note. This Sunday, beginning at 4 p.m.
If not for the large plastic sign with a palm stenciled on it in the small yard, it could have been any other boxy nondescript house sitting along Route 29. But it isn't.
Something has been missing from Charlottesville's airwaves. Try as they might, the area's radio stations could not produce enough of 'N Sync's romantic harmonies or danceable Britney Spears tunes to satisfy the hit music cravings of the Charlottesville and University population. But those days are over.
Raffle brings students to new heights Many people would pay hundreds of dollars to risk their lives by jumping thousands of feet from a speeding airplane.
Bowling Break If the mid-semester stress is enough to make you want to throw something, try hurling a bowling ball down one of Kegler's lanes tonight for free.
Nothing in life is as bad as being stuck in the middle. Who could imagine something that feels almost as bad as being told you aren't good enough for something? But recently, my friendly mailman has been delivering something that is nearly as unpleasant - and nearly as thin - as a rejection letter.
In no other sport are mallets and wickets so important. While most students lounged around during Spring Break, Virginia's diminutive croquet team made a big splash at two different national championships in Palm Beach, Fla., and in the larger world of croquet.
Public Display of Private Passions Most of the time, you don't want your private passions on display for everyone to see - unless you happen to be Paul Mellon. In May, the late philanthropist donated one third of his personal library to the University, which shares the donation with Yale and the Virginia Historical Society. Mellon's library contains approximately 2,000 books, manuscripts and maps that catalogue the history of America from its colonization to its division during the Civil War. The University's part of the collection is on exhibit in the McGregor Room in Special Collections on the second floor of Alderman library as "Private Passions, Public Legacy," and will be open to the public until August 15. The exhibit of rare items includes original letters by Thomas Jefferson, Christopher Columbus' first-hand account of landing in America and a signed transcript from the court trial of the abolitionist John Brown. Michael Plunkett, director of Special Collections, says Mellon's love of Virginia led him to include the University as a recipient of his personal library. "He was very attached to his home state," Plunkett said. Plunkett noted that Mellon's donation will benefit scholarly research at the University. "It's important that students have access to the primary materials," he said. Visitors can view the exhibit 9 a.m.
You could probably feed the world's hungry for a year with the advertising budget Cingular Wireless has unleashed on TV Land in recent weeks.
Thursday evening in Jefferson Hall, a cross section of the young and those with graying hair formed a cluster of blazers and bow ties, wool sweaters and even a casual fleece here and there.
