Chocolate

This week I skipped three classes and am about two books behind, reading-wise. Someone should have done something nasty to Daniel Defoe before he had the time to put pen to paper (or, more appropriately, turd to toilet paper) and fashioned the travesty that is Robinson Crusoe. Aghh. Aside from that, though, the weather this week has been incredible for it being the dead of winter, and though I haven't been out every night, Wednesday was insane. A bunch of us International students met by random chance at Refuel, a crazy bar located on campus with a cieling made of old vinyl, for $3 pint night. I think it went well...

This morning I woke up early for a magical tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. I went in thinking Willy Wonka, and no doubt the company's management knew that's what tourists would want. In the lobby, a veritable mountain of golden chocolate bars proved too enticing a photo opp to pass up, and small (dare I say Oompa-Loompa-ish?) puppet creatures pranced along the sides of the hallways to the candy-inspired melody various tunes. The tour itself was only slightly fascinating (think Tillamook, then think brown instead of orange), but at the end we walked to the top of an old grain silo to witness the unleashing of a thunderous chocolate waterful. When asked what purpose such a device served, our guide 'Cocoa Joe' replied, "to entertain tourists. We only change this chocolate once a year." Awesome.

A few more random things: haircuts here are ludicrous. 80% of all the guys have either like rat or duck-tails going on, shaved sides, and mohawks of varying degree. One small cup of coffee (we're talking small small, here) costs $3.50. The Dark Knight comes out NEXT Friday (Jesus, man) but it's okay because I already bought my advance ticket. Finally, drinking in public is completely legal. One could, were they so inclined, walk down the side of the street chugging a bottle of wine and not be bothered. 

The majority of this weekend simply must be spent studying, so don't expect anything too enthralling for a bit.