As a senior, I have created a senior year bucket list with my friends. One of the items on the list was to complete a perfect week. For those of you wondering, a perfect week (in our sense of the word) is when you go out seven consecutive nights. It's simple, right?
Don't worry, I thought so too. I've never been too much of a heavy drinker, but my friends and I felt as if this was a rite of passage for finishing college, so we embarked on this endeavor with three people who were going to do the "perfect week."
Note: We had designated drivers for each night because drinking and driving is incredibly stupid, so don't be stupid and ruin people's lives by driving drunk/buzzed.
Day 1 - January 27th
Day 1, SidebarMaria Hornsby
We started off pretty strong — it was the first day we got back to campus, and it was the beginning of the birthday week for myself and one of my best friends, as well as syllabus week. We started the week by going to Sidebar here in Oxford, had a beer, rang in my friend's 22nd birthday, and then went home and fell swiftly asleep.
Day 2 - January 28th
Day 2, Brick StreetMaria Hornsby
Our last semester of undergrad was underway! My friends had classes while I actually had the day off to work on different things. As that night would be the change between my friend's birthday and my own, this was probably the wildest night that we had. We went to Brick Street, and I rang in my 22nd birthday standing outside of Brick waiting to get in while it was absolutely freezing outside. It wasn't the negative 30s that we would encounter later in the week, but it was still really freaking cold. After drinks, dancing and playing hide-and-go-seek in Brick, we went home (again use a DD or rideshare!!!) and fell asleep.
Day 3 - January 29th
Day 3, MIAMaria Hornsby
If I could mark a beginning to the end, it would take place here. All of us woke up hungover, and it was technically my first day of school. I made it to all my classes and enjoyed them, but I truly was not wanting to keep on going with this whole perfect week thing. The temperatures dropped that night to the negatives, so getting up the courage to leave the house when my own dog didn't even want to go outside to pee was hard. But we made our trek through the snow flurries and negative-degree weather to MIA, where we celebrated "Tini Tuesday" with exactly one yummy martini each before going to Kroger, picking up snacks and ice cream and snuggling in our warm apartments.
Day 4 - January 30th
Day 4, Top DeckMaria Hornsby
Wednesday, or as we called it, "getting over the hump day." We were well rested and classes were canceled that day because it was -30 degrees with windchill. In Ohio, that just meant that we would have to put our hoods up and gloves on. After a slight moment of pause before we initially went outside, we braved the cold and went to Trivia at Top Deck. With a beer to warm us up, we answered trivia questions (remarkably well this time around too) and still got home before midnight.
Day 5 - January 31st
Day 5, O PubNicole Lohmueller
Even with -30-degree windchill, we did not really stutter in our efforts towards a perfect week. But by Day 5, emotions were wearing thin. We were tired, stressed out from school starting again and just cold literally all the time. One of my friends cried out, "Ted Bundy must have become a serial killer because someone made him do a perfect week," at the prospect of going out yet again. We contemplated how we could get in and get out of the bars as quickly as possible with it still being able to count. Excuses were coming out as to why we needed to stop. We searched google to find someone who wrote about their struggles with a perfect week and how they got through it. Wearily, we rose from our warm, snuggly beds and went to O Pub. Honestly, we had a great time there, which made continuing on with the perfect week even better. So if you are looking for inspiration to keep going: do it because it might just be your favorite night of the week. Laughing over drinks, we actually finished Day 5.
Day 6 - February 1st
We had finally made it to Friday. The first week of classes was over, and it was the weekend again. The week at this point seemed impossibly wrong, confusing days with each other because we just needed more sleep. Day 6 came with thoughts of just faking that we went out, or using my boyfriend as an excuse for not finishing the perfect week. It was hard, but we went to Corner Bar, had a beer and went home to have a good night's sleep. It was such a quick night that we even forgot to take a picture, but our credit card statements will show you we went out!
Day 7 - February 2nd
Day 7, SidebarNicole Lohmueller
We made it. The final day of the perfect week. It was so close but so far away. I could see the finish line, but getting out of my house again was not something that I wanted to do. It was cold outside and so warm in my apartment with my pets. Why would I want to leave this?? Finishing with 6/7 would be admirable and would be just fine in my opinion. But my best friend wouldn't let me finish with just six out of the seven days completed. We had to finish, and we had to finish strong.
And that we did. Gathering our whole group of friends, we made our way out to Sidebar and Brick Street to dance like we were freshmen again and have the time of our lives. Ending the night with Bagel & Deli, I felt accomplished and very loved by those around me.
It was trying, and I do have to admit there is a video of me on the verge of tears because it was so freaking cold outside and I did not want to leave the warm apartment, but hopefully, that video won't surface.
All in all, I had an absolute blast. I put myself out of my comfort zone and just had fun, which I had realized I hadn't really let myself do in a while. So cheers to my friends who went out with me that week and thanks for not letting me stay home!
