Ride of the Valkyries

I guess a terrible head cold is what you get when you do dumb things. Dumb, AWESOME things.

This head cold did not sneak up on me. My roommate has been sick for a week or so and I haven't been sleeping much and the ventilation in res is, shall we say, not stellar. I was basically asking for it.

Monday night, I could feel is building in my chest. When I breathed in or out, that little twinge of ache under my sternum. I should have gone to bed early. I didn't.

Tuesday night, well, Tuesday night is a night to remember. Tuesday night was the annual water fight, and my first event as AH President. It's a big pretend secret. The Dean and Dons pretend they don't know why everyone is having meetings and buying garbage bags and they pretend they don't know I'm buying water balloons for all of campus. They also pretend not to notice their students building elaborate catapults and shields.

It's a pretty big deal.

This year, there was still snow on the ground. I woke up on Tuesday morning to fresh blanket of snow. it was pretty... but not what I needed. I was worried, once more, that everyone would chicken out. Everyone but Middle Bay, that is, Middle Bay was pumped. But I was worried about my girls in Alex Hall. Would they be up for it?

At 11 o'clock, I left my res room to head over to Middle Bay where I would set up the speaker system. As I came out of my floor, I saw, in the common room, a huge group of girls in garbage bags and war paint, holding their banners and buckets of balloons. I almost cried, I was so happy. I stayed there and cheered with them until 11:30, when I booked it to the Bays.

Unofficially, the fight was to be Bays vs Alex Hall, so I was heading behind enemy lines at this point. The boys reluctantly let me in to set up, and I watched as they got their game faces on... literally. They were covered in paint, and they all decided to go shirtless in 0 degree temperatures.

It was the longest half an hour of my life. Everyone pumped and excited, plans made and ready to go. I stuck my head out the window to watch. The Dean was wandering around on the Quad, taking it all in. He then disappeared, thankfully before Middle Bay brought out their torches. Yes, they had kerosene, bamboo and cloth and stood outside yelling, with their torches. Groups were gathered outside each Bay, and screams and yelling were issuing from Alex Hall. I was jumping up and down with excited.

The Battle itself was pretty epic. Alex Hall took (and held) the steps. We also captures Middle Bay's stolen grocery cart AND the stop sign they took at the beginning of the year. That last one was all me. It was nearly wrestled away from me, but I made it to Alex Hall in the end.

Alex Hall never wins. I'm so proud. We kicked some major ass and held off the boys.

Highlights included
-the epic wrestle for the grocery cart
-the Alex Hall cheer
-the day students running in with flour, clouding the air so we couldn't see anything for half a minute.

I'm glad it was a success. Lots of people turned up for the clean up the next day -- an hour before the set time. That also warmed my heart quite a bit.

At one point, I stood on the steps to Alex Hall beside a couple of Dons and the Dean.

"LC," the Dean asked, "are there people throwing water balloons on the Quad?"

I gave him a look and replied,

"No. Geez no. Why would anyone be doing that? No way, Mr Dean."

The best part was the next morning, when I got a phone call from Monica at the front desk.

"The Dean wanted me to ask you to come and pick up a piece of paper, he wants you to get it right away. It's regarding last night's water fight."

I was worried I'd missed something, something had happened, someone had broken something, etc. When I got to the deak, Monica handed me an official document telling me I was fined 100$ for various offences including, but not limited to excessive noise, endangering the lives of others, disorderly conduct, assault, and general mischief. I immediately assumed I was being punished, as the organisor, for something that had gone wrong. I worried all day in class and at work until I went to meet with the Dean at 5. On my way, I ran into a friend.

"You know it's a joke, right? The fine? A bunch of other people got them too."

I looked at the date. April 1st.

Very funny, Mr Dean.