To be Precise, Six Years Overdue...
I often think fondly of my college years. I went to a small private school not very far North of Pittsburgh and the years I spent there were mostly marked by late nights, learning how to drink coffee and like it, tons of good quality education and rarely visiting the great city of Pittsburgh.
For that reason, Pittsburgh always had a certain enigma to it - I knew enough to admire and like it but not enough to ever feel comfortable in it.
And I was ecstatic to find out I had to make a business trip there (despite the 30-degree weather and general lack of sunshine). What I was most looking forward to was experiencing the city through a new perspective, one informed by the varied travels I have undertaken since I graduated and left Pennsylvania.
The city did not disappoint. In fact, my previous experiences made me appreciate its raw industrialism, layers of architectural history and friendly mannerisms of its people even more. So one could easily say that the rain gear, cold weather and grey skies did not affect my smile a bit. If anything, they added even further to the unexpected warm feeling of coming home.
A few months back, a co-worker of mine convinced me to join my company's Spartan Race team. He didn't talk it up much: he mentioned it's a long-ish run with a few fun obstacles. You know, no big deal. Something someone who runs as much as me should complete more than easily (read, you don't really need to train for it). Ha ha ha.