Congratulations! You have discovered my secrets -- the content too controversial for the eyes of the unworthy. I might add to it over time or I might destroy all evidence of its existence shortly after it's release into the world. Take heed, it is not for those of faint heart or loose tongue. You have been warned.
Secret #1 - 1 Aug. 2014
The farewell party for ISS was far more interesting than I let on in my regular post. After the program but before the after party really started hopping, my friends and I went back to the dorm to do a little pre-party drinking. After starting off with a sip of Jägermeister, I took my first shot of Vodka. It was much too big of a shot for my first ever but I got it down just fine.
After we were all good and drunk we mixed up our Coke bottles of Vodka & Coke and made our way to the party. They had been handing out free bottles of Coke at the pre-party reception so we managed to avoid suspicion. I did a lot of dancing, a bit more drinking, and hugged more than I normally might have done. I'm glad the alcohol made me more open, though, because anything less than long hugs and loving words would have not been an adequate good-bye for the wonderful friends I'd made over the previous six weeks.
When the dancing had ended we all stumbled back to the dormitory and congregated in boisterous on the balconies and in the courtyard. Thankfully the night watchmen were lenient as this was our last night in Blindern. The highlight of the night and the main reason it deserves a place in the Chamber of Secrets was my escapade to the main square of the University. There's a very large fountain there with a shallow pool and water cascading down from an upper level. To drunk Neal (and a number of other people, I might add), this seemed like the perfect place to go skinny dipping. Yes, I went skinny dipping, running stark naked through a fountain in the middle of campus. It was one of the most invigorating and refreshing experiences of my life. I'm glad I was drunk enough to enjoy it but not drunk enough to forget it happened.
Shortly thereafter I went to bed. Still intoxicated by the freedom of having skinny dipped for the first time but conscious enough for it to register that my roommate had already moved out, my drunk self wanted a little more freedom and decided to sleep in the nude. When I woke up at 6:30 the next morning I felt fine. My hangover caught up to me, though, when -- after my father and step-mother picked me up from Blindern -- we spent the afternoon going to museums in Oslo. I kept wanting to tweet, "I'm way too hungover to be doing the whole museum thing right now," but I refrained from doing so and instead put on a smile.
So there you have it. You've probably learned more about me in four short paragraphs than you ever did before or ever wanted to. My hope is that you found it as funny as I do and don't think any less of me for it. I would appreciate it if you don't share this page's address with others as that would both ruin the fun and purpose of this page. Thanks for reading!
