I was out in Pittsburgh when Joel's Birthday came around.  I was having mixed feelings as you can imagine... should I take the day off?  Let myself be sad and lazy?  Or, should I pull a Uncle Buck and work really hard during the day and have fun at night?  You can imagine, that's exactly what I did - I celebrated Uncle Buck's birthday just as Joel would have.

Joel's collage that we sent out for his birthday! February 27, 2012!

Monday, I woke up and went to school and met up with some of the pre-medical students that I mentor in Pittsburgh bright and early at Starbucks.  We grabbed some coffee and then went down to lecture.  They attended a microbiology lecture with me, which was fun - and confused a lot of classmates ("who are they??" "why did you bring second years to class?").

After getting through my morning classes, I went to the library to put in some good study time and do some emailing for Joel's birthday.  It was overall productive - and which is why I chose that route as my way to celebrate Joel.  Joel was the king of productivity and ambition.

Later that evening, Paul picked me up from school after he was done with work and we went to a restaurant in Pittsburgh called

Meat and Potatoes

, a restaurant that summarizes Joel's diet.  When asking Joel what he eats, he would always say "ahhhh, meat and potatoes" - yet was by far the thinnest of us which always made us jealous! 

Enjoying an "Uncle Buck" in my apartment - Cheers Joel!

Anyway, the restaurant was absolutely amazing!  Paul got the Duck and I got the only vegetarian option on the menu - both were phenomenal!  After I got home, I took out a red solo cup and said had a cheers with my brother.  The evening couldn't replace the Monday night steak at the Petticoat with the rest of the gang, but it sure came close.  It was a great day to Celebrate Joel, and it felt as if he was closer than ever as we celebrated in his name.