San Diego State University

10 Dec 2005. This stadium cup, whose holographic images are irrepresentable here, was picked up in the Cox Arena during a men's basketball game between SDSU Aztecs (great nickname by the way) and Washington State. I did not stay to see the conclusion as it quickly dawned on me how uninteresting a game can be if I am not playing in it, have no rooting interest, or have no money riding on it. SDSU is far away from downtown San Diego, where there is plenty of affordable land. Problem is, it's riddled with California hills. There are pedestrian bridges everywhere and miles of stairways. But it is the cardiovascular environment and the lovely weather that keeps the coeds tanned and delicious.

University of San Diego

10 Dec 2005. The USD Toreros have a great athletic logo. In fact it is my favorite of all time. I entered the bookstore with sky high expectations. Poor decision. There were no cups, pens, blankets, notepads, hats, lip balm, belt buckles, commemorative ketchup bottles, or shoehorns with the multi-blued spectral bullfighter. The cups were all quite bland and believe it or not this big tumbler was one of the more exciting of the bunch. The campus though is unlike any other I had visited so far. With the history of the early Catholic missionaries, the academic buildings reflect this style and transports you back to old world Spain.

University of California, San Diego

9 Dec 2005. UCSD's campus in La Jolla, a northern swanky suburb of San Diego, is one of the most beautiful campuses I have seen. This is without having seen the crazy Dr. Seuss library, pictured below, which makes up the school's logo and is rumored to house studious pod people. Oddly enough I have seen another online list that has UCSD in its bottom 10! What a completely incorrect and subjective list that was. The Tritons play in Division II, so although their bookstore was fairly large at two stories, the range of athletic logo apparel was not as impressive. That is where this simple translucent tumbler comes from. Nothing had an imposing sketch of Neptune ready to impale his foes, which would have vaulted the cup design to the top of the heap. But not to worry, a more flagrant disappointment is next....

University of California, Los Angeles

9 Dec 2005. This visit to pick up an insulated travel mug was preceded by another visit the same day as USC. But in early 2004 I chose an XXL UCLA women's water polo national champions tee shirt instead of something I could drink out of. The shirt had long since been donated to Goodwill once the novelty wore off (and what will become of these dozens of cups and glasses once their novelty wears off?). UCLA differs from its cross town rival in that USC is located in a shady part of town surrounded by Burger Kings and hot cracked asphalt. In contrast, UCLA is cradled by friendly retailers such as Potbelly Sandwich Works, Jamba Juice, and Quiksilver. Long live the University of California for Loaded Asians!