Saturday, July 30, 2016
A Whole New World
There's a lot to get used to living in a new place. And I don't just mean trying to remember where I put the scissors. There's a whole new set of neighbors to figure out, for one thing. One of my neighbors actually rang my doorbell within five minutes of my first visit to the place after buying it, and she's barely left ever since. She keeps filling me in on all of our other neighbors, and the various reasons she hates them. Other neighbors are perhaps not as chatty, but still full of unsolicited advice, covering all manner of topics from where I really ought to be grocery shopping to that I really should buy a baby bjorn to put the dog in. And still other neighbors just watch. And watch and watch. On the plus side, I think that level of supervision makes it unlikely that anyone will successfully break in here.
There's a lot to get used to living in a new place. And I don't just mean trying to remember where I put the scissors. There's a whole new set of neighbors to figure out, for one thing. One of my neighbors actually rang my doorbell within five minutes of my first visit to the place after buying it, and she's barely left ever since. She keeps filling me in on all of our other neighbors, and the various reasons she hates them. Other neighbors are perhaps not as chatty, but still full of unsolicited advice, covering all manner of topics from where I really ought to be grocery shopping to that I really should buy a baby bjorn to put the dog in. And still other neighbors just watch. And watch and watch. On the plus side, I think that level of supervision makes it unlikely that anyone will successfully break in here.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Movers & Shakers
I recognize that it's been like a month since I last posted. I have such good reasons for that, let me tell you. First, I had my twentieth high school reunion, which I've already described. Nostalgia can be exhausting, let me tell you. And then that very same weekend a friend got married in Naperville, which meant that I went to Naperville. It was a lovely wedding and the food was beyond amazing. We're talking like eight courses here. They were sharing plates, but that never seems to work out very well for everyone else when I'm involved.
America's birthday also happened, so that's good. That old gal's got some life in her yet. I wish she'd stop making my dog insane with her sudden explosions and loud noises, but then she does what she wants, doesn't she?
And we moved. For weeks. In ninety degree temperatures. And the moving guys showed up an hour early with the wrong size truck. We were literally just chucking stuff randomly into boxes. I couldn't find my shampoo for two weeks afterwards. One of the moving guys was nearly killed trying to force a giant armoire up the stairs to our bedroom; we have decided we can never move again because we will never get it out of here. And they had to pull the boxspring up over the roof and bring it down the stairs because it wouldn't fit any other way. But we offered them some water afterwards, so it's all good.
Anyway, I'm settled. So I won't be utterly disappeared, probably. Just the normal amount.
Monday, July 04, 2016
High Times
I had my twentieth high school reunion this weekend. It was not much like the Hallmark motion picture "Holiday High School Reunion" in that there were no song and dance numbers and I did not realize that I was in love with Jonathan Bennett, but it was still pretty good. It was a two night affair, with a family barbecue in the park the first night and hardcore "adults only" cocktails the second. Of course, disturbing realizations about the rapid passage of time were featured both nights.
I was allegedly on the planning committee for these events, but in truth I didn't do a lot more than respond to a bunch of emails in a less than timely fashion and help purchase flowers and desserts and such. I was also responsible for writing a press release about the reunion, but like any good manager I outsourced that function to my mom. Regardless, everything went well and had good turnout, so I'll go ahead and claim complete responsibility.
The weirdest part was probably the tour of the high school, which they are adding on to in what appears to be an attempt to transform it into a Country Inn & Suites. Our old lockers have been removed, rather than turned into national historic sites as seems appropriate. They kept the photo of me with bangs in the commons, though, honoring the fact that I was a National Merit Scholarship finalist, something I had wholly forgotten. They also installed a cargo net over the orchestra pit after an incident a few years back where my music teacher fell off the stage into the pit, broke a bunch of stuff, and had to ride around on a Rascal scooter. Suffice it to say that it was the best production of The Diary of Anne Frank ever.
Anyway, it was really nice seeing everyone. I think as a whole we've held up really well. Probably because we no longer eat corn chips and candy for lunch. They're more of a snack item now.
