Sunday, November 13, 2005
Let's begin again
I don't know who I'm writing for. I know I have a few people who read this sporadically...but do they really care or are they really entertained by my anecdotes about Ella's phone stuff or Lindsay's milestones or recollections of my experiences? I guess the answer is...I'm going to keep writing this for me, whether or not they ("you"?) are entertained. I'll write what inspires me and what moves me; I'll document things for future reference; I'll make an observation or two just to keep my own brain sharp. I find myself noticing things and thinking, "I should write about that" and then...I rarely do. But I should...this is for me...and anyone else who stumbles in, don't take it the wrong way that I'm saying "this is for me." It's a mechanism to make this exercise less about obligation and more about inspiration.
Today's topics: two random things. Tomorrow: N.J. weekend recap.
Today's topics: two random things. Tomorrow: N.J. weekend recap.
- Last Thursday, Nov. 10, was the 14th anniversary of an epic day spent with my friend Gene Larson. I'm trying to get past boasting about my drunken exploits...I'm nearly 36, and the line between proudly discussing how much I partied and quietly wondering why in the hell I did such things is starting to shift a bit. But still, this is worth remembering, if only for how it helped cement what has become of the most important friendships in my life. Anyway, for UNC readers of this, you'll appreciate this day: Carolina football game with Jim Beam-laced stadium cups; then to Troll's, where we ran into some old friends of mine; then back down to the Dean Dome for an exhibition game (?), and we drank more there (and students don't really do that); then to Franklin St. again for dinner at The Rat, where I knew some of the managers and waiters (used to date a girl who bartended and hostessed there); then to Swenson's, where Gene worked, for some sundaes; and then finally back to Troll's...or was it Henderson Street? Or Bub's? I can't remember. We had a blast, and we even called Gene's Dad, Sgt. Major Morris Larson of the United States Marine Corps, to honor the Corps' birthday (Nov. 10 -- this is the only reason I can remember the USMC birthday). Here we are, 14 years later, still best pals, still bleedin' the Carolina Blue, still sticking by each other through thick and thin...and the occasional "over served" evening. Ah, now there's a story!
- Am I completely nuts, or is the Christmas thing starting way TOO DAMN EARLY this year...even more so than normal. I ran across "The Grinch" on TV tonight. Hello, people! It is Nov. 13, and TBS or whoever is running "The Grinch"? I will go right off my rocker if I see Heat Miser or Rudolph in the next few days. I think part of my issue is the California Christmas -- I still can't get used to the weather. 68 degrees today and sunny, up to 80 later this week, they say. I miss the crisp fall of New England, the chance of snow, my stepfather guessing how cold it is by the curl of the rhododendron leaves. I even miss Portland's winter a bit. On July 15, I saw my breath in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, and yesterday I wore shorts outside. Go figure.
// posted by Bill @ 9:23 PM 
