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moominmuppetSo, getting back to writing about last weekend, belatedly.
I really do still feel it was the best reunion I've been to so far (and because of living on campus for so long, and going to both Peep and FLOO reunions, I've been to quite a fair share). First of all, I didn't end up with a pre-existing depression going into things, which was wonderful luck, and makes a huge amount of difference -- nothing like brain-mice to amp up depressive nostalgia, and I've gone that route on reunions before. It sucks, and I don't recommend it. This one, though, was an entire weekend of excellent conversations with people I am close to, or have been close to, or whose company I simply really enjoy, at a place I love that still feels like home. As such, it doesn't really lend itself all that well to explanation, but I'm going to attempt to at least note some general stuff as memory triggers for myself.
Getting into town got rather unexpectedly complicated, due to the joys of Greyhound. After they sent five of us to the wrong line, and then sent our correct bus off without us, I managed to get them to let me on the bus to Mansfield, instead of Akron, and just have Chad meet me there instead. So we didn't get too delayed in getting to Kenyon after all. I think we pulled in around 9:30pm, and after a bit of futzing about and getting settled, headed over to the Cove to find people (there's a lovely long tradition of everyone gathering wherever Jamie's bartending). Once the Cove closed, we headed to the only other bar in town, the VI, and spent quite a while there getting to know the new bartenders, one of the recent Peep presidents, and whomever else came our way. Eventually we made it back to the Peep lounge, where I spent a while taking mediocre pics of the many murals and paintings (for those who don't know, and have already read this far for some other inexplicable reason, the icon on this post is of one of the wall paintings). We finally got to bed around 5am, but at least that meant our fourth floor rooms were approaching livable temps (4th floor, no A/C, no cross-flow of air, and they'd just steam-cleaned the carpets -- it was a sauna up there).
I spent most of Friday wandering campus and seeing local folks. I saw my old coworkers for the first time in ages (I'm rarely back on a weekday), and discovered that the 10-year-old son of my ex-coworker, who used to come with me on wiring jobs, is now grown up, working my old job, a Kenyon student, and a Peep. I was both bemuddled and pleased to discover that. I spent an hour or so talking with the new secretary in the bio building (the professor I was looking for was out at the time, but we spent about an hour catching up by phone on Saturday). It's nice to be remembered; I lived there for 10 years, and only left town 7 years ago, so it's not all that surprising, but it's still a pleasant experience to be greeted by name by so many people. Eventually I wandered back to OK, then down to the VI for the group dinner, which was insanely chaotic, but a great deal of fun for everyone except our waitress (and I hope she got obscenely overtipped by all of us). Friday night was more partying in the Peep lounge, a brief taste of the Pope v Chicken Wrestling Match of the Century, and much general goodness until late into the evening.
Friday was my first night in my room (I'd crashed on Chad's floor the night before, since I arrived a day earlier than I'd expected). They put me in DKE division! Eeeeeeew! All of Old Kenyon has its own special smell. I know it, it's familiar, even reassuring. It is NOT the smell of DKE division. DKE division reeks. Horribly. Aside from just being icky and giving me the creeps (I avoided it when I was a student, too). I will say they got some huge-ass singles, though. Damn! I still wish I'd been housed anywhere else in the building, though.
Saturday was the robe-making workshop. A poor, hapless queen-sized green, pink and orange paisley bedsheet sacrificed itself for mine. We played with glitter and hot-glue (ok, I avoided the glitter like the plague!), we hung out some more on the patio, we attended Scott's excellent lecture of the history of joke religions, and we generally had a very chill afternoon, culminating in libations around campus, in our robes, in the rain. Wet, but highly entertaining. Eventually we wound our way down to the scary new athletic facility, where the big corporate Gala Event of the evening was happening, engaged in the Pope v Chicken main event, got our official class picture taken, and generally baffled the rest of the alumni groups. I bailed on the overpriced meal, and went to the Cove with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
patentpink and napalmmk9 instead. It was an excellent decision. Mmmm, Cove pizza. Then more partying and hanging out. Sunday was more hanging out, this time at a cook-out at Aaron's house, then off to Cleveland with Jamie. That was a very nice surprise, itself. Although I'd been planning to ride back to Akron with Chad, then hop a bus to Cleveland, Jamie repeatedly offered to drive me up himself, even though it's a four hour round trip for him. Once I was sure he really meant it, and he knew I had a perfectly decent slightly round-about option, I took him up on it -- two extra hours just to hang out with one of my favorite people? Oh, hell yes!
Of course, now I feel like an idiot, since I'd meant to buy him gas, and since we didn't stop on the way up, I forgot. Must figure out how to make amends for that oversight.
None of this begins to cover why the weekend was so wonderful. But at least I got the "what happened when" part sorted out, for my own reference. That'll do for the moment.
I really do still feel it was the best reunion I've been to so far (and because of living on campus for so long, and going to both Peep and FLOO reunions, I've been to quite a fair share). First of all, I didn't end up with a pre-existing depression going into things, which was wonderful luck, and makes a huge amount of difference -- nothing like brain-mice to amp up depressive nostalgia, and I've gone that route on reunions before. It sucks, and I don't recommend it. This one, though, was an entire weekend of excellent conversations with people I am close to, or have been close to, or whose company I simply really enjoy, at a place I love that still feels like home. As such, it doesn't really lend itself all that well to explanation, but I'm going to attempt to at least note some general stuff as memory triggers for myself.
Getting into town got rather unexpectedly complicated, due to the joys of Greyhound. After they sent five of us to the wrong line, and then sent our correct bus off without us, I managed to get them to let me on the bus to Mansfield, instead of Akron, and just have Chad meet me there instead. So we didn't get too delayed in getting to Kenyon after all. I think we pulled in around 9:30pm, and after a bit of futzing about and getting settled, headed over to the Cove to find people (there's a lovely long tradition of everyone gathering wherever Jamie's bartending). Once the Cove closed, we headed to the only other bar in town, the VI, and spent quite a while there getting to know the new bartenders, one of the recent Peep presidents, and whomever else came our way. Eventually we made it back to the Peep lounge, where I spent a while taking mediocre pics of the many murals and paintings (for those who don't know, and have already read this far for some other inexplicable reason, the icon on this post is of one of the wall paintings). We finally got to bed around 5am, but at least that meant our fourth floor rooms were approaching livable temps (4th floor, no A/C, no cross-flow of air, and they'd just steam-cleaned the carpets -- it was a sauna up there).
I spent most of Friday wandering campus and seeing local folks. I saw my old coworkers for the first time in ages (I'm rarely back on a weekday), and discovered that the 10-year-old son of my ex-coworker, who used to come with me on wiring jobs, is now grown up, working my old job, a Kenyon student, and a Peep. I was both bemuddled and pleased to discover that. I spent an hour or so talking with the new secretary in the bio building (the professor I was looking for was out at the time, but we spent about an hour catching up by phone on Saturday). It's nice to be remembered; I lived there for 10 years, and only left town 7 years ago, so it's not all that surprising, but it's still a pleasant experience to be greeted by name by so many people. Eventually I wandered back to OK, then down to the VI for the group dinner, which was insanely chaotic, but a great deal of fun for everyone except our waitress (and I hope she got obscenely overtipped by all of us). Friday night was more partying in the Peep lounge, a brief taste of the Pope v Chicken Wrestling Match of the Century, and much general goodness until late into the evening.
Friday was my first night in my room (I'd crashed on Chad's floor the night before, since I arrived a day earlier than I'd expected). They put me in DKE division! Eeeeeeew! All of Old Kenyon has its own special smell. I know it, it's familiar, even reassuring. It is NOT the smell of DKE division. DKE division reeks. Horribly. Aside from just being icky and giving me the creeps (I avoided it when I was a student, too). I will say they got some huge-ass singles, though. Damn! I still wish I'd been housed anywhere else in the building, though.
Saturday was the robe-making workshop. A poor, hapless queen-sized green, pink and orange paisley bedsheet sacrificed itself for mine. We played with glitter and hot-glue (ok, I avoided the glitter like the plague!), we hung out some more on the patio, we attended Scott's excellent lecture of the history of joke religions, and we generally had a very chill afternoon, culminating in libations around campus, in our robes, in the rain. Wet, but highly entertaining. Eventually we wound our way down to the scary new athletic facility, where the big corporate Gala Event of the evening was happening, engaged in the Pope v Chicken main event, got our official class picture taken, and generally baffled the rest of the alumni groups. I bailed on the overpriced meal, and went to the Cove with
patentpink and napalmmk9 instead. It was an excellent decision. Mmmm, Cove pizza. Then more partying and hanging out. Sunday was more hanging out, this time at a cook-out at Aaron's house, then off to Cleveland with Jamie. That was a very nice surprise, itself. Although I'd been planning to ride back to Akron with Chad, then hop a bus to Cleveland, Jamie repeatedly offered to drive me up himself, even though it's a four hour round trip for him. Once I was sure he really meant it, and he knew I had a perfectly decent slightly round-about option, I took him up on it -- two extra hours just to hang out with one of my favorite people? Oh, hell yes! Of course, now I feel like an idiot, since I'd meant to buy him gas, and since we didn't stop on the way up, I forgot. Must figure out how to make amends for that oversight.
None of this begins to cover why the weekend was so wonderful. But at least I got the "what happened when" part sorted out, for my own reference. That'll do for the moment.
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no subject
Date: 2007-06-06 07:19 pm (UTC)You always prompt extensive replies from me! I just wrote enough that I had to put it in a post! sorry!
no subject
Date: 2007-06-07 06:57 pm (UTC)Excellent, thanks! I'm still debating whether I'm just going to send him cash, or maybe get him an amazon gift certificate or something. Must decide.
You always prompt extensive replies from me! I just wrote enough that I had to put it in a post! sorry!
*grin* I saw it, and I feel exactly the same way about Gambier. Totally.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-07 06:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-07 07:00 pm (UTC)As it was, it was wonderful just to totally relax around such a large group of people. A good 75% of the folks there had seen me through my most horribly awkward years, and we just know each other on that comfortable deep level that lasts over time.