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August 20, 2005
Broken Traditions Renewed
With the onset of this chilly weather I feel as though it is necessary to embark on some kind of adventure. Over the past few days these late August days have felt as though they belong in mid-September and the numerous after school sale advertisements have switched in me a desire to find new surroundings. Though this will be my third consecutive fall bereft of a return to school the residue of the experience still lingers strongly and many times throughout my day I catch myself wishing I was still a part of the ritual; much like a salmon who is instantly and inexplicably drawn from the sea to discover the shallow streams of its birth.
I always enjoyed school, not so much the worksheets, papers, projects and forced busy work but the daily social interactions one could count on to sharpen the mind and provide endless candidates for possible dating scenarios. Though there was so much I arcanely hated about high school, the first-day-back experience of simultaneously wearing new socks, shoes, underwear, shirt and backpack is certainly nonpareil. But even my most Bayside-esque encounters at Plymouth North paled in comparison to late night tea with Jersey Fresh and the other boys of Witmer 4th, sharing conversation and turns at the decks.
My halcyon falls in Grantham were punctuated with evening soccer games, chilly walks to long dinners in Lottie, rousing matches of floor wide Half-life, Tuesday nights at 'the V' for midnight Amistad Sessions and walks with beautiful rosy-cheeked girls who all might end up my wife. Just the ritual of stopping down to get Jeremy and Nate from the evil clutches of the 'Great Imbilicus' for dinner conjures up images of fondness permanently stored in my vault of precious memories. Though I always dreaded the return to actual work I was always promised something new when I returned to the halls of education; something that now, I truly miss.
Life for me lately has been wonderful. After a six-month stint at Best Buy and a year and a half of coupon-creation I landed myself an incredible job where I am entrusted to make relevant design decisions and have been generally praised for my work. The biggest kicker is that I get to create from the comforts of my own desk and decide from the location of my pillow when the work day should begin. It was the sort of employment agreement that I dreamed about while studying and though it is certainly comfortable on most levels I still crave the adventure of starting afresh at the end of the summer.
Not ones to easily reliquish the past, Jed and I have been talking about getting a cabin/beach house for the weekend of Hallow's Eve and extend the invitation to all relevant alumni of Messiah. I can assure you that the event will be a cornucopia of pleasures including a variety of fiery libations, house music, pumpkin carving, cookie baking, warm tea, spooky movies, warm sweaters, George Winston records and cool brisk walks. Generally a return to the traditions of our collegiate experience. Anyone else interested?
The cost would be fairly low considering it would be the off season and especially so if we adhere to the adage of 'the-more-the merrier'. In order for this reverie to take life and find a place in history the cogs must be set in motion as soon as possible. So, lets begin the head count shall we? Just state whether you would prefer a New England beach house on Cape Cod or a spooktacular cabin in the heart of the Poconos (or other tree-laden expanse) as well as how many from your locale will be attending. If New England is your choice I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to be your personal shuttle from the airport and back; flights to Providence on Southwest are positively abstemious on the wallet.
Posted by Jon at August 20, 2005 02:17 PM