Another beautiful Gwynn's Island sunset.....and another completely unrelated commentary.
When I was hacking a path through my basement the other day, I stumbled upon a box of stuff from my college days. Finding stuff like this, to me, is the equivalent of finding a treasure chest.
It never ceases to amaze me how much of my life I have forgotten already, but thanks to my inability to throw most things away, such treasure chests serve as a reminder of a life I once lived.
Among the multitude of items found in this box are:
1. Ticket stub to a Talking Heads concert I attended at U-Hall in Charlottesville on Wednesday, October 12, 1983. I do remember this event, but I’d rather not talk about it. It involves a whole lot of Teenage Stupidity. Thank you.
2. Various letters from various former boyfriends. I did a whole lot of cringing when I was reading those. My face hurts. I have a sore neck from shaking my head in utter disbelief. Why does it take 40+ years for a human being to have any sense? Actually, do I have any yet? This is up for debate.
3. A mid-term exam from my “People of the Caribbean” class. One of the questions required me to write a short essay to compare and contrast “settler" colonies and “exploitation” colonies, and explain how the distinction does or does not coincide with the distinction between Hispanic and non-Hispanic colonization in the Caribbean. HUH? Is it actually possible that I even understood the question and wrote a response to this? What happened to all this information? Where did it go? Can I get it back? I paid good money for that college education and for what? The ability to remember a Talking Heads concert and nothing else?
4. A notice from the library that I had 5 books about Haiti overdue. The overdue notice does not surprise me one bit. The fact that I read 5 books on Haiti is incredible, though. If my life depended on it, I could not tell you one single fact about Haiti this moment. Other than it exists on planet Earth.
5. A list of things I wanted to talk over with my guidance counselor the one and only time I met with him in the 4 years and 3 months (don’t ask) of my college career. I wanted him to tell me if I should double-major (NO!) and if the following courses were OK to take: Introduction to International Politics; National Government of U.S.; Spanish 301 Conversation and Spanish 311 Grammar. I took International Politics? Really?? International Politics?
There’s plenty more in this box, but I am too confused right now to look any more. I’m scared of what else I’ll find that I’ve forgotten.
Such as a twenty year old child.
28 comments:
What a hoot! So what was your conclusion about Mathews" Settled or Explored? Or still in the process of both?
Haiti?
but what I really want to see is all the letters from your boyfriends.
Oh, GJ, please don't make me talk about those letters. I'll need to program Eastern State Hospital into my speed dial for an emergency pick-up.
...Ah yes, Talking Heads..."Burning Down The House". Uh!... :o)
...Oh wow, I'll send you $20 if you talk about those letters...lol ;o)
...Enjoy your weekend!
...Blessings girl... :o)
Too funny! My daughter wants to go to UVA so baaaaad. Now go get some hair of that dawg...
tj - Love that song. And the price for talking about those letters just went up. I'm taking bids/offers...
mpm - It's a great school. Shame I don't remember anything I learned. Getting ready for that hair....
For those letters?
I'll give you $21 and a two weeks vacation at the Compound, unlimited use of the pool, and free aqua aerobics class....
Other amenities include:
free transportation to Walmart on Tues & Thurs mornings from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. I don't even want to guess what they do for three hours at that place!
found you on Debbie in ca. I have gone back and read all your blogs. My girfriend fresh fixins and I laughed so hard while I read her your blog we almost wet our pants.
I'm pretty much out of commision due to some mishaps, so maybe we are ken. My grandmother used to say my Mom tripped over air. Thanks for cheering me up, you have NO IDEA HOW LAUGHING HAS HELPED MY PAIN. Also I am scretly in love with Mathews. Beautiful pics.
My college days were Sony and Cher and Mamas and Papas. Don't ask about boyfriends. AND especially about getting kicked out of the dorm.
Lucy
gj - The free transportation to Wal-Mart is quite tempting, but the cash offer is on the low side. OH, and here's what your neighbors do there: they nap on a bench. Either by the pharmacy or in the aisle that separates the food from the clothes. I know, because I've seen them. They like to sleep with their arms crossed over their stomachs...they are dreaming of an all-you-can-eat-buffet...not that there's anything wrong with any of that.
lucy - Your laughter is music to my ears. I am so grateful to y ou for playing me lots of music today. I'd love to hear about you getting kicked out of the dorm.
Just looking at that list makes me want to go make myself a drink. That's probably why it took me so damned long to get my degree in the first place.
And Haiti...Hot. Cockroaches. That's all I can remember.
...Hey CBW, is this your house? I saw this on a historic home website and saw Mathews Co. and thought to myself, "I bet that's CBW's house!"... :o)
http://www.antiqueproperties.com/3054
...Ack! Disregard the link - it isn't working...(*sigh*)
I'm upping the ante on those letters to $25.39.
I can't believe you've been to my Walmart! The old people also circle the vendors with the free sample stuff....like bite size pieces of frozen pizza and yogurt. We don't have a Costco or Sam's, so you can just imagine how crazy they get when Walmart offers sample bites of tasty stuff, which these folks confuse with a full blown meal.
Ummmm...excuse me, tj? The link works for me. I think CBW has been pulling our legs with her ride um lawnmower stories. I want to visit Mathews now. I mean where else can you find a home like that with a guest house, pool house, caretakers house and a protected, deep water pier?
"Providence" is between CBW's and my house -- and looks nuthin' like either. Love the reading of old BF letters -- and weep for this current generation. What will they have in 30 years, old text messages??!?? Perhaps blog posts...
My sister visited this weekend and we've been going through boxes of stuff that my mom gave us when she remarried last fall... talk about potential blog fodder! Can't wait to dig in and share. Meantime, we've been enjoying the trip down memory lane and sorting through these boxes may, in fact, help me to hack a path through my own basement.
auds - Drink up. I actually edited the original list which had way too much stuff on it that I either (a) didn't remember or (b) didn't remember or (c) couldn't believe actually happened.
tj - OH, how beautiful Providence is. But Good Lord Above, no, I do not live there. It's actually a very interesting property with a long history. I checked out a library book once to read up on the local historic housees, but naturally I've forgotten everything I ever read. I can tell you that Providence was not the original name of that place. And it is an incredible home with incredible waterfront views of the Piankatank River. I pass its gates every day as I'm going to Gloucester's Wal-Mart to buy Raid!
Dr. K. - You're back! You need to start your own blog and have The Children (plus Husband) contribute. I think that blog commentary will last longer than text messaging, at least that's what I'm hanging my hat on. How are the ants down your way?? They are eating me out of house and home.
soup - The stuff from the past is where it's at for blogging fodder. It's as good as gold.
...Thanks for letting me know Grandma J! Btw, do folks wear pj's to your WalMart? That's the latest thing to hit ours... :o)
...And 'dr. K' and CBW, that's a beautiful area you live in, you have a treasure trove of beautiful historical homes there.
...And I'll pass Grandma J with $28.00 and a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies - letters please? lol... ;o)
...Blessings you all... :o)
tj - The chocolate chip cookies are starting to make me consider sharing, but we're not quite there yet.
You'd love it here, I just know it. Plus, I'd remember your birthday. (I just can't let it go.)
gj - $25.39 is still too low.
My kids would be knocking your Compound Neighbors over to get to the free samples at Wal-Mutant.
My little house on the creek cannot compare to Providence, except like this: No matter where you live in Mathews, it's heaven on Earth.
It just doesn't get any better than this.
(Except if I had your swimming pool with free aqua aerobics, free shuttle service, no grass cutting and no ant wars and so on and so on.)
Oh for cripes sakes....scan the letters, post them one day at a time,and leave the commentary to the people who do it best.
Your commentors.
Isn't that what Eleanor Roosevelt did?
gj - They really aren't that interesting, but I'll think about it. Also, I don't have a scanner and more importantly if I had one I wouldn't know how to use it.
I'll peruse the stack of letters today and see if there are any tidbits worth sharing.
Talkin Heads, I didn't know. Burning Down the House, Take me to the River, and Little Baby Wanna keep him up all night. I had that cassette. Remember cassette players? They were before CD players and after 8-track players.
Yes, you know we all want to hear about those juicy letters from old boyfriends. I'll prepare you a meal and clean your house and free parking at BG and WC, if you let me see those.
What did you major in college in, anyway?
Don't forget about Middle Sis, who made college her lifetime career. I bet she has some good, juicy stories to share.
Have a good week.
Love ya
cuz
cats - I was the proud recipient of a degree in Latin American Studies. I use it often here in Mathews.
You are certainly correct about that Middle Sis. I wish she would stop playing so much tennis and comment more here....
Knocking people over to get free samples?! Well when you go to Wal-Mart you send us over to the game section while you shop so we don't "mess up your routine". And for the record you don't have to do much to get CBW to say don't mess up my routine. Such as trying to help her in shopping or any other extremely difficult task, doing anything that she hasn't done before, or trying to help her with her camera.
-Son
See you on Tuesday Mumma! Love you. Remmeber to water all of my plants!!!!!
Oh my dear, baby, "anonymous" son...I HAVE forgotten to water your plants- thanks for reminding me. I will do it tomorrow. And I do appreciate your efforts to help me in Wal-Mutant, really I do, but as you know your mother is not good at focusing and to mess up her routine causes chaos...
I love you, baby. Tell Sister I love her too. See you Tuesday morning. - CBW/Mumma
You are so funny. I was insane too, but I destroyed all the evidence. A bon fire, a nice big bon fire. Now you understand the expression, "youth is wasted on the young." I bet you had a good time, aside from Mr. Absorbed With Himself.
I'm still laughing about the lawnmower and the crabs.
I think that you are crazy saying that we knock people down getting to the free samples.
-daughter
"This is not my beautiful house! This is not my beautiful wife!"
Yes, I am with you on the book-larnin'. Much of it retained just long enough to spit it back out for a test. It's really not unlike vitamin supplements, which create expensive pee; college creates expensive pee, in so many ways.
Wait, what? Oh yeah, I forgot. I'm a moron. College didn't help that one bit.
You make me laugh repeatedly, CBW, and so do your wonderful commenters! And I am not going to bid for your love letters. Nope. You'll spill all over a bottle of California red when I come to live in a tent on your lawn. :)
Hey, Daughter - Now you know good and well you and Son love those free samples. Of course I do too, so maybe it was me pushing y'all out of the way to get to them....Love you, baby, and can't wait to see you tomorrow.
Foolery - Once in a Lifetime and Take Me to the River were right up there on my list of favorites. But we will never talk about that concert again.
Your analogy about the book-learning and the vitamin-saturated waste product is exactly right. I would cram tons of information in my head just long enough to remember it for the test, and the very next day it would evaporate.
You are not allowed to go on vacation. Not, I tell you.
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