rituals

Before any trip, particularly one involving outdoorsy pursuits, I call Susan and we check over my packing list. Rarely have I forgotten something, but it pretty much satisfies my OCD. And, she's a good sport about it, which is probably why we've been close friends for so long. I really, really miss her mom - I think about her all the time, especially anything like gardening. She died when I was in Elim, so I think in 2000, but we all still really miss her.

Susan has no voice right now - just like her dog. Otter lost her voice, gosh, years ago now I guess. I keep forgetting it - every time I hear a dog barking in the background I say, "Oh, is that Otter?" Nope, it's always the little bossy one. So now Susan and Otter really match, though I hope Sue gets over the laryngitis soon.

Toni Morrison was great. My classmate Jeff went and we sat together, and that was actually more fun than being there alone - we have shared symbolism now. I went back to school grab some books and ran into his roommate, who had never heard of Toni Morrison. Sigh. I bet you big money that he knows all the MALE Nobel Laureates.

Best line of the night, when asked if she thought Kurt Vonnegut should win the Nobel Prize for Literature (after she talked about what a great person he was): Sure, why not? Nobel prizes, they're for everyone.

So, I think I have pretty much everything packed, including books to study from (I'm outlining all my classes) and a French Press to make my own damn coffee. That watery stuff they serve places, it always sucks. I know Tiff has that fondness for gas station coffee, but I'm thinking that's more about QT with the bearded musher. And to accompany it, I'm taking oatmeal - it won't be the excellent star quality I've perfected, but it'll do. Lunch Saturday is a Cajun thing - I think they said jambalaya and white beans, my very favorite things - so I have to keep my appetite for that. I plan to eat out Friday evening, but I'm taking camp food just in case I don't feel like it. It's like I'm trying to camp while staying in the motel room - and yeah, you're right, that whole coffee thing - it's about wanting to use my Jetboil. Love it. And I'm taking extra clothes because it's supposed to rain on Saturday. And I hate staying wet.

I have the rest of the semester mapped out with "to-do" lists, and I don't have a single free evening all next week - all sorts of meetings and the like. WTF is up with that? Finals start in about two weeks, and they have meetings NOW?

I just learned about getting on journals - there are summer "write-ons" which means you get a writing assignment you have to work on for the first month of summer break. Don't know how that fits into my plans, but it's not really optional. Getting law jobs is so rigid - they look only for certain things, so if those lack, it doesn't matter about all my other incredible experiences. Sigh. Oh well. Two more years. And it doesn't suck all the time.

OK, and for all that reading that I didn't do while I was listening to Toni Morrison (time well spent), I have to get up at the crack of dawn to take care of tomorrow before class. And then I have to slip out of Con Law without running into the Property professor (whose office is next door to the classroom where I'm in Con Law) and my weekend adventures BEGIN! Woo hoo! I don't really understand my enthusiasm for this little jaunt. I fear a little that because I have such high expectations I'll only be let down. And Michael and Miriam, who were there a couple weeks ago, did say it sucks. But I don't think I'll be disappointed - I think that I will learn new things and see new things and it will be wonderful even if not somehow perfect.