rested and reflecting
Have been home with the family this weekend. Finally feeling caught up on sleep for the first time since August. Feels good. Strange. But good.
Has also been good to catch up with high school friends here. Was thinking a lot about what life was like in high school and what, at that time, I pictured my life being like in the future. Certainly I don’t think I imagined myself in the spot I am today. But, more than that, I was thinking about the people - my friends - that made high school so great. Similarly, later, I could peg the experience of college to the people. I could peg my work experience to the people. Every time I’ve enjoyed something, it’s usually been because of the people.
Then I got to thinking - how life really is like a series of flash mobs. In the same way that people organize randomly for stunts, gathering instantaneously, performing some gag, and then dispersing. Life is filled with convergences of people. That convergence creates a context or an environment. It is in that environment that experience happens. And then people scatter. And the environment becomes a memory.
All this, I suppose, is a way of reconciling the fact that you can’t really go back to what was. Coming home is great, I love reconnecting with people, I love being at home. But there’s just something different. Age, people, circumstance. Different. Not bad, just different.
autumn, trash, and turkeys in cambridge
This post will wander around a bit…
Funny thing about the City of Cambridge. They have a very fickle trash collection policy. It is not very clearly articulated on their website, and every week, after trash collection, it is always fun to come home and play roulette: “which container will still be sitting there full on the curb today?”
Tonight it was the cardboard. No explanation why. Perhaps pizza boxes don’t recycle? One of my housemates suggested that it might be nice if they left handwritten notes explaining why they didn’t take it. I chuckle imagining that note.
It is turning to autumn here. Autumn is always a sentimental season for me. Usually I am in New York now, where I want to equate the smells of fall with the starting of something new, like school. This year, I actually am doing something new, like school. And as a bonus, the leaves here actually change colors. They haven’t peaked yet, but there are a few trees here and there on the walk to campus that have turned brilliantly.
This morning, going into our class building, I was attacked by the campus turkey. It’s been written about by the Boston Globe, and it has an attitude now. It chased me across the lawn as half the MBA class was crossing the lawn from Spangler to Aldrich and then tried to follow me into Aldrich. That was great. At least my blood was pumping for the first case this morning.
Walking over the river to make dinner tonight I started complaining to myself (as usual) about how tired I am and how the schedule here is kicking my ass, etc etc. Somewhere on the bridge I had one of those minor epiphanies that happens every now and again. If this were meant to be easy, it probably wouldn’t be that hard to get in here. This is supposed to be hard - that’s why I came here. So my adrenaline started pumping again and I feel like I did when I first got here. (Plus, finally the RC Plague is entirely out of my body).
So here’s to turning a new leaf on the year… a bright red leaf…
home is where…
I had drinks with my brothers tonight. All three of us live in Manhattan at the moment. This started about a week ago. I’m not sure how long it will last, but it is cool for the meantime. Last weekend, my youngest brother came and met me and a few friends at a bar. I haven’t lived in the same place as him (home) since he was in 5th grade. 5th grade! I can hardly remember what 5th grade was like.
I’m hoping to make the most of this situation, while it lasts.
on the up side
One of the great things about Winter, and the cold weather that comes with it, is the coats. Everyone has to get bundled up. And that means more pockets to carry more stuff around. Back to carrying the ipod to work instead of just the shuffle. And the camera comes with me everywhere - which means more pictures being taken… always a good thing.
’tis the season
On the way home tonight, I had to stop to pick up a few greeting cards for various events coming up. I suppose I wasn’t entirely shocked to hear the Christmas music playing in the shop. The holiday season seems to be in full tilt. On TV, the ads are already featuring family scenes involving red bows and copious amounts of snow.
Now, it’s not like this really comes as a surprise. The same things happen at the same time every year, holiday-wise. But you’d think there was a way to ease into it, perhaps?
My mother used to start playing Christmas music in the house and in the car on October 1. Too early, but you couldn’t fault her for having such passion for an entire three month block of the calendar.
At any rate - I gather that the trees will start plopping up on New York City street corners in another week or two. Hard to believe autumn came and went in the course of a day and a half (the leaves are still on the trees here, aren’t they?).
’tis the season.
