06.13.03
This morning, I woke up in Jon Rugh’s bed.
And as exciting as that opening sentence sounds, it was actually one of the least thrilling things I’ve done in the last week or so. Much of it had to do with the fact that it was ten thirty am, and the house was empty except for me. Somehow they’d all gotten up three hours earlier, gotten ready for work, left for work, and I was completely unaware. I find this amusing.
I also discovered that air mattresses are rather unfortunately uncomfortable when one person is trying rather hard not to disturb the other, who was being very nice in offering to share his bed in the first place.
I got back to Richmond last night around 11:15, hung out briefly with Jeff and Ned and Jon and Jordan and Jordan’s sister and a friend – I didn’t catch the names of the latter two, watched Family Guy with Jon, and went to bed. Fell asleep sometime around two, didn’t move again until 10:30. See? Not thrilling.
What has been thrilling is the stuff that’s gone down since I last updated. Last weekend (by which I mean the weekend before last), I went to the New River Gorge. It was amazing…I’d never been there before, and had been looking forward to it for weeks. I rode up with Christine and Stine and Robby, who I’d never met before but who is very cool. Saturday was chilly and rainy, but we did a bit of climbing anyway. Christine, Pete, and Matt did an 11-ish (methink) called Narcissus in a giant cave. It was too hard for anyone else, so me, Christine, Robby, and Stine wandered off and found our own little cave – four feet at its highest point, down to nothing about ten feet in – and bouldered all day. It was fun, I laughed a ton, and bonded and the like, but I was looking forward to doing some wall stuff the next day.
That night we went to dinner at Rio, which is a Mexican restaurant near the campsite with excellent food. We went to their version of Blue Ridge, whose name I’ve forgotten, and it was a really cool place…you could tell it was a climbing shop and not just a retail shop. Then we went back to the campsite, set up a 100-foot slackline, and camped out in the car. Good times. The next day, however, I had to go home early ‘cuz my parents were being dumb…nothing that warranted my response, but I was sleepy, pissed off, and I wanted to climb, dammit. So I did, when I got back to Peak…I’m flashing tens again, which is super-exciting, since I’ve been sucking lots lately. And it means that my parents owe me a trip to the New at some point…probably near the end of this month. Whee.
Lesse…last week was the first week of camp, so I wasn’t on Senior Project anymore; I was just sort of goofing off with school friends and I don’t really remember what else. I know Tuesday I had a Senior Project meeting, Monday I was down on Belle with Patrick, Wednesday was…no. Tuesday was Graduation rehearsal (BORING), Wednesday was Senior Project meeting, Thursday was Baccalaureate (BORING) and Friday was Graduation (BORING) and the Graduation party (LAME). I also went out several times that week, which I wouldn’t remember except for the fact that I was doing food for Passages, which requires about two hours of work each night, and I was up until two most nights getting that shit done because I didn’t really get home until midnight most nights. I know I played soccer one night, and I know I went down to Laurel street after Baccalaureate, and that was fun, although I honestly can not remember what all we did…just hung out, methink.
Graduation, Friday morning, was HOT and BORING and I came away with one helluva sunburn. Following, I went out to lunch with the family, went to Volvo to get my ‘Check Engine’ light looked at (it’s been on since the day after the NFG/Good Charlotte concert. That was May 2), spent two hours there, made a guest appearance at Jessica’s, where I’m pretty sure I wasn’t wanted, and then went home to ‘sleep’, and instead I ended up…doing something else. Oh, no, I did sleep. I’d planned to go down to Laurel Street again after a nap before the 8pm graduation party, but I slept late and didn’t get to; bummer.
The party was kind of lame. In past years, they’ve gone ALL OUT, like raffling off scanners and laptops and having laser tag and stuff like that. They stuck us on the Annabel Lee (it’s a boat) and trucked us up and down the James for a few hours. The DJ blew, the crowd wasn’t that great, the on-board casinos were amusing for a while (I love blackjack), and the announcements were great. My favorites:
Please do not proposition the bartenders. They will not give you alcohol.
Whoever stole the box with the door prize names in it, please give it back.
Please refrain from throwing plastic chairs off of the top deck into the river. The Starlight Deck is now closed, and if we find out who did it, you will be fined and prosecuted.
The last one is my favorite. Anyway, following this, we went bowling, where I didn’t bowl a single ball but took a lot of very funny pictures of my idiot friends. They’ll get posted along with all the other pictures I’ve been promising to post…eventually.
Saturday morning I left for Beach Week. Actually, ‘morning’ is a lie; I picked up Patrick around two, and we got in around five thirty. It’s only really a two-hour drive in decent traffic, but traffic sucked and the weather was lousy. But the house was gorgeous, and huge, and I wasn’t staying in it (Patrick’s dad didn’t like the idea of one girl – me - and eight guys – Patrick, Rai, Madhu, Sam, James, Chris, Cordie, and Matt – which I understand totally.) Instead, I shipped myself off to Becca’s for the nights, with her and John and SEG and Travis and David and Reid and Cush. This was fine, except that the two couples – Becca/John and SEG/Travis – said rather long good-nights in the bed in the room the girls were sharing most every night. I’d chill in the boys’ room until they were done, they crash between a rock-hard mattress and a sleeping bag. I woke up most mornings to my cell phone ringing by my head as Patrick called to let me know they were up and about; I’d usually breakfast at the Chandler’s and head out after that. I felt kind of bad about just being around for food and bed and shower, but that was kind of the way I’d laid it out several months ago.
Whatever; I had fun at both houses. We played Halo and made CanHenge and played poker at Patrick’s; we watched ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ and played Spit and spiked hair at Becca’s. Different people, different pastimes, and I love ‘em all.
The beach was nice, too. I got completely worked whenever I tried to body-surf, but I’d dig the sand out of my ass and go back at it again. I’ve also got an incredible sunburn pretty much all over, but at least I’m no longer that glaring shade of white that seems to suit. I also had fun lying out with Lauralee and Lea and Amy and Blair and all these girls that I never really talked to, but that I get along with just fine. They were nice and welcoming and it was cool. I also saw a bit of Alex and a bit more of Taylor, which really made me happy; when I started hanging out with Thor back in March, I stopped sitting with him at lunch and didn’t see him much in class. I adore that boy more than he knows, I think. He’s brilliant and sweet and wonderful and I’m really going to miss him.
I’m gong to miss all of them, of course, but in different ways. Anyway, things went well, between beach and two houses and video games and laughing a lot, and then Wednesday night rolled around, and things just got odd. There was a fight on the beach, and a search helicopter, and a fight at my house, but Carter and Carrie and Jackie drove up from Bald Head (I think that’s where they were) for the night, which was nice, and they got to witness the fireworks. Whee.
My decision to come home early (Thursday) instead of staying through ‘till tomorrow morning was based on a lot of things, the last straw being when James and Cordie and Matt and Chris up and left us on Thursday afternoon, made dinner reservations on their own, and then basically announced that they were going to stay at Cordie’s that night. I figured my shifting locales from Becca’s to Patrick’s (which became fine with his dad once he realized there wouldn’t be naked orgy-parties if I were staying) had something to do with that. Besides, I wasn’t having fun anymore. So I came home, went to the O house for the night, enjoyed myself, came home, and goofed off here.
My Moonstone prodeal arrived with a sleeping bag and a rainshell, which is funny, because everyone else HATES Moonstone ‘cuz they’re so bloody slow. I think they were faster than Prana or Petzl or any other company I’ve dealed from. I don’t get it. Whatever; I also played the new Zelda game for a while, didn’t unpack, got a call from James basically saying he was sorry I got chased away (I wasn’t. It’s cool and better this way), and then went to the first swim meet of the season.
I won all of my individuals – 100 free, 100 breast, 50 fly – which is interesting, because I wasn’t even aware that I remembered how to do butterfly. I can’t remember the last time I raced that stroke, and I didn’t even do it in practice this winter ‘cuz of my shoulder (which now hurts like fuck, if anyone cares.) I think my relay got 2nd, but we kicked ass nonetheless, and I’m home now, wearing underwear, (I wasn’t earlier), trying to articulate myself to Patrick, failing, and fuck it, I’m going to bed.