Weekend Recap- reunion and stuff

[mizarchivist]

I landed back in Boston mid-afternoon, right before the snow started. purple_terror had already decided to make pot roast and aligot, which really is the only antidote for snow coming a full month early. My new slippers from LL Bean arrived, so I'm making sure they work. They mostly do except for the too big part. This is correctable what with a local store nearby.

So, the weekend. I need to stay with Dale more on future visits, as it was really quite lovely to see him and geek with both him and Lou over food and cider.  D. took me to Coventry on the way back to Mom's- a stop at Passport to Peru yielded a nifty hat and some incense, but more importantly, a great moment with the owners. The short version is, they are interested in my clay/tins. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but if it works out, they'd buy some from me directly. Iknowright? Totally awesome.

Mom was keen on seeing Where the Wild Things Are, so we went on Friday evening. It was quite amazing, although I'm still thinking about it and deciding exactly how much I liked it. The monsters were a blank slate when in book form, so the personalities they took on for the film were... well, not what I was expecting, I guess. Still- I didn't feel like they ruined another bit of my youth. The 'rents and I had Brennan's fish, which was followed by a visit to Amy's to see my nieces and hang out. I hadn't seen them much over the past few years, so a needful visit.

It seems inevitable I get caught in a nostalgic vortex for some portion a trip home. The current one centered around a box of old school stuff I found on Friday night 'pon my return. It included several dozen notes- still folded into squares, for the most part, as we did. They dated from about 8th-11th grade, but mostly from 8th. Mostly from old boyfriends, but interspersed with ones from friends. Almost all of them on the topic of crush-objects, was so-n-so mad at someone else, and other Machiavellian machinations that only 13-15 year-olds can muster. It was quite a portal. I walked away from it grinning ruefully and relieved that I feel So. Much. Better now. I have grown a sense of humor, an actual functioning epidermis, and have found some zen.

Saturday- Mom and I visited with Vi (used to work for my grandparents) in her new apartment. I was glad for that, as it's not part of my normal routine. Amy came to pick me up for the reunion- a sushi dinner which was... meh? But the company always good. The actual reunion... about what you'd expect, especially considering the graduating class was over 900. about 85-95% of the people who attended were not friends or even recognizalbe. Not as many who I had hoped would be there materialized, but I was pleased with the interactions I did have.  Facebook shows evidence in the Doing Stuff album. The venue was a sports bar owned by one of our classmates (whom I don't think I saw, but his kids were sick, so he may not have even been there). I... don't go to bars to socialize. And not townie sports bars, which seem to attract idjits who just want to get smashed and resemble overgown teenagers who are living a Bruce Springsteen song. I was once again startled by too high expectation re: a classmate whom I've known for... 30 years. When describing something re: our past shared history, he referred to the event as gay. It was just so gay. He hated how gay it was and he was miserable with ... yeah. you get the idea. This from a  well-educated, but clearly not enlightened soul. My reaction besides horror: time to go home.

...which I now am. So, good visit, but after 2 weekends in a row of travel, I'm ready to be here for a while.

Comments

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

Y'know, J's sister does that 'gay' thing. (quote: "I didn't want to watch that 'Once More, with Feeling' episode. It looked gay." I can't even begin to say how much was wrong with that sentence.) I've asked her to stop it, that I find using the word 'gay' in that context offensive. As far as she's concerned, I'm as hetero-vanilla as she is.

As for your reunion, I am remembering mine and I think you and I had similar experiences. And I can guess with almost absolute certainty that you look 100x better than any of your classmates. ;-)

Welcome home! May you soon have well-fitted slippers.

[mizarchivist]

I am regretting not confronting on the whole gay usage now, but too late now. It has to be in the moment.
And my sympathies on the SiL. That statement definitely has too many false statements.

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

Appropriate iconage FTW! (yours much more so than mine...)

I'm glad you called

[drwex]

And thanks for the write-up. I'm pretty sure that if I ever unearthed my grade-school notes I'd burn them on the spot.

Re: I'm glad you called

[mizarchivist]

That reaction seems to be many people's response.

Oh and on the gay thing

[drwex]

I've developed a reflex response, which is "I would be happier if you did not use 'gay' as an insult."

No explanation, just let them soak that up. Usually they start explaining how everyone does it and how they're not really homophobic blah blah.

At which point I say "I understand, but I'd still be happier if you didn't use 'gay' as an insult. If you mean 'stupid' or 'boring' or whatever, please use those words."

Re: Oh and on the gay thing

[mizarchivist]

It would appear I'm not exposed to this scenario very often- for which I am grateful.

Re: Oh and on the gay thing

[drwex]

Nod. I get it a fair bit in the online gaming world.

As in your case I sometimes see it from People Whom One Would Expect Better Of, not just the usual teenage muck.