Through the zero hour we'll walk

Right! So. Where were we?

Oh yes: I was taking a little break. In my defense, it was a very good little break, for I received a visit from my old roommate/darling dear friend Lynelle, who I hadn't seen in person since 2005 or so. She's been in Australia, and then England - where she resides at present (in London). Therefore, it's entirely logical that the in-person shenanigans gap has been so great.

It's sucked, though.

ANYWAY. It was awesome to catch up, and awesome to do all our old goofy things - like troll the mall, stuff our faces here/there/everywhere, and even revisit various assorted halls at our alma mater.

Much has changed. We hardly recognized any of the names on the plaques by the English teacher doors, and all the decor/fixtures were different, and there was a big TV installed at the end of the corridor, and there were vending machines, and it was A WHOLE NEW WORLD, PEOPLE. And did I mention how much younger the college students are now, as opposed to when we attended? Totally true fact. Very weird.

But then, some things haven't changed. Brock Hall's third-floor ladies bathroom is about the only thing that hasn't gotten a remodel, for example.



And we did recognize one name in the English corridors: a gent who's now the department head. But this position of power did not in any way prevent him from merrily letting us camp in his office like old times for a couple of hours, playing catch-up and marveling at how familiar and how strange it all was.

We also dropped by the History department and found a couple of familiar faces,* and poked our heads into some of the new buildings which had sprouted up in our absence. We even managed to meet up with our third roomie (Mikhaile) for lunch - and yea verily, we were the veritable picture of dignity and poise.



At this point I'd like to make some silly disclaimer, and say that I'm sure we looked like a couple of creepy old ladies - but you know what? Everywhere we went, we were accused of looking exactly the same as we did in 1998.

I choose to believe that folks were not merely being polite, but were being dead freaking correct; because we remain every bit as juvenile and awesome as we ever were.



To sum up, the visit was all too brief - but I am terribly grateful and happy that it occurred.

____________

Hm...what else have I missed updating about? Well, let's see. Apart from Lennie and the Great Nostalgia Tour of 2013, there's not much new to report. No new writing, which would worry me ... except that it doesn't. I'll be back on that pony come Monday, if not sooner. I figured a way around that plot tangle that was driving me crazy, and I'll bust out the big ol' tub of LogicSpackle(tm) as soon as I can. Must get zen with that.

We also have baby birds, which I believe I may have mentioned here before. They're very nearly grown birds, or at least you can see it from here - which is good, because they have not quite two weeks to fledge and find new lodgings before the roofers arrive.

Yes, I planned it that way. Here's a family shot, taken this afternoon.



Initially, there were four eggs. I think only three hatched, but I don't know. I could be mistaken. I don't spend a lot of time staring down into the nest or anything; I don't want to bother them, and anyway, I can't really see them.

(In order to get a picture, I have to stand on a chair and climb up onto a column's base, then hug the column with one hand, hold the phone/camera over my head with the other, and pray like hell that I snap something good before I fall and break my neck.)

____________

So what's up next?

Well, like I said - I'll get back to writing this week, but that'll taper off toward the weekend. This is because I'll have company again, for my youngest cousin is graduating from college nearby, and the whole family is caravan-ing into town for the occasion. I'm not 100% sure who will be staying at my place yet, but we'll have my mom for certain; and whoever crashes here, we'll all be off at the other end of town for the festivities and mini-family-reunion more often than not.

Immediately following that - we get a new roof.

In short, I predict continued upheaval in my schedule for a while, but I will do my best to stick to a routine and be productive, and blog about it accordingly. No promises, mind you. I am only human, and I'm an easily distracted human at that. We'll see how it goes.

But for now, have a good weekend, everyone.
Thanks for reading.


* She was a double English/History major; I was an English major/History minor. We graduated in 1998.