Monday. Mandy K. and I made breakfast in the lodge and then went to the other side of the lake and climbed Judson Tower and checked out the "chapel car" and went tree-climbing on a peninsula. We picked up her friend Krystal and then picked up her daughter Lily, and we saw them off back where Krystal's staying. We had a hole-in-the-wall Chinese buffet for lunch. It was pretty ghetto, definitely a memory. She showed me her favorite spot in Ripon before we went back to camp. We grabbed the golf-cart and loaded it up with kayaks and went out on Green Lake. I took a picture, and it's the one at the top of this post. We went down by the lake and talked for a while as we watched the last of the sunset. At 7:30 we went and had brownies and coffee with Paul and his wife. "A+!" she exclaimed as we left. "Are you rating my social interactions now?" I teased. We went up to the loft and watched a movie: "New York, I Love You."
Tuesday. Mandy K. saw me off--as did Paul--and I made the 12-hour drive back to Dayton, bypassing Chicago and cutting through Indianapolis. I drove through sunrise and sunset, saw two tornadoes at the same time in Illinois, and came THIS close to hitting a deer on Interstate 75 just south of Dayton. I was so relieved to be home. I visited Mom and Dad and Sky and then went back to Cincinnati. It felt great to be home.
Wednesday. I worked an uneventful 7:30-3:30 after my four-day weekend. Mandy K. called me at work, left an adorable voice-mail. I tried calling her back after work, but she was busy. I hung out with Mandy H. for a while before going back to work for a work meeting. It wasn't bad: Cat ordered us pizza, and I hammered it. Jon's not coming back for sure now, and Tiffany's taking on some of his catering responsibilities to ease his absence. After the meeting I took Tiffany home, since her mom lives directly across the street from us. I spent the evening writing. Brandy and her friend Aaron came over, and he has the loudest and most amazing laugh I've ever heard. Nick came in from Dayton, where he's running the new Fusian store. Go buy a roll if you live up there. Around 11:00 I got to talk to Mandy K., and it was good to talk to her.
Thursday. Anna's car got wrecked, so she couldn't come into work. Thus I got called in at 9:30, but only after hitting up The Anchor and doing some writing. Work was uneventful, and we got out a decent time. I spent the rest of the evening doing laundry and cleaning up 'round the room. Mandy K. called, and we talked about a lot of stuff that's been going on in our minds, and it seems (at least) that things have pretty much ground to a halt.
Friday. All day I was in a state of numbness, recalling our pleasant memories and the way I felt when I was with her. I spent the evening hanging out with Mandy and Amos. We ran to Kroger and The Party Source in Newport for goodies to be enjoyed tomorrow. It was definitely hard not talking to Mandy K. tonight; first time not hearing her voice before bed in a long while.
Saturday. Slept in 'till 9:30. Nine hours of sleep, a recent record. I ate way too much yesterday--damned sadness--so I forewent Indian food and just went to The Anchor to do some writing while enjoying cottage cheese and orange juice. I came home to do some more cleaning: the front and back porches for the party. Blake and Amos assisted in this endeavor. Tyler came down early for the party, and we caught up and ran some errands in Clifton. The party "started" around 5:00, when the housemates broke into the pumpkin ale keg and had it downed by the time the party officially started. I didn't drink much, except for a sip of beer and a shot of whiskey with Tony (just like old times). Beer pong in the basement, hot dogs on the fire. Reconnecting with some old friends: Jessie (certainly noteworthy) and Katie,whom I haven't seen in a long while. Ams and I dressed as Pebbles & Bam Bam from "The Flintstones," but I shed my costume when I realized Pebbles & Bam Bam weren't brother and sister but erotic lovers. Lots of people from work came by: Kile, Cat, Gina, Brandon, and even Bob (the president) showed up. Tyler and I crashed around 1:30, maybe 2:00 AM.
Sunday. Lots of people were still here come morning, arising from sofas and clutching pounding heads. Mandy made cinnamon rolls and eggs for breakfast, and of course Rob made coffee. Amos, Tyler and I shot some zombies in the basement. Zombies: they're everywhere these days. Tyler headed back to Dayton and I spent the afternoon and evening writing. I finished revisions on what I had for my zombie story and added about another forty pages (so it's at 140 pages now, give-or-take). Really, I'm thinking that writing this story--at least now--is just an escapist tactic. I don't want to deal with the real things going on in my life in this, so I just lose myself in a different world. In this world I know what's going to happen, I have control over the events, I'm not just an observer, I'm an architect. But when the pen's down, real life's still there. We all deal with things in different ways, and I'm thinking a constructive way is better than a destructive one. And writing a story, I think that's pretty damned constructive. Even if it has zombies in it.
No comments:
Post a Comment