august email update

Aug 23, 2005 08:21

hey everybody,
before i forget, all of my contact information has changed yet again (with the obvious exception of online communication). my new address is:
(removed from lj version for security. ask me if you really want to know.)

now, picking up from where my last note left off: my grandma did indeed come to visit me. while she was here we spent some time in great barrington and then went to the hancock shaker village and the norman rockwell museum. i do appreciate rockwell's art, but the shaker village just blew me away. they're a wonderful model for communal living- i like it so much that i would join them if it weren't for the religious aspect (including very strict rules about chastity- i'm pretty sure i'd like to have kids someday). i was especially fascinated by their dairy/creamery and all of the equipment they had for processing wool and flax. many of you know that i've been knitting for years and that i've learned how to crochet; now i want to learn everything that i possibly can about dyeing, spinning, weaving, and the like. i'm even thinking about starting my own business, complete with sheep... well, i dream big, and maybe it won't get that far, but i'm still going to learn all that i can. anyway, i had a great time with my grandma, and she seemed to enjoy her visit too. :-)

it turned out that grandma's visit overlapped with the reunion weekend, so she got to meet my friends ashleigh and noah. maybe i shouldn't be surprised, because we graduated so recently, but nobody else from my class came to the reunion. thus, we spent some time with noah's local friends when we weren't doing reunion activities. however, i think the best part was that ashleigh stayed with me for a few days after the reunion. we really needed to catch up with each other and we've rekindled an excellent and much-appreciated friendship.

i think the last month has been very much about personal relationships. after a summer of living almost totally on my own, i find that i'm really reaching out to meet new people and rediscover connections with old friends. last week i flew to atlanta, where my friend vaughn lives with his mom. i stayed there for a couple days and then we loaded his stuff in the car and drove back to simon's rock for the fall semester. on the way we stayed with my aunts joanne and lee in alexandria, virginia, went to lunch with jacob, stayed with my parents and siblings in new york, and had some of my friends over. (interesting fact: i never had that many people over at one time when i was in high school.) now i'm back in great barrington and classes started yesterday and every day i'm seeing more of my friends, at least the people who are still simon's rock students.

my flatmate, adam, brought some new furniture with him, so now our apartment is much more welcoming. it's a nice living space, and we're slowly adding more "homey touches" like lamps for enough light to see by and posters of john lennon and puss in boots (from the movie shrek 2) and a desperately-needed cutting board. right now i'm just glad that i have somebody to go grocery shopping with! adam and i get along really well, and i think it's wonderful to live with a friend. it's really making me think more about my scheme for getting a bunch of friends under one roof, because i love having people around.

last week in alexandria, i was talking to lee, who suggested that the late teens/early twenties are a tough time because people this age tend to be uncertain about what they really want to do. yesterday, oscar who works in the admissions office suggested that the late twenties/early thirties are great because you've figured out what you don't want to do and start figuring out what you really want to do. i can't speak much about the late twenties, but so far lee seems to be right, which gives me hope that oscar is also right. i know that what i'm doing right now is not something i want to be doing for the rest of my life, even though in some ways it is satisfying. i know i can enjoy the ride, but i have to keep reminding myself to be patient. this is the first time in my life when i haven't had a long-term plan in any sense of the word, and i'm finding it somewhat frustrating. i keep reminding myself that i'm learning valuable lessons now and that if i keep working hard the future will take care of itself. right now it seems like the hardest part is getting great ideas that make me excited for a few days and then slowly drift away but never leave completely. there are so many things i'd love to try and can't try right now. again with the patience: one thing at a time.

i'm still figuring out what my schedule will be for the fall. in general i'm hoping to get away from the really early morning hours, because as winter sets in and i can't ride my bike so much, i'll be relying to a greater extent on people who are willing to give me rides. college students don't like getting up so early! i'm also looking for a job with benefits, preferably on campus because i love it here. it's taking some time, but i'm confident that everything will work out.

now, i have a question: what is the most beautiful thing you've ever experienced? you don't have to answer it to me, though i'd love to know. just answer it for yourself, because these are good things to think about. i decided not to limit myself to one thing, so i made a list based (mostly) on the physical senses:
1) sight: really good swimmers in action
2) sound: my sister playing her violin
3) taste: homemade cheesecake made with fresh homemade cheese
4) smell: fresh air in all seasons and times of day
5) touch: my boyfriend's hands
6) emotions/thoughts/events: being in love (also: exhausted euphoria after finishing a triathlon)

if you're travelling near the berkshires, i'd love for you to stop by! you're all in my thoughts and my heart, and i hope you're well and enjoying life no matter what.

love, adrienne
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