That was the focus last Saturday, as I pressed my parents to make the hour-and-a-half drive from Chicago to Rensselaer under the guise of watching me receive an award for my generous benefactory (?) to Saint Joseph's College, though in reality I was mostly interested in them seeing the bee-u-tee-ful bench and engraved plaque I had purchased in their honor. The unveiling was interesting. My dad's first words: "Why did you do that?" My mom: "My ankle is killing me!" and proceeded to rest on said bench, which I suppose is what it's for. (To be fair, she sprained her ankle a few weeks ago and yet still wore heels for my big day. Plus, I saw tears. Always a plus when handing out gifts.) Halfway through lunch, she hobbled back to the bench to enjoy a cigarette with her new piece of property. When she returned, she said, "I hope I never have to drive back to this place again!" (Any drive longer than 15 minutes is one she'd prefer never to experience.) So, all in all, my parents. Loving the bench.
Since then, I've been trying to love my last week of freedom, as Monday marks the first day of my New and Fabulous Job. Gone are the days of vegging on the couch eating ice cream in shorts I've worn for two days. Transferring vegetation from my place to Luke's by eating Lays and watching episodes of Melrose Place while he was at work. Complaining that I have nothing to do. I'm excited. I've purchased my first "official" (aka "non-Payless") pair of heels, several expensive dress slacks, and enough button-ups to last...five days. Hopefully my new co-workers won't get bored of green, purple, pink, white, and blue too quickly. I have also adopted New and Fabulous Eating Habits, which include eating wheat bread, fresh fruit, fat-free pudding, and Capri-Sun drink packs during my Fabulous lunch hours. My one obstacle to Monday: Sunday, the day of my graduation from DePaul. I took my final exam for editing today, and it still hasn't registered that I'm done. No more homework. No more squeezing reading assignments into soap opera commercial breaks. No more school. Really. I don't even work for a college anymore. Done.
Samantha's wedding is kicking into high gear. The shower invitations have been mailed, my maid-of-honor dress has been purchased (strapless, so upper-body toning is a must), and centerpiece ideas have been discussed. The latest big news: the happy couple putting a security deposit on their very first apartment. The ball is rolling.
Though probably unnecessary, it's worth pointing out that my cup isn't flowing over with snap or sass, so this entry may have been a waste of your time. If only I had written about this morning's 7:30 a.m. test drive to work on less than half of a quarter tank of gas, when at one point I thought I would be stranded near an abandoned Village Pantry most likely held up by a baby's daddy in desparate need of crack in 1992. THAT would've been comedy.
You know, when I was younger I was always a little wary drinking Capri-Sun. It was hard to tell if that pointy straw wasn't going to go all the way through the pouch and into your hand.
I'm just saying be careful with that stuff.
Posted by: Luke | June 10, 2005 at 09:03 PM