There and back again: Recollections of a beautiful weekend
I promised myself I'd have a fun weekend while Mom was out. I'm pleased to report this weekend exceeded my own expectations.
One major thing I loved about this weekend was how music wove itself perfectly into everything. I hope I can properly elaborate upon this.
Mom left Friday, and after work I spent the entire evening/night online because I felt like being a slacker and a slob. I did take a break to watch History Boys which was somehow better than the first time I saw it. Such an awesome movie. I went to bed at three, having accomplished nothing.
I woke up at noon with an insatiable need to get the heck out of my house, and preferably out of town. I thought about the beach, but I've tried going there alone before and it was too awkward. So I ended up calling Sol, the son of Claire, the friend my mom was vacationing with. He had no plans, so I packed up to spend the night at their house while our parents were out.
As I packed to leave, I realized I would accomplish none of the chores my mom wanted me to do, nor had I asked her permission to do such a thing. I didn't care. My mom is very paranoid about me driving alone, so for me to just set out somewhere without telling her would probably blow her mind. The thought was exhilarating. I turned on the classic rock music channel on telly. "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie immediately started playing. IT'S LIKE THE TELEVISION KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON IN MY MIND.
As I got into my car, my Beatles CD played "Ticket to Ride". Heh. My friend lives about an hour away, and I've never driven there alone before. I've always had to put up with my mom in the passenger's seat telling me how to drive (grumblegrumblegrumble). It was fantastic driving alone for that long. I danced in my seat and sang along to the music I was blasting, something I can never do when my mom is accompanying me somewhere. It's also something I picked up from my dad.
When the Beatles CD ended, I put in Janelle Monae. I was driving through Aurora, which is a town that prides itself on its quaintness and history. I didn't know their "Aurora Fest" was going on, so there I was, driving through downtown Aurora, past people dressed in colonial garb giving town tours regarding this quaint little house and this stunning old landmark, with "Tightrope" blasting through my speakers. I ruined the ambiance with a FIERCE vengeance! The tour guides glared at me from under their tricorn hats and bonnets and I just smiled with this look of "HATERS GONNA HATE" on my face.
I finally got to Sol's house, all by myself! Whoo! I've known Sol and his brothers literally since we were babies, so it's always great to hang out with him. His brother Nate was there doing laundry, so we all hung out for a bit. When Nate left, Sol and I headed to The Commons.
The Ithaca Commons is where the hippie-est and oddest Ithaca has to offer go to hang out. There's a whole bunch of shops there, selling everything from clothes to incense to used books to bongs shaped like the Starship Enterprise. I'm not kidding about that last bit. For me, the Commons is more fun than Disneyworld could ever be. There's a lot of people there I connect with, and it's just fun to be somewhere so different from my conservative small town. I got a bumper sticker that says "Ningun Ser Humano es Ilegal" (Being human is never illegal), the ninth Sandman book (FINALLY) and The Proclaimer's Sunshine on Leith for ONLY A DOLLAR. Most people only know The Proclaimers for "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", but they're so much more than that song. Go look up the song "Sunshine on Leith". It is one of the most beautiful things ever recorded.
Sol and I both expressed a craving for Nutella, so we drove to the grocery store while singing along to The Proclaimers. We drove back to his house and made Spaetzle, which a food Sol learned to make from his German girfriend. It was flippin' delicious. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Desert was toast with Nutella while we watched the first season of M*A*S*H.
The next morning, we ate brunch at a local restaurant. OM NOM NOM EGGS AND SAUSAGE. Then we went to Sol's great-aunt's house, where she was hosting a family picnic. I know Sol's entire family and regard them as an extension of my own, so it was good to reconnect with everyone. Especially Sol's two uncles from North Carolina. I love those guys so much, and I hardly ever get to see them face-to-face. Good times.
By this point, I had told Mom where I was and she was surprisingly cool with it. Neat. She and Claire came back from the Adirondacks or wherever they were and joined us at the picnic. Seriously, Sol and I have known for months that they've been planning this trip, but we still had no idea where they went. They had fun though.
Driving back with Mom was...eh. She was sleep-deprived and cranky, so I could hardly play my music above a whisper. Luckily I found a radio station that was playing a Grateful Dead concert, and that was perfectly tolerable for both of us. Mmmmm...Grateful Dead. I smell sandalwood incense burning just at the very thought of them.
Soooo....yeah. Good times. I'm sorry if that was rambly and dull, but it was a LOT of fun for me aaand I'm writing this at waytoolate o'clock.
With that said, good night.
One major thing I loved about this weekend was how music wove itself perfectly into everything. I hope I can properly elaborate upon this.
Mom left Friday, and after work I spent the entire evening/night online because I felt like being a slacker and a slob. I did take a break to watch History Boys which was somehow better than the first time I saw it. Such an awesome movie. I went to bed at three, having accomplished nothing.
I woke up at noon with an insatiable need to get the heck out of my house, and preferably out of town. I thought about the beach, but I've tried going there alone before and it was too awkward. So I ended up calling Sol, the son of Claire, the friend my mom was vacationing with. He had no plans, so I packed up to spend the night at their house while our parents were out.
As I packed to leave, I realized I would accomplish none of the chores my mom wanted me to do, nor had I asked her permission to do such a thing. I didn't care. My mom is very paranoid about me driving alone, so for me to just set out somewhere without telling her would probably blow her mind. The thought was exhilarating. I turned on the classic rock music channel on telly. "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie immediately started playing. IT'S LIKE THE TELEVISION KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON IN MY MIND.
As I got into my car, my Beatles CD played "Ticket to Ride". Heh. My friend lives about an hour away, and I've never driven there alone before. I've always had to put up with my mom in the passenger's seat telling me how to drive (grumblegrumblegrumble). It was fantastic driving alone for that long. I danced in my seat and sang along to the music I was blasting, something I can never do when my mom is accompanying me somewhere. It's also something I picked up from my dad.
When the Beatles CD ended, I put in Janelle Monae. I was driving through Aurora, which is a town that prides itself on its quaintness and history. I didn't know their "Aurora Fest" was going on, so there I was, driving through downtown Aurora, past people dressed in colonial garb giving town tours regarding this quaint little house and this stunning old landmark, with "Tightrope" blasting through my speakers. I ruined the ambiance with a FIERCE vengeance! The tour guides glared at me from under their tricorn hats and bonnets and I just smiled with this look of "HATERS GONNA HATE" on my face.
I finally got to Sol's house, all by myself! Whoo! I've known Sol and his brothers literally since we were babies, so it's always great to hang out with him. His brother Nate was there doing laundry, so we all hung out for a bit. When Nate left, Sol and I headed to The Commons.
The Ithaca Commons is where the hippie-est and oddest Ithaca has to offer go to hang out. There's a whole bunch of shops there, selling everything from clothes to incense to used books to bongs shaped like the Starship Enterprise. I'm not kidding about that last bit. For me, the Commons is more fun than Disneyworld could ever be. There's a lot of people there I connect with, and it's just fun to be somewhere so different from my conservative small town. I got a bumper sticker that says "Ningun Ser Humano es Ilegal" (Being human is never illegal), the ninth Sandman book (FINALLY) and The Proclaimer's Sunshine on Leith for ONLY A DOLLAR. Most people only know The Proclaimers for "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", but they're so much more than that song. Go look up the song "Sunshine on Leith". It is one of the most beautiful things ever recorded.
Sol and I both expressed a craving for Nutella, so we drove to the grocery store while singing along to The Proclaimers. We drove back to his house and made Spaetzle, which a food Sol learned to make from his German girfriend. It was flippin' delicious. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Desert was toast with Nutella while we watched the first season of M*A*S*H.
The next morning, we ate brunch at a local restaurant. OM NOM NOM EGGS AND SAUSAGE. Then we went to Sol's great-aunt's house, where she was hosting a family picnic. I know Sol's entire family and regard them as an extension of my own, so it was good to reconnect with everyone. Especially Sol's two uncles from North Carolina. I love those guys so much, and I hardly ever get to see them face-to-face. Good times.
By this point, I had told Mom where I was and she was surprisingly cool with it. Neat. She and Claire came back from the Adirondacks or wherever they were and joined us at the picnic. Seriously, Sol and I have known for months that they've been planning this trip, but we still had no idea where they went. They had fun though.
Driving back with Mom was...eh. She was sleep-deprived and cranky, so I could hardly play my music above a whisper. Luckily I found a radio station that was playing a Grateful Dead concert, and that was perfectly tolerable for both of us. Mmmmm...Grateful Dead. I smell sandalwood incense burning just at the very thought of them.
Soooo....yeah. Good times. I'm sorry if that was rambly and dull, but it was a LOT of fun for me aaand I'm writing this at waytoolate o'clock.
With that said, good night.