I'm leaving soon for a two-week trip to London. It's been five years since I've been to England, and even longer since I've been to London, my favorite place in the world. I lived there for a few months in 1987, with my college pal Beth and a bunch of crazy Australians for flatmates. In 2000 and 2001 I spent two semesters there researching at the British Library, hanging out with new British and American friends, and (my actual job) supervising study abroad students.
Every time I go back to London I revisit places which remind me of the intense but often short-lived friendships I shared there. Of course I have photos but somehow being there, experiencing all the sights and sounds and smells brings back the memories in bittersweet concentration.
I've lived so many places in my life--London of course, but also New Jersey, Philadelphia, Mississippi, Atlanta, Boston, Connecticut, and now Tennessee--and everywhere I've developed friendships which were happy and fulfilling and sustaining. I started naming those important but now absent friends, but the list just grew so long, the losses too great to bear thinking of all at once.
Absent Friends, thanks for everything. Gone, perhaps, but certainly not forgotten.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
25 Years of Cars
Car 1
Early 70s dark green wood-panelled station wagon. Driven to school and back 3 days before that fateful knock on the front door: "Excuse me, do you have a green station wagon? Well, it's on fire."
Car 2
1971 Chevy Malibu Bel-Air. Peeling vinyl roof, peeling vinyl seats, holes in the floor, hole just above the 1/4 level in the gas tank. Sacrificed a back seat belt to a treasure hunt. Driven for a joyful three years, including a number of months in which it had to be hot-wired to start, before a father yelling at his kids drove right into the shiny, chrome rear bumper.
Car 3
1979 Chevy Impala. Former construction site car, giant V-8 engine, seated 8 comfortably. Radiator hose ably repaired by Geoff in a West Virginia Dairy Queen parking lot. Driven for less than two gas-guzzling years before being stolen by joyriding West Philly hoodlums.
Car 4
1979 Plymouth Champ. Manual transmission, which I learned to drive when I picked up the car in South Philly and discovered it had a manual transmission. Said transmission later repaired (over two long, parts-strewn-all-over-the-driveway weeks) by dad, who then vowed never, ever, ever to fix another car of mine again. Taught me that regular cars actually need to have oil changed, not just regularly refilled. Forlornly hauled away by Mr. Scrapyard for $50.
Car 5
1987 Ford Escort. Stylish black paint, rear window defroster. First new car, complete with 80s style 13% car loan. Spent some years moving from New Jersey to Mississippi (no air conditioning) to Atlanta, where some crazy woman decided to drive into the driver's side door. While I was driving.
Car 6
1992 Nissan Sentra. Red, manual transmission, and air conditioning. Ahh. MUCH more reasonable 10% loan, acquired through a creative interpretation of payroll deductions and the tenacity of a finance manager lured by a lucrative long-term warranty commission. Driven for two years, when sold in preparation for move to Urban Jungle.
1994-1996. The carless years. Saddest of my life.
Car 7
1982 Toyota Corolla Hatchback. Light blue and rust holes patched with layers and layers of aluminum tape. Perforated undercarriage which allowed puddles to form on the floor whenever the weather was rainy or snowy (that is, all the time). Bought for $600 from a fellow MA student, driven for two years during which time my faithful mechanic continually implored me to "please please please buy a new car," and finally sold for $600 to a fellow PhD student.
Car 8
1998 Ford Escort. Mocha Frost, with difficult-to-find combination of manual transmission and air conditioning, manual locks and window cranks (to ease escape in case of tragic bridge plunge). 0.9% financing! Delivered with three normal tires and one defective tire, causing problems which baffled service department for one full week. 150,000 miles so far, and still on the road!
Early 70s dark green wood-panelled station wagon. Driven to school and back 3 days before that fateful knock on the front door: "Excuse me, do you have a green station wagon? Well, it's on fire."
Car 2
1971 Chevy Malibu Bel-Air. Peeling vinyl roof, peeling vinyl seats, holes in the floor, hole just above the 1/4 level in the gas tank. Sacrificed a back seat belt to a treasure hunt. Driven for a joyful three years, including a number of months in which it had to be hot-wired to start, before a father yelling at his kids drove right into the shiny, chrome rear bumper.
Car 3
1979 Chevy Impala. Former construction site car, giant V-8 engine, seated 8 comfortably. Radiator hose ably repaired by Geoff in a West Virginia Dairy Queen parking lot. Driven for less than two gas-guzzling years before being stolen by joyriding West Philly hoodlums.
Car 4
1979 Plymouth Champ. Manual transmission, which I learned to drive when I picked up the car in South Philly and discovered it had a manual transmission. Said transmission later repaired (over two long, parts-strewn-all-over-the-driveway weeks) by dad, who then vowed never, ever, ever to fix another car of mine again. Taught me that regular cars actually need to have oil changed, not just regularly refilled. Forlornly hauled away by Mr. Scrapyard for $50.
Car 5
1987 Ford Escort. Stylish black paint, rear window defroster. First new car, complete with 80s style 13% car loan. Spent some years moving from New Jersey to Mississippi (no air conditioning) to Atlanta, where some crazy woman decided to drive into the driver's side door. While I was driving.
Car 6
1992 Nissan Sentra. Red, manual transmission, and air conditioning. Ahh. MUCH more reasonable 10% loan, acquired through a creative interpretation of payroll deductions and the tenacity of a finance manager lured by a lucrative long-term warranty commission. Driven for two years, when sold in preparation for move to Urban Jungle.
1994-1996. The carless years. Saddest of my life.
Car 7
1982 Toyota Corolla Hatchback. Light blue and rust holes patched with layers and layers of aluminum tape. Perforated undercarriage which allowed puddles to form on the floor whenever the weather was rainy or snowy (that is, all the time). Bought for $600 from a fellow MA student, driven for two years during which time my faithful mechanic continually implored me to "please please please buy a new car," and finally sold for $600 to a fellow PhD student.
Car 8
1998 Ford Escort. Mocha Frost, with difficult-to-find combination of manual transmission and air conditioning, manual locks and window cranks (to ease escape in case of tragic bridge plunge). 0.9% financing! Delivered with three normal tires and one defective tire, causing problems which baffled service department for one full week. 150,000 miles so far, and still on the road!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Bands I Saw in the 80s
Adam and the Ants
The Band
The Breeders
The Cramps
Crosby, Stills and Nash
The Cure
The Dead Kennedys
Echo and the Bunnymen
Elvis Costello with Nick Lowe
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
General Public
George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers
The Hooters
Michelle Shocked
New Order
Poi Dog Pondering
The Police
The Psychedelic Furs
Reflex
Scandal
Simple Minds
The Stray Cats
U2
Live Aid, Philadelphia (1985)
in order of appearance
Judas Priest
The Cars
Madonna
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Phil Collins
Patti LaBelle
Tom Petty
Kenny Loggins
Neil Young
The Power Station
The Thompson TwinsEric Clapton
Robert Plant /Jimmy Page / John Paul Jones
Duran Duran
Patti LaBelle
Hall & Oates / Eddie Kendricks / David Ruffin
Mick Jagger
Tina Turner
Bob Dylan / Keith Richards / Ron Wood
Tourhout Festival, Belgium (1987)
in order of appearance
Julian Cope
The Triffids
The Housemartins
Iggy Pop
Echo and the Bunnymen
The Pretenders
Eurythmics
Peter Gabriel
The Band
The Breeders
The Cramps
Crosby, Stills and Nash
The Cure
The Dead Kennedys
Echo and the Bunnymen
Elvis Costello with Nick Lowe
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
General Public
George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers
The Hooters
Michelle Shocked
New Order
Poi Dog Pondering
The Police
The Psychedelic Furs
Reflex
Scandal
Simple Minds
The Stray Cats
U2
Live Aid, Philadelphia (1985)
in order of appearance
Judas Priest
The Cars
Madonna
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Phil Collins
Patti LaBelle
Tom Petty
Kenny Loggins
Neil Young
The Power Station
The Thompson TwinsEric Clapton
Robert Plant /Jimmy Page / John Paul Jones
Duran Duran
Patti LaBelle
Hall & Oates / Eddie Kendricks / David Ruffin
Mick Jagger
Tina Turner
Bob Dylan / Keith Richards / Ron Wood
Tourhout Festival, Belgium (1987)
in order of appearance
Julian Cope
The Triffids
The Housemartins
Iggy Pop
Echo and the Bunnymen
The Pretenders
Eurythmics
Peter Gabriel
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