Somehow it's June!
1) Reunion weekend was just total fun (notwithstanding the 7 1/2 hours it took to drive 178.6 miles) (or -- and you see I love double parentheses -- the hotel losing our reservation). I don't know the final numbers, but I think maybe 20% of our class was there for all or part of the weekend. The strange thing was how familiar everyone seemed, even though we haven't seen one another in some cases for 5 years, in other cases since the 20th century! One minute I felt like a teenager, another I felt like a big old fuddyduddy. In any case, most people were just wonderful -- we wove old memories together as if we had a giant loom. All in all I just feel lucky to have gone to a great school and to be able to revisit now and again.
(With my classmate Aliki Barnstone, the Poet Laureate of Missouri) (We met for the first time last weekend.)
2). Doing what you like. Yes, it's obvious. My classmates who seemed happiest were the ones who had pursued dreams, passions, and whims -- not just wealth, position, or paychecks. One, Andy Chaiken, was always a "space nut". He says when he arrived on campus the first thing he did was stick his poster of Buzz Aldrin on the Moon on the wall over his bed. Now he works at NASA. Terry Gallagher was similarly infatuated with all things Japanese. He is an award-winning Japanese-to-English translator, though he majored in art history, I believe. If you feel you're at a dead-end, or uninspired, try to figure out a way to incorporate your passion in your life.
3). "The Americans" on FX wrapped up, as everyone who participates in social media knows. Our friend Robert was our proselytizer, and once hooked, it was a powerful addiction.
I don't really have more to add in terms of the analysis of the show (and I don't want to ruin it for any of you late adapters.) I was surprised by the ending. I will miss the excitement and anticipation the program created for me. I know my feelings for the show run deep because last night I dreamed I had been asked to work with Stan Beeman/Noah Emmerich. (Larry Page and Sergey Brin were in the dream too.)
I should be embarrassed, but I'm not.
4). It's cherry season.
5). I wonder whether Robert Mueller is a fan of "The Americans." #TooSoon? He's living it every day, anyway. Wishing him continued great health and energy.
And to all of you, too.
Your friend,
Lisa