Monday, February 4, 2008

I Dream a Highway

Went back to the academy for the weekend, to get my head out of the city and out of the past two weeks. Colleges are strange places... Locations that have survived for time spans in the neighborhood of centuries, but for every single one of those years, existing as a transient community. Found myself looking into the window of Eliason's old apartment to see if he was home. The college is an ever-changing map of people and various locales, always a map of memories more than of places, even before one leaves.

I've come to the conclusion that I make good ex-girlfriends. My ex Gwen invited me in to her Mardi Gras party, showed me the wonderful art she's working on for her upcoming thesis, and consoled me in the warmest way about L's leaving. Spent the whole weekend getting into misadventures with Leah involving 24 hour diners and late night sneaking around the campus. Talked to Ruth about tagging along with her to Uganda later in the year (more on that some other time)... It's really comforting to know that relationships don't really just go away unless you let them.

The weekend was full of mis(s)adventures. Among the more bizarre was the impulse purchase of a guitar, a Takimne copy of a Martin Drednaught that I haggled down to a decent price. It's a beautiful sounding big-bodied six-string that'll be great for finger-picking and the blues. Took that guitar forthwith to jam with several of Leah's awesome friends, a jam that lasted until about six in the morning.

By the time climbed back into my trusty Volvo and started the drive home, I looked out in front of me and saw a familiar sight... As Gillian Welch was playing around me, the reflection of my high-beams off the roadsigns mixing with the soft green light of my instrument panel, with empty curves of road extending out in front of me, I was brought back to where I kept finding myself almost two years ago. Late night, in the driver's seat, with only open country, horsepower, a tank of gas and relative freedom.

And maybe a guitar somewhere in the back seat.

9 comments:

De.Corday said...

Annabelle - Gillian Welch:

http://www.softcommunication.net/12annabelle.mp3

Anonymous said...

wait, you know that's the song I couldn't get out of my head this week?
R

gyra said...

always intrigued by your choices in psuedonyms.

and yes. along with reflexively checking if eliason's desk lamp is on, i glance over every time i cut through next to 80 lawn, in case harris is smoking on the side porch.

De.Corday said...

Some psuedonyms write themselves. I have the most fun when I get to choose. There's reason behind all of these, but not the same reason in each one. Sometimes there's no reason whatsoever.

--Charlotte

gyra said...

You know also(?) that "ruth" means "mercy." As in "ruthless," and Milton's "Look homeward Angel now, and melt with ruth."

So I quite like it for this person.

eliason said...

it's mostly just Elias, these days.

but yes, maybe not this weekend but the weekend after for an alma mater romp?


also, i can see both gwen and leah being very appropriate as well. i wonder, if i hadn't chosen a name, which one people would give me.

eliason said...

ps: "mis(s)adventures"? insufferable.

pps: your css is showing. try changing the height of "footer" and check to make sure there's no conflicting information with class "footer section," if it's specified. although the code looks pretty messy from here, and i can't see the css.

this is the functional equivalent of performing open heart surgery while blindfolded and having a seizure. so.

De.Corday said...

My CSS is like my engine bay... held together with JB Weld and Zip-ties. it looks good on all the machines I've vewed it on, though... what's up?

gyra said...

you're still a step ahead of coffee cans and bandannas yet. it's all good.

i'll miss y'all (boo!) if you converge on the academy two weekends from now--that's when i'm in chicago, engaging another portion of the alma matrix. also gabi russek!