My sincerest apologies for the abysmal lack of updates over the past week. It hasn’t been until just recently that I’ve been able to restore some semblance of stability to my life, and computer usage has been, when available, quite confusing.
Japanese keyboards aren’t really made for use by Westerners, which is my polite way of saying Japanese keyboards suck. The all-important and near indispensable space bar is reduced to a mere inch in length, and the mysteriously-labeled keys adjacent to the space bar automatically render the text being typed into Japanese characters. Add to that the near impossibility of locating the apostrophe key (I think it’s shift-7), and you have a miserable typing experience. I’ve basically been waiting until I could obtain a computer monitor at home (mission accomplished as of a couple days ago) so I could write at home on my good ole western keyboard, and later take what I’ve written to an internet café where I could copy the document to an e-mail, or, in this case, my blog. And that’s basically why it’s taken me so long to update.
That, and because I’ve been sick with the flu, jetlagged, occasionally broke, and crazy-busy.
But all that’s finished now and I have so much to tell ... but here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to publish, right here on this very blog, a serialized chronicle of the events of the last 10 days. I’m thinking one post a day, just to keep the two or three people who read this blog eagerly anticipating tomorrow’s entry!
Here goes:
Our tale begins back in wintry Fort Collins a couple Fridays ago. Friends and colleagues from the Intensive English Program had kindly invited me to their beginning-of-the-term-potluck-dinner even though my brief by satisfying tenure at the IEP had ended a couple weeks prior. But I felt it would be a good occasion to say goodbye to some people whom I might not see again for several years (or ever, as might sadly be the reality). Once I arrived at the IEP, I was stunned to discover that a so-long banner had been hung in my benefit! That’s right—a banner just to say adios to little ole me!
After I had seen the banner, potluck attendees were ushered into the room and a mysterious gift bag was thrust into my hands. That’s right—a gift just for little ole me! Inside the gift bag was heaven-sent item so wondrous it defies description! Actually, I can describe it: it was a state-of-the-art digital camera, complete with big LCD screen, movie-capture capability, and big memory card. I was shocked because a state-of-the-art digital camera was something I’d been wanting for years now, and the item had unexpectedly made its way into my possession. Wonderful!
Looking back on the evening, I feel a tinge of foolishness because, in my shock, I was unable to convey effectively how meaningful the gift was to the throng of well-wishers and camera-chipper-inners who watched me open the bag. But if anyone reading this entry chipped in for the camera, please accept my humble and sincere sentiments of gratitude. It was a wonderful and thoughtful gift, and I really do feel unworthy. But I’ll still take it, haha!
The rest of the potluck was a delightful affair. I said goodbye to numerous teachers and students before we went to The Vault, my preferred tavern in Old Town Fort Collins. Once at the vault, good friends and colleagues proceeded to intoxicate me. In my inebrium, I was surprised to see John Calderazzo, my non-fiction writing instructor and friend, also show up to send me off—a kind and welcome gesture. All in all, the evening was something I’ll remember fondly, even the difficult moments bidding farewell to people who had functioned as family for me since the beginning of summer 2005.
In particular, I want to give a massive shout-out to my homie, Jordan, yo. She’s been a great friend and goof-off buddy since I arrived in graduate school, and if she weren’t at the IEP, I doubt I’d have had a tenth as much fun. I'm not too worried about saying goodbye to her because I'm certain we’ll hang out again in the not-too-distant future.
Also, I’ll never forget dear Karen, who I fear exceeds me in wit, cynicism, and intelligience. (And I consider those three things my strong suits! At least I'm more ruggedly handsome than she is, and likely better at video games.) I’ll always remember saying goodbye to her for a long time, all the while mentally begging the great unknown to magically turn the goodbye to a see-you-soon. My fingers ache from continuously remaining in the crossed position.
Upon waking up the next morning, I rushed around the basement I’d been living in, cramming everything that hadn’t been shipped into my luggage. It took some serious pressure and zipper massage (that sounds indecent, huh?), but everything ended up fitting snugly in my suitcases. After having lunch with and saying goodbye to the Birdsall family—who had been exceedingly kind to me for a number of years, agreeing even, in one more act of generosity, to sell my car for me—I traveled to Denver with my friend, Makiko. Once there, I checked in at a motel close to the airport, and, after Zach and Errol showed up, my close circle and I went to Casa Bonita in Denver.
This was a very fun evening (we even made the rounds in Black Bart’s Cave), but my impending departure set my nerves on edge. Errol, Zach, and Makiko have been my friends and handlers for years (Errol since kindergarten), and while saying goodbye to them was difficult, it wasn’t too hard because I know for a fact that I’ll see each plenty in the near future. Even Zach, who’s worried about that. Don’t worry, dear peckerhead!
After all that, I took two kinds of sleeping pills and, by 10:30, was fast asleep.
And that was my extravagant sendoff from the comfortable den of Fort Collins! Hopefully I didn’t break the “no-sentimentality” rule too egregiously in this posting, but it’s nigh-impossible to detail difficult goodbyes without expressing some mushy sentiment. But worry not: those feelings of closeness have since been replaced by sensations of alienation and isolation, and that usually gets my cynicism drive chugging overtime. The scales of this blog will balance soon. Expect snarkiness, and soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment