![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Memories of fall
Sep. 19th, 2006 05:04 pmI seem to recall a lot of vivid memories associated with fall. This is most likely related to the fact that this season has just rolled in, and has taken front and center in my consciousness, but I'm wondering if there are other reasons my brain ascribes significance to these mostly short, random, seemingly innocuous moments. I'll list them below, and let you be the judge.
4th grade (or was it fifth?) My Halloween costume was a gold plastic She-Ra mask, along with a matching belt and cuffs, that I wore with everyday clothes. I loved dressing up as my cartoon idol, but wasn't thrilled that my sword was pink, plastic, and looked nothing like the one she used in on TV. Nevertheless, I put it on, and since Halloween was on a Saturday that year, I was able to troop up and down the block with my sister asking for candy at 10 or 11 in the morning, after which my mom and my aunt took us on an incredibly long road trip to a place in Indiana called Amish Acres. We stayed overnight at a Holiday Inn, and swam in their indoor heated pool.
Freshman year of high school – The school year had just started, and I was visiting my friend Sara, who lived only a few blocks away. She had some other friends over as well: our longtime friend Nancy, and two boys from her school, one named Joe, and another who I can't quite recall. In any case, that guy had a car, and a license, and suggested we go check out this Italian festival that was happening nearby. It was the first time I ventured out with friends without a parental chauffeur, and I hoped I looked cool in my flannel shirt worn over a black bodysuit and stretch jeans. We hit the festival, roamed around and bought Italian Ice, then went cruising around the neighborhood. At some point we ended up in Riverside, where winding roads and minimal streetlights are the norm, and the guy driving took to top speeds with Joe's encouragement. We were flying through the dark with the windows down and a bitter breeze biting our cheeks, when Joe got the bright idea to crawl out the passenger window and arrange himself on the roof. I want to say he made his way down to the hood, and us girls squealed and laughed, partially amused, partially terrified that he was clinging to the vehicle, moments from being flung into a tree. He only rode like that for a few minutes, then got back in so we could go over to Haunted Trails. We may or may not have stopped there, but I know we went through the McDonald's drive through, and Joe did something to get us pulled over. We were let off because whatever he was doing was harmless, and probably not directly witnessed by the squad car, and Nancy gripped my arm the whole time we were talking to the officer, because she wasn't supposed to be out in a car without adults. After that we were spooked enough to know it was time to return to Sara's house, where we related the night's events to her mom, who laughed and shook her head at our silliness.
Junior year of high school – My mom, sister, her boyfriend at the time, and his kid went on an excursion to Bengston's Pumpkin farm. We didn't buy any pumpkins, but we went on a hayride and walked through the haunted house, which wasn't really that impressive because all it had were mechanical creatures popping out of the dark periodically.
Freshman year of college – My floor at the dorm where I was staying (during my brief stint at Marquette University) had a group outing to go on a hayride (seems to be a recurring theme here) and we froze our asses off as we rode through the middle of some dark field before arriving at a bonfire where we toasted marshmallows for fresh s'mores. The excursion ended about nine or so, after which I went out with Mandy and Valerie, two girls I was sort of friendly with, seeking a good party. The first one was in an apartment, and everyone but us were in Halloween costumes, the second was in the basement of the Evans Scholars Building, and we spent the night dancing and drinking Colt 45. I sipped mine, since I've never really been comfortable getting drunk in public, but my friends were staggering by the time we left, and insisted it was the best night we'd had since the semester started.
I wanted to write more, but it's about time to wrap up for the day, so if I can motivate myself maybe I'll add more later.
4th grade (or was it fifth?) My Halloween costume was a gold plastic She-Ra mask, along with a matching belt and cuffs, that I wore with everyday clothes. I loved dressing up as my cartoon idol, but wasn't thrilled that my sword was pink, plastic, and looked nothing like the one she used in on TV. Nevertheless, I put it on, and since Halloween was on a Saturday that year, I was able to troop up and down the block with my sister asking for candy at 10 or 11 in the morning, after which my mom and my aunt took us on an incredibly long road trip to a place in Indiana called Amish Acres. We stayed overnight at a Holiday Inn, and swam in their indoor heated pool.
Freshman year of high school – The school year had just started, and I was visiting my friend Sara, who lived only a few blocks away. She had some other friends over as well: our longtime friend Nancy, and two boys from her school, one named Joe, and another who I can't quite recall. In any case, that guy had a car, and a license, and suggested we go check out this Italian festival that was happening nearby. It was the first time I ventured out with friends without a parental chauffeur, and I hoped I looked cool in my flannel shirt worn over a black bodysuit and stretch jeans. We hit the festival, roamed around and bought Italian Ice, then went cruising around the neighborhood. At some point we ended up in Riverside, where winding roads and minimal streetlights are the norm, and the guy driving took to top speeds with Joe's encouragement. We were flying through the dark with the windows down and a bitter breeze biting our cheeks, when Joe got the bright idea to crawl out the passenger window and arrange himself on the roof. I want to say he made his way down to the hood, and us girls squealed and laughed, partially amused, partially terrified that he was clinging to the vehicle, moments from being flung into a tree. He only rode like that for a few minutes, then got back in so we could go over to Haunted Trails. We may or may not have stopped there, but I know we went through the McDonald's drive through, and Joe did something to get us pulled over. We were let off because whatever he was doing was harmless, and probably not directly witnessed by the squad car, and Nancy gripped my arm the whole time we were talking to the officer, because she wasn't supposed to be out in a car without adults. After that we were spooked enough to know it was time to return to Sara's house, where we related the night's events to her mom, who laughed and shook her head at our silliness.
Junior year of high school – My mom, sister, her boyfriend at the time, and his kid went on an excursion to Bengston's Pumpkin farm. We didn't buy any pumpkins, but we went on a hayride and walked through the haunted house, which wasn't really that impressive because all it had were mechanical creatures popping out of the dark periodically.
Freshman year of college – My floor at the dorm where I was staying (during my brief stint at Marquette University) had a group outing to go on a hayride (seems to be a recurring theme here) and we froze our asses off as we rode through the middle of some dark field before arriving at a bonfire where we toasted marshmallows for fresh s'mores. The excursion ended about nine or so, after which I went out with Mandy and Valerie, two girls I was sort of friendly with, seeking a good party. The first one was in an apartment, and everyone but us were in Halloween costumes, the second was in the basement of the Evans Scholars Building, and we spent the night dancing and drinking Colt 45. I sipped mine, since I've never really been comfortable getting drunk in public, but my friends were staggering by the time we left, and insisted it was the best night we'd had since the semester started.
I wanted to write more, but it's about time to wrap up for the day, so if I can motivate myself maybe I'll add more later.
