Well, I know that about graduation time, blogs across the United States are chock full of entries like this upcoming one, but like so many other teenagers, I mustn’t be afraid of letting go.
This past Friday, I went to the graduation party of Elfi (actually, Sara), a very close friend, probably the one whom I’m known for the longest time (ever since I moved to Huntingburg, IN in the 8th grade). The event was held at Lincoln Park, a state park in Southern Indiana, and the activities of the day were fairly routine, a little volleyball (after some trouble setting up the net), some cards, some food, lots of talking around a fire, and some ‘coons. However, despite the fact that I had literally tons of fun (well, not literally), there’s always that recognition that everyone moves on, especially since several of my friends at that party, including Elfi and Baker (I think I will start calling you that now Chris, lol) are soon to be off and away, to colleges of their own. Sometimes I sort of wonder how often we’ll meet again, and how much more different we’ll be when that occurs, seeing as all of us are already moving in different directions.
Anyways, something brighter, I was literally (really literally this time) less than an inch away from a racoon several times this past Friday night. Zach, Elfi’s current boyfriend, is not allowed to sleep in the same building as she, so Beier (hmmm, just last names is an interesting way keep track of friends, especially when one has two by the name of Jared or Jarrod) and I kept him company outside by the fire. However, several ‘coons decided to come poking around the site, and at times they poked my socks and hood. We also had a bit of excitement when a ‘coon decided to take Zach’s shoe; it was a short but fun chase. All in all, a very good time.
Comic tragedies have to effectively transition from loud and outrageous to the theme of despair and dying constantly. Unfortunately, I’m not that good at transitions, so I’ll just talk about the Thompson family’s visit normally. Jared likewise is graduating, and is attending UE this coming fall; I might see him again before he heads off to pursue his Entrepreneurship degree, but it’s just the idea that we are parting as who we are now for the last time. Of course, that’s always true, since we’re never the same person from a day to the next, but the change is incredibly exacerbated whenever we move from one stage of our lives to another, such as going from high school to college.
Still, we did have a couple good games of billiards, and I managed to beat Jared and his father at a game of cutthroat. Also, playing with audio editing reminds me of the time I went to help Jared fix his computer (quite a day, that was). We had dumplings for supper, and on Jared’s suggestion, his sister Missy, Jared, my sister Ching, and I went skating at the Jasper Skate Palace (one of Jared’s sites of employment). And marvelously, after a couple dozen crashes, I am now a proud possessor of the backwards-skating skillset (awkward wording intended), though I lag far behind Jared, who is seriously looking at jam-skating. Yet another end.
If you read the title, you might be wondering where the beginning comes into play. Well, this past Sunday, my entire family went to visit my brother Ming’s girlfriend (no, fiance) Chelsea’s family the Pattersons. They have a really nice family. Chelsea has one living younger sister, who has one 2 1/2 year old daughter (out-of-wedlock), an incredibly cute little kid who loves books (she practically crawled all over my Peterson’s field guide to insects; pun intended). The midday meal was prepared by Ming and Chelsea, and it turned out surprisingly well, and Chelsea’s parents are very kind and good-natured, although a bit politically too conservative for my personal taste, although it fits well since my parents and older brother are all that way. Their wedding is probably going to be on the 14th of October, a day after my birthday, which is going to be the first wedding I’ll ever have attended. So hence it begins.
A pensieve boy
