Yesterday I road tripped to Northampton with Juliette and Elizabeth, also known as the sensational electronic-kazoo-pop duo Conservative Preservatives. This adventure happened to fall on St. Patrick's day and also coincided with Fish Fry Eve:
As the only license-holding member of the bunch, the drive was long and arduous but my spirits were lifted by the mix cd series "You Can't Just Leave Cream Cheese in a Room This Hot" Parts I, II and III (complements of Juliette) and the Dr. Dog album Shame, Shame (complements of Dr. Dog).
Once we arrived and parked in the historic Northampton parking area, I was reminded that this was home to one of my favorite elderly-people-choruses. I was excited at the possibility of encountering the members but, given their high turnover rate and my inability to tell old people apart, its hard to say for sure if this hope was or wasn't realized:
First we sat down for our annual St. Patrick's day dunchfest at a restaurant called Sylvester's where, per tradition, we all ordered Smithie's Favorite. Though we never really knew Smithie himself, we sure do appreciate his opinions regarding the causal roots of cholera (peppers, alcohol and tea) and his unique take on the grilled cheese sangwich:
Afterward we wandered around town, looking for ponchos and pet fish. Though unsuccessful on both accounts, it was a crazy ride. We also tried to find the Smith College Botanic Garden to no avail. We did, however, find this cream cheese:
We found a bus stop that also served as a portal to an alternate dimension. This is the moment when Juliette and Elizabeth crossed over:
As you can tell from these kids' facial expressions, things weren't so great on the other side:
Back in this version of the universe, we got coffee at a coffee place that was named after the seating apparatus pictured below. The yellow couch was really quite nice but we weren't allowed to sit on it:
Fortified with caffeine, we felt ready to undertake the trek home. Except for one instance in which the cops eyed me suspiciously for taking shots of diet coke while operating a vehicle on the Mass Pike, it was smooth sailing.
That night I went into Boston and hung out with my friends Izzy and Jasmine. We enjoyed a cordial celebration of St. Patrick with some members of the B.U. Greek system. Though their denials of hazing practices seemed suspiciously vehement, they (actually) held the virtue of cleanliness in great esteem (a unique and impressive fraternary quality).
It was really nice to be home from my domestic studies for a while. I got to see familiar people, visit familiar places, and partake in familiar traditions. It was also strange though---I realized that the foreign culture of St. Paul feels more & more familiar while the familiar culture of my home is starting to feel more foreign! But I suppose that may be what I was hoping for all along when I decided to study domestic...
alora, that sounds like so much fun! i especially like how you mentioned that the young at heart chorus has high turnover, hahahaha. i probably shouldn't be laughing though. glad you're having a good break :)
ReplyDeletealso, i feel the same way when i go back to new york -- each time it feels a little weirder to be there and a little better to get back here.