Day Two: Aisles not Isles

Day Two of our Non-Mexico trip finds me in the aisles, not on the Isles. Grocery shopping this morning left me pining for some real chips and authentic salsa. Alas, all I found was an aisle full of American-made-fake Mexican Food. I'm thinking we'll be going out for a Mexican dinner to celebrate Day Two of our Non-Mexico vacation....

You know, today's been a weird-feeling day. While walking, I couldn't put my finger on it, but I knew I was feeling something other than the slight panic I was beginning to feel because I was rather lost on my walk (new neighborhood, curly streets, no idea--obviously, I made it home or I wouldn't be writing this). The wife, being the professor-type that she is, is at the school's graduation ceremonies. Complete in cap, gown and hood, she leads her peers down the aisles (not the grocery store kind or the Isle kind), to their seats (she's a Marshall). Then, it comes to me: twenty five years ago--that's TWO-FRIGGIN'-FIVE--years ago, I graduated from that very school.

Today is my 25th college graduation anniversary. This hurts my head. How can this be? How can it have been twenty five years ago that I crossed that very stage?

I have such great memories of college, culminated (of course) by the actual graduation day. I know what I was wearing, I know what the weather was like, I know who was there. It was a beautiful day, just like it is today: sunny, warm but not too warm, full of spring in the air. It was a bittersweet day, being that I loved college yet was glad to be moving on. (Not that I knew what I was moving on "to." And, little did I know I'd be spending the week after graduation homeless, but that's a whole 'nother story--hiding out in the closed dorms with friends was really kind of fun. An adventure never to be forgotten!)

Realizing that my college graduation was 25 years ago makes me kind of nauseous. Seriously. It seems like it was only yesterday that I was making six foot sculptures in the ceramics room, listening to The Pretenders "Learning to Crawl" cassette over and over. On the other hand, it seems like three life-times ago, just a blur of a stupor. I wonder what the wife is thinking as she's sitting there, watching the Class of 2009 graduation unfold before her. I'd self-centeredly like to think that she's remembering my graduation but I'm pretty sure she's too nervous about leading her peers around that she's basically trying to breathe, not having fond memories.

To ease my nausea, I think I'll take the dogs and go get some ice cream. That always works wonders. Then, I'll save some space for some authentic Mexican food--well, as authentic as you can get in the Midwest....

¿Dónde está el helado, por favor?

I'm feeling better already. Ole!

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P.S. shout out to Dubai. That's gotta be some kind of record for "furthest-away-blog reader!
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