Snakes. I have always been strangely fascinated by these creatures. When I was little, I loved going to Roger Williams Park and peeking at the anaconda they had there. It was kept in the Reptile house in the entryway. It was always dark in that hallway, so it was especially creepy. I also would get scared in a "happy" way when snakes would show up in movies. I remember seeing "Romancing the Stone" in the theater and there is a scene where Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas are sitting in front of a fire in the Amazon jungle. All of a sudden a long snake sneaks up behind her hanging from a tree. She screamed, he killed it, and voila! Their dinner is served.
I think the thing that was interesting to me was that I never saw one in the"wild", never saw one up close, unless it was at the Science Museum or someone brought one to a school function. Then, I'd get shy and touch it quickly.
The first time I ever saw a snake "up close" was when we were living in Florida. Zachary was very little- 2 or 3. We owned our little yellow house then (sigh), with its big tree, big yard, and newly planted orange trees. There was a wood pile in front of the utility shed. Zachary had a pool set up there and a play area. I'd always play with him out there after breakfast til close to lunch time. One day we were sitting and he pointed to something over my shoulder, "Snake!" he said in his little boy voice. At first I dismissed him, because nothing like that would be in my yard, right? After multiple "Snakes", I turned and sure enough a long yellow and blake snake was sunbathing on the wood pile, just looking at me. I was so shocked I didn't know what to do. So, I grabbed Zachary, and we ran into the house. I called John, who was driving a taxi then and would often stop home for lunch. I called and said "There's a snake, and you need to come home NOW!" Of course, it turned out that this snake was not poisonous at all, just a garter snake type thing, but it freaked me out. My hero came home, but the snake was long gone.
A few months after that, soon after Alex was born, I had just put him down for a nap when I happened to look out the front window towards the driveway. Two snakes this time- doing that certain activity that all creatures like to engage in- right there in open. I sighed, closed up the windows, and ran off to the phone. This time, my hero did not come home, but the snakes disappeared again. A couple of months later, we headed north to RI (NOT because of snakes, lol), and didn't see any for a long time. I thought I was cool though, because I had stories to tell.
Since then, I've seen many more snakes. Some were in Connecticut- on hiking trails, in the water at a local pond I thought I might have seen a baby water moccasin, etc... Now here in Minnesota I've seen plenty this summer. About a month ago, we went to Kathio State Park to go fishing. It was really crowded, so some of the kids there were playing in the reeds and found some snakes, more non-poisonous ones, but really long, 4-5ft. They would grab it by it's tail, then let it go and watch it get annoyed. One little girl got too close, and the next thing you know she got bit. It was really her own fault, but it was scary nonetheless. She was crying and that family left.
Then a couple of weeks ago we went camping. During the week we did several geo-caching hunts. When you find a cache, there is usually a booklet to sign, letting the owner know that you have been by. On one particular hunt, we went into this big field with tall grasses. After awhile, we found the cache under a big log. Alex found it- he's always so fast and ahead of us on these things. Anyway, when we signed the book, a lady had written from the day before to please be careful, because her little girl had just gotten bit by a long snake. Yikes! We booked it out of therre, but didn't see anything ourselves.
And so, my fascination continues, from a distance hopefully. I've yet to see "Snakes on a Plane" and doubt I will anytime soon...
Monday, August 3, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
College...
Last night, I got caught up in one of those Hallmark channel movies. It was called, "Mrs. Washington Goes to Smith", the opposite title of that old Jimmy Stewart movie. It was about this woman who was recently divorced, had quit college to get married and raise a family. She helped her husband through Dental School, only to have him leave her for a younger woman. Her kids were both in college themselves, and she was all alone. So, she decided to finish up her degree at Smith College and planned to live in the dorms there, even though she was in her mid-50's. She was planning on a single room, but by some mistake she ended up with a 20-year-old roommate, and from there, hijinks ensued. It was one of those movies that could easily be forgettable, no crazy plot twists, all the characters were pretty likeable, but I found myself really enjoying it, thinking "Hey, I want to do that, that looks like fun!"
You see, when I graduated high school I didn't go right to a dorm and "away". I was supposed to. I'd been accepted to the University of New Hampshire in Durham, and went to the orientation weekend earlier in the summer, etc... I actually drove myself in my little VW Rabbit. that I adored. After that something happened to me. I can't explain it, just some kind of emotional breakdown. I became increasingly panicked about the idea of moving away. I started hanging out with my mom more, doing things with my little brother. My mom thought I should talk to a therapist, but that didn't help at all, especially when the therapist suggested that I bring my mom in for some joint sessions. No way! I said, I can handle this myself. Eventually my classmates started to go off to school, and I stayed home. I ended up at the University of Rhode Island instead. I did want to live in a dorm , but they were all full at that time. So, I drove every day, early in the morning, to get to my 8am Astronomy class and would stay there all day. I joined the Debate team so I'd have something extra to do, but it's pretty hard to make friends on campus when you are 45 minutes out of the loop. I actually didn't mind though, it was like a self-imposed exile that I needed. I did everything on my own, went to the movies by myself, learned alot. My mom though, was not happy. This was not the college experience that she envisioned for me. I don't know what she envisioned- "Animal House", I don't know, but this was one mom that wanted her daughter to party and have fun, remaining celibate, of course:) Realistic much?
So, by the end of that first year. I had had enough and was more than ready to go away. I decided to go to Northeastern in Boston. When I got there I fell in love with the dorm and the city. My dorm, Smith Hall, was full of transfer students, most of whom were a year or two older than me. My roommate was from New Jersey, and she was already 21. I was still 18 that September, but turned 19 shortly after. I remember the first or second night on campus, all the floor wanted to go to a bar, and they gave me a fake id. I was so nervous because I'd never gone to one before. The guy looked at it, looked at me, and gave it back. I looked NOTHING like the girl on the license, but it worked. I made some good friends there and as the fall went on, really got into school. In some ways, I think I was like a kid sister to most of the guys. Our dorm was really old, so the rooms were all different sizes and a door closed 6 rooms off to the rest of the floor, so we were our own little area, hanging out, watching movies, drinking, etc... I didn't drink that much because I knew what would happen if I did- I'd get drunk and act like a fool, which is why I don't drink much now.
If it wasn't for one person, I know I would have finished school: John, and believe me, it is NOT a regret, just a fact. I had met him the summer before at a sandwich shop in RI and we cliqued right away, became inseparable. When I left for Boston, I knew that we could end things, go casual, that that's what lots of other people would do. Not me though. I knew I wanted the distance relationship, so my time was always conflicted. I went home alot of weekends. Again, my mom got sick of me coming home, wanting me to "experience college" and not worry about home, etc... etc... Did I listen? No, I just spent the weekend at John's house, sleeping in his sister's room.
By April of that school year, I was done with my year at Northeastern and getting ready for an internship at a newspaper in Bristol, RI. Northeastern's great at helping people get internships to help further a career later. John, meanwhile, was having increasing difficulties in his own home life and wanted to leave, go to California, where he had friends from when he spent the previous year at USC. He never begged me to go with him, probably didn't even think it was the right thing for me to do, but I loved him. So, finally after one pretty big fight with his mother, he said tonight was the night, he wasn't going back, and did I want to come? I didn't hesitate. We left and nothing was ever the same. First we went to Myrtle Beach to try to get jobs there, but we had nowhere to live. A couple of weeks later we came back and I saw my mom. She was not happy, of course, but I'd been calling her while I was on the road. Finally, we decided to go to Cali and try to make it out there. We took the Greyhound Bus and arrived there 4 days later. We got jobs and made a go of it for 8 months, until we realized we wanted more for ourselves than renting a room in someone's house, asking mall patrons what they thought of the new Hanes Underwear packages that had just come out. We had fun though, going to Hollywood, Mann's Chinese Theatre, Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm. I remember going to Knott's Berry Farm on my 20th birthday because it was free for anyone whose birthday it was. Then for dinner we went to Denny's because that was free if it was your birthday as well!
So, eventually we got married and had kids and the thought of going back to college got further and further away. Lately though, it's been creeping back up, getting closer and closer. Since I'm married, I guess I won't do the dorm thing (darn!), but I definitely like the idea of campus life, finishing what I started. I think I'll be either a social worker or a teacher. It might still be awhile, because I'm still focusing on the boys, but it's getting closer...
You see, when I graduated high school I didn't go right to a dorm and "away". I was supposed to. I'd been accepted to the University of New Hampshire in Durham, and went to the orientation weekend earlier in the summer, etc... I actually drove myself in my little VW Rabbit. that I adored. After that something happened to me. I can't explain it, just some kind of emotional breakdown. I became increasingly panicked about the idea of moving away. I started hanging out with my mom more, doing things with my little brother. My mom thought I should talk to a therapist, but that didn't help at all, especially when the therapist suggested that I bring my mom in for some joint sessions. No way! I said, I can handle this myself. Eventually my classmates started to go off to school, and I stayed home. I ended up at the University of Rhode Island instead. I did want to live in a dorm , but they were all full at that time. So, I drove every day, early in the morning, to get to my 8am Astronomy class and would stay there all day. I joined the Debate team so I'd have something extra to do, but it's pretty hard to make friends on campus when you are 45 minutes out of the loop. I actually didn't mind though, it was like a self-imposed exile that I needed. I did everything on my own, went to the movies by myself, learned alot. My mom though, was not happy. This was not the college experience that she envisioned for me. I don't know what she envisioned- "Animal House", I don't know, but this was one mom that wanted her daughter to party and have fun, remaining celibate, of course:) Realistic much?
So, by the end of that first year. I had had enough and was more than ready to go away. I decided to go to Northeastern in Boston. When I got there I fell in love with the dorm and the city. My dorm, Smith Hall, was full of transfer students, most of whom were a year or two older than me. My roommate was from New Jersey, and she was already 21. I was still 18 that September, but turned 19 shortly after. I remember the first or second night on campus, all the floor wanted to go to a bar, and they gave me a fake id. I was so nervous because I'd never gone to one before. The guy looked at it, looked at me, and gave it back. I looked NOTHING like the girl on the license, but it worked. I made some good friends there and as the fall went on, really got into school. In some ways, I think I was like a kid sister to most of the guys. Our dorm was really old, so the rooms were all different sizes and a door closed 6 rooms off to the rest of the floor, so we were our own little area, hanging out, watching movies, drinking, etc... I didn't drink that much because I knew what would happen if I did- I'd get drunk and act like a fool, which is why I don't drink much now.
If it wasn't for one person, I know I would have finished school: John, and believe me, it is NOT a regret, just a fact. I had met him the summer before at a sandwich shop in RI and we cliqued right away, became inseparable. When I left for Boston, I knew that we could end things, go casual, that that's what lots of other people would do. Not me though. I knew I wanted the distance relationship, so my time was always conflicted. I went home alot of weekends. Again, my mom got sick of me coming home, wanting me to "experience college" and not worry about home, etc... etc... Did I listen? No, I just spent the weekend at John's house, sleeping in his sister's room.
By April of that school year, I was done with my year at Northeastern and getting ready for an internship at a newspaper in Bristol, RI. Northeastern's great at helping people get internships to help further a career later. John, meanwhile, was having increasing difficulties in his own home life and wanted to leave, go to California, where he had friends from when he spent the previous year at USC. He never begged me to go with him, probably didn't even think it was the right thing for me to do, but I loved him. So, finally after one pretty big fight with his mother, he said tonight was the night, he wasn't going back, and did I want to come? I didn't hesitate. We left and nothing was ever the same. First we went to Myrtle Beach to try to get jobs there, but we had nowhere to live. A couple of weeks later we came back and I saw my mom. She was not happy, of course, but I'd been calling her while I was on the road. Finally, we decided to go to Cali and try to make it out there. We took the Greyhound Bus and arrived there 4 days later. We got jobs and made a go of it for 8 months, until we realized we wanted more for ourselves than renting a room in someone's house, asking mall patrons what they thought of the new Hanes Underwear packages that had just come out. We had fun though, going to Hollywood, Mann's Chinese Theatre, Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm. I remember going to Knott's Berry Farm on my 20th birthday because it was free for anyone whose birthday it was. Then for dinner we went to Denny's because that was free if it was your birthday as well!
So, eventually we got married and had kids and the thought of going back to college got further and further away. Lately though, it's been creeping back up, getting closer and closer. Since I'm married, I guess I won't do the dorm thing (darn!), but I definitely like the idea of campus life, finishing what I started. I think I'll be either a social worker or a teacher. It might still be awhile, because I'm still focusing on the boys, but it's getting closer...
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