I had a pretty good Beltane. Busy, sure. But good.
Honors convocation went pretty well-- as it turns out, I won the Phillip and Azalea Myers Award for Creativity in English, which is bestowed upon the senior who has distinguished him or herself in the area of creative writing (poetry and fiction). Considering the English department only gives out two awards at convocation, I was pretty excited by it. Also, the college cut me a $200 check, which should cover most of my health center charges for the year. And my name goes on a shiny plaque. So. That's cool.
I'm still kind of miffed at the whole Phi Beta Kappa mixup, but I was heartened that my mother coughed really loudly where my name should have been called. Chava really cleaned up, though. That girl is phenomenal. I have to say, though, I felt insulted on behalf of Lisa Moore, who was overlooked for the music department honor. This is not to say that the guy who got the award isn't an excellent musician, but Lisa has done a lot in the department. For godsakes, she went to Ghana, brought back music to record so it wouldn't be lost forever, and her work is being published next year. She deserved a mention.
My parents showed up, as well as my father, which came as a huge surprise to me. I mean, on one hand, yay. My father is trying to be supportive. Good for him. On the other, he tries to take credit for all sorts of things that he had no hand in, and more or less ends up pissing off Adrian every time. The thing is, it's true that Adrian (my stepfather) and I have only recently begun to form any kind of emotional bond. Growing up, things were pretty rough between the two of us, and that's perhaps putting it mildly. But when I was sick, it was Adrian who got me to the hospital, who took care of the bills. It's Adrian who helps with the loans-- my father has not contributed a penny to my college education. It's Adrian who went to the ballgames, but my father showed up for three total the entire six years I played. When my father shows up playing the beaming parent card, it makes me very uncomfortable. I don't mind him being happy for me just as long as he knows that my success is not his doing. It's not even partially his doing. All of the male parental influence in my life comes from Adrian. We have the same stubborness, the same way of dealing with tension, the same complete intolerance for bullshit or intimidation. Sure, we're only now getting to the gushier emotions, but it's more than I'll ever have with my father. I can't trust my father to follow through on anything.
It's a shame-- my mother would have no problem inviting my grandfather or Aunt Linda to my graduation party. She can't though, because she can't invite my father. The minute he starts with his usual bull, one of my uncles would certainly take him out. Just like that-- *poof* -- no more Rick.
But back to good things. Ahem.
I ended up going to a birthday party for Skyler's aunt, but the real highlight for me was the scenery on the way there. Gorgeous green fields and clearings honeyed with the gold of the sun. Cerulean blue skies overhead, and the sunroof open. Air and brightly colored tulips. Perfect for Beltane.
We saw Kung Fu Hustle as well, and I was amused greatly by it. It spoofed so many American flims, all while making me feel like I was watching live-action Looney Tunes. I heartily recommend it if you like action flicks and have an oddball sense of humor.
And then there were stars. I'd never seen so many stars so clearly, not with the interference of the city's carnival lights. Skyler insists that it gets better, that you can see the opalescent cloud of the Milky way if you go far enough out. One star shot across the sky, and I made a wish.
Honors convocation went pretty well-- as it turns out, I won the Phillip and Azalea Myers Award for Creativity in English, which is bestowed upon the senior who has distinguished him or herself in the area of creative writing (poetry and fiction). Considering the English department only gives out two awards at convocation, I was pretty excited by it. Also, the college cut me a $200 check, which should cover most of my health center charges for the year. And my name goes on a shiny plaque. So. That's cool.
I'm still kind of miffed at the whole Phi Beta Kappa mixup, but I was heartened that my mother coughed really loudly where my name should have been called. Chava really cleaned up, though. That girl is phenomenal. I have to say, though, I felt insulted on behalf of Lisa Moore, who was overlooked for the music department honor. This is not to say that the guy who got the award isn't an excellent musician, but Lisa has done a lot in the department. For godsakes, she went to Ghana, brought back music to record so it wouldn't be lost forever, and her work is being published next year. She deserved a mention.
My parents showed up, as well as my father, which came as a huge surprise to me. I mean, on one hand, yay. My father is trying to be supportive. Good for him. On the other, he tries to take credit for all sorts of things that he had no hand in, and more or less ends up pissing off Adrian every time. The thing is, it's true that Adrian (my stepfather) and I have only recently begun to form any kind of emotional bond. Growing up, things were pretty rough between the two of us, and that's perhaps putting it mildly. But when I was sick, it was Adrian who got me to the hospital, who took care of the bills. It's Adrian who helps with the loans-- my father has not contributed a penny to my college education. It's Adrian who went to the ballgames, but my father showed up for three total the entire six years I played. When my father shows up playing the beaming parent card, it makes me very uncomfortable. I don't mind him being happy for me just as long as he knows that my success is not his doing. It's not even partially his doing. All of the male parental influence in my life comes from Adrian. We have the same stubborness, the same way of dealing with tension, the same complete intolerance for bullshit or intimidation. Sure, we're only now getting to the gushier emotions, but it's more than I'll ever have with my father. I can't trust my father to follow through on anything.
It's a shame-- my mother would have no problem inviting my grandfather or Aunt Linda to my graduation party. She can't though, because she can't invite my father. The minute he starts with his usual bull, one of my uncles would certainly take him out. Just like that-- *poof* -- no more Rick.
But back to good things. Ahem.
I ended up going to a birthday party for Skyler's aunt, but the real highlight for me was the scenery on the way there. Gorgeous green fields and clearings honeyed with the gold of the sun. Cerulean blue skies overhead, and the sunroof open. Air and brightly colored tulips. Perfect for Beltane.
We saw Kung Fu Hustle as well, and I was amused greatly by it. It spoofed so many American flims, all while making me feel like I was watching live-action Looney Tunes. I heartily recommend it if you like action flicks and have an oddball sense of humor.
And then there were stars. I'd never seen so many stars so clearly, not with the interference of the city's carnival lights. Skyler insists that it gets better, that you can see the opalescent cloud of the Milky way if you go far enough out. One star shot across the sky, and I made a wish.
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