I say this with the utmost respect to those who don't fall within either one of these two categories: but these people are just better.
I went to a Goose Island beer tasting last night - my friend Steve invited me, with the comment, "I think all the guys may be jealous of Tom being able to bring his girlfriend along to one of these things." True to his words, his group alone turned out to be myself and about ten guys (one of whom reminded me so much of Lyman that I began to really miss him). So after about the 12th beer, the subject of vintage video games came up (and why not??), and Les (the Lyman clone) told me that they were coming out with brand new versions of Atari. All of the sudden 5th through 8th grade flashed before me and I was back in Beth's parent's basement playing... what? and watching Star Trek: Generations. Ooh, and making up stories and listening to Disney soundtracks and sneaking on the computer to play Leisure Suit Larry - I miss Beth.
I digress, however, and there was the picture again of the Atari game I played, and I asked, "What was that game where you're hacking through the forest, swinging on vines over water?" (It's possible I was much less articulate than this at this point, but I got my point across.) A chorus of voices shouted back, "PITFALL!" And I laughed, and shouted back, "Thank you, group of guys!"
***
Turns out, that if you leave a chapter in your life, as long as you made a decent effort, people still seem to stick around. I've started emailing people to see when I can get into Colorado... within 4 hours of the email going out, I started getting responses - offers to stay at houses, offers to drive me around, offers to drive others around because I'm there. This made me feel great. It also validates the fact that I have the best friends in the world.
I'm about to embark on the great rest of the summer - I leave Tuesday for LA for almost three weeks, I come back, take some killer auditions (that is, if you consider South Bend and Kalamazoo "killer", but I sure do!), go to Colorado for a few days (hopefully), go to Knoxville to see my parents' updated house (bookending my summer with Knoxville... interesting.), and then school starts once again.
My Lakewood Chapter is sticking around. My Greeley chapter has spread around the country, but is still in touch. And my Evanston chapter will be reconvening in September - I am just so lucky.
***
The living in sin is going quite well. I kind of feel like Tom and I are on the Dick Van Dyke show, sleeping in separate twin beds (the apartment doesn't allow for much else), but getting home and knowing my roommate is the guy I'm crazy about - it's a feeling I never thought I'd have.
I have a habit of going back every time I update to see where I was emotionally a few years ago. It's amazing how much can change in all aspects of my life in just one orbit around the sun. I feel like the recognition of this process must be what we call life.
If that's so, life is... indescribable.