Lauren's plans of a Labor Day barbeque came to fruition. I can say that I stayed out of the way for the majority of the preparations, but I did watch the chicken on the grill when Lauren had to run an errand. She asked everyone to be here by 2:00, but no one arrived until 3:00. The first guests were Lauren's parents, then her aunt and her grandmother showed up. These are some of the most vibrant and friendly people that I have ever met. Lauren's mom, Pat, was borrowing purses from her closet, her dad took his shoes off and made all kinds of clever comments about the tennis match on television. Aunt Joann is Pat's sister, and the grandma's name is Vera (coincidence, I think not). They talked about their relatives, old times and the old school concert they were attending later on tonight. They asked me all kinds of questions about home and my family, and I don't think that it was my rum and coke that made me feel so comfortable.
Later on Rob, Jerry and Kay came over. Rob is Lauren's friend from college, which she thought I would get along with. Jerry and Kay play tennis with Lauren. I didn't get to speak to Kay and Jerry very much because I was locked into conversation with Rob. To put it simply, Rob is a nerd, which in this case means, a man lacking swag. I thought that I was a nerd but he takes it to another level. Not to say that he wasn't entertaining, but let me say that the conversation ranged from how Hitler could have won World War 2, how he spends his time reading textbooks (he graduated last year), how he will go all day without eating because he refuses to eat out. He doesn't have a job, he wants to join the Peace Corp, and he lives at home with his parents. Grandma Vera asked him when he was going to get married and have babies. When he said he wanted to get a job first, she said that would be best. Once he got wound up, it was hard to get him to stop talking, another opportunity for Conversation Exits 101. However, I am trying to explore the city more and he is from here, so he may be quite useful. He has interests in history and nature, so he might be a good companion on city strolls.
I was having some serious doubts about my compatibility with Lauren over the past couple of days, but today was very nice. I felt that she was super sincere and generous with all of her friends and family, I believe that she is a decent person. There are certain aspects of her personality that don't make sense to me but they are tolerable. By the way, autumn is coming proceed with caution...
Monday 5 September 2011
Day 48 - Lords of the Strings
Last night I set my alarm clock to wake me up for church. After a quick breakfast of strawberries and bananas, I got ready and walked to the United Church of Hyde Park, a Presbyterian denomination. It was a glorious morning, and I probably could have spent it just communing in nature, but I made it to church with 15 minutes to spare. The church is very large and traditional. The aisle took on a downward slope and the pews were set up in the stadium style. Probably because of the holiday weekend, the congregation was small, especially compared to how many people the church could hold. Once again there was no choir, they just sang hymns. Several people read from the Bible and the Reverend gave a sermon about being ready for change like the Hebrews were ready to leave Egypt after Passover. Other readings from the Bible emphasized loving your neighbor, I appreciated the messages. The highlight was two special musical selections from a local band composed of elderly string instrumentalists. The four musicians played the cello, the viola, and there were two violinists. I am not a huge fan of instrumental music, but I was enchanted by these musicians. The music was beautiful and the concentration that it takes to hold the instrument and move the bow at the right angle, all in front of a group of strangers, impressed me to no end.
After church, I stopped at Dunkin Donuts for one glazed donut. I decided to cut through the park on my way home and give my brother a call. We spent a little over an hour discussing our lives and giving each other unfiltered feedback. I told him that we disagree on alot of things but I will never deny that he is a fantastic conversationalist. He doesn't think about what he is going to say while you are talking, he listens and then responds with his point of view, it sounds simple but many people have not mastered this skill. When I left the park, I went home to have lunch and then go to the library with Rachna. Rachna had so much drama losing her ID and not having her laptop. I asked her to just sign me into the library and wished her luck with sorting it all out. Three hours later, she came back when I was on my way out. I like the University of Chicago library, it was full of students on Labor Day weekend! I sat in a quiet study room and completed about 85% of my first article.
After church, I stopped at Dunkin Donuts for one glazed donut. I decided to cut through the park on my way home and give my brother a call. We spent a little over an hour discussing our lives and giving each other unfiltered feedback. I told him that we disagree on alot of things but I will never deny that he is a fantastic conversationalist. He doesn't think about what he is going to say while you are talking, he listens and then responds with his point of view, it sounds simple but many people have not mastered this skill. When I left the park, I went home to have lunch and then go to the library with Rachna. Rachna had so much drama losing her ID and not having her laptop. I asked her to just sign me into the library and wished her luck with sorting it all out. Three hours later, she came back when I was on my way out. I like the University of Chicago library, it was full of students on Labor Day weekend! I sat in a quiet study room and completed about 85% of my first article.