A weekend of goodbyes
Posted Sunday, August 27, 2006 @ 12:22 AM
Tonight I went over to Carolyn's to see her one last time before she leaves early tomorrow for D.C., where she'll be attending George Washington University. Thursday night she'd spent the night with me at the dorms, which was the first time I'd seen her since my sister's wedding in the middle of July.
Mostly we sat on her floor and played a beautiful game of Scrabble. We are perfect Scrabble companions—similar enough in skill to make the outcome of each game exciting. Shortly after finishing the game, Missy arrived, and together we all ate popsicles, made jokes about Carolyn's ugly dogs, and sat on her bed looking through all our crazy Polaroids from high school.
Finally, as midnight came and went, I made myself leave. She walked Missy and I down to the garage and we all hugged goodbye in the dark. I felt like maybe if I didn't leave, things wouldn't be entirely real or fully changed, like we could stay in the dark basement hugging goodbye forever.
There have been so many moments like that this summer, when I felt I could live through the same thirty seconds over and over again to keep the weight of a big moment from growing heavier as soon as it passes. Graduation, walking down the aisle after my sister's marriage, tonight in the garage.
I drove home crying, listening to Sufjan's "The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!" on repeat. I have to say goodbye to Missy tomorrow, and I'm not sure how I'm going to make it. I know it's just until Christmas, but it feels like so much longer, I guess because home already feels so different and I can feel other things changing too. They are the last people to whom I will have to say goodbye.
Sigh. Carolyn, Missy, I miss you already.

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aw, glynnis! now i have to play scrabble with my parents. LAME.
27 Aug 2006, 7:58 PM.
Hey, check out this neato little video snippet I made of a song--it's called "Beyond The Horizon" by Bob Dylan from his new LP, "Modern Times", which is just this minute being released. When I first heard the song, I immediately thought of dancing dinner rolls...you know, those dancing dinner rolls from "Gold Rush". Then I thought, hey, why not include the last scene from Chaplin's lovely film, "Modern Times"? Just thought I'd combine two of my sweethearts here...:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUR7Fl-lcAE
28 Aug 2006, 11:05 PM.