The Homecoming Post

So I did it. I really did it. After only being out the door for four months, I returned to my alma mater for Homecoming 2012 as a part of the alumni and let me tell you what: it was kind of weird.

I initially had no plans of making the trek back. I thought that it was too soon and I didn't want to be lame. (I base most of my life preferences and decisions on not wanting to be lame; it almost never works out that way.) I had worked at my college all summer, so I definitely wasn't missing the landscape, and I hail from the fair city of Akron, which is kind of the first big city you get to when driving away from College and you're out of the cornfields. So really, I had spent my entire summer there and the whole point of moving to Chicago was to get out of Ohio. Like, seriously, I was just there. 

Needless to say, I went. I'm not sure what exactly was the final contributing factor in my decision to go. I had made a deal with myself that if my pal from Boston was able to get there, then I would go. But I made my decision to go before he had a plane ticket so...who the hell knows. Maybe I was feeling sentimental. Maybe I felt like I needed another vacation after the Wisconsin vacation. Maybe I wanted to cuddle with my cats. The point is that I returned for a kind of strange but mostly fine friendship reunion that lasted 48 hours.

Our journey started with a solid hour of sitting in traffic, something that man friend grumbled through while shifting gears. We were on our way downtown to pick up another friend who would be joining us for the ride, a friend who does not take lightly to tardiness. Man friend was prepping his defense to me as we stopped and started and stopped and started for the entire length of Sheridan Drive. I reminded him a few times that I was not upset with him for being late, but after awhile I just gave up and nodded my head while he laid his argument out before me. Once the pick up was made, it took another hour or so to get out of the city. So finally, at around 7 pm CST, we were looking at Indiana and accepting how very long the car ride was going to be.

I think it was nearing 2 am when we pulled onto campus. Antsy Pants in the back seat wanted to get to his girlfriend (can't blame him) but Man Friend was like, "Let's make a pit stop at the home of our friend who hasn't been answering his phone!" I thought the entire scenario was kind of hilarious. We parked outside of the house and crept on to the porch and, like creeps, looked in the windows. I used to live in the house next door to that one and there is something kind of unsettling about the neighborhood. It's a little remote and not really on campus. So now, as I watch myself type this, I realize that putting my face in someone's living room window frame is kind of weird and should have been a cause for concern. Lucky for us, all we saw was the blue glow of a television screen and a lump of blankets on a couch. But were there bodies under the blankets? Of course there were! Obviously we knocked on the door and the blanket pile essentially rolled on the floor, possibly out of fear, I don't know. I heard the girl body say "Should I get it?!?!?!" and, because I knew who she was, I addressed her by name and told her to get the door. Which is, again, kind of creepy. Her face appeared in the cracked door and when she saw it was me, she emitted a squeal of delight before throwing herself into my arms. While her face was buried in my neck, she whispered in my ear about what she and the boy body had been doing before we got there. I had never felt so close to her. I tore myself away to peek my head into the room of our sleeping pal and the reason we were at that house in the first place. He looked as though he had just, well, woken up. So as not to seem too overwhelming, I traipsed around his room and touched all of his pastel pants before patting him on the head and putting him back to bed.

I spent the next day-ish in Akron! It was nice. I pet the cats and hung out with my mom and packed up my Christmas decorations to bring back with me AND I watched the newest Project Runway. I really miss cable. Roomie and I had yet another infuriating cable company experience last night. Don't make me write a letter to your supervisor, you know?

I ventured back to College on Friday evening. A kind friend who lives downtown gave me the spare key to her apartment (because she was staying in my apartment in Chicago, weird) so I didn't have to worry about sleeping on anyone's floor. I did the dinner and drinks game with a number of fellow alum friends as well as current students. That was lovely. And then I looked outside and saw that it was MONSOONING. Seriously? Normally that wouldn't have been a huge issue but man friend and I were walking. So off we went, into the seemingly infinite abyss, up hill for the next mile while our umbrellas turned inside out and every last inch of me was soaked. My buzz had worn off and I was just a sober person walking with a defunct umbrella. I hate when that happens. We eventually made it to campus where I received lots of hugs, many of them awkward, and I ran around a dorm looking for the person I was on the phone with. No dice. Eventually I made my way back to my old stomping grounds, the third floor of my senior building. Naturally, because things never change too much, the main components of my old crew were sitting on a futon. That was actually pretty exciting. Even Boston pal who pretends not to like me hugged me forever.  And then, as though nothing had ever changed, we started in on our favorite conversation: What are we doing tonight? That decision was made for us fairly soon as security arrived at the door and told us they had received a noise complaint. I'm really not trying to be accusatory here but....seriously? It's Friday night. Study in the morning. That reminds me of the final party we threw as seniors, other wise known as The Greatest Party The World Had Ever Known, and that kid on the first floor started calling security at circa 9 pm. Relax, seriously. Anyway, we left, went to another party in the rain, I drank beers that I had stashed in my purse (old habits) and at the end of the night we got a ride back downtown. It was a tame night.

Then why was I SO hungover the next morning? Because I'm old now, right, I forgot. Man friend had to be up early to be in the Homecoming parade and I think I mumbled something to him about "Yeah, no, I'll be there." Lies, Katie. You know yourself better than that. I eventually got up to meet people for lunch and even my hair looked tired. Impressive. After food, I felt more human-like and after I bathed I felt even more human-like. I made arrangements to go hang out with my advisor which I was pretty excited about. While driving to her house, I saw the unmistakable red coif of one of my good buddies bouncing down the street. He held a thirty of Keystone under each arm, flow blowing in the wind, and the biggest puppy dog smile from ear to ear. The image melted my heart, it really did. From there I had a delightful reunion with my advisor ("Your blog is cracking me up...though some entries are better than others...and I think you know that." Ah, once an advisor...) and then dinner and some more ho humming around until starting any kind of festivities. And then the festivities were kind of bizarre, a little overwhelming, but mostly a good time.

My first stop was the same crew of guys I had hung out with the night before/close to every minute of my college career. I got up to the room they were in, plopped down on the couch, set into the six pack I had brought with me and looked to the grinning face next to me.

"We ate a cookie," he said, giggling.

I looked around the room at the other faces. All of them smiled back at me, eyes glazed, shoulders relaxed. From across the room another one said,

"And it has fucked up our day." The three of them laughed hysterically.

I did my best to catch up with my beers but the boys had been running all day and I hadn't even stretched yet. Also, I don't eat cookies, so I was really really behind.  After not that long at all, they all freaked out and announced that they had to go outside immediately.

At some point in all of this, a progressive passed through the very same hall. It was a group of people I know very well and they were adorned in thematic costume, most of them seemingly hammered. I essentially acted as a greeting party, saying my hellos from the comfort of a doorway. From out of the crowd of people I heard someone shout my name. "Katie!! Katie!!" My eyes met with a boy with whom I have a funny relationship. When he was a senior in high school, he attended an admitted students program at my College and as I was a baby admissions intern at the time, I was told that I was in charge of talking to all of the quiet awkward boys. Seriously. But what a lot of people don't know is that quiet awkward boys are like putty in my hands, so when I encountered this particular kid we became pals. I like to credit myself for his choice of colleges. When he got to school he was still suuuuuuper quiet and I wondered if I had imagined our friendship. But on Saturday, there he was! Calling my name in a sea of costumed people! And he wanted to thank me for being nice to him at the admitted student event so he got me a drink from the progressive stop! It was some kind of vodka white mocha concoction and it was absolutely delicious. You know what that's called? Paying it forward.

Cut back to the deviants outside. I met up with them and escorted them to a party across campus. I felt like I was watching them swim in slow motion. Upon arriving at the house we were met by many hugs at the front door. I assume this over whelmed them. I was hugged by one of my biggest college girl crushes. I think I ran inside, found man friend, and immediately told him about it. This party was a lot more voluminous as far as population goes. I had a lot of really solid run ins. A girl ran up to me, shouted my name (first and last), and immediately told me about her senior project. I felt really terrible because I couldn't remember her name. Don't worry, it came to me eventually. Another guy came up to me and was like, "You need to write, Katie! Because that's your passion! That's your PASSION!" And I was like, yeah, totally. I saw a friend from home, the very character who got me to go to my college in the first place. (See, pay it forward.) I received a great "Kaaaaatttiiiee" call which is like the Feeney call, from my old neighbor, whose beautiful speaking voice would wake me up most days of the week. I dealt with a lot of drunk girls. Like. A lot of emotions and dancing and shouting. I guess that just comes with the territory. I also fielded a lot of looks from underclassmen that said She doesn't go here, she's not one of us, why is she here, these are our boys, stay away. And I was like, oh girl, I am old, I do not want your men. Then, at the end of the night, the cops came. As I was leaving I heard them say, "I'm going to need a name--because someone is going down for this!" I liked that line a lot.

The next morning I mistakenly met up with everybody from the night before while I was attempting to get some breakfast. My boys were there, asking if they had seen me the night before.

"Seriously? You're serious? You're not serious." That was my reaction. They laughed and said no, no, of course we remember! And then their eyes shifted back and forth. We decided that while it was great to see each other, we should do it on our own turf next time, because college while not in college is kind of weird. I have a great futon, so let your visits begin.

And then, after a late afternoon outside chat with the friend I couldn't find on Friday night, we jumped in the car and drove back to Chicago. En route, two of the three boys called to apologize for their behavior from the previous night. And to chat because, I think, they missed me already.

So THAT is, more or less, the highlights of Homecoming. It was kind of a lot, but at the same time not enough time at all to see all the people you know you should see. I guess that's what wedding season is for!!! Ultimately, though, it is nice to be back to my regular schedule which really isn't a regular schedule at all. That will come around eventually. In the meantime, I have things like the zoo and The Avett Brothers/Justin Townes Earle, and visiting buddies to look forward to. I have my 826Chicago orientation date set up AND, this is the best part, I found a Zumba studio in the area. My life is really starting to fall in to place.