And here we are, at the third and final volume of the tedious and self-indulgent memoir I have embarked upon.
Part 1: An Autistic Squirrel
I woke on Sunday morning, to bright sunlight streaming into the small apartment. The day of the Vow Renewal. It was already sticky and humid and we had much to do before we left. We had to deflate the air mattresses, pack everything up and get dressed.
I dressed simply in a hot pink, nearly magenta, cotton and crocheted lace skirt that fell just above my knee, a black tank top and a pair of flip flops. I wrapped my large black and white gauze scarf over my shoulders like a shawl, and put on my jewelry.
For such a simple outfit, it had been such an odyssey getting it together. Months ago, when I first learned of the vow renewal, I had already begun planning what I would wear. The original idea was to make a sun dress, out of black cotton printed with cherries, but I couldn't find a flattering pattern. So then I had decided to make a skirt out of muslin, dyed purple, we'd even purchased the dye, but we never got around to it. So in the end, I decided to wear what I already had. It saved time and money.
Once dressed, I did my makeup. Concealer and powder to hide the sunburn on my nose, soft lime green eyeshadow, mascara, bright pink lipstick. The effect turned out out great. For once, my skin actually looked flawless. I was rather impressed with my appearance.
After everyone had dressed, and we had gathered up the deflated mattresses, our bedding and our bags; we loaded everything back in the car and left for the wedding. We stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast. Their breakfast sandwiches are pretty damn delicious, even if their coffee tastes like dish soap.
I don't remember much about the drive over, other than it being very warm. I was in a sour mood, mostly due to anxiety. I always feel out of place at family functions, so I can't help but feel nervous whenever I go to one.
We stopped at a country store to use the bathroom and pick up some chicken for the barbecue. I love country stores, especially ones in rural areas. They always have interesting things, like local products and novelty candy. This country store even had a little miniature golf course. I would have enjoyed playing a round, but we did not have the time.
When we arrived at the cabin, a few of the guests were already there. I felt awkward as I greeted family members, I don't know why. I'm just a socially awkward person, I suppose. Once I'm at my ease, I can be rather charming, but in the first uneasy minutes, I can be as about as exciting as an autistic squirrel. Actually, that does sound interesting, never mind. Ignore that simile, please.
I don't remember too much. This was all a year ago, after all. I recall doing the usual schmoozing, and socializing. I remember trying an ale, called Old Speckled Hen. At first I liked it, but then I found I had no taste for ale. I've always preferred hard cider, or as I've recently discovered, Smirnoff Ice. I couldn't finish it. I don't even think I finished a quarter of the bottle. In fact, as I was drinking, I was starting to feel surly, and agitated. This happens to me quite often. If I drink when I'm anxious, I end up in a foul mood. If I drink when I'm in a good mood, I end up giggly. Since I was already tense, being at a family event and all, you can imagine where my mood shifted. I put down the bottle, and didn't touch any booze for the rest of the day.
The ceremony was at noon. The minister had arrived, the whole family had shown up and my Aunt Jenny had changed into her wedding dress. She looked lovely. It was white, with an empire waist, and some beading. I told her she looked beautiful. My Uncle Ben wore a Hawaiian shirt.
Everyone was starting to head down to the scenic area where the ceremony would be held. I was still feeling all out of sorts, so I popped an Ativan, and joined my mother and sister to watch two people renew their vows.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Saturday Part 6
Let's get on with it....
Part 6: Battle Weary
The very last ride I remember going on that day was the Desperado Plunge, the log flume which appears so frequently in my other memoirs.
The line wasn't long, and we got seated in our little barrel shaped boat very quickly. I sat in the front, my Uncle Russ in the back. I was a bit apprehensive about sitting where I was, because I don't like to get soaked when I'm not in a bathing suit, but I figured it would be alright this time.
For the most part, it was. The ride went as it usually does, starting out slow, then rushing over white water rapids, before going through that creepy building full of dummies.
Then the best part, down the steep drop we plunged, my arms in the air. The camera snapped our picture, and we hit the bottom with a splash.
The boat was floating back into the station when it jerked to the side suddenly, why I do not know. I lost my balance, and slammed into the side of the little boat, my elbow making painful contact with one of the screws on the handlebar.
That was my second injury of the day, including the vicious wedgie I had endured in Splashwater Kingdom.
We left the ride, me nursing my injured arm. A large bump had risen on my elbow, with a little bloody scrape right in its center. My uncle noticed, and thought it was a puncture wound. I assured him it was not, and we did not have to visit the infirmary.
It was time to go. We'd ridden all that we could, and now had to meet my mom in Schroon Lake. So we trekked back to the lockers, collected my things, and made ready to leave the park.
I was sore. Between the wedgie, the arm injury, the sunburn, and walking around all day, I was pretty battle weary. I had a headache from riding too many roller coasters. But I regretted leaving early. When I go to amusement parks, I like to stay until closing. But we had to do, what we had to do, and so we left.
We stopped at McDonald's, where my uncle offered to buy me something to eat. I was starving. I had been too excited to eat when we were in the park, but now, I just couldn't pass up a hot meal. I ordered a double quarter pounder with cheese value meal, and my uncle and I sat down to eat. While we ate, we talked, and I collected brochures for tourist attractions, that I thought looked interesting.
Then we went to find Aunt Jenny's cabin.
We drove through the Adirondacks, and I spent the trip admiring signs for restaurants and campgrounds. We drove past a very large Christian campground. It made me think of those weird Mormon compounds out west. I made some comments about the place, and wondered how interesting it would be to infiltrate one of these Christian "family-friendly" camps.
We got lost. That's how we ending up constantly driving past the Christian campground, and it's horse stables. Eventually, we made it to my Aunt's rented cabin. It was small, and charming, surrounded by forest, with a view of the lake.
My mother and sister were there, along with my Grandma, my Aunt Jenny and Uncle Ben. My Uncle Russ and I shared the highlights of our day, my wedgie, making Uncle Russ high-five Sasquatch, the rides. I discovered I had a nice little sunburn on my nose and cheeks.
After passing the time pleasantly enough with my relations, my mother decided it was high time to get back on the road. Katie's friend Chad had a place for us to stay that night, in Saranac Lake, and we had to get there before it was too late.
I spent a large chunk of the journey from Schroon Lake to Saranac Lake, dozing. I was exhausted, from running around with my Uncle all day. After a little while, my sister suggested we go and get something to eat.
We stopped at a little diner with a nice rustic Adirondack theme. A lot of restaurants, shops, and motels in this area really like to play up the wild 'untouched' quality of the Adirondack Mountains. This is for the tourists, mainly. For years the Adirondacks has been a vacation spot for Americans. When people think of these mountains, they picture fishing in clear rivers, pine trees, cabins, moose. And while not all of this part of New York is a picture of tranquil wilderness, the places that cater to tourists tend to play up this pretty image.
We sat down at a booth, and flipped through the menus. We all ended up ordering the same thing. A hot turkey sandwich, open-faced. The kind you need to eat with a fork. If I remember correctly, it came with stuffing. I think we may have had soup or salad, too. It was pretty good, but I couldn't eat all of it. After we finished, my sister bought us some home-baked chocolate chip cookies (this place also functioned as a bakery, general store and information center. You'll find a lot of places like this in upstate NY and VT). Then we got back in the car and continued on.
We drove through the Adirondacks. Despite the darkness, I saw a lot of familiar sights. I used to live in this part of NY, and would drive up to Lake Placid with my mother, where she used to work for a mental health agency as a peer specialist. We drove past some lakes that are said to be bottomless. I remembered being frightened of them when I was fourteen.
We drove through Lake Placid, and I was assaulted by memories. Going there with Families First Girls Group (not a pleasant memory). Swimming in the lake with my sister. Walking around downtown as a teenager, while my mother worked. Buying chocolate covered expresso beans, and books. The gas station we stopped at when I was coming down with the flu. We drove past the fancy restaurant named Goldberry's and I remembered how badly I wanted to go there. The town was lovely, lit up the way it was.
Soon enough we were entering Saranac Lake. I may have been dozing, when I heard my sister and mother exclaim with surprise. They had seen something that looked like a wolf, dart in front of the car. A wolf? In Saranac Lake? Maybe it was a dog. Or a coyote. I don't know. I never saw it. But the thought of a wolf running around made me uneasy. I don't like driving in the Adirondacks at night as it is, there's something slightly unsettling and sinister in the darkness of the mountains and the trees.
Finally we made it to Chad's. One of Katie's friends for years, it was the first time I'd ever met him, and her friend Chelsea. He owned a house, and adjacent to that house, an apartment building. It was in one of those vacant apartments where we would be sleeping for the night on air mattresses. After showing us around his house, he helped us carry our things to the little apartment. It was a cute little place, and I wondered what it would be like to live there. I pictured what I would put where. What room would be the living room? Where would I have an office? I've always wanted an office. My dad had one, and my mother had a studio, when I was growing up.
Once we were somewhat settled, my mother and I went to the nearest corner store to get some cold drinks, as it was very hot that evening. I remember getting green tea with honey.
When we got back, Katie had decided to spend the night with her friends. Mom set up the air mattresses (I think I may have tried to help), and we got comfortable for the evening. I lay on the mattress in the big main room, reading about Henry VIII and his six wives. I was falling asleep, as I learned about the negotiations for the marriage of Katherine of Aragon and Arthur, Prince of Wales. I was very very exhausted, but I wanted so desperately to read.
But finally, I couldn't fight it any longer and put the book down. I slept on an air mattress in the little room I envisioned as an office. I can't remember why I had moved to that mattress. I think the other one had deflated.
I slept deeply, exhausted from my long day. I only woke up once, and that was when I had rolled over and hit my head on the low windowsill. I lay there, muttering to my mom that I mustn't, mustn't fall asleep, as I probably had a concussion, but she reassured me that I was fine (though I felt as though I had cracked my skull) and so I drifted back to sleep, albeit reluctantly.
Saturday was over, and tomorrow, would be the main event, the entire purpose of our adventure. The vow renewal.
So ends, Book 2: Saturday.
Part 6: Battle Weary
The very last ride I remember going on that day was the Desperado Plunge, the log flume which appears so frequently in my other memoirs.
The line wasn't long, and we got seated in our little barrel shaped boat very quickly. I sat in the front, my Uncle Russ in the back. I was a bit apprehensive about sitting where I was, because I don't like to get soaked when I'm not in a bathing suit, but I figured it would be alright this time.
For the most part, it was. The ride went as it usually does, starting out slow, then rushing over white water rapids, before going through that creepy building full of dummies.
Then the best part, down the steep drop we plunged, my arms in the air. The camera snapped our picture, and we hit the bottom with a splash.
The boat was floating back into the station when it jerked to the side suddenly, why I do not know. I lost my balance, and slammed into the side of the little boat, my elbow making painful contact with one of the screws on the handlebar.
That was my second injury of the day, including the vicious wedgie I had endured in Splashwater Kingdom.
We left the ride, me nursing my injured arm. A large bump had risen on my elbow, with a little bloody scrape right in its center. My uncle noticed, and thought it was a puncture wound. I assured him it was not, and we did not have to visit the infirmary.
It was time to go. We'd ridden all that we could, and now had to meet my mom in Schroon Lake. So we trekked back to the lockers, collected my things, and made ready to leave the park.
I was sore. Between the wedgie, the arm injury, the sunburn, and walking around all day, I was pretty battle weary. I had a headache from riding too many roller coasters. But I regretted leaving early. When I go to amusement parks, I like to stay until closing. But we had to do, what we had to do, and so we left.
We stopped at McDonald's, where my uncle offered to buy me something to eat. I was starving. I had been too excited to eat when we were in the park, but now, I just couldn't pass up a hot meal. I ordered a double quarter pounder with cheese value meal, and my uncle and I sat down to eat. While we ate, we talked, and I collected brochures for tourist attractions, that I thought looked interesting.
Then we went to find Aunt Jenny's cabin.
We drove through the Adirondacks, and I spent the trip admiring signs for restaurants and campgrounds. We drove past a very large Christian campground. It made me think of those weird Mormon compounds out west. I made some comments about the place, and wondered how interesting it would be to infiltrate one of these Christian "family-friendly" camps.
We got lost. That's how we ending up constantly driving past the Christian campground, and it's horse stables. Eventually, we made it to my Aunt's rented cabin. It was small, and charming, surrounded by forest, with a view of the lake.
My mother and sister were there, along with my Grandma, my Aunt Jenny and Uncle Ben. My Uncle Russ and I shared the highlights of our day, my wedgie, making Uncle Russ high-five Sasquatch, the rides. I discovered I had a nice little sunburn on my nose and cheeks.
After passing the time pleasantly enough with my relations, my mother decided it was high time to get back on the road. Katie's friend Chad had a place for us to stay that night, in Saranac Lake, and we had to get there before it was too late.
I spent a large chunk of the journey from Schroon Lake to Saranac Lake, dozing. I was exhausted, from running around with my Uncle all day. After a little while, my sister suggested we go and get something to eat.
We stopped at a little diner with a nice rustic Adirondack theme. A lot of restaurants, shops, and motels in this area really like to play up the wild 'untouched' quality of the Adirondack Mountains. This is for the tourists, mainly. For years the Adirondacks has been a vacation spot for Americans. When people think of these mountains, they picture fishing in clear rivers, pine trees, cabins, moose. And while not all of this part of New York is a picture of tranquil wilderness, the places that cater to tourists tend to play up this pretty image.
We sat down at a booth, and flipped through the menus. We all ended up ordering the same thing. A hot turkey sandwich, open-faced. The kind you need to eat with a fork. If I remember correctly, it came with stuffing. I think we may have had soup or salad, too. It was pretty good, but I couldn't eat all of it. After we finished, my sister bought us some home-baked chocolate chip cookies (this place also functioned as a bakery, general store and information center. You'll find a lot of places like this in upstate NY and VT). Then we got back in the car and continued on.
We drove through the Adirondacks. Despite the darkness, I saw a lot of familiar sights. I used to live in this part of NY, and would drive up to Lake Placid with my mother, where she used to work for a mental health agency as a peer specialist. We drove past some lakes that are said to be bottomless. I remembered being frightened of them when I was fourteen.
We drove through Lake Placid, and I was assaulted by memories. Going there with Families First Girls Group (not a pleasant memory). Swimming in the lake with my sister. Walking around downtown as a teenager, while my mother worked. Buying chocolate covered expresso beans, and books. The gas station we stopped at when I was coming down with the flu. We drove past the fancy restaurant named Goldberry's and I remembered how badly I wanted to go there. The town was lovely, lit up the way it was.
Soon enough we were entering Saranac Lake. I may have been dozing, when I heard my sister and mother exclaim with surprise. They had seen something that looked like a wolf, dart in front of the car. A wolf? In Saranac Lake? Maybe it was a dog. Or a coyote. I don't know. I never saw it. But the thought of a wolf running around made me uneasy. I don't like driving in the Adirondacks at night as it is, there's something slightly unsettling and sinister in the darkness of the mountains and the trees.
Finally we made it to Chad's. One of Katie's friends for years, it was the first time I'd ever met him, and her friend Chelsea. He owned a house, and adjacent to that house, an apartment building. It was in one of those vacant apartments where we would be sleeping for the night on air mattresses. After showing us around his house, he helped us carry our things to the little apartment. It was a cute little place, and I wondered what it would be like to live there. I pictured what I would put where. What room would be the living room? Where would I have an office? I've always wanted an office. My dad had one, and my mother had a studio, when I was growing up.
Once we were somewhat settled, my mother and I went to the nearest corner store to get some cold drinks, as it was very hot that evening. I remember getting green tea with honey.
When we got back, Katie had decided to spend the night with her friends. Mom set up the air mattresses (I think I may have tried to help), and we got comfortable for the evening. I lay on the mattress in the big main room, reading about Henry VIII and his six wives. I was falling asleep, as I learned about the negotiations for the marriage of Katherine of Aragon and Arthur, Prince of Wales. I was very very exhausted, but I wanted so desperately to read.
But finally, I couldn't fight it any longer and put the book down. I slept on an air mattress in the little room I envisioned as an office. I can't remember why I had moved to that mattress. I think the other one had deflated.
I slept deeply, exhausted from my long day. I only woke up once, and that was when I had rolled over and hit my head on the low windowsill. I lay there, muttering to my mom that I mustn't, mustn't fall asleep, as I probably had a concussion, but she reassured me that I was fine (though I felt as though I had cracked my skull) and so I drifted back to sleep, albeit reluctantly.
Saturday was over, and tomorrow, would be the main event, the entire purpose of our adventure. The vow renewal.
So ends, Book 2: Saturday.
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