Tues June 8 1999 --> Sun June 12 1999
Picked Faress up from PDX on way down in the rain in the car in the rain from Seattle, had all my weapons packed, guitars, boomerang sampler, boogie amp, glowstick nunchuks but there was still room for my rider.
In a rainy storm, courtesy security who had our key, we arrived at Bragdon Hall. The fire alarm was misfiring for backdrop as we had a pleasurable welcome by the dorm host and crew of Liz, Andy 'n Nara. Campus was in fine form, work crews laying fiber by the old dorm block showed its a continual work of progress if you'd missed the new dorms Cross Canyon.
The few days of Alumni College on the Copernican Revolution provided a light and fruitful schedule of lectures in the new Psych (old chem building) auditorium, where from there on to smaller conferences, a broad swath of reedies sat and tried to get inside another time's context to shed light on our own. Some had done their preparation very well... I enjoyed talking spheres, seeing Weiting's animations; I heard there was a great clear night of spotting Venus through a telescope.
Tacos at Nara's was fun and tasty, great to meet more onliners IRL. Peter and Mark and see Jim again.
Glad to play and sing on the SU porch for the class sign making / booze as accompianment, they made fine signs for our fun walk down the parade route to dinner. In other halls I found the bradon dorm to be a fine aucoustic resonater.. with a nice yoga loft at the top. Once i got to feel disconnected, but this year Rutenburg et al were there for a hug to get me back in.
Portland summer weather sported a memorable softball game, and many lawn parties. Was wonderful to hang out with Melanie and meet her daughter Anna, good onyas ! Thanks to the alumni office for putting yourselves out there so much for us, it was sure worth it! All campus hosts were wonderful, if more bacon could have been had at brunch I'd only feel worse about forgetting my car in Elliot circle for six hours.
Class dinner most memorable blowing of introduction but listening to everyone elses tales were inspiring!
Thanks to late night chats and dancing by the living spirits, Jim Webb, Laura and the Vipers crew... Folk dancing with Dina and Alexia was a kick, so was Faress, who shined and made me laugh and cry a lot over the weekend! 'Sup to students: fall'99 'KRRC Signate and tour guide Sam, Nick the Magician and their crew that there I learned a lot from and enjoyed seeing them where I was. Shouts to the older folks on that count too, had the pleasure of hanging out with a buncha great Reedies in Bragdon from all kindsa years there and it was very fun to exchange viewpoints and stories about Reed.
When we rolled up Woodstock to go home I felt we had done it all up right and that it was real good and i most heartily can recommend reunioning to any Reedie, specially on a second try, here's to the spheres that go around!
-Will