our place in time
So much for the summertime blahs.
The past two weeks have been a whirl of activity, so much so that it makes time feel like it's flying, hence the lack of blog posts. On Saturday, July 14 the second annual unofficial University of Montevallo reunion happened in Orr Park. I organized the event, mostly through my myspace group, Orr Park Hoodlums. Despite some Amazon-type electric weather at the beginning, the event was a total success and included one long-lost friend who was home from Korea, two from NYC and one who drove 10 hours the day of the reunion from Ohio. There were babies, kids, dogs, former students, retired faculty and plenty of food and drink for everyone, even if they didn't bring their own. Like a friend and fellow former art major said, "I didn't want the day to end."
My band from college, Every Alice on Earth, played a long set while sweating profusely in wigs and without. Other Montevallo live music favorites entertained the crowd with a minimal PA setup, thanks to the rain, that actually turned out to be a happy accident as we were all under one big pavilion, mimicking the house parties we used to play in various Montevallo living rooms -- on one level with everyone . It was an amazing day that made me realize how lucky I am to have had the experience of being at the university at that time. There was an explosion of creativity, camaraderie and experimentation during the early nineties and friendships that crossed social groups that are still intact today. I think many of us are better friends now than we were then -- more mature, more appreciative of the experience and getting to see each as true working adults and parents; and mostly grateful for being at the right place at the right time. It took years for me to accept that the rest of the world wasn't as great as the Montevallo cocoon. For many years I was angry about that, but now I realize how fortunate we all were and are for the experience.
The past two weeks have been a whirl of activity, so much so that it makes time feel like it's flying, hence the lack of blog posts. On Saturday, July 14 the second annual unofficial University of Montevallo reunion happened in Orr Park. I organized the event, mostly through my myspace group, Orr Park Hoodlums. Despite some Amazon-type electric weather at the beginning, the event was a total success and included one long-lost friend who was home from Korea, two from NYC and one who drove 10 hours the day of the reunion from Ohio. There were babies, kids, dogs, former students, retired faculty and plenty of food and drink for everyone, even if they didn't bring their own. Like a friend and fellow former art major said, "I didn't want the day to end."
My band from college, Every Alice on Earth, played a long set while sweating profusely in wigs and without. Other Montevallo live music favorites entertained the crowd with a minimal PA setup, thanks to the rain, that actually turned out to be a happy accident as we were all under one big pavilion, mimicking the house parties we used to play in various Montevallo living rooms -- on one level with everyone . It was an amazing day that made me realize how lucky I am to have had the experience of being at the university at that time. There was an explosion of creativity, camaraderie and experimentation during the early nineties and friendships that crossed social groups that are still intact today. I think many of us are better friends now than we were then -- more mature, more appreciative of the experience and getting to see each as true working adults and parents; and mostly grateful for being at the right place at the right time. It took years for me to accept that the rest of the world wasn't as great as the Montevallo cocoon. For many years I was angry about that, but now I realize how fortunate we all were and are for the experience.
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(Photo of Every Alice on Earth at the July 14 reunion by Amanda Driggers.)
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