Tuesday, May 29, 2001 - Tuesday, June 5, 2001
Thursday, May 31, Angela graduated, and I went up there to see it. (She is a very good friend from my few college days.) We decided after the graduation we'd drive down to North Carolina and meet up with old college friends, and then see Washington, DC (history and politics have begun to interest me lately).
Those of you who know Angela know that nothing can be that simple, ever. Drama chases her. When I arrived, Angela's graduation was in jeopardy.
My plane ride was a rickety TWA job, and didn't inspire my confidence in the return trip. When I got into the airport, Angela was nowhere to be found. Turns out they don't let non-passengers into the terminal at the New Jersey airport, and her battery was dead. Coincidence or fate? Either way, a fitting beginning for a harrowing trip.
On the way out I got the story. Her grades had come back, and one of them (in a crucial class) didn't match the grades she got on tests and homework. As far as she could ascertain, her grader, who had some history with her family's business, may have been the culprit. She had sent email to her teacher the day before. No answer had arrived. The professor, a part-timer who worked a day job at AT&T, was AWOL.
We could have just waited for the email, but there was other work to be done. The next day, bright and early, we got the rental car and strode off to do battle with the Evil Bureacracy. The first march was down to James's house, where email was checked and orders were given to monitor the email and contact General Angela on her field phone when word came from The Teacher. The next order of business was to fix the field phone, which we promptly did.
We had less than two days to accomplish the mission. A word from The Teacher was the crucial cog, but none of this would work if the other wheels weren't greased. So the first order of business was to get down to the grduation office to shower the secretaries with flowers and chocolate (we saved a little for ourselves of course). They loved it. Angela would make a great politician.
Immediately after this we went to the school to see if we could find an alternate way of reaching The Teacher, like a phone number. First stop was the secretaries. No luck. They even checked the payroll department. It seems like a good idea to leave your number with the payroll department, doesn't it?
The Dean was just as helpful. No numbers, and no, he couldn't override the teacher. So Angela talked to the secreataries and the Dean with an alternate plan: the email flood.
We had dinner with James et al. at a pretty good restaurant there that had a 24 oz. steak, beautifully cooked, for $10. The name eludes me now.
When you start getting letters in your inbox marked URGENT from the dean, you respond. The Teacher responded at noon on Thursday.
No.
7 hours before graduation. A big fat no. This is the point where you normally give up. Angela, however, sent out more email, argued her case, and waited.
Angela had called family, friends to say don't come. The chances were slim. I had given up hope. We went out to lunch at a cafeteria, as there was really nothing else to do but wait.
When we came back to James's place, the email arrived: beaten down, bombarded, the teacher submitted and changed the grade. Graduation would come. Cheers all around. No time to stop, though. We went to grab graduation robes and call everyone to tell them it was back on, and James and I went to pick up Kimberly, who had come in on a train from DC on the completely justified faith that Angela's considerable negotiating abilities would come through.
Graduation came and went. I must say the ceremony was about as boring as any ceremony I have been to. I liked church better, usually :) It almost seemed anti-climactic after all the drama of the preceding weeks that she just walk across the stage.
We took pictures afterward of her not giving the commencement address. Also of her shaking hands with some important-looking muckity-muck. Dinner afterwards with the parents was fun. We invaded a hotel lobby for it. Some guy who had brought his girlfriend with him was flirting with one of Angela's sisters. Disgusting.
The drive out was mostly uneventful (this based largely on the fact that I can't remember it). We went through DC and landed in North Carolina that evening. I stayed at Kimberly's sister's house, met some of her friends. I had like three beers (I usually don't drink beer) and I was walking funny. Liquor doesn't usually do that to me.
Friday night we went to a Chinese place and then back to Randall's place, which has lots of cool toys and a non-visible floor (sub pot { kettle("black"); }). Tivo looks cool. Randall appears to be doing well for himself. I met the cats, briefly. They are the sort of cat you just want to take home with you--cuddly, friendly.
I really wanted to see Drew but he was off in another place :( I should plan these things better :) But he does have his second line (I think) in the phone book under Wilee Puch, which surprised and amused me. I was hoping to see Amilcar, too, but some communications wires got crossed--he had gone with Deftly to E3 that weekend, but he went home afterwards. Something about a girl.
Friday afternoon I got to go to Bojangles! Woo hoo! The trip was fulfilled with that. Chicken, biscuits, fries with good seasoning, and really sweet tea. Just like I remember it. I know I'm no true Southerner or I'd probably think it sucks, but Bojangles is about the closest I get to real Southern cooking.
The next day I helped Angela and Alex make strawberry shortcakes with strawberries they had picked that morning. And then it was back to DC.
We arrived in Washington, DC late Sunday night after a very fun and interesting philosophical conversation about the nature of time, during which I missed the turn on the loop and we had to go around again. We slept at Berly's house, and got up late. Angela decided to make strawberry jam to use up the strawberries so we didn't get out of Berly's house until 2 or 3.
The only building we got to see from the inside was the Capitol, but that was really cool. You can get passes to go up and watch the Senate and House debate from the public seating up above their respective rooms. The House was debating an immigration bill regarding families' citizenship status, which wasn't as interesting. But the Senate was getting geared up to vote on the tax cut / budget amendment! That was pretty cool. It was exciting, even, in a slow, ponderous sort of way. Everybody was there. Hillary Clinton and John McCain spoke, among others. Dick Cheney was up front presiding and I think he was giving Clinton a nasty look (she was of course making her public announcement that she would vote no on the bill).
They spent about 20 minutes explaining and deciding how they were going to get the vote done, so that they could get back to other issues in the morning. We got to the part where they started voting. That part is also exciting, rather tense. Senators start filing in (they actually know it's happening because of C-SPAN) and calling their votes by sticking their thumb up or down. They vote on each item over the period of 10-15 minutes. The votes trickle in, slowly, and you watch the bill go up, down, yae, nae. They vote first on the amendments and then on the bill proper. We didn't want to wait that long, so after the first vote (the amendment passed) we went looking for a Bojangles, didn't find one, and ended up at a little pizza place.
Then it was back to New Jersey and eventually the flight back home. The first leg of the flight was cancelled, and they had to put me on a totally different airline coming in about an hour later. When I called Dave to let him know, he was going out the door and said he already knew what was going on. It turned out the second leg of my flight was delayed so he figured that's what I was calling about. He ended up going back home, of course, when I didn't show up on the expected flight. I took a taxi, which wasn't that bad. A lot of taxi drivers are talkative and will discuss politics and such with you.
Updated 8/30/2001