I have been reading diaries and comments here for a couple of days, and today I got myself a username. Some of the things I have read have made me realize why I am here at Booman. I have been reading dKos for about a year now, and have been contributing my comments and a few diaries here and there (under a different user name).
What I realized today is that everything I have written over there has been full of vitriol. Since the election I cannot say that I have felt normal, and today I realized that it was because I could not let go of the anger. But today I am ready. Today I read some things here that just made me smile. So I wanted to share some sort of story that made me happy. Here it goes.
My junior year in college (2001), after getting back from a semester abroad in NZ, I took all these anthro classes because I had decided to give up the worship of capitalism and switch my major from business to anthropology. There was this one girl in 3 of my
five classes. This one girl.
Jocelyn. She rarely spoke, but when she did, she had the softest, most pleasing voice I have ever heard. Her outward appearance is what I refered to then as “[insert northeast liberal arts school] hippie,” meaning the patchwork bags and jeans, bandana, loose fitting, flowy shirt, etc etc.
But she was beautiful in the most raw sense of the word. So when I got bored in class, I would just sit there and stare at her like a wierdo. And this one time she caught me and gave me the biggest smile ever with her big bright white teeth. I was instantly obsessed (not an emotion I support or enjoy experiencing, usually).
But we never, ever spoke. Year ended. I lived in my college town that summer, so while most people went home shortly thereafter, me and a few friends stayed a little longer, as did quite a few seniors. Jocelyn was a senior. So a week or two after finals are over, I’m in a bar downtown and in strolls Jocelyn and her friend who I sort’ve knew.
Eye contact made all around, as they are passing I say hi to Emily, the friend that I sort’ve know, and then to Jocelyn. She stopped right in front of me, looked right at me with her big shiny brown eyes and said “hello beautiful” and kissed me. I honestly had no idea what the fuck had just happened. Nothing like that had ever even come close to going down.
They get drinks, and she comes back over and we start talking about the ins and outs of biological anthropology, actually quite interesting stuff. We continue drinking, while nobody will mention what Jocelyn had said or done when they walked in. I had the most unbelieveble tingle in my entire body.
Emily decided she was going home, but Jocelyn says she is staying (forgive my confusing of tenses, I am half here and half there right now). 10 minutes later, she asks if I will walk across town (an hour walk) to this botanical garden and retreat for artists that has amazing rose gardens and whatnot. Obviously, I say yes.
So we get there, its like 3am, and she lies down in the grass of this huge field, pulls me on top of her, and we kissed for the next hour, maybe two, before passing out on top of each other.
Woke up as the sun rose, more kissing ensued, nothing else, then we got up and walked home, holding hands. We got to her place and she was like, I’m going back home tomorrow, but I just wanted to say that that was awesome, and I’m glad it finally happened, I’ve been waiting all semester for you to come and talk to me, but you didn’t.
I said goodbye, and I never saw her again.
Forgive the kitcsh and the cheese, just this once. When it rains it pours and that felt FUCKING GOOD!
That was a wonderful story 🙂
It makes me disappointed though because, so far as I’ve been able to tell, things like that only happen in college. 🙁
yes i am starting to figure that one out…
we’re both (relatively) fresh out of college.
It very well could be that we’re both in for even more romantic and earth-shattering affairs in our future. Right? (Just say “Right”. Please 😉 )
of course
What a great story, kinda like the movie ‘Before Sunrise’. And no things like that don’t only happen in college. Speaking as someone who is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay past college.
Damn… good story.
Those stories don’t just happen in college btw, to the other user who said that, but wow….
Great story!
Pax
now I want to find this Jocelyn chick for you. Jocelyn are you there?
with the possibility of ruining my fairytale ending? what if she went all republican or something 😉
Thank you for sharing such a lovely story from the book of your life. It’s a nice antidote to political angst.
How lovely. Boy, I bet that was a hell of an experience for you! Now, where the hell is she?!
Life is political – but not always partisan.
Sharing our lives as full human beings is the most positive expression of politics in the true meaning of the word.
Thanks for sharing!
But I want to know what made you smile today and therefore remember this wonderful story out of your past.
Anyway I think I know why you feel better on this site, like many of us do.
Is it hope????
this is the comment that made me comfortable:
Re: What if you’re a fan of Ayn Rand? (4.00 / 4)
Only if, like everyone else, you are willing to have your views challenged and your positions questioned.
If you are, speaking as just one member of the community with a non-binding point of view and no particular power, welcome.
I understand that this member of the community has had their differences with another. Which makes this reponse even more welcoming. I have posted over at dKos, including today, under my other name, and was instantly pounced upon like a leper in WWII Germany.
Here, it is nice, it is respectful, people seem to read before they react. Not to slander dKos, as I have gotten through some tough times by writing and reading there. It’s just here, it feels like I can say what I want to say and I wont be throttled within 5 minutes for saying so.
All in all, I really and truly want to thank BooMan, the rest of the founders, and everyone here who has read, commented, or even thought about my diary, for making me feel welcome, even if all of my posts aren’t daeling with the late breaking uber important gotta have news.
Okay – I just got back from taking a cold shower :-). Very lovely story, and I thank you for sharing it. Please be assured, those special moments aren’t limited to college. I speak from experience – having shared one of those love at first sight moments with my spouse. . .24 years ago. We’re still head over heels for each other, after quite a few ups and downs.
Not to be a smart alec, (but what the heck). . .could the leper treatment have anything to do with your name being “Ed Gillespie”? Just wonderin’
thankfully is not my name. I just snatched up the address when gmail first dropped so if I ever wanted to be a little punk, I had an easy option. And it wasn’t me who created a party for the president on gop.com under that name for the inauguration. Nor was it me who had 27 RSVPs when someone other than I decided that someone other than I couldn’t be THAT mean and cancelled it.
Like I said, just wonderin’ :-). Thanks for clearing that up!
I just found your response to my question today, so I hope you get to see this.
I am feeling very comfortable here so far and I’m sure it will stay that way.
I have been check out the DK hidden comments every day to see who has been attacked last.
Even wrote to one of them last night and had great dialogue and invited them here.
We are attacking our own or at least on DK site and I think that is very sad. DK is getting to be group think mentality.
BTW have a bowl for me, please, saw your comment on world site and that brought me here.
Oh and I saw the comment that made you smile and it made me happy too. I think at first we were all leary about the DK spill over in that way, and it seems so far to be very low. I hope we all keep it that way. Cordial.
Also I find the comments to be very thoughtful, not just a bunch of woo hoo, stuff, ad infinitum (sp).
THanks for your note. I definitely still stop by DK a few times a day, but I just cant handle the pace any more (see: bowl smoking;-). I think that the comments here are more thoughtful in part because there isn’t such a frenzy to be near the top and all that. I have actually been revisiting diaries that I read when I first came here every day, and they are still getting comments. It’s just a lot of fun to be able to think, share, and listen to people here. I think my next diary has also been inspired by that small conversation on the World thread. But first, I have to do all of the work I was supposed to do today when I was here instead.