first weekend of the semester...and i punched a cat in the face.

   I woke up by punching a cat in the face. Yes, thats exactly how it sounds. Herman, was cruisin for a bruisin as he went for the kill strike at my neck while I was passed out on a comfy but 2 ft too small couch. But thanks to herman, I was awakened for a beautiful sunrise that lit the sky like an assorted flavored children's yogurt. We dropped jake off at his jazz brunch a few hours later, got dunks and proceeded to take 127 back to EC. Ben asked if I wouldn't mind taking the scenic route. With time on my hands, how could I say no? We'll save my story about jeggings for later. But through these wonderful series of events, I came to the conclusion that this weekend, is what being a young adult is all about. To bend the structure of existence to suit exploration and observation of humanity. I was around the smartest kids while they all smoked and had a few beers. But those conversations and even those moments of silence were always just right.

   I hopped off the icy path way into the arms off a charging young man with floppy red tinged hair. It had been 6 months since i'd seen the only kid I refer to as my boyfriend. Seeing him also meant I had a way to escape my campus with a fury and run for the hills as the rapping beer came for his concert at my school. Our get-away driver's name was Annie, who also happened to have dreads and a smile. The vibe in that volvo made it known that tonight was going to be a good night. We drove the backroads through Beverly. Not the way the school shuttle takes you to drop the kiddies off at the mall but the roads to lead you out, closer to the shore, and closer to some peace.    Once again battling icy walkways, this time in Gloucester, we made our way into a small cafe. I was just overwhelmed with the knowledge that this was less than a half hour away from me. Away from the noise and guise of college life and on the back-streets off the working man's world. Behind the counter was a fresh faced young man with shoulder length golden dreadlocks. He was friendly, on the verge of charming, even with the shop closing in under an hour. We drank our assorted beverages as we tried to kill the time before Jake's show.
   Annie's a beautiful girl. Not just in aesthetics but in how she carries herself, her choice of words, the calmness in her voice. Hippies, got to love 'em. Anyway, we get to the bar, where I'm not carded at the door. Its still a while before the Bingo Fridays (Jake's band) goes on. In fact, they hadn't even set up yet. Annie and one of the bar tenders began to 'hoop as they put it. Just a more elegant and whimsical version of hula-hooping. Annie left, with the Volvo. The Bingo Fridays set up and started playing. I was dipping french fries in my clam chowder having a musical induced ball. The atmosphere for the band wasn't the greatest but for me it was engulfing. So much to take in.
   Fast forward to midnight. Jake finished up his set, broke down. Colin and myself got into Quinn's truck en route to Jake's house.  Quinn was playing a John Butler CD and got to talking about how well he puts together his sound. Ocean came on and as we sped up the crests of Rockport, we became in tune with the breathing waves. A gorgeous moment in a star filled night and no voices were heard.
   We ended up in Jake's driveway for an hour and a half while Jake's car got stuck at the bottom of an icy hill in West Gloucester. After drinking, smoking conversing, we watched TV picked by Julie- Jersey Shore. Bad Choice. but hilarious to watch with this group. At 4am we called it a night. But that was not the end to one of the best weekends I've had at school.