#160 He Went to College

Weekend I’d Forget

Saturday, Hubby and I visited my friend, Megan, at college.  Her college just so happens to be both of our alma mater: Rowan University.  

I have oh so many stories I could tell about Megan, but let me just start with this:

On the left, we have me with Megan at her high school graduation.  On the right, is Megan with me at my high school graduation.  

Talk about a great way to feel old.

Here are some more fun facts about our lives together:

*I've known Megan since she was four-years-old.  

*I started babysitting Megan and her older sister, Emily, when I was sixteen.

*We first bonded over nail polish and Disney movies.

*I taught third grade at the private school we both graduated from.  She helped out in my classroom during her sophomore, junior, and senior years of high school.

When Megan decided to go to Rowan, I was not only excited because I knew what a great school she was choosing, but also because it meant I would have a reason to go back to my old stomping grounds.

Megan's dorm is in the same building that Hubby stayed in during our second year at Rowan.  It was surreal being in the building again, and we both somehow remembered the rooms as far larger than they actually are.

One thing I love about Megan is that she is incredibly crafty and super motivated.  While I was putting my Christmas tree up two weeks ago, this is what Megan was doing in the common area of her dorm room:

I think the paper towel logs and tissue paper flame was my favorite part.

 Megan and her roommate also cut out amazingly intricate snowflakes and hung them over their couches.

After we spent some time with Megan, Hubby and I visited the bookstore--which is now in a Barnes and Noble.*

*How come everything gets better at your college once you leave?  In addition to the Barnes and Noble there is a cutesy row of shops within walking distance from the college.

We may or may not have spent a ridiculous amount of money on clothing to show our school pride.*

*In our defense, they have developed a fantastic new design for our school mascot: "The Prof", aka, an owl.

After coffee, we headed to my real real old stomping grounds: the music building.

Though I was a member of the orchestra and string ensemble, I have always appreciated the talent produced by the Rowan Opera Company and its directors, Marian Stieber and Jon Garrison.   

Though it would have been a real treat to attend a full production of an opera, with the orchestra in the pit, the "Evening of Scenes" that they arranged was a nice taste of seven different famous operas.  My favorite was the Flower Duet from "Lakeme".   

We decided we wouldn't wait so long to return and are hoping to make it back in the spring to see Mozart's "The Magic Flute".

#126 He Holds My Bag

I'm going to give you an inside view to a world that no man has ever dared to enter and most women keep completely private and to themselves because it is so horrifyingly revealing about who they are deep down inside.

The World of Purse.

Alright, perhaps I may be a bit dramatic, but men: understanding the world of purse may save you the death glares you receive when you say to a woman, "What on earth have you got in there anyway?  Do you really need all that junk?"  Women: this is simply a declaration that You Are Not Alone.  Many times I thought I was the crazy one for always having band-aids, paperclips, and a nail clipper in my handbag.  Then I met women who carried scissors, dish towels, and toilet paper in their handbags and I realized the vastness of the World of Purse.

I wish I could tell you that it is as simple as men versus women, but sadly, it is not.

Since men are rare creatures in themselves, we'll begin with them.  A man needs no bag to go anywhere.  Everything he needs he carries with him in his pockets.  If it doesn't fit, it doesn't go.

Gosh, the life of a man.  So simple.  So blissfully ignorant.

Then we have women.  There are so many varieties of baggage that women carry with them that I cannot lie and say there is a cookie cutter mold.

We have:

1. Pockets: The woman who refuses to use a purse and stuffs everything she needs into every one of her pockets.  (This is much different from a man because the woman will magically be able to produce ten times what a man ever could).

2. One and the Same: The woman who has one purse and only one purse that she uses.  The exception is the possibility that she switches her bag seasonally, but in that event she sees the seasons as only winter and summer.

3. Bag and Basket: This woman has a handbag which is One and the Same (see above), but oddly no matter where she is or what she is doing she has with her additional baggage.  It may take the shape of another purse, a laptop bag, a basket, a briefcase--the sky is the limit.

4. Different and One: This woman, has a different handbag for every week.  She changes with her outfits.  She changes with her emotions.  She changes because it is Tuesday.

5. Car Purse: This is the woman who keeps everything that one would normally carry in their purse in their car.  They may even have a purse in their car that for some inexplicable reason never leaves their car.

I am a Different and One girl.  Here is where I make myself perfectly transparent.  Here are the insides of my purse:

 

1. My violin shoulder rest.  This is the most extraordinary item in my purse.  It makes an appearance for about half the week, longer if I forget to take it out.  Usually it ends up being there longer.  

 

2. My cosmetic and everything else bag.  I'm pretty sure every girl has some combination of necessary cosmetics in their bag.  Mine, surprisingly, I hardly ever touch.  It is, naturally, the times I leave my cosmetic bag out of my purse that I need the items within.

3. My second cosmetic bag.  I got this tiny pouch with a MAC lipstick/lip gloss combo shown above.  Somehow it has ended up in my bag and I have yet to combine the items within the two cosmetic bags in order to eliminate one.

4. My notebook.  Even if I ditch both my cosmetic bags to lighten my load, I always keep my notebook in my purse.  You never know when a story idea, intriguing phrase, or interesting conversation will occur and beg to be written down.

5. My wallet.  When I took this photo, I actually had money in it.  Today, well....

6. Sunglasses and lotion.  Now that spring is almost here, my sunglasses go with me everywhere.  This lotion has been a necessary addition to my purse for the last year.  'Shea Cashmere' is absolutely divine in scent and touch.  It is on the more expensive side, especially for Bath and Body Works, but worth every penny.

7. Receipts.  Regardless of how many receipts I throw away, somehow I always manage to have a receipt crumpled in my purse.  This one is from this weekend when Hubby and I went to Barnes and Noble for coffee and cheesecake.  Seriously, who can resist red velvet cheesecake?

8. My pencil case and my battery.  Having a writing utensil is a necessity for me.  If ever I leave my case at home, odds are I at least have a tuxedo black sharpie on hand.  I bought the battery when my cell phone decided to stop working properly.  It turned out it wasn't the battery that was the problem, so rather than return the purchased battery, I keep it fully charged in my purse in case of emergency.


And there you have it.  My insight into the World of Purse and a rather unromantic view into the contents my purse.