My finals are over – offering me a one week respite between Spring & Mini-Term, which rolls directly into the first term, & then… el fin. I know the relief that I feel with the end of my undergraduate career firmly in sight. I can only imagine the oliphaunt that has been removed from brother Moe’s back upon his completion of 3 years of some of the most intense academic labors known to humanity: law school. Way to go Moe!
As you know, last weekend was the celebration of Moe’s accomplishment, & I got to go to Spokane to celebrate with him & some friends/family.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SPOKANE
hanging out with brothers & friends in the backyard w/brats & a brew
getting to see the house where Moe & Jen have lived for the last 3 years – & how they’ve transformed it from a “fixer-upper” to a home – how they did this while still doing school & being married simultaneously is a source of wonder
walking through the downtown area – great architecture & some cool sights – Reno could take a lesson from downtown Spokane
visiting Gonzaga – nice campus, cool brick buildings, requisite student bookstore to buy GU bling & merch, etc. – But in the law school library, they have stacks & stacks of books/bookshelves known as “the stacks.” You can turn a handle & actually accordion the stacks apart & together. Much joy was found by attempting to trap each other between the stacks. Note: an alarm sounds if a person is in the stacks. Note #2: my mom tried to squish me between the stacks, albeit unknowingly. I think. :)
seeing my brother, w/his flowing mane & dressed to the 9’s, dudded up in his cap & gown, cross the stage when they called his name. Imagine that. I flashed back to the times before he was called Moe. I was transported to a living room on Upson Lane, where he was a <2 year old that had somehow acquired the nickname Goonit McWill, the little Whosit (from the Martin/Lewis movie ‘The Stooge’ I believe.) He hadn’t yet grown into his ears, & was quite the precious sight to behold. My brother Johnny & I didn’t quite know what to make of our little brother, as I was only about 8 & Johnny was about 5 – but we knew that we loved this little guy & we would spend all kinds of time playing hide & seek – GMcW’s favorite hiding spot was under the desk, behind the chair; he was probably the only one of us that could fit back there. We’d pretend we didn’t know where he was, & then he’d come crawling out & try & run for home base – we’d sweep in & turn it into a pro wrestling gala. Good times. I love being a big brother.
seeing Moe sweep his wife of 3 years into his arms after graduation for a hug – knowing only a handful of the pain, toil, hard work, & joy that was crystallized in this short embrace – he who finds a wife finds a good thing & receives favor from God. Yes.
going to Baccalaureate Mass on Friday night & listening to Benj sing along in his special falsetto with the cantor with the castrato-voce. I almost rolled on the floor listening to Benny hit the high notes, which I couldn’t even begin to approach.
Another highlight was figuring out that the cantor would raise his arm, like making 1/2 of the letter ‘Y’, when it was time for us to sing, vs. him going solo. To think that I wondered why no one else was singing. Der. I hate not knowing what is going on.
Highlights – to be continued…
you can write some good sappy stuff. whenever i try to say something like that it really just comes off as bitingly sarcastic. hmmmmm
agree about downtown spokane. though reno doesn’t have the history or the catholic cathedrals sent from France brick-by-brick to help it out
He becames aggressive. TSST!!
dmo – that’s in my next post.
ahhh, i wouldv’e loved to hear ben singing in his high voice , how did you keep from peeing your pants from laughter??
always so hard not to laugh when you are supposed to be so quiet and serious.