Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot…

Well, here we are at the end of 2012 and it was one hell of a year, not necessarily all good.  It started out fine, but went downhill quickly to the point that by mid summer I was looking forward to 2013.  So here are the highlights and lowlights from my own little personal corner of the world:

I started grad school.  At this point I am halfway through a two-year master’s degree program in Integrated Marketing Communications at Eastern Michigan University.  And I have a 3.56 GPA.  Yes, I am proud of that!  At this time next year I’ll be graduating.  I’ve wanted to get a  master’s degree since I got my bachelor’s degree but just never got around to it.  I finally put my foot down and did it.  

My glasses – Vera Bradley “Natalie” frames in Make Me Blush

I scratched my cornea, which resulted in my having to wear glasses for two weeks.  Thankfully late last year I got some super cute and totally fashionable new frames – they’re plummy purple and oh-so-subtley metallic.

I saw my first opera.  In May my friend Mike and I went to see I Pagliacci at the Michigan Opera Theatre.  It was a wonderful experience, far better than I expected it to be!  I hope I can go again next season.

I saw Sarah McLachlan at Meadowbrook on July 1.  She always puts on a great show.  Despite the heat and humidity (and stupid me wearing my hair down and forgetting to pack a pony tail holder in my giant Vera Bradley bag), it was an awesome show.  It was a little different as she had a symphony backing her, but Sarah was splendid.  

Saying Goodbye to a Friend

During the summer of 1984, we were all young, 17, 18 and 19 years old, barely out of high school and with a world of possibilities ahead of us. Lori, Maureen, Kim, Rick and I. Our lives revolved around our favorite music groups – Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Culture Club, Madness, OMD, UB40, Psychedelic Furs, Siouxie and the Banshees – going to concerts, buying records (yes, records) and hanging out together at Baker’s Square on 14 Mile and Schoenherr, which became our de facto headquarters. We were there so often, the staff knew us by name and we even had a regular waitress, Kirby (Don’t Call Me Kiersten). We had part time jobs but we managed to spend just about every evening together, whether at Baker’s Square, Putt Putt, the mall or at someone’s house, listening to music, playing games, going for walks, watching videos…whatever we felt like doing. It was a great time, almost perfect. Life was good.

These memories came flooding back Sunday night, on my way home from the Sarah McLachlan concert at Meadow Brook. I heard the text message alert on my phone go off but as I was still immersed in Sarah’s aura and talking with my friend and fellow Sarah fan, Mike (and not wanting to be rude), I decided to wait until I got home to check my messages. Besides, my phone was in dire need of a charge. So when I got home, I plugged my phone into the charger and looked at my messages. They were from Kim. My jaw dropped.

Rick was dead.

Oh my God, Rick died!

Oh my God, oh my God, OH MY GOD.