Saturday, November 26, 2005
I ate Thanksgiving dinner with Dr. Bonzo and his family (wife plus two munchkins), which I enjoyed genuinely, it being a relatively quiet event. I had admittedly held some anxiety that the entire evening would consist of some epochal semi-internal battle against awkwardness, but chatting with Dr. Bonzo and his wife as they prepared dinner put me at ease completely. They both understand people well and besides display ironic, self-knowing humor.
In an e-mail written Tuesday, in response to my acceptance of his invitation, Dr. Bonzo had written, "Just to let you know, we are LDS. One of the tenets of our religion is that we do not drink alcohol". I responded to this with, "Just to let you know, I am an agnostic. I avoid drinking anything that tastes weird, which includes alcoholic beverages, river water, and Fresca." Dr. Bonzo found this funny enough to warrant mentioning during a phone call to his father, who apparently also finds me hilarious.
I do wish some of the people who laugh at me [and it is often "at"] would pay for the pleasure I give.
In order to remain in the dorms during Thanksgiving break, residents fill out and sign a half-sheet of paper notifying the hall director. At the bottom of this sheet, above the signature line, is a single blank line beside the question, "Why are you staying in the dorms during Thanksgiving?" With little hesitation I scribbled, "My father hates me" and handed it off to the office assistant, Francis. He read the response, held his head in his hands, and laughed a little longer than might have been wholly necessary. I wished him a happy Thanksgiving and skulked to my room.
[Lauree Frances Keith concluded this diatribe at 11:17 AM]