Graduation. I won't lie, it felt pretty good. I flipped that tassel on my mortar board, they showered me with balloons, and I finally managed to eat--truly eat-- all I could at the Sweet Tomatoes buffet. I've settled in to begin the execrable process of rebuilding my job search. Unlike many students, I really do want to get back to work.
Unfortunately, I lost most of last week to the process of moving out of my apartment. My lease was up at the end of May and I didn't want to sign on for another year, because I have no desire to stay here in Phoenix. No offense to the natives who love and call this place home. It's just not a good fit for me. One of the good things about Thunderbird is that its students are constantly coming and going all over the world and need people to sublease their apartments. So I have moved into just such a temporary situation. But to do so required that I put most of my stuff in storage.
Moving is always a difficult thing, but this one was rougher than most. I've been carrying a lot of items with me for years that I've grown pretty sentimental about, packing memories from place to place. My situation at this point is very temporary (more so than is normal, even for me). A man in a more permanent station might be able to sustain his collection of indulgent sentiment, but a mobile man can ill afford to remain attached to such knick knacks and shelf stuffers. So I determined to maintain the memories in my mind and offload much of my stuff. One of the most difficult items to part with was my Elvis Presley jumpsuit. I managed to place it in a good home, but it was hard to let go. I have so many fond memories in that suit. First time I wore it was in college. It was just a sparkly black jumpsuit at that point, no cape or belt or even shoes. Just a shaggy-haired college kid with a pair of sunglasses. Every donning thereafter--including at least three Halloweens that I can remember--I added a new piece until it was complete. In honor of its passing, I present a brief photo montage of some of my favorite moments in the suit:
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| We can't go on together with suspicious minds |
There was Elvis Presley's birthday party at Dremo's bar in Clarendon, at which I got to karaoke in the suit, as well as sing some Elvis favorites with Dirty Harry.
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| For some reason, these guys came to the birthday party dressed as hare krishnas |
Then there was the time that J-Dem asked me to perform at her birthday party, which, through the creative brainstorming of friends, morphed into jumping out of a cardboard cake before performing. And I'm not one to turn down a request from a friend.
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| Viva Las Vegas |
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| Feelin' the music |
And then there was the final outing, when the T-bird rugby team threw a Halloween party for the student body. We danced until the bar closed.
It was a worthy send off for a suit that has brought me so much thrill over the years. I came alive in that suit. But the legend will have to live on with another. I'll miss you, old friend.
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| We had a good run |
