As I’ve said in the past, State College is a happenin’ town and this weekend proved no different. Not only was there a big music festival with some really solid local bands, there was a bonzer mountain bike race through Rothrock State Forest, and several parties in my neighborhood. Being a (relatively) hip, single guy in such a cool locale with all these choices to occupy my time, I decided to leave town to attend the birthday party of an unrelated three-year-old at a glorified petting zoo.
Now granted, this was the daughter of my friends Alex and Andrea (from a few posts ago) and she is a cool little girl. However, Andrea had also invited our mutual friends Lisa and Amos from Vermont and they decided to make the trip into town as well. When I heard they were going to be attending I figured I didn’t have any choice but to show up. After all, I don’t get to see them very often and I would have needed a seriously good excuse (severed limb, head on fire, stuck in a hole) for Andrea to allow me to stay away. See, Andrea has categorized Lisa and Amos as “sacred cows.” This basically means that everything else is secondary (including person
al health, safety, and welfare) if there is even a remote chance to spend time with them.
To add some context, Alex, Andrea, Lisa, Amos, and I all met as Northerners in deep South Georgia. Andrea, Lisa, and I all moved there independent of one another for work reasons while Alex and Amos followed their wives (however neither couple was married at the time). None of us had ties to anything southern or in any close geographic proximity. Upon meeting each other, however, there was a familial bond that formed between us since we were all experiencing a similar degree of foreignness. Consequently, we all spent a lot of time together sharing in all the unique idiosyncrasies of the cultural situation we put ourselves in. Of course, over time, we all moved back north and continue a less frequent face-to-face interaction.
If Lisa and Amos hadn’t been in town I probably would have stayed in the SC and enjoyed all the activities that make this little slice of Central Pennsylvania so much fun. I would have gotten an earful from Andrea for disappointing her daughter (although she wouldn’t have known I wasn’t there) but that’s nothing new. Fortunately Lisa and Amos did show up and, as always, it was really great to see them again.
Now granted, this was the daughter of my friends Alex and Andrea (from a few posts ago) and she is a cool little girl. However, Andrea had also invited our mutual friends Lisa and Amos from Vermont and they decided to make the trip into town as well. When I heard they were going to be attending I figured I didn’t have any choice but to show up. After all, I don’t get to see them very often and I would have needed a seriously good excuse (severed limb, head on fire, stuck in a hole) for Andrea to allow me to stay away. See, Andrea has categorized Lisa and Amos as “sacred cows.” This basically means that everything else is secondary (including person
al health, safety, and welfare) if there is even a remote chance to spend time with them.To add some context, Alex, Andrea, Lisa, Amos, and I all met as Northerners in deep South Georgia. Andrea, Lisa, and I all moved there independent of one another for work reasons while Alex and Amos followed their wives (however neither couple was married at the time). None of us had ties to anything southern or in any close geographic proximity. Upon meeting each other, however, there was a familial bond that formed between us since we were all experiencing a similar degree of foreignness. Consequently, we all spent a lot of time together sharing in all the unique idiosyncrasies of the cultural situation we put ourselves in. Of course, over time, we all moved back north and continue a less frequent face-to-face interaction.
If Lisa and Amos hadn’t been in town I probably would have stayed in the SC and enjoyed all the activities that make this little slice of Central Pennsylvania so much fun. I would have gotten an earful from Andrea for disappointing her daughter (although she wouldn’t have known I wasn’t there) but that’s nothing new. Fortunately Lisa and Amos did show up and, as always, it was really great to see them again.
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