TroutGrrl tagged me for this recently, and I'll play along. Not often I get to join in these fun little blogosphere antics. (K.--sorry I wont' get a "bird piece" in; one of these times.)
10 years ago:1995. I was in the first semester of my PhD program at Michigan State. I was in some classes I liked, and had the luxury of a fellowship that didn't require me to teach. I was generally happy with what I was doing, though I was a bit foggy about where it all might lead. My wife and I were living in Fenton at the time, that being a compromise location between East Lansing and Troy, where she worked. Of course, Kristine got laid off from that job during my second week of classes, and was looking for a new one. Soon she'd find a job in Lansing, and we'd move there the following summer. I remember that in Fenton, you couldn't drink the water--it came out of the tap grainy and chalky-tasting. We got it bottled from the grocery all year long.
1995 had been my 3rd season fishing with a flyrod, and maybe my worst ever. I remember that as the year I didn't catch a single fish on a dry fly.
5 years ago: 2000. Kind of an odd time. I was slogging through the late stages of my dissertation, having long since lost interest in the project. I was working as a writing tutor in the law school at MSU, on campus once or twice a week at most, and generally out of touch with people I'd hung around with since I started my program. We had been living in Ann Arbor for almost a year. I felt pretty disconnected--working and having "official ties" in Lansing, but rarely there; living in Ann Arbor, but commuting elsewhere, and usually too busy to see much of the town. We didn't start getting out around AA until we'd been there over a year.
I took a couple of interesting fishing trips in the fall of 2000, both to the Muskegon river. I went up to do some late season trouting early in October, and did well on nymph and egg patterns. However, the salmon run was getting underway, and I went back a week later to try my luck with those guys--I hadn't used a flyrod for salmon before. It was probably the most enjoyable salmon experience I've had--reasonably fresh fish that were willing to bite, and a fair amount of elbow room. An image that stands out to this day is landing a fresh, 15 lb. king under a full moon.
I remember listening to the first Coldplay album a lot; also Radiohead's Kid A.
Yesterday: Got up at 4:00 AM in Burlington, VT to catch a flight at 6:10. Walked with my luggage 1/2 mile to the airport. The flight took off late and I nearly missed my plane change in DC. My luggage did miss the connection, though the airline delivered it to my doorway later that night. Drove to Toledo in the afternoon and taught two classes, dead on my feet. Came home and updated FTR.
5 songs I know all the words to: hmmm hard to say.
Radiohead, "Everything in its right place." (what are there, a dozen words?)
The Clash, "Lost in the Supermarket"
The Blasters, "Border Radio"
The Smiths, "William it was really nothing"
Donovan "Mellow Yellow" (heard it the other day, so fresh in mind. I'd as soon forget it)
5 snacks:
Potato Chips, peanuts, pretzels, sesame sticks, toast
5 things I’d do with $100 million:
Buy a house and a few hundred acres in the UP
Give a bunch away
endow a scholarship
start an environmental education center
collect bamboo flyrods and antique shotguns
5 places I’d run away to:
Places with deep forests and clear, cool rivers. how do you narrow to 5?
5 things I’d never wear:
*hilfiger anything.
*logo clothes generally
*speedos
*anything with fringe
* T-Shirts with hokey slogans
5 favorite TV shows:
The Sopranos
The Simpsons
Michigan Out Of Doors
Family Guy
Medium
5 greatest joys:
*Kristine
* Fishing
* Good food, beer, wine
* Intelligent, compassionate people
* Watching the seasons come and go
5 favorite toys:
* fly rods
* XC Skis
* shotgun
* the 'puter
* the Subaru
People I’m tagging:
Sorry, I'm far too shy.
No comments:
Post a Comment