rites of passage

These weeks seem to be filled with “rites of passage” of sorts. For some reason they feel more significant to me than graduation did, which is sort of funny considering that the $19.50 and 25 minutes in the DMV to get my Tennessee license is a much smaller investment than the four years and unspeakable amount of money that my bachelor’s degree was. I’m sitting in Cafe Coco (because my natural habitat, Bongo Java, decided that closing early on a beautiful Labor Day would be a good idea) and I have to be inside because my laptop battery sucks and won’t last for over an hour anymore, and it’s gorgeous outside so that makes me sort of sad. I realize everyone is blogging about the weather, but I made the comment to Christy this morning that I think it’s impossible for me to be even slightly depressed in this weather, and it’s such a shame that it’s not like this for more of the year. This weather just makes me feel… light. Light-like.

I’m getting to the rites of passage, really…

1. I completed my “90 day introductory period” at work, during which they were able to fire me without explanation or reason, and also reviewed (criticized) me every 30 days. My job is clicking — and keeping me unhealthily busy — and I even attended the 401K Day enrollment session. It’s such a great thought, saving money for retirement… not.

2. The weather. The month. The seasons. We are now four days into the best month of the year. The weather is such that I can drive with my windows down and get kind of a chill. It’s beautiful.

3. The close of the two-year search for bubble tea in Nashville. Yes friends, bubble tea does indeed exist in this city… even if it is in an alley (within an alley) and even if it is in an upscale “fusion” restaurant across from a strip club, and even if it is only sold on Fridays and Saturdays (when she remembers to cook the bubbles). It’s here.

4. As mentioned earlier, I got my Tennessee license on Friday. That was a little bit sad, but I braved the big bad DMV all by myself and felt better for it at the end of the day. Emissions test and Tennessee registration will follow shortly. This is a big, big deal, mostly because it’s so intimidating. Oh, and I have to get a car insurance plan and all that amazing nonsense that comes with adulthood.

5. I’m reading through the Bible with a handful of people at Mosaic through the next 12 weeks, and even as I’ve started the first three days, I’ve been floored — this is the first time in my (nearly) twenty years and half-dozen times through the Bible that I have read through scripture and struggled with the absurdity, the illogicality, the outrageousness of it all. This is the first time it has seemed bizarre to me that Eve was formed out of a spare rib (har har), and I’m not sure what to make of that. I’ll keep reading.

6. Birthday coming up, of course… so that’s weird. I usually let those float on by, biding my time until I catch up with myself. I’m not so sure that I really like birthdays.

7. The Crocodile Hunter died.
This is seriously like finding out there’s no Santa. He was invincible.

8. Realizations and readings over the past months have been interesting, painful, good, insightful, hard… I never focus my attention 100% on anything, but I’m afraid to become that crazy person who carries a notebook and writes everything. Would that be better than carrying all these lists in my head?

9. I’m sort of drifting away from the rites of passage theme (which is a figurative rite of passage in itself, but one I may choose to explain at a later date), so I’ll end on this note — 101 Things in 1001 Days.
I’m working on my list.

note to readers: i did not get fired. please reread. note to Jess, my cohort in crime at my place of employment: hello.