(aka things I was reminded of lately, in no particular order, in lieu of being original on a busy Monday)

1. Trying to break apart (then-brand-new) twonies on the streets of Midtown Manhattan with R^4 before heading to our cockroachy hotel room with broken door locks. (March, 1996)

2. Taking the bus to Plant Bath with C and her telling me all about tampons (she was/is two years older), which she was determined to use, even though she hadn’t mastered them. To 11-year-old me, it all seemed very sophisticated, mysterious, and terrifying. (Winter 1988)

3. I and J relenting and letting me play with them, even though I was a girl and four years younger. I was allowed to play Princess Leia. (Summer 1982 or 83)

4. Jumping up and down and screaming in the loos at the Louvre with M, R, and J, because we had already been there for hours and knew/cared nothing about art. (May 1991)

5. Facing down some obnoxious kids in Hampton Park where R and J were attempting to help me learn to cross-country ski. This was the only time a stranger ever called me fat. I was not. It stung a lot. (Winter 1993)

6. Playing Trivial Pursuit in a youth hostel in Kyleakin, Skye after the (only) pub had closed. It was an international edition, with representatives from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and Canada. There was still light on the horizon at midnight. (Summer 1999)

7. Winning the Schoolreach/Reach for the Top regional championship on a tiebreak and seeing the only girl on the opposing team (previous National Champions) burst into tears and finding that both shocking and funny. (I wasn’t normally a mean girl.) (April 1996)

8. Walking under the arch on Lyon Street to meet my dad at his office for a ‘grown-up’ lunch with him at Yesterday’s. My food came in a wicker basket lined with wax paper. (Winter 1982)