Wiggleston and Jenny McCarthy

Friday and Saturday were full of extremes for me. Everywhere I went, I felt like family and I felt like a stranger. I felt supported and condemned. Excited and depressed. Among friends and alone.

I spent Friday prepping the house for the next day. I mowed the lawn, cleaned up the house, and unloaded the rented tables and chairs while Toners and co. were at his recognition ceremony. Upon their return, we all prepped egg casserole for the next morning. It was a simple task, but it occurred to me that it seemed like something my family is incapable of. We seldom seem able to work together without somebody/everybody getting pissed off. I wish that weren't the case. Teamwork prevailed again the next morning for the final clean up and set up. Again, I was amazed.

We went out to dinner Friday evening with everybody and their families. I've always found it very fun to see the families that people come from. I was particularly interested to meet Otter's family, but I ended up not talking to them very much, or any other "adults" for that matter. (On that note, I have no idea when I'll begin to think of myself as an adult. Probably not until I'm at least 30.) I was assumed to be Toners' brother by two other people. This was a fair assumption since I was there with Toners' family and Toners and I have very similar mannerisms. Still, it annoyed me on a couple of accounts. It made me feel like an ancillary character in the whole event, which was harsh considering that I knew how things could have been that weekend had I not fucked everything up for the past two years. The second problem I had with this mistaken identity was that last semester I had given my student ID to my brother to get him into a football game while I had taken Toners. The usher immediately knew the face on the card wasn't me. I don't get it.

That night, I went out to Finnie's with Yardbird, his brother, and Carita. To be honest, I didn't have much fun. There were surprisingly few people there that I knew and I guess I just wasn't in the mood. We went to Nick's Patio later and met up with Katherine and Bethany (fellow chemical engineers). I was glad to see them one last time. We aren't more than casual friends, but they are among few of my classmates that I don't feel judged by.

The next day was the big brunch. We had a bunch of friends, families, food, booze, and a clown named Wiggleston. The whole thing was rather ridiculous, in a very good way. We got our faces painted, Tay-tay got drunk and flirted with the clown , and everybody seemed to have a good time. At some point, Toners and I were talking to Yardbird's brother who expressed that his family and all sympathized when they heard I had left school and were all very happy to hear I'd be returning. To that, Tony responded that his dad (P-dawg) had told him that he "better not pull that shit." This was somewhat harsh to hear, especially considering how P-dawg had made a point of being supportive and extending a hand if I needed it. It makes me wonder what everyone really thinks of me. In the end, I don't know why I even care.

I gave Toners an autographed copy of Jenny McCarthy's Surfin' Safari for his graduation. Jenny happened to be a TA in his preschool class. I even had a little speech about her being the alpha and omega of his Catholic education. I'm pretty proud of myself for that find.

Later that evening I went to Aitch's apartment for the BP family party. Seeing the girls with their parents pretty much made my night. A particular highlight was watching Aitch and her dad walk by with the same gait and Aitch struggling to keep up with the longer-limbed man as she yelled directions to the airport. Seeing the resemblance between Bruges and her mother was also very entertaining. Not only do they look alike and sound alike, but they move their hands in the same ways when they speak, laugh at themselves in the same way, and even complain in the same way. As much fun as it was, it was also the most awkward part of the weekend. Dads talked to dads and moms talked to moms about their daughters' pasts and futures and I didn't really fit in to any of it. I was particularly uncomfortable talking to Colleen's parents. Everything started out fine, but as we talked they realized I was the "O'Malley" their daughter had talked about. Suddenly I was being told that I had been having too much fun at school and that I really had to focus when I went back. I've had people supportively tell me to keep my head on straight and stay focused, but this seemed like an all out condemnation. They were being awfully audacious and it really put me off. Once again, I don't know why I care. On a more amusing related note, just about everyone there knew me as O'Malley. I would introduce myself to parents by my first name and make small talk for a few minutes before they realized I was O'Malley and then suddenly I'd find out that they'd heard all about me. It was very strange. Finally I said my goodbyes and left. My last hugs to Aitch and Bruges were some of the hardest I've made.