There seemed to be an endless supply of comedic sketches due to an endless supply of material. While we loved laughing at each other's expense, you knew that every rotation would turn the dial your way. From the time that Abby awkwardly put her head on Kristen's shoulder during Freshman orientation - we learned how to laugh at ourselves.
Do you remember ... how about ... no, the best was ...
That time Kristen had so much trouble doing the bear crawl at practice.
That time Abby fell asleep during coach's pre-game speech.
'Get OUT!'
Bridget's stink eye.
Zoolander. (I was in Rome for that one.)
Kinnik's speed and everyone else missing their time.
The end line.
That time Meredith preached, 'who's coming with me?!"
And how we all felt the repercussions.
The hours some of us shared playing permanent connector as everyone else did drills.
Zoolander. (Still don't remember.)
Troop #702.
Mia's skyline Chili dip.
Kassen's brownies.
Pat, Barb, Ellen and Prudence.
That time I kicked the Harlem Globetrotters out of our house.
That time I kicked Julius Jones out of our house.
Zoolander. (Still in Rome.)
Fro-yo kegstands.
Regular kegstands.
That time that I went to bed.
That other time that I went to bed.
That time that Meredith woke me up.
Bad hair.
Little to no makeup.
Butch outfits.
The fact that no one cared because we were friends that only saw the inside.
By the time our tare was over, we would be crying in hysteria.
While the majority of the time was spent humorously rehashing the past, there were more reflective moments in our living room too - times to ponder the future. About life outside the bubble of our pristine campus; careers off the lacrosse field; the guys we would meet in bars other than Finnegans and restaurants other than Taco Bell; and new places to call home. We thought about five years down the road. It was nearly visible. We never had a ten year plan.
This past weekend, at Notre Dame's annual Reunion, my best friends and I celebrated ten years since we graduated from the classrooms, fields, weight rooms, dining halls, dive bars, slum housing, emerging technology, and sweat pants of college. Ten years seemed forever away in 2004. And no one would have guessed how cute the next generation of jokesters would turn out.
Inevitably, the four plus ten years of material produced more storytelling this weekend and we again found ourselves shedding tears of laughter.
But with the predictable came the unfamiliar as well: feeding little mouths before we fed ours, passing on a beer or two until later, wearing white, ordering from Politos at a more normal hour, embracing new found sophisticated palettes, finding more maternal ways to burn calories, and taking a more sober look at just how disgusting the Backer really is.
When I got home yesterday afternoon, I pulled the camera out again. Ten years ago, I hoped for something along the lines of what life has handed me today: a home as happy as the one that I was moving out of in 2004. In took the support of amazing friends to get here. And I will forever thank them for that.
To ten times ten more years of friendship, reunions, and memory-making.
Lo.
Smoked Baba Ganoush
Serves 10
Ingredients:
4 medium eggplants
8 garlic cloves, cut into thinner pieces
1/4 olive oil
1/2 cup tahini
Lemon, juiced
Salt
Directions:
Stud the eggplants with slices of garlic by cutting slits into the eggplant and stuffing the garlic pieces into them.
Light the coals on a grill. When hot, place the eggplants directly on the coals and place lid on the grill. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the eggplants are soft and tender and the outsides are charred. Remove from heat and let cool until able to handle with your hands.
Remove about 80% of the charred skin from the eggplant. It should easily peel away. Place remains of eggplants, including garlic which should still be there, in food processor along with oil oil, tahini, lemon juice and salt to taste. Blend till it becomes a smooth puree.
Serve with toasted naan, chicken kebobs, and Greek salad.
