Croquet in America

During the 1860s croquet swept across the Atlantic into America, where it was immediately embraced by most as a truly elegant and fasioinable sport and, above all, a great civilizer. The New York periodical Galaxy declared in 1867 that "croquet is an essentially social game, provocative of good humour, wit and fellowship, one in which old men foreget their gout, young ones their bills unpaid; in which old ladies trip gayly across the sod in the chase of an 'enemy'...in which the young ones blend duty and enjoyment so evenly that health blooms in their cheeks, lustre in their eyes, and renewed life throbs in every elastic step." One manual of croquet went even further, claiming that croquet was "a protection from evil influences by keeping all members in the household ranks ... [since] with rational amusements at home, no-one will be inclined to seek irrational ones abroad." Yet not all were so enamoured. In 1878, the American Christian Review listed the inevtable disasterous consequences of social activities such as croquet (see diagram). In 1867, the Commissioners of New York's Central Park made a generous exception to their normal prohibition of active adult sports. Splendidly, they allowed young girls to play croquet in secluded areas--away from main thoroughfares--on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.


a social party
social & party play
croquet party
picnic & croquet party
picnic, croquet, & dance
absence from church
imprudent or immoral conduct
exclusion from the church
a runaway match
poverty & discontent
shame & disgrace
ruin


- Ben Schott, Schott's Sporting, Gaming, and Idling Miscellany

Let's see, let's see.

If you read between the lines of Evan's last post you may conclude that Silver Bay is the best place in the world. This is good, because it's the truth. I like convincing other people of this. Maybe you should stop by when I'm there in August, huh?

My brain is all funny. I keep getting all teary-eyed at emotional-but-not-sad things. And I had horrible dreams last night! The delightful sanatorium of the farmhouse turned into an enormous luxury hotel with metal and marble, but also a real sanatorium in which people were dying and we all sat around watching the news. And then some of you were in a bumper-car pileup and needed rescuing. Oh hormones. I'm going to be such a neurotic mom.
But yesterday I finally ordered a bridesmaid's dress and shoes for my cousin's wedding. Both on sale but unmarked so it was a surprise! Happy happy. Strappy happy shoes. I am already thinking of ways to alter the dress after the wedding so it looks less I-do-y and more cocktail-y.
Next week I get to see my old roommate Cory and then my mom, and after that.... well, New Orleans, hopefully, but we're still working on that.

The guy at the computer behind me is snoring. It mixes with the whirring of the microfiche machines and the clicking of people typing and the occasional giggle from everyone else around and the intermittant snick...snick...snick... of the librarian's stapler.

Traveling was great. As always, spending time with Laura was wonderful, and it gives me consolation to know that her extended family is as semi-logically nit-picky towards her as she is towards me--in the cosmic scheme, she gets what she gives. The two-days-and-change that I spent up at Silver Bay involved much hiking, attempts at water-skiing, a nighttime kayak-run (one of my favorite things to do in the world), some pell-mell post-midnight back-country driving, a solo stay at the Simko/Bednarski Farmhouse for a night (spooky), and meeting/re-meeting some of laura's extended family, who are all absolutely fantastic people. I was thrilled to be among them.

The pell-mell back-country driving finally did-in a wounded intake hose on the volvo, however, and though it drives it does so slowly and it hiccups occasionally. This lead to my missing my dentist appointment in NJ this morning, and will cost me time and money to repair... I think it's too far gone to patch it up with JB weld again. so, alas, cant get back up to silver bay before laura leaves.

That said, I want to go hiking nearby (up on the Hudson) some time this weekend. Maybe Sunday? everyone is invited... Please please please comment on this post if you'd be interested in making that happen. Also, in a few days when the parts come, anyone wanna get greasy and wrench around the Volvo with me?

Love
-E

oregon bike trail

here's a link to the Blog for Shira and Jessalee's bike trip blog
http://oregonbiketrail.blogspot.com/
{ev, maybe you could post that over to the right, i dont think i have permission}
also i heard gabe got snowed on a few days ago, and aaron is heading to chicago in a few days

living the dream

Well, I got a job. For a week. But i'm living the dream...
First, I'm working for a guild. This tickled Gabe's tiddlywinks, and maybe yours too {esp. if you are at all familiar with fantasy rpgs}.
But also the wesleyan dream - the guild i am working for is the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, specifically for the Baltimore Sun {where my dad works} section; they are in the middle of negotiations with the Tribune company that owns the paper. So today I, among other things, made some signs for a rally we are having tomorrow outside the paper.* I'm working for a union, organizing shit, helping out where neccessary. Right now we are waiting for a bulliten to get finished so we can print a bunch of them, package, and distribute. yea! it's only for a week, but this is hopefully the final week of negotiations, setting things early-like so no one gets too jumpy or ramps up too much effort in preparation for a possible strike. Anyway, at least for a few days i'll be living the wesleyan dream. speaking of gabe, i talked to him the other day, said it snowed on him the day before. ha ha (ha ha (haha)). but seriously im just killing time now, my boss?/coworker? is checking out news items, like how much CEOs are getting paid [salary+bonus+stockoptions=fuckingridiculous] so im going to stop typing before i ramble on too long.
I'm still in b-more, just chillin, hanging with my bro, etc.
~A

*note that in my time at wesleyan, i attended one protest, in greenwich, protesting bush at some fundraising dinner.

Traveling

So on Sunday (maybe Saturday night) I fire up the volvo again and head upstate. Plan is to stay a night at the farmhouse, then see Laura at lake george, hopefully swing over to Micah's, also coax Gavin out of hiding... If anyone wants a ride upstate, will be around, or can lend a radar detector, let me know.

My news: I don't have tuberculosis! But now I'm on an antibiotic that kills, among other things (such as syphillis and "skin"--this one concerns me), legionella and mycoplasma, which is what Evan had. My doctor sounds like Ben Stein and thinks I'm "stoic."

So now that it's less hypocritical for me to say so: Yo, those of you who are still coughing. Get thee to a physic.


Miss you all.

What Evan didn't mention is that we had a beer while listening to an hour and a half of the best karaoke that Secaucus, NJ had to offer ("Before He Cheats", "Baby Got Back", "Stayin' Alive" by a woman in a full-body pink snakeskin outfit).
My update is that I am still in New Jersey. Today we were shephered through Port Authority and on the 7 train on the way to a Mets game in a pretty embarassing group of thirty 20-year-olds in matching "Buck Consultants University" tee shirts. Earlier, we spent a lot of time going over the results of a personality test I rushed through while sitting in the minivan in Cooperstown. Turns out I'm high in "blue".
I miss you guys. What have you all been up to?

Just had a beer with Meg. She's in Secaucus at a convention center, being trained as an actuary. I don't know what actuaries do. I assume they actuate. which makes the actuators. which is awesome. Meg is learning how to be a mechanical device for moving or controlling a mechanism or system.
After that I came home and watched more of the Battlestar Galactica that I ganked from the network before graduation.
Other highlights of this Monday include discussing my financial future with my parents over a(n earlier) beer.

goddamn my sleep cycle is off.