Maggie's 35x365

Playing Catch Up

2008-07-28T16:59:00.001-07:00

Yes, I'm playing catch up here, little by little.

149/365 Todd

2008-04-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

It didn’t occur to me until circumstances later that the building where Todd lived was for those who were not right. Still, it was the most casual of flings and probably one of the sanest.

148/365 Bridget

2008-04-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

One night at a sleepover, Bridget started telling jokes and kept telling them and telling them. When I woke up, she still had more to tell. So impressive, even if her family was pretty odd.

147/365 Marc

2008-04-09T16:36:00.000-07:00

Of all those misplaced with years, I’d love to find Marc. Popcorn, beer, movies, gum, walking, darkness, snowfall, billiards, flirting without sex. Always picked up where we left off. Really hope he is happy, well.

146/365 Julie B

2008-04-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

Julie’s crazy life on the street fascinated me, but she also made me giggle every time she referred to women and men as the difference between those with innies and those with outties. Funny girl.

145/365 Mike Mc

2008-04-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

Mike was a lesson I learned around age 16. Just mention of his name is still like an instant emote button to those most hurt, and I can’t blame them. Me? I’ve made my peace.

144/365 Crystal

2008-04-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

Crystal had the longest red hair and several false starts at a new way of life, but she kept trying, and last I knew, she was making it. Hope that’s still the case even today.

143/365 Joe M

2008-04-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

Joe was one of “the boys” we were crazy about and probably the cutest one. His mother, though, would rip you a new one for riding your bike in traffic just to see her son.

142/365 R

2008-04-04T12:45:00.000-07:00

I was 16; R was 34. I still feel bad he drank after the breakup and hope time has healed him. All along, though, he was responsible for his actions. He was (supposedly) the adult.

141/365 Jessica

2008-04-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

I understand now that her family was screwed up, but I was actually scared when Jessica accused me of stealing her leather jacket. I had no business running with that crowd. Hope she found peace.

140/365 Allison

2008-04-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

Allison lived down the lane but was a year older. I always thought she was cool though we didn’t even know each other. I love her name and think of her whenever I hear it.

139/365 Julie B

2008-04-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Julie was short like me but a few pounds heavier, which is probably where she stored all the feisty and phrases like innies and outies for girls and boys. Streets to recovery; hoping she’s well.

138/365 Marc K

2008-03-31T12:04:00.000-07:00

I still wonder about Marc, and it makes me so sad we lost touch after so many years of always picking up our friendship after years apart. Hope he is happy. He deserves the best.

137/365 Mrs. B

2008-03-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

Mrs. B demanded responsibility from students in the last year or two of high school. No nagging homework reminders, she treated students like adults and thus taught us about real life, not just her subject.

136/365 Mrs. W

2008-03-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

I didn’t have Mrs. W as a classroom teacher, just our group teacher at 6^th grade Outdoor Ed. She told some joke, but I never remembered more than the silly punchline “hiss in the pit.”

135/365 Carol

2008-03-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

Carol wore the most god-awful perfume that reminded me of pee. In a different environment, we might have gotten along instead of her having an air of superiority. We shared an interest in different places.

134/365 Keith B

2008-03-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

I met Keith in kindergarten, ran in different enough circles that I didn’t remember us at the same high school until the advent of myspace, where it turns out we still run in different circles.

133/365 Ko-San

2008-03-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

Ko-san from China but living in Japan visited the US on business with my old Japanese boyfriend, and as the sake flowed by Chinese customs, there was no language barrier. Ko-san was an absolute hoot!

132/365 Bethy

2008-03-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

I learned a bittersweet lesson from Bethy. Some friends can’t be trusted to be there when your world collapses, even if she is fun. Expecting more than one is capable of is useless and heartbreaking.

131/365 Paula P-ski

2008-03-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

Paula was a cute faced girl with a bit of a chip on her shoulder, though I don’t remember quite why. Our junior high homeroom doubled as our lunchroom, so we ate lunch together daily.

130/365 Victor

2008-03-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

Oh, my. I was 14, staying at a hotel with family, allowed to wander, and Victor was much older. Drinks in his room and then icky. Back then jailbait was just kind of a joke.

129/365 Lisa L

2008-03-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

I owe an apology to Lisa L for putting her in such an uncomfortable situation. I don’t know why a good girl like her even hung around bad kid like me. Sorry about the police.

128/365 John T

2008-03-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

JT lives large in so many ways (body, mouth, spirit, toys) and is always going 90 miles an hour, grabbing success by the balls along the way and somehow making it obey. Because he’s him.

127/365 Sabala

2008-03-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

We met shortly after I moved in while I was heading out. Sabala invited me in for homemade Ethiopian food when I commented about yummy spicy smells. It was awesome, but now we just wave.

126/365 Suzanna

2008-03-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

I still wonder sometimes how things turned out for big smiling Suzanna from Namibia. The stories she told of daily death and fighting for independence made me think of how much Americans take for granted.

125/365 Marie A

2008-03-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

I feel really bad now. Turns out that some people smell bad for medical reasons, but as kids, we really didn’t know, and my friend Marie and family smelled bad. Our families were still friends.

124/365 Al

2008-03-17T10:15:00.001-07:00

Al was just a good guy turning his life around, and he was always very kind to me, interested in me, my life. He was the first person I knew with an actual cell phone.

123/365 Mr. C

2008-03-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

Mr. C was a super popular teacher, and for good reason. He was hot but also funny and caring. He was genuinely concerned at my and my friend’s lack of respect for walking across traffic.

122/365 M

2008-03-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

M is the person I admire, look up to, respect and is absolutely my favorite person, but I’m pretty sure she thinks I’m flaky or generally dislikes me. Nothing hurts me more than believing that.

121/365 Mrs. J

2008-03-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

Mrs. J was interested in me, wanted to know more about my story, actually had me write down for her all about who I’d become by the time I knew it all at around 17.

120/365 Dave

2008-03-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

D is one of those guys whose mind runs 90 miles an hour faster than his mouth so that many of the important details all blur together in a jumbled mess. He’s nice; it’s forgivable.

119/365 Brenda

2008-03-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

During darkest days in my life, I helped Brenda through some of her own. Just remembering Scrabble and tea and George Winston in Brenda’s dad’s kitchen is calming. Hope we’ll get back in touch again.

118/365 Nick

2008-03-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

As if my acting like a whore was any of his business, Nick stuck his nose in business where it didn’t belong and gossiped like a junior high school girl. I’m better now. Is he?

117/365 Mr. B

2008-03-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

I still remember creepy Mr. B from first grade promising if we were well-behaved, there’d be a bag of candy at end of year. We were; there wasn’t. Sadly learned even teachers can lie. Asshat.

116/365 Bob/Muff

2008-03-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

Such an unfortunate nickname, given after a 5^th Step gone astray, Bob forever became known as “Muff.” Always in the middle of all the action, Mr. Excellent Service Work Example would have been more fitting.

115/365 Mike L

2008-03-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

I knew Mike from kindergarten forward, and he was always one of those really smart and well-adjusted kids that wanted nothing to do with kids like me. We had nothing in common. Nothing at all.

114/365 Rhonda (no, different Rhonda)

2008-03-07T12:03:00.000-08:00

I can’t help but wonder if Rhonda would have turned out OK had she stayed on the meds prescribed instead of taking the word of the know it all freaks practicing medicine without a license.

113/365 Jeff R

2008-03-06T14:39:00.000-08:00

I don’t really get why, but I developed such a crush on my best friend’s brother, Jeff, that giggly summer I spent in Texas when I was 12, holding on tight going down the waterslide.

112/365 Dr. H

2008-03-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

Dr. H taught us the art of public speaking, and I’ll always remember her creative impromptu exercise: $0.25 each, put in a jar, awarded to most persuasive. I lost to the quarter returner, somewhat unfairly…

111/365 Harry Carry

2008-03-04T14:31:00.000-08:00

At the Chicago Cub’s Convention back in 1980-something, I stepped into an elevator, looked up, and about fainted. Right there, the real deal, in the flesh. Harry Carry. Take me out to the ballgame, indeed.

110/365 Steve B #2

2008-03-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

Steve was often chatty, sometimes intense and always an open book, was deeply in love with his family, appreciative of every blessing and just a great dad and husband. Sadly, he died entirely too young.

109/365 Dan

2008-03-02T00:06:00.000-08:00

I vaguely remember that I really, really, really had a crush on Dan in junior high, but for the life of me, I don’t quite know why because looking back it seems kind of random.

108/365 Larry

2008-03-01T00:04:00.000-08:00

Down the street lived Larry, the babysitter, back when it was awkward for grown ups to know what to do with the kind of information I told them but quickly retracted. I remember. I forgive.

107/365 Kathie

2008-02-29T11:59:00.000-08:00

Kathie was a super tall, mostly super nice closet night-time only smoker. She was one of the bright spots who was often harried and crazy but also just genuinely nice and not just to me.

106/365 Pam

2008-02-28T11:56:00.000-08:00

PB was one of those who could alternately be complete bitch or best friend oozing friendly. If there had been a way to know who you’d get any given day, it would have been OK.

105/365 Mr. F

2008-02-27T22:55:00.001-08:00

Mr. F was a cool and quirky math teacher who wore a bowtie, introduced us to Calc, and even if he wasn’t one of the more popular teachers, he was generally likeable, and that’s plenty.

104/365 Kiyomi

2008-02-26T22:47:00.000-08:00

Beautiful little Kiyomi was just four when her doting daddy went to heaven, but I hope she still remembers him somehow and is able to draw strength from his love because it was just beautiful.

103/365 Gina

2008-02-25T22:20:00.000-08:00

Purple Kool-Aid mixed with vodka, that’s what I remember most about Gina. That and her face resembling a Barbie doll. Looking back, I see now that our home lives were actually quite a bit different.

102/365 Mrs. L

2008-02-24T22:27:00.000-08:00

Somewhat quirky with odd little tics, I remember Mrs. L teaching us about the concept of juxtaposition at the start of The Scarlet Letter. Hopefully she’s enjoying a nice retirement after teaching many great lessons.

101/365 Mike's Uncle

2008-02-23T22:21:00.000-08:00

I can’t even remember his gross name, but he’ll always just be Mike’s uncle, anyway, the creep with the first real gun I ever saw and an attraction to 16 year old run away girls.

100/365 Brandi

2008-02-22T22:18:00.000-08:00

So pretty, but appearing so very empty, Brandi was the queen, the wife of “the leader” in the mini-cult. Well, until we all found out that among other lies, they weren’t actually even really married.

99/365 RS

2008-02-21T09:10:00.000-08:00

My concept of “neighbors” started with sweet RS who could always be counted on to loan a cup of sugar and who reminded me to look both ways as I carried it across the street.

98/365 FI

2008-02-20T22:16:00.001-08:00

FI became a favorite professor once I decided to stick with Japanese. I know there was some bad blood between her and my college, but it was odd she didn’t respond even for reference requests.

97/365 Mike

2008-02-19T12:11:00.000-08:00

My mom had such a blast with crazy young co-workers like Mike. He was so much fun that even if there are party pictures, the stories cannot be told publicly. Protecting the innocent, and all.

96/365 Joni

2008-02-18T12:08:00.000-08:00

Joni (said like “Johnny”) was a tall and strong woman with a little boy’s name. She had beautiful long red hair that was always neat and well-kept, and she was just good people, all class.

95/365 Wayne B

2008-02-17T03:01:00.000-08:00

Cult leaders are usually real pricks, and Wayne was definitely both, convincing those seeking that he had their answer right there in his fluff and bullshit and that we non-believers, the non-Wayne-abees, were the nutcakes.

94/365 Billy

2008-02-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

Billy was a twin. Their mom died when we were in elementary school. In my young mind, twins and a dead parent were oddities. Today, older, my heart breaks for their widower daddy of two.

93/365 Dr. C (the good one)

2008-02-15T11:47:00.000-08:00

Too bad Dr. C is only my “girl part doctor” instead of primary physician. She asked questions, listened, and put the tragic details in the chart saying I could stop recounting the sadness every visit.

92/365 Mrs. M

2008-02-14T11:42:00.000-08:00

Mrs. M drove me to Sunday School at the church I now think is nuts, but she was sweet, smart and progressive enough to believe in the seat belt when so few did circa 1978.

91/365 Palm Reader at Hong Kong Harbour

2008-02-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

A palm reader on an early morning walk along the beautiful Hong Kong Harbour will swindle you just the same as any scam artist by any name in any country. Didn’t bother getting her name…

90/365 Kelly

2008-02-12T14:24:00.000-08:00

I learned about taking people at face value from Kelly. It hurt, but I learned that just because I think someone is cool or a good person, it doesn’t necessarily make the person my friend.

89/365 Jennifer C

2008-02-11T11:18:00.000-08:00

Funny how people that seemed relevant in high school just aren’t anymore. I can’t remember anything about Jennifer C other than that she was one of the smart/popular kids that probably looked down on me.

88/365 A

2008-02-10T14:47:00.000-08:00

In college when A was born, I feel older than hell that he’s almost 17 now. Such a cute kid transforming into a really good guy, and it makes me proud to be his aunt.

87/365 M

2008-02-09T11:52:00.000-08:00

I became an aunt when M was born, and we share a connection with awkward childhoods. Among the many reasons I love him, he saves mice that would have become snake food. Such wonderful compassion.

86/365 Connie

2008-02-08T14:40:00.000-08:00

Nice Connie just dropped off the face of the earth one day, I noticed when I called to chat. Somehow her collectors had my name, but apparently they weren’t able to locate her either. Creepy.

85/365 Dr. N

2008-02-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

There are no “bad students” if capable of learning, interested enough to pay student loans for 10 years after college. In exchange, there are bad professors like Dr. N. who can’t translate their vast knowledge.

84/365 Tracy

2008-02-06T14:33:00.000-08:00

I knew Tracy so many years ago that it’s hard to even remember the exact circumstances that made me finally, at long last, fight back so deservedly with my metal lunch box against her head.

83/365 IG

2008-02-05T08:51:00.000-08:00

It’s almost sad about IG because I would have so many simply fun memories of times we shared instead of now tarnished memories because of his odd and inappropriate actions and comments as an adult.

82/365 Mick A

2008-02-04T21:40:00.000-08:00

I’m glad my path crossed with Mick’s because even if I didn’t get to know him very well, I knew enough to recognize that he was a quality human being, one of the good guys.

81/365 Aaron

2008-02-03T21:33:00.000-08:00

Some people get one best friend in life who is there through thick and thin, no matter what and close enough to count as family, and I’m thankful that Aaron is that friend to mine.

80/365 Maggie

2008-02-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

One street over, in a house with the same floorplan as mine, lived another Maggie, and she was the first person I knew with my name. Wonder how many other Maggies she’s met by now.

79/365 Hiroyuki

2008-02-01T01:17:00.001-08:00

So many maybes I had with Hiroyuki, but instead it turned into a friendship where we meet when he’s in the US on business, and we drink sake and eat on the company’s 10 yen.

78/365 Chie

2008-01-31T23:11:00.000-08:00

Smaller than even me, tiny Chie greeted me in Japan, and we couldn’t carry my bag. We became friends, but eventually the ocean between us became too big, and we lost touch. I miss her.

77/365 January

2008-01-30T01:31:00.000-08:00

January put the quirk in quirky, doing her mailroom thing and humming odd little tunes as she went. For unexplained reasons, I always suspected unhappiness lurking beneath the hum, but I hope I was wrong.

76/365 Corinne

2008-01-29T09:07:00.000-08:00

Super sweet but just a little too religious for the likes of someone like me who allows myself to watch rated R movies. It’s a shame we lost touch because Corinne was such good folk.

75/365 Collette

2008-01-28T09:03:00.000-08:00

I met Collette in pre-school, circa age 3, and never saw her beyond that, but I never forgot her beautiful long hair that I envied, and I her name still sounds so classy to me.

74/365 Mr. D

2008-01-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

The idea that I’m typing with both hands instead of hunting and pecking and could word process before the new-fangled computers is thanks to Mr. D who taught me more useful skills than college did.

73/365 Mr. K

2008-01-26T17:11:00.001-08:00

Mr. K was my first chemistry teacher, but he couldn’t quite bridge that gap for non-scientific me. Still, he let me bring coffee to class, so it’s really not like he wasn’t a good guy.

72/365 Misa

2008-01-25T23:07:00.000-08:00

Misa insists on speaking Japanese while I speak English, though her English has become far better than my Japanese. She’s a strong young widow mother of precious cuties, an inspiration who doesn’t mean to be.

71/365 Dani

2008-01-24T00:22:00.000-08:00

Rugged, but still so pretty, Dani could parrot the words, but kept slipping back into a life she said she didn’t want. I do hope that she eventually made it out of her own hell.

70/365 Beauty Queen

2008-01-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

Beauty Queen in study hall was so polished and pageant pretty perfect looking that I wondered if she competed or just walked around looking put together beautiful for no reason. I never knew her name.

69/365 Cheryl

2008-01-22T08:06:00.000-08:00

My second mom, Cheryl, became very good friends with my mom sharing crazy times, and I do wish we were closer because I know that my mom lives on in her in so many ways.

68/365 Meg

2008-01-21T01:03:00.000-08:00

I always thought Meg was one of the smart and popular crowd because she always hung out with them in 6^th through 12^th, but adult Meg’s myspace seems to indicate otherwise. Grown-ups can be funny.

67/365 Kathleen

2008-01-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

Another grown woman who loves Hello Kitty, wine, cats and cooking. I do wish we’d gotten around to hanging out like we kept saying we were going to because it would have been really fun.

66/365 Mameaw

2008-01-19T22:56:00.000-08:00

When we went to the mall in 6^th grade, unbeknownst to me until we were in my mom’s car, sneaky little Mameaw had half the mall under her shirt and in her thieving little pockets.

65/365 Heather B

2008-01-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

Why Heather chose my bedroom window for her runaway antics is beyond me, but we spent the day ditching school and being 13 years old enough to avoid the cops, and then she went home.

64/365 Mr. G

2008-01-17T10:46:00.000-08:00

Shop class with the stoners was as expected, but shower phobic Mr. G rounded out the experience with bits of sawdust clinging fearfully to his greasy hair during sound and smell of saws cutting wood.

63/365 Sue

2008-01-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

When my mom was dying and I though I needed to do step work, wonderful sponsor Sue wisely advised me to let the situation at hand teach me more than any step work ever could.

62/365 Randy

2008-01-15T16:37:00.000-08:00

When he was on his meds and not acting like a rabid evangelist, Randy was a really decent and likeable guy, who sometimes decided he was bigger than his mental illness and stopped his meds.

61/365 Mr. M

2008-01-14T09:12:00.000-08:00

Every morning in high school, a nameless but super friendly teacher greeted everyone, and it mattered. My yearbook advises that he’s Mr. M who the Special Ed kids were lucky enough to call their teacher.

60/365 Joanie

2008-01-13T10:18:00.000-08:00

Joanie was very old and quite a bit crazy when I met her, and not much about her ever really changed. She added flavor and fun, even if the crazy part was kind of sad.

59/365 Michelle C

2008-01-12T09:55:00.000-08:00

Michelle ran in different circles, and I don’t recall if we ever even talked at all, but I just remember her as being loud and happy, kind of like how I grew up to be.

58/365 Jeff L

2008-01-11T12:51:00.000-08:00

On the sidewalk in my hometown it read “Jeff loves Mago” where Jeff ran out of spray-paint on that second “g” in Maggie. Wonder if it’s still there now and hope Jeff grew up happy.

57/365 Gary (or something)

2008-01-10T09:42:00.001-08:00

I wanted him to be Ray; it was close enough, but I think his name was Gary (or something). We shared fun and crazy times at the church thing being un-church-like, and nobody got hurt.

56/365 Danielle

2008-01-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

Danielle and I’ve spent the last 25 years or so promising then mostly failing to keep in decent touch, even when winding up within hours of each other on the other side of the country.

55/365 Jim

2008-01-08T09:34:00.000-08:00

Certain job positions seem to create abrupt people that co-workers hate having to call, but Jim was always polite and pleasant, even if others in his position used it as an excuse to be rude.

54/365 Connie

2008-01-07T23:27:00.000-08:00

Super cool Connie by another screen name, who I’ve only met online, is just one of those people with obviously just the right mix of smart, caring, fun. We’d be friends in person for sure.

53/365 Mr. A

2008-01-06T20:19:00.000-08:00

When I was so lost and trying to destroy myself junior high young Mr. A believed in me, and I didn’t say it then, probably denied it, but it mattered, and I wish he knew.

52/365 The F's

2008-01-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

Brother, sister, and more? The F’s were older than dirt deadbeats who owned half the derelict side of another town yet had a mansion bearing their name. Why end the family legacy in that way?

51/365 DH

2008-01-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

It’s amazing how someone can be such a genuinely caring person and so much fun outside of work yet so unbearably anal, vindictive and hypocritical in the office. DH perfected this complete contradiction of character.