November 11: Sun Fountain

Given to Terry from Gloria.

Wouldn't it be amazing if fountain drinks
trickled out of this fountain?

Today, a steady stream of visitors were pulling into the house next door (sans girl) to my parents', peering in the windows of the house and garage and strolling in the backyard like some armchair anthropologist of the late-1800s. The neighbor's house went up for foreclosure earlier this summer, then the bank came and fixed it up, and now it's on the market. However, this wasn't just a one-way inspection. As I was helping my parents with window washing and some yard clean-up, I was inspecting their could-be neighbors.

Some leaned over the fence and asked what kind of neighborhood it was. "Overrun with camels," I replied. "You'd think we were in the bloody Sahara."

Some asked how the previous owners were. "Swingers," I said. "Unrivaled. World-class."

Some I just went up to and made conversation, such as asking them what their favorite hummus was, so I could go to Trader Joe's and buy it for them as their house-warming present. Or when I saw a car pull in, I went up to my brother's bedroom and started playing his trombone really loud (I have no trombone ability whatsoever) directly at the house.

Welcome future neighbor!

The antelope can also jump higher
than white men.

Terry
-Profession: Financial Aid Administrator; Higher Ed Catalyst

-Favorite time for a sunset: 9:00 p.m. EST in summer

-Do you have a preferred way of distributing financial aid packages?: Yes, 50% in grants, 25% in scholarships, 25% in parent/student burden, and 0% in loans (when possible).

-Tell me the order in which you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich: I put two pieces of oat bran bread side by side on the counter. I put peanut butter on both sides--not too much, but just enough and in equal amounts. I then put some, but not a lot of, strawberry jam on the left slice of bread. I will then flip the right slice on top of the left. Then I cut it in half.

-You enjoy camping. Know any campy camping jokes?: I can't remember any jokes except for this one: There's a breed of rare antelope that can jump higher than an average house. Their jumping is due to a set of powerful hind legs and also to the fact that houses can't jump.