bironic

I took a gymnastics class once when I was little; a short-term Saturday morning sort of thing. I have three flash-memories of it.

One is of arching back, possibly with help, to do a... bridge, I think it was called. Facing up, feet and hands on the ground.

One is of noticing dirt under my toenails. Maybe under tights.

And the last is of changing before or after, and getting my pants stuck on my shoe (which I had left on) as I tried to pull them on or off. I thought of this for years and years anytime people made jokes about not taking your shoes off before your pants.

I am, The Weather Channel tells me, witnessing what will be a hundred-year record snowfall here in D.C., although a foot is still less than what's fallen in Boston and on Long Island many winters in my lifetime, including the year we had early school dismissals and I lost Peter David's DS9 paperback in the ice on the front lawn for a few days. Last night on the way home I passed three spinout accidents on the highway and one moron going the wrong way in the right lane; and when I tried to pick up some supplies at the supermarket at 11 p.m., the lines were so long I just came home instead.

Now, safe beneath my blanket, laptop warming my legs, while cars inch down the road below and bundled-up pedestrians pick their way along the sidewalks, I am content, and remembering.

Let's start Memoryfest early this year.

For new friends: This is something I started in 2006 where I post a random memory each day (ish) for a month, and invite you all to read, comment, share your own memories, and above all, talk to each other. Some really wonderful discussions come out of seemingly inconsequential moments in our pasts. More thorough explanations and posted memories can be found in the indices to Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 (such as it was). Since last winter got skipped on account of grad school, this will technically be Year 4.

Day 1: Middle School

( 'Ivory' after school. )

Hope you're all safe and snug, wherever you are.