I think grad school appealed to me for three reasons: first, it was financially feasible, IWC had been so much fun, why not go for more, and thirdly, I enjoyed academia and I was in a groove. The M.A.R. degree I earned never really netted much more than an added line on my resume and an academic hood. But like all tough things, it was worth it in intangible ways.
And like all tough things, you don't go through it alone. My peeps were Jan who I mentioned in an earlier post, the Calhoun boys, Steve and Tom, Eddie Valverde, and Joann.
Me in my Denver years lighting up. Notice, too that I am wearing a ball cap, a brief nod to that sartorial tool. Me and caps just don't really work together.
This is Eddie Valverde. Eddie was one of the most congenial, funny, and fun-to-be-around buddies I've had. You Spanish language aficionados will immediately recognize that Val - Verde translates to green valley. You can also see in this picture my trusty electric typewriter I got for Christmas one year in college. I can't say enough good things about it. I sure put it through its paces through the years and recall its keys started sticking and became untracked. It started making more mistakes on its own than I was making typing so I had to say goodbye. But in its day it was an awesome partner in my studies.
Eddie probably making a call to one of his ladies. He had them spread all over campus and usually could line one up with a call. He lined me up with a young Filipino coed who could barely speak English once and that is a story that needs telling someday, but not today.
That's Jan on the left and one of her friends who I can't remember at the moment.
This was taken at Jan's apartment. It was always neat as a pin and if I ever come across a picture of my dorm room I'll post it. Needless to say it wasn't always neat. But my roomie, Gary, was kind of a neat freak so he picked things up a lot.
My posse also included JoAnn who was a great buddy my first semester in Denver. As you can tell in this picture she was a lot of fun, too, and after Christmas break I decided I was going to propose we advance the friendship to something more serious. I worked up the courage and on the flight back I practiced my little presentation. She picked me up at Stapleton and took me back to the room where I proceeded to make my entreaty, so to speak. It was then she informed me I wasn't her "type". Boy, I sure didn't see that coming.
We drifted apart after that and I met Jan and seemed to be on more solid footing. The friends we make along the way are the most important. They help us, immeasurably, navigate the treacherous waters of newness, of fear, of loneliness, and uncharted hazards in the stream. Eddie, Jan, JoAnn, and the Calhoun boys played their part and helped me survive a long way from home. I can't thank them enough.
I have some more on those grad school days in Denver and will post them one of these Fridays.
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