Sylvia's Journal

Not a good start of the day: first coming out of a very intense but irretrievable world of dreams by way of my too singsongy Chinese alarm and then not making any progress on getting people on the phone in Africa. Actually I did get people on the phone, either non English speakers who kept saying hello, with me saying the same on the other side, never getting beyond that; or taped voices telling me that the voicemail box is full; not just the voice mailbox of my target but even those of the assistant and the assistant’s assistant. I did get through to one person on the list, so there is some progress. A final call to my sister who turned 64 today completes the ‘to-call’ list. She is, not surprisingly receiving iTunes attachments of ‘When I’m 64.

Today is jury duty day and I need to report to Salem’s courthouse promptly at 8. I am bringing my computer and a very heavy library tome to wile away the hours in case the day is all about waiting.

Yesterday Axel and I crossed paths in the driveway as I got out of the car and he into it to drive back to Boston to his first class (a summer course) at MassArt again. We weren’t sure if he was ready and now with all the brain stuff emerging I was even less sure that this was a good decision. Although Axel did drive all the way into school he returned before entering, having come to the same conclusion that the stress of a demanding course is not what he needs right now with all the intensive therapies going on. I am very relieved.

We attended the yearly business meeting of the Manchester Historical Society. The average age at these meetings is a much higher than 64 and my presence brings the average down a few notches. I used to hate going to these sorts of meetings because I could never remember who was who and I was always only known as Axel’s wife. But after 15 years in this town I am beginning to know some of the old folks on my own (although I am still introduced as Axel’s wife). I had a delightful conversation with a woman who looked like she was 64 but actually is 80; there are many women like that, more women than men actually; all with the richest (her)stories. I am beginning to understand why Axel likes to go to these events. Of course for him it is different as he is so active in town politics and his family has lived here for about 100 years that he is well known and loved by all.

The yearly event follows a fixed formula: half an hour of socializing around tables filled with elegant finger foods, a business meeting where we go through all the motions of a business meeting but do it in about 10 minutes, a flurry of Roberts’ Rules of Order incantations and then it is time for the guest speaker. We were treated to a slideshow of architectural styles in Manchester which featured, among others, Axel’s childhood home. We now know it is Swiss Scroll style. It was a delightful parade through housing fashions from 1650 to the present.