PBDC Day 24/31: One of a Kind

This is my class ring.

Here's a look from the other side.

California State University, Long Beach. Class of 2011. Bachelor's of Arts in Theatre Arts-Performance, with an emphasis in Directing.

I couldn't tell you why I've wanted a class ring since high school, but I have. I think it's tied to me being a first-generation American in my family and hearing about how letterman jackets and class rings are often handed down as mementos of family tradition, but I'm unsure if that's exactly it. Well, high school came and went, without the letterman or class ring to show for it. After confirming my acceptance to Long Beach State, I knew that I would definitely be leaving college with two items-a diploma and a class ring.

I don't ever remember being a fan of yellow gold, and I've never really been attracted to the traditional sunburst design of class rings that remind of me of mafia dons and high-ranking clergy. So I opted for the rectangle-cut, shiny, smooth onyx (also because my birthstone isn't the appealing of colors) with basic engraving on the side. There were plenty of other graduates that year who were conferred B.A.'s in Theatre Arts, and as to make it unequivocally mine, I had my name engraved on the inside. (Added incentive, it may not take as long as this guy's ring did to get back to him.)

I didn't go to college right after high school. I spent more than four years working towards my degree. And I paid for college primarily with my own military service through the GI Bill. So yeah, my class ring is a tangible reminder of success through my own path. There are many like it, but this one is mine. #riflemanscreed #usmc #oneflagoneteam

PBDC Day 18/31: Five Years Ago

 In February of 2009, a bunch of rowdy theatre kids from Diablo Valley College and a few faculty and staff members traveled by caravan from Pleasant Hill, California to CSU Fullerton in Fullerton, California to present their production of Stephen Adly Guirgis' Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train at KCACTF XLI.

Growing up in California, we didn't see much snow, so when we drove over the Grapevine and saw some of this mysterious ground cover, we knew it was going to be quite a weekend.

Back when Facebook Notes were still a thing, I wrote a Note after we returned. I have since then imported it to this blog for easy access. Enjoy:

The Morning After

It's...not crazy, or amazing, or weird, but it's...____________ to realize that this amazing experience was only five years ago. I still lived in northern California. I had not received my acceptance letter to Long Beach, and actually at that point when the picture was taken, I had not yet met the adjudicator who would see the play I directed, share with me that she is adjunct faculty at The Beach, or knew for certain if I would be attending a university.

Man, how time flies.

Photo and Blog a Day Challenge Day 3/28: Metal

A bannister from the second floor. I've lived in a couple second floor apartments. Quite a few two-story buildings at that. House, townhouse, and apartment building are all checked off on my Not A Homeowner Bingo Card. Although stairs make moving a bit more complicated, living on the second floor has it's benefits.

But I'm not here to talk about the second floor today. And it wasn't until I opened up my Blogger Dashboard and looked at the empty text box that I knew what I was going to write about. Not many people know this story, but it's one of my favorites.

If you don't believe in signs, then you may just get a kick out of the grand coincidence that it will share, but if you do--like me--then well, yeah, it's a sign if I ever saw one.

In the weeks prior to Sarah's graduation a couple years ago, we were driving one day with her mother towards the campus to scope out parking spots and to show her where everything would be. Beach alumni herself, it had been a quite a few years since she had been by campus, so we wanted to come by since we were in the neighborhood. Sarah drove with her mother sitting shotgun, and I in the back.

A couple miles away from the campus I mentioned that the first apartment I lived in in Long Beach was  "down that street."

Admitting she lived in an apartment in that area herself when she was attending CSULB, she asked which building I was in, saying that she used to live on Orizaba Ave as well. I described the complex to her and the gears were turning, but she couldn't quite remember which one she was in.

A few days later, she sent me a picture message of an old piece of mail that had her address.

We come to discover that of the hundreds of apartments in Long Beach, (not to mention the scores that were probably built in the years in between when she and I both attended LBSU, we rented an apartment, on the same street, in the same complex. The same upstairs unit, last one on the left, and the exact same room, the first one on the right with its own bathroom.

And the kicker? When my roommates and I found the apartment, our landlords were Gloria and...wait for it...Jesus.

Go ahead, you can say it, we did.

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

I had always believed in signs as far as I can remember. Sometimes, I'll make what some may call as obscure connections, but I'll connect things if I feel they're to be connected. With this, it was indisputable.