January 4, 1978 (Letter from Grayce)

I certainly feel like a RAT (but then, w hat can you expect from someone who has been around cheese for so long?) but, actually, I do not really have that excuse to fall back on at this time -- my cheese job having been quit several days ago.  Maybe it was just that it took a few days for me to get the cheese fumes out of my brain?

I do have a new job (or at least, I think I do).  This is how it happened.  One night Brook saw an ad in the paper for someone to do layout and some light artwork for a local advertising paper & he convinced me (albeit, fleetingly) that I could do this!

So -- full of fear & trembling, I applied for this job and was interviewed by this nice guy whom I proceeded to convince (the emphasis on CON) that although I had NO knowledge of layout, photography etc. -- and I had some knowledge of printing typefaces (from Grant Lee's course) and points and sizing, etc. -- that I could do this job.  Now -- not being convinced myself -- it was certainly charming of me to convince him!  But I guess I did, because he hired me (although I'm sure he'll regret it at least once a day until (and if) I learn exactly what I'm doing.

I don't know what my hours will be because they're re-arranging things there, but I think I'll have 30 hours/week, which will be nice.

He also hired another older woman, who has been doing this stuff all her life.  Needless to say, I feel very DUMB.  But, even if I can't do this job and they fire me -- or tar & feather me, even -- I do think it will be worth it for the experience alone.  And I have been seeking a challenge for quite some time now -- so this must be it, I guess.  I hadn't quite expected it to come along in this guise, but now that it's here - I don't dare reject it without some kind of trying, because who knows when the next one will be coming and I don't want to get too rusty in the challenge department!

Well, here I am, babbling on about me & I haven't even wished you a Happy New Year or asked about your Christmas!  I'm sure you had good holidays, though did you do home, as planned?  I've never really liked the idea of New Year's Eve -0- so I'm not exactly a fan of what people usually do on that night.  Brook isn't either, luckily, so we usually spend a quiet evening.  One thing I did really love was the Mummer's Parade in Philly every New Year's day.  It's an old tradition, and I hope maybe next year, we'll get to see it.  Brook never had, so I think he'd really enjoy all the nice costumes and string bands etc.

It's been snowing here off and on (mostly on) since the weekend you were here.  Forget what it looks like on the ground underneath.  But I do love seeing the trees with icicles on them.  Having not had trees for awhile, I drink them in very anxiously now, every chance I get.

We got some of our vacation pictures developed & some of them are nice. (We tried to take some of the fireworks at Disneyland & naturally then didn't come out!)  Sometimes we'd like to get a good camera, but sometimes we both think we have too many possessions already!  The picture of Mickey & me is funny.  Brook is really thrilled with it & wants to carry it in his wallet &^ somehow, I suppose I'll let him, because I doubt that he'll ever show it to anyone!  (I wouldn't want someone's first impression of me to be "Oh, she looked like Mickey Mouse!")

Well -- that's enough nonsense for now, I guess.

January 21, 1970 (Letter from Gail)

Sorry that I didn't write to you sooner.  But the week I got you letter I was studying for my finals.  God, what a week!  We should be getting our grades tomorrow or Friday.  I know I did good on my sociology test, but the other three -- well, I'd rather not talk about them.  We're on our semester break now.  It's a great feeling not to have any school work hanging over my head for a change.  I luv it!

Oh Paul, I was so sorry to hear what happened to your apartment.  God, what a horrible thing!  Did you report it to the cops?  I hope they can catch the guy who did it.  Great and I'm living in an apartment next year at Edinboro!  I'm scared now.  Think I'll put aside about 5 extra locks plus 4 bolts on the door.  Just to be on the safe side, of course.

Not much has been happening social wise, that is.  Dody is taking me to Bud's (in Jamestown) for dinner tomorrow night.  I'm sorta excited, I've never been there before.  He leaves for main campus this coming Sunday.  I'm gonna miss him.

Hey, how was your New Years Eve?  I haven't seen you in so long, I don't even know what you did New Years Eve.  I had a nice New Years.  I went to this guys house for 4 days.  In fact, I had a great time!!  I went to Penn State last weekend and stayed with Leslie.  We had a great time.  Sat nite we went to see a Paul Butterfield Jazz Blues concert.  It was good.  Heave you ever heard of him?  I never had till I went down there.  He's pretty good.  After the concert we went to an apartment party.  It was fun.  Did you ever play Charades when you're high?  God, I did.  It was hysterical!  I couldn't do anything.  I had "Easy Rider" to do and when I went to make the movie sign -- I said "movie" while I was doing the sign -- plus other dumb stuff like that.  That was the first and last time I got to play Charades!  We got in about 3:30AM.  Then we sat and talked til 5:00AM.  Then I had that damn long bus ride home that day (Sun).  What a trip.  4 hours of pure shit!!

You wouldn't believe how cold it is here!  It's supposed to go as far as -15 tonite.  Oh boy, can't wait.

That's about it from this end.  Take care and keep warm.  Write soon.

February 6, 1969 (Letter from Kathy)

This is one of the few times that I'll have to make my apologies for not writing right back.  You wouldn't believe all I've been up to.

I've been typing term papers for people (35-50 cents a page).  I've made over $60 the past three weeks, but it sure has taken a lot of my time.  I seem to have only time left in which school work must be done, and some sleep gotten.

Glad to hear you have made it through your finals.

My roommate saw Bullitt also.  She said it almost made her car sick.

 

I got really drunk on New Year's Eve -- my first time for being drunk.  Carol, Tom, Sue, Chuck, Jodee, Dody, Gary, and I had a party at my house.  The girls stayed overnight.  Can you imagine -- I got drunk in my own home and my mother wasn't even made?  I think she kind of understood that I was 18 (the day before) and that if I wanted to drink, it would be better to have me home.  She knows I'm not an alcoholic, so I guess she kinda trusts me.

Gary is coming to see me for this weekend.  He's coming in on the 11:41 flight from Buffalo tonight.  I'm so excited!!!

Marie (roommate) and I just got tickets to the Chambers Brothers today. They're playing at Boston University Friday and Saturday night.  We're going to a semi-formal dance Saturday night, so we're going to the concert Friday night.  We're on the aisle, seven rows back.  We were going to see Orpheus Sunday afternoon at 3:30, but Gary has to go back before then -- that's too late to expect him to stay.  He'll probably take the 1:30 flight out.

I had to get special permission to get out to meet him at the airport.  My curfew is 12:00 and his plane comes in at 11:41.  He's staying in the boys dorm. We're having problems with his parents so they don't know anything about it, but my parents know that he's coming up.  I'm going out of my mind.  I can't believe he's actually coming here.

Have you ever known a girl that has such terrible handwriting?  I was just reading this over and it's not ever readable.

Well, take it easy.  Let me know what you've been up to.

I think of Mrs. Coe often.  She was really an excellent teacher.  I learned so much from her.  I've even run across the preamble to the Canterbury Tales a couple of times.

We were supposed to go to Melody for New Year's Eve, but when we got there we found it was a closed party -- ho hum!

My sister is getting married in August.  I'm gonna be bridesmaid.  My brother said he's going to Europe this summer with his new girlfriend.  I don't know whether he's kidding or not.  He's such a great guy.  I wouldn't mind having a couple more brothers like him.

Well, it might be nice if I listened to this guy lecture for awhile.

February 2, 1969 (Letter from Barb)

I've been trying to write to you all weekend -- this go, go, go -- party, party, party life is getting me down.  Yes, right, don't I wish...The collage doesn't make any sense at all -- it's one of those "pick out a page and cut everything out" ones.

Thanks for writing, letters always make ya feel good.  I wasn't surprised to hear that Mike is the same.  He probably has a couple of friends and considers everybody else really "hoody" or dumb -- does he date anybody?  Poor Michael, but what are you going to do -- Mardi's in a bad way -- between freezing weather, crummy social life, school (blah!), dirty kitchens, and pot raids, she's about ready to shove it all.  It takes time to learn how to handle all the shit they dish out to ya at school.  We have a break (ten days) starting Feb 21-March 2.  I really want to go out and see her.  I could pull if off for $30 or $40.  I really can't afford it since I'm a couple hundred short for school anyway, but I think I'll do it anyway.  If I'm gonna go every day and work at that lousy job I might as well do something I want to do with my money.  Right?!

Things are their usual duddy self here but I really don't mind anymore.  My shoot-down from last semester is haunting me.  I just had Dorm Council for one time I came in an hour late last October and got campused for last night -- neat, huh?  I saw Mr. Wonderful at a party Friday night but he didn't speak -- why are guys always so nice, it must be a real effort.

I have a feeling my grades will be at a new all-time low at the end of this semester.  I haven't done one thing yet this semester!  During the week I don't even have time to breathe right.  I have four hours of classes a day -- that's not much at all, but I work 4 hours a day too, so I have time to squeeze in lunch and a cigarette and that's about it.  Then at night I clunk out for a couple hours in a dead sleep, get up, and shit around -- school, what school?  Missed a test on Friday that I'll have to take a zero for, oh yes, life is a shit sandwich and every day is another bite!  This Friday Smokey Robinson is here.  I'm supposed to have a date with some guy who might not go and I've never even met the kid anyway and you know I'd go alone in my jeans and bare feet and stand in the snow to see Smokey Robinson!  Not get this, that's Friday night and Saturday I'm supposed to go down to Penn State to go to the Chambers Bros with some kid I met there last week (went down last weekend, had a great time) but his roommate called me today and said he's been missing all weekend.  They called the cops, the whole bit.  He took all their hash and said he was coming up here to see me and nobody's heard form him. This poor guy takes LSD and is kind of screwed in the head, if ya know what I mean -- Is this making any sense?

Like I said before -- Help!!  Can't wait to get out of here and take off this summer.  We're going up to Cape Cod if it kills us; I can't take another summer at home working at New Process and sitting up in Shorty's everynight.  Oh, I forgot, Surf Club every weekend.  I feel like I should have my Friday night barstool reserved.  We'll do all that stuff at Easter and that'll hold me for awhile.  I go home April 2-7.

So, Paul, you see, Mardi and I need a few words of wisdom -- got any handy?  I imagine Joan needs more than a few -- I haven't heard from her except she sent me a birthday present.  I wonder if she's married to Rick, hehe, unless of course he hasn't gotten over his "fuckin crab yet".  W hat a case that kid is.  Swinging New Years at Renee's.

So you're going out with Gussie at home -- where is your taste?  I'm just kidding you, she's probably a "very fine person", cough.

P.S.  Was your spirit right about Cheryl!???   You mover, you!