Jen

Here is Part Two of “the Incident.”


Day 2: Ted calls me up at 9 and wakes me up to make sure that I am ok. I have decided to go to my portfolio review at Columbia because it’s nearly impossible to schedule anything with Barbara Kasten, who is one of the heads of the graduate faculty. I still feel like crap, so I figure that this will be a shitty day. I pack these tings in my bag-crackers, Gatorade, Tums (extra strength) and plastic bag (just in case). I get all my photos ready and head outside. Walking sucks, my head hurts and I’m really hot. At this point, I have a fever. Anyway, I’m on the red line, feeling pretty sick, and this homeless guy sits next to me. He smells pretty bad, and I start feeling more sick. Then he starts to talk to me. He asks me where I go to school and to make it easier on me, I just say UIC rather than saying I’m going for my graduate school portfolio review at Columbia. Then he asks me where the other U of I is located. I say Urbana-Champaign. Then he asks what is in Bloomington-Normal, and in Carbondale. Finally, we figure out where all the state schools are located and he starts asking me about this huge portfolio I have and about photo. He’s a real nice guy and I feel bad that I’m not more of a conversationalist at the moment. After exiting the subway, I sit on Michigan and Harrison, trying to cool myself down a bit and get my act together. Then Becky calls! And then I go in for my interview. I think things go rather well, even in my state of being. I even get to meet Bob Thall! who comments on my photos and seems impressed? I hope. I get a tour of the facilities and Barbara introduces me to the faculty, which makes me feel pretty good. I get home at about three and attempt more food. I have soup, it makes me feel sick, so I lay down and watch TV (This is when I get the info on Russell Crowe.) My mom calls me from Birmingham, Alabama (she travels a lot for her job) and pledges that she’ll come over as soon as she gets home. I sleep and wake up at 7:30 to have my parents over. Ted talks about the dog some more and how he’s feeling a bit under the weather himself (footnote.) My mom brings me a coloring book. She rocks. At 9, Ken comes over and brings me Japanese plum wine, which I obviously can’t drink at the moment, and we watch Wonder Boys, which is a really good film. He leaves at 12 or so, and I talk to Pat for about an hour. I then go to sleep.

Footnote 2: Ted, has the tendency to make up an illness if someone in the family is sick. I doubt he does it consciously, but that is the last thing you want to hear when you are the sick one. Example: I have food poisoning and I say; “Everytime I look at food, I want to vomit.” Ted says: “yeah, my stomachs been a bit off today too. I just can’t seem to keep anything down. I remember this time . . .” or me: “I can’t seem to get any sleep. I keep waking up to these headaches.” Ted: “I know how you feel. I got only three hours of sleep last night because I had this migraine. I remember when . . .” He likes to; a) downplay your sickness, B) make himself equal to or worse off than you are. C) quote a time in the past where he may have had a similar sickness that you do. It always comes in this order.

Please note that even though Ted does these things, I still really love the guy.