by Aldus Marius on Thu May 22, 2008 7:57 pm
Salvete, Romani viatores!
I have been remiss in posting Pars III of this narrative. I have been remiss in a lot of things these last several weeks, online and off-; I attribute this chiefly to excitement having scrambled my brain even more than usual. (The computer virus I picked up last week didn't help.) But I'm here now; maybe not any more coherent, but hopefully worth the wait. >({|:-)
I awoke on Sunday morning feeling well-rested for the first time that trip. Servilius came to help me get checked out, chiefly by loading my Too Much Stuff back into the rental car. Our first order of business: to find Aurelia and the restaurant.
This turned out to be an adventure in itself. Neither of us knew town, neither of us had ventured further from our motels than across the highway (Servilius the Bold) or across the parking lot (Marius the Tired and Cranky). I'm still mixed up: Did we go too far south, or not far south enough? Did we give up just before or just after the turnaround? --Anyway, we *did* get there with some guidance, which just goes to show that sometimes Life does cut you a break.
The experience started being special when Aurelia led us to the hostess station and announced our reservation by saying, "We're Rome!" (I *so* wanted to add "Resistance is Futile!!") The banquet-room they'd set aside for us had place-settings for ten people. Aurelia'd been expecting seven; but her husband, M Sempronius Sophus, had to work at the University Sunday morning, so our party for lunch was six people.
And these worthies were...?
- Arnamentia Moravia Aurelia Coritana, NR Propraetrix of Provincia America Austroccidentalis, and founder of The Roman Way;
- Q Servilius Priscus, SVR Curator, NR Citizen and former NR Tribune of the Plebs;
- F Antili Oregensis, gladiator, TRW;
- High-school student and Roman Enthusiast Extraordinaire KuroNeko (his Forum handle; in Japanese it means "Black Cat"), who portrays a Senator for TRW;
- Maria, who, with Aurelia and Appius Iulianus Correus Apicius, does the bulk of the cooking for TRW's gigs;
- and that no-account Marius chap.
I made sure everyone got one of our business cards and the commemorative postcards I had printed up; Aurelia, as head of her group, was additionally blessed with one of ten SVR refrigerator magnets.
Once we'd all taken our pick of the (outstanding) buffet offerings, we fell to conversing like family at a reunion (minus the soap-opera moments!). Aurelia and Maria hashed out the fine points of the night's upcoming banquet; Kuro talked about Romanitas in a high-school setting; F Antilius has been investigating the use of gladiatorial training in a weight-loss program, and he was quite happy to share the results-thus-far with us, beginning with his own fine self. We touched only lightly on organisational matters; there'd be plenty of time for that the rest of the day. We were Romans together, sharing a meal, putting faces to names, learning each others' civilian "secret identities" like a bunch of superheroes. In such company, I was feeling pretty "super"!
Confession time: I had been a little nervous about this encounter. (A little? --Try "half-past frantic" in the week just prior!) It was my first Roman shindy since '99; but it was also the first social occasion, the first gathering of any size, that I've attended since my psychiatric episode six years ago. (My aural cognition went out the window that year, along with most of my Latin and 18 points of IQ.) There wasn't much danger of me climbing any walls; but I was sure I was going to embarrass myself one way or another--by saying something inappropriate; by not saying much of anything; by not getting the jokes. Believe it or not, because of this I almost didn't come...? But I kept reminding myself that I had known most of these people for between five and ten years, and everybody there liked the same sorts of things I did. I would be among friends. And so I was! >({|:-D
Next up: A walk, a talk, and surprises for me at the Museum. (Barring another virus nailing me or my 'puter, I won't be so tardy this time.)
In amicitia et fide,
Aldus Marius Peregrinus.