what's not wrong

Since the five of us girls, who we've lovingly deemed "the unit," all went to five different states for college (Ohio, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin and New York...corresponding to the above photo), we decided to start unit e-mails to aide in keeping each other updated in the strange and mundane happenings of our daily, separated lives. Hard to believe, but we've been hitting "reply all" for over five years now...



...Even though we're not in college anymore, we are still (almost) in five different states (Ohio, Wisconsin/Illinois, Colorado, California, Illinois...corresponding to the second photo), and therefore the unit e-mails still exist. Tonight Jenny wrote simply, "let's play a little game called "what's not wrong?" followed by her list:

frozen strawberries
new jeans that are long enough
cereal
my family
you guys
Ryan
Scout
bad reality tv
mascara
new music
the food network
my iPod, Steven
sharpies
planners

...As I sat in bed stressing myself out about upcoming art shows, lamenting my sore throat and anticipating a bad night's sleep because I drank coffee today, which means I'll probably have to pee 8 times before my alarm rings, my Gmail notifier ding-ed. One new message. What's not wrong, huh? That evokes nothing but pleasant memories. This is exactly what I need right now, I thought. As soon as I finished reading her list, I jumped at the chance to make my own...

chocolate milk
whales
having the same pillow for 24 years
grandparents
shrinky-dinks
cowboy boots
laughing
four seasons (the climate and the band)
post-its
writers week
gmail notifier
envelopes
worn in ballet shoes
camera sound
home videos
hasselhoff's "jump in my car" cover
jonathan safran foer
old trucks
cello
napoleon dynamite
interpretive dancing
giraffes
scavenger hunts
road trips
polaroids
mail art
themed parties
pluto (who is still a planet by my standards)
flickr
socialized medicine
chubby hubby
photo booths
postcards
demetri martin
survivor's guilt
prague
wilco
to-do lists
learning languages
external harddrives
uni-ball vision pens
ancestry
extra peppermint gum
unit e-mails
mix tapes
repetitive geometric shapes
slippers with grippers
making this list to avoid doing anything i should be doing
(and obviously friends and family and pets but i was trying for no repeats...and sharpies)

...While I was mid-list, Carrie called me. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Responding to Jenny's e-mail," I replied.
"What e-mail?"
"She just sent it. We're making 'What's not wrong?' lists."
"I don't know that game."

...Jenny and I had sophomore English together in high school with the brilliant Mr. Anderson (and then Abbi and I had him for American Studies junior year and Amy and I had him for creative comp. senior year...sorry Carrie, you missed out). About once a month or so Mr. Anderson started class by writing "What's not wrong?" on the chalkboard, and we'd all have to write down one thing on a piece of paper and pass it up to him. He then read the anonymous answers out loud. Hearing this wonderful list of quirky things that were right in the world put everyone in a good mood. It was the best way to start class, and it proved to be one of those lessons you carry with you...

...Carrie and I hung up, and I saw her sign onto Gmail. Sure enough, she sent a reply before I could finish...

"my new friend on eharmony...lucas"

And just as I was about to publish this post, the notifier ding-ed again. And sure enough, Amy over in San Fran responded:

cliches
long discussions
stars
driving around in cars (jump in my car)
music
sleeeeeeep
planning days! (release from school)
home
fruit trees
my hot tub
hikes
aptos
trader joes
pre made power point presentations
minimum days (wednesdays)=maximum fun



So--Abbi and anyone else out there--it's your turn now.

What's not wrong?

[photos: 1) Unit BBQ, 6/05, one of the five days we all were home post-college graduation, Carrie's backyard
2) Abbi's wedding shower, 6/05, Amy's backyard
3) Abbi's wedding, 10.28.05]