Once more, boys and girls, the Friday Five:
When was the last time you…
1. …sent a handwritten letter? Well, let’s see. Do Christmas and birthday cards count? I used to write letters to my friend Joe in Baltimore all the time and, before that, to my friend Abby in upstate New York. The two are connected, but it’s a complicated and not particularly interesting story, and I’ve since lost touch with both of them. My last letter to Joe was probably sometime in ’98 or ’99.
2. …baked something from scratch or made something by hand? Baked, I think, would be along the lines of never. I have almost no kitchen and next to no culinary skill. Made from hand…well, of that I’m not sure. Probably not since I was a Boy Scout. Although, last night, I seriously considered signing up for 20 things, which is maybe a good start.
3. …camped in a tent? Also not since I was a Boy Scout, which I often have trouble convincing myself was seven years ago. I miss the camping and the camaraderie more than the tents themselves. No matter how clean you keep them, old tents start to smell.
(This is where, incidentally, I was going to link to an essay I wrote four or five years ago about my years as a Boy Scout. I’ve always liked the essay, and it was published in the Penn State Literary Magazine Kalliope, but as it turns out, I don’t have a copy here with me. The idea of running home to try and find it doesn’t really appeal to me — and I know it wouldn’t appeal to my boss. Maybe later.)
4. …volunteered your time to church, school, or community? Sigh. I’ve just been slacking off since I left the Scouts, haven’t I? A few years ago, when I was still in college, I did sign up with Volunteer Match, and I still occasionally get their e-mails. There just never seemed to be anything interesting in their lists, or enough time, or…well, there have always been excuses.
5. …helped a stranger? I don’t know. I donated a very little bit of money to the Red Cross through Amazon after the September 11th attacks, but that’s about it. I am, just for the record, one of those people who doesn’t care that his money may have gone to help victims of other disasters.