One Flu Over the Cuckoo's Nest

I've been out with the flu for the last week. Still not 100%, but at least my body temp has returned to normal (I hovered around 96 the last couple days) as have my appetite and sense of smell.

I've heard about certain smells evoking memories, and last night as my own sense of smell returned, a cup of tea propelled me back to my college days. For me, "sleepy time" tea (and its equivalents) equals December 1994; orange spice, December 1996. I guess one of the cool things about having moved around a lot is that when a smell (or a song) transports me to another time, I also get to go on a little daytrip to a specific and special place.

"Sleepy Time" Tea: Dec 1994 -- Sonoma State University, CA
I lived in a quiet part of California's wine country and was completing my last semester at SSU (I was about to transfer to the 2nd of four schools I attended for undergrad). Sleepy tea reminds me of walking to my 7:45am English class as well as falling asleep in my Monday night Theater class. Seriously, who takes sleepy tea with them to class?!

Orange Spice Tea: Dec 1996 -- Seattle, WA
Orange Spice tea reminds me of my second visit to Seattle (I had gone earlier that summer), a couple years before I moved there. I was spending the holidays with the Love of My Life. I managed to come down with the flu on the plane -- and ruptured my eardrum on the landing.

Within the first couple days, we met up with his folks in downtown Seattle to see Singin' in the Rain. I just remember being very cold and miserable because I was sick, but somehow ending up after a long walk at Westlake Center (which is why I chose a pic of the Clock Walk over one of the Space Needle) and feeling really really bad for the horses that were being made to drag carriages behind them.

I also remember there was an engagement party for one of his college friends (that marriage was doomed from the start). I went to bed early because I was sick, but I do remember hearing something about one of the boys (Mossy?) making out (or trying to) with the bride-to-be's mother while the others (The Cray, Wewer, and maybe Garske) were hiding in the bushes/behind a car... can you believe these guys are 7-10 years older than me?!

I think that New Year's someone else in the group threw a disco party. I managed to find an AWESOME Phyllis/Rhoda dress at Goodwill. (Oh how I wish I still had that thing!) I've got it on good authority that there is a picture of me in it still floating around...

There was also a wicked snowstorm that year that derailed Joe's Miata, I went toe-to-toe with Moosie at World Wraps, spent a quiet evening in for my 21st birthday with a very tasty coconut cake but celebrated later at Moon China (oh that almond chicken!), didn't get carded when I eventually ordered my first legal drink at an Irish pub (rats!), collapsed in a heap from the flu at Christmas, and eventually went home early because my dad was lonely for my mom who was in the Philippines.

Yeah. ALL of that popped in my head when I got the first whiff of my orange spice tea.