1981

True story. I had a dream last week. Of a photo of a classmate. A deer posing as Jack Krusche in The Freshman Book 1981. A good-looking deer. Why would I dream of a 20-year-old photo of a woodland creature? Problematic sex life? Or was it dinner with Rebecca Randall that night, whose catalogue of weird Dartmouth memories is disturbing. Rebecca still lives in Manhattan. I'm moving there this fall.

Got a sweet note from Gay Macomber. And a photo of her family. No deer. Lots of Birds. Meredith Bird, Elena Bird, and Derek Bird. Meredith has the same mischief in her eyes as her dad, Jerry Bird '80. Gay, according to my beautiful neighbor, Laura Bennett, looks far too young to have gone to College with me. That's quite a compliment because I look really good. I moisturize. The Birds live in Andover. Maybe they'll come visit me in Manhattan. 'Cuz that's where I'm moving.

Polly Duncan Collum also wrote. She lives in Alexandria, Va., with kids Maggie and Christopher and husband Danny. Polly is the director of social ministry at Catholic Charities USA. She received a three-year foundation grant to present regional trainings for parish and diocesan leaders. She also won a Catholic Press Association award for her columns in Charities USA, the organization's magazine. Danny writes fiction. Christopher loves Bruce Springsteen and Leggos (who doesn't?). We don't quite know what Maggie loves. She's just turned one. But we do know that everybody loves Maggie.

On the other side of the pew is Nancy Flam. Nancy is a rabbi and a co-founder of the first Jewish healing center. Nancy has been a pioneer in reviving Jewish traditions of healing. In using spirituality as a way to ease physical and emotional suffering. Where are you a rabbi, Nancy? Is it New York? There're lots of rabbis in New York. That's why I'm moving there.

I read a piece in The San Francisco Chronicle about Tim Burgard. Tim is the new curator of American art at the de Young Museum. Tim, who has his master's from Columbia, came to the de Young from Harvard's Fogg Museum, where he was the first fulltime curator of American art. Just so you know, the article described Tim as "a charming and articulate chap." The de Young is to San Fran as The Metropolitan is to New York. Where I'm moving.

On a personal note, I'm moving to New York. I'm writing for Spin City on your ABC network. Wednesday nights. Please tune in. You may continue corresponding with me at the address below. I am, officially, bi-coastal. Just as you've suspected all along. It's been 20 years, folks. Twenty years since we came to Hanover. A long time to have a friend. Or to go without talking to one. Do yourself a favor and call someone you haven't talked to in a while. Maybe you'll rekindle something. Or maybe you'll just have a laugh about someone you once were.

Twenty years, and I'm dreaming of a picture of a deer.

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