Jody Garoutte:
CLASS OF 1970
Arcata High SchoolClass of 1970
Arcata, CA
Jody's Story
To be, or not to be.....me. Funny. Still laughing. Happy. Irreverent. Sassy. Silly. Reflective. Nostalgic. Romantic. Still dance and sing in the shower everyday. Haven't lost the 'kid' in me yet & don't plan on it. Ever.
Factoids? Let's see. Graduated from Linfield College, McMinnville, Oregon in 1974; spent junior year in southern France...little fish in big pond, long blonde hair, wide eyed and relatively innocent. Traveled as often as bank account would permit, cheap in other words. After college, got my M.A. in French Literature at UC Davis. Such a marketable skill, but was what I loved the most at the time. Planned to get Ph.D and teach at the unviersity level but....old story: broken heart, joined modern day version of the Foreign Legion--the Peace Corps. Spent 2 years in central Africa mending said broken heart. Big time. Returned to states, reality hit, started earning a living, no, not from speaking french. The UN didn't need more translators & no one would hire someone w/o a Ph.D. to teach french. After 35 years working at Humboldt State, retired last Sept (2010) screaming with joy. FREE AT LAST!!!!!!!!!
Have been married for 35 years to Michael, who is 180 degrees opposite in personality. I flow, he plans. I wing it, he plans. I draw outside the box, he draws the box. He believes that everything has a place...I believe that everything will end up somewhere and I might actually be able to find it. Eventually. I drive him crazy, vice versa, and we're crazy about each other. We have two daughters: Lexy, 23, graduating from Humboldt State in May, 2011 (wahoo!) after being at CSU Sonoma and College of the Redwoods. I think forever, I'd have to count backwards on my fingers. Looks remarkably like I did at that age. Ssssssssssh: don't EVER tell her that, it freaks her out...dunno why. Smart, poised, will rake in the money in the world of finance and hopefully will support her loving parents in the manner to which they'd like to become accustomed. Not asking for much, but a condo on Maui would be nice or maybe a trip on the Orient Express. Toss up. Nicki, 17, graduated yesterday (2/10/11) from high school. Another wahoo! Sometimes if you wait long enough as a parent it's amazing they manage to grow up all in th...Expand for more
e blink of an eye or forever, depending on the day and mood.
Live in my dream home (hey, it's not in Lumbar Hills or bordering Baywood), but quirky like me so it's perfect. Back yard is a redwood forest covering a gully. Wonderful, perfect, private. Back deck is my piece of heaven. Perfect for sitting in the sun in a cushy chair with laptop or a book, and iced tea. Lets me contemplate the universe, George Carlin, The Big Bang Theory, how wonderful retirement is, or my bellybutton, depending on the mood. It's an inny in case you're wondering.
Principles I live by (sorry Francis, by which I live, in case it's bugging you): [A] do a good deed everyday (my Mom's best saying), [B] tell a complete stranger how (multiple choice answer here) beautiful their eyes are/how wonderful they look in that color/how darling their child/grandchild is/how great it is to see a smiling face/ that it looks like they're having a tough day....you get the idea. Say something, anything to a stranger every single day to remind yourself of how nice it would be for them to surprise you by doing the same thing. [C] tell your spouse or partner and kids every single day how much you love them, [D] scoop the kitty litter box daily to avoid unpleasant surprises in the morning, [E] if you're going to indulge in something with a bazillion calories, just DO it, guilt free or it's not worth one teenie weenie taste, [F] never, ever stop kissing...your lips may fall off from lack of use, [G] whatever you do, do NOT take yourself more seriously than those around you...if you do, you'll be a pain in the ass to them, [H] plant as many flowers as you can since the world needs more beauty and less carbon dioxide, and finally [I] never, but never lose your sense of humor. If you do, build yourself a teenie weenie little shed, move a cot, one chair, a small table, some food and water into it, build a privy for yourself and play the world's smallest violin for yourself where no one else can see or hear you. The rest of us do NOT want to hear you whine.
Ok, that's the story. That's who I am. Pretty much a what-you-see-is-what- you-get kind of person. And most days I pretty much like who I am a lot. Being Pollyanna beats being the hell out of being a cynic any day.
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