I returned from my first Alaska adventure to paint my way out of Hampshire College. I had awesome accommodations at Mod 76 in Prescott, which were definitely the sturdiest of the on-campus apartments. Again, I was lucky to live in a smaller apartment, this time with Tim Greeman, Micah Barbash, Steve Schrieber (who much later wound up marrying Mary Ellis) and Eric Moore. Winslow Hoffman made many appearances on the couch. I had gotten my Division II behind me and Abe Ravette (my Division II chairperson and biggest critic) off my back. I was basically just painting and going to Critique classes as well as teaching art to troubled teens with Sarah. Sarah's relationship with Warren had made our friendship much easier and I remember a truly special night running through the cornfields with her and JF. The previous year I had met Shiela-Manion Artz and Maggie Sofer (who later married my good friend Jim Burns). I had a huge crush on Shiela. One day the came over to get stoned and brought Madeleine with them. I was like, wow, but I thought she was completely out of my league.
It was my birthday and there was a party at Hans Guttman's house out in Pelham. I was drinking Gin and Tonics and Madeleine pointed out that Vodka and Tonics were better. I wound up out in the yard with Eric Konheim's girlfriend Paula Rosenfeld who I also thought was pretty hot and when I came back inside Madeleine just started kissing me. It really was like one of those slow motion scenes from a movie. Up until then (my 22nd birthday) my lovelife was pretty much of a disaster but suddenly it was as good as it gets. The Fall of 1982 was one of those times for me when it felt as if the whole Universe was in perfect alignment and I was in perfect alignment with it. My relationship with Madeleine was so wonderful I was walking on air. Everything was full of grace and effortless. I painted with ease and inspiration. Jabanga Bingelow was fully manifested. Jabanga!
Fall is always a special time for me being from New England and being a Libra. Halloween at Hampshire back then was quite an event as our wild parties were legendary. The campus actually had to be secured to keep party-crashers away. Madeleine had gone home to visit her family. Sarah and Shiela and I painted these huge day-glow spray paint murals. Sarah and I were hanging them in the Dining Commons when Shiela reappeared tripping and proclaiming over and over: "Patterns, I see patterns..." Next thing I knew the party was full-blown and I looked up and saw the huge witch-doctor I had painted was dancing over the proceedings. It was pretty fucking intense. Sarah and I had adorned myself with these strips of purple cloth and I had some kind of a drum: the ultimate free-spirited beatnik. The after-party was where else but Mod 76. Someone found all my Parlaiment records in my room and the next thing you know my room was a wild jam session but most people didn't have drums but were banging on the walls and making a ruckus that went on for hours and hours. At one point I went outside and the thump thump thumping was purely tribal.
Ah yes, the good old days...Things couldn't get much better than they were for me in the Fall of 1982.
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