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Boston Trip Update: Round Two
This week's customary update is also the BOSTON UPDATE, so this is going to be a good time. I'm... So happy... I was able to visit again, it was such a nice weekend.
Tuesday night LAST week was my last night at home. I'm horrible about leaving it to the very last minute, but I do try to clean and organize my space before leaving on any trip longer than about forty-eight hours, so Tuesday evening was dedicated to cleaning and packing and MAN, when I got home Monday night I really appreciated having clean laundry and a tidy room. I packed, basically every weather-appropriate pink clothing item I have, because I have A Brand and this time I was going to live up to it. (also, it makes Yrin disproportionately happy.)
Wednesday I went directly to the airport from work, after spending the day trying to make sure everything possible was taken care of. Even though I was only gone Thursday and Friday I just, EXPECT THINGS TO CATCH ON FIRE if I leave, which isn't even hyperbole, there is precedent for this. There was a visit from the fire department the last time I went to Boston!
I got to the airport with THREE HOURS to spare for my flight, and about twenty minutes to boarding for the one before it. I've had luck in the past being able to switch to the earlier flight if there's space, but this time it was full. And I'll never book the earlier flight leaving from work because if I'm ONE airport shuttle slower, like... Goodbye, airplane.
I wrote in the airport, though! I'm definitely behind where I want to be on the big bang but I added another scene and my whole draft is over 10k words now, which sounds impressive until you remember I'm expecting the entire thing to be more like 60k and I'm almost halfway through the work period. Help. I wanted to write on the plane as well but it was just... Too easy to take advantage of the weird liminal space that is an airplane at thirty thousand feet at night, so I enjoyed spacing the fuck out for the entire duration of my flight.
I got in around midnight, and got to Yrin a little before one! I think we may have rhythm died together first but we definitely went to sleep pretty immediately.
Thursday! Thursday was our laziest day, I'm kind of glad YRIN got to have a vacation because he'd kind of fallen on his face for a bit and needed to play catch-up on housechores and such. Which like... I always feel compelled to find interesting things to do when I travel, but in actuality all I want to do is play house in a different house than my own house, so that was entirely fine with me. We watched a bit of Rakugo anime, dunked friend June into watching Rakugo anime as well and totally ruined her life, and went to Yrin's karate class.
Which was! Interesting!! Because I've heard so many stories about Yrin's sensei, so I am genuinely very happy to have actually met this man. I wasn't expecting to be able to get any kind of handle on him as a teacher from just one class which I wasn't even participating in but... I actually could? I was really impressed by his awareness of his students and their needs, and how well he balanced the lesson to include everyone present -- even me. Yrin apologized afterward for not warning me that sensei might ambush me but it was... Really nice... He just told me a little about what everyone was doing and asked me a couple times if I had questions / encouraged me to talk to him and I was honestly very touched to be included in a way that felt both seamless and unobtrusive to the lesson. Yrin's sensei... Is good.
Friday! A very busy friend day! For lunch we went into Boston (Cambridge, technically, I think) to get food with Eric at the crepe place Yrin had mentioned to me previously, which was DELICIOUS. We all have good overlap in fandom interests and I'm always delighted to chat with friends but I'm also pleased that Eric indulged us in so many dumb tennis references. Absolutely do not get into Prince of Tennis, it's a mistake, but also... Let me (us) dunk you into Prince of Tennis.
We went home briefly to rhythm die and watch more Rakugo anime, and then went to see June for dinner! That was A VERY NICE TIME because I sure did get to bully June more than ever before!! Between bringing her some of my doujinshi and getting her into Rakugo I have submitted my poor friend to, so much emotional torment in such a short time. We also got to scream about fanfics which hurt us and give TOTALLY GOOD FIC RECS to Yrin (who is probably trying to get out of reading our rec but WE AREN'T GOING TO FORGET, READ THE SANAYANA, YRIN) and it was just, such a good friend murder evening. What's the point of friendship if you can't just repeatedly dunk each other('s feelings) into the trash??
Saturday! A day where I sure did spend the better part of five hours lowkey (highkey) fritzing out, watched more Rakugo anime with Yrin, had a small important conversation, bread pudding was made, and a visit to my cousin was embarked upon. We tried to make a small shopping detour before that but it... Ended in failure.
I failed to warn Yrin that I was taking him to a fancy dinner party because my cousin failed to warn ME that he was making dinner into a fancy party. His friend from the UK was there visiting (that I had known) as was a friend from work (this I hadn't known, and he cooked cedar plank salmon, roasted cauliflower, glazed rainbow carrots, and a salad with herbs, pine nuts, and pomegranate seeds. The food was all very good but like, it sure is an experience to sit down in the living room of the new house you're only just seeing for the first time and have a fancy cheese platter brought out like... Excuse you, cousin, I am absolutely not this cultured what do you want me to do with this.
(and then he just heaped his own plate with an entire enormous pile of cheese after forcing everyone else to try and daintily serve themselves first and like, ate his cheese with his hands, maybe crackers were involved, maybe they weren't, it was kind of beautifully uncultured. I love my cousin.)
AND I GOT TO SEE MY COUSIN'S BEES. I just kinda stood in front of the hive for a minute watching them air condition it by fanning their little wings, which isn't all that exciting, but. I love bees so much. I am so happy about this. (I probably would have stood and stared at the bees for much longer but there were new people I ought to talk to, and Yrin has the good sense to not want to be within touching distance of bees and I felt bad... ignoring Yrin... So I behaved.)
We had a nice small talk on the way home, and probably rhythm died more, and maybe even watched a small bit more rakugo? I am losing track of when we watched rakugo. And then bedtime.
Sunday! We finally made waffles! We attempted to make waffles during my last visit but blew a fuse and ended up making the waffle batter into pancakes instead rather than make a second attempt with the waffle iron, but. This time we actually, successfully had waffles. And watched more rakugo. And rather than go to Yrin's jujitsu lesson, this time I went to see my friend Dani, because as it turns out she only lives like, ten minutes from Yrin?? It's been two years since I've last seen her so I'm really happy about this.
Dani and I spent most of our time talking... We caught up, and traded notes about our respective writing projects, and she read me two chapters of the novel she's working on which is VERY GOOD and probably would appeal to... Quite a few of my friends, since it's a heroes-with-paranormal-abilities plot focusing on the protagonist coming into her ability. As well as having good gender and sexuality and polyamory content; there is definitely a reason Dani and I are still friends, after what we have deduced is like, ELEVEN YEARS. And I got to meet Dani's very good dog, Megabit!! He is so friendly and cuddly and we took him on a walk, it was a nice time.
I introduced Yrin and Dani after his lesson, which like... I always want to encourage my friends to be friends when they live close by, HANG OUT FOR THE ME WHO IS FAR AWAY AND CANNOT HANG OUT WITH EITHER OF YOU, but that's hit or miss. I'm just glad for when I can drag people into all doing some social thing with me at once despite my friends hardly knowing each other.
I also sure did spend as much of my trip as possible flopping on Yrin. There are definitely entire chunks of time where my memory is "I am not really sure what else I was doing or talking about but I do know I stuck my legs in Yrin's lap." Yrin is absolutely terrible at retaining, any heat whatsoever. I am a good space heater. This is a service I provide and I am glad for when it is appreciated.
Monday! Was mostly me sadly vibrating about needing to leave, and eating, and rhythm gaming, and packing, and just generally being aware that with every small thing we did it was closer to the time when I'd go home. We did also watch some terrible tennis music videos and the first episode of the pedal drama, so that was nice. And had one more small conversation.
I left at about 5:45 and was through security by maybe 6:30, and our DEPARTURE was delayed but I was on the plane a bit after 8pm as planned. Going home is. Always very sad. And when I landed at BWI it was right after the last airport shuttle left so rideshare prices were BULLSHIT, which means my cheap ass hung around drinking my milkshake I was just in time to buy before the froyo place closes, until the prices became just slightly less bullshit. I was, so dead when I got home. But also. Satisfied.
Now time to plan the next Boston trip!
(this sounds like a joke but it is actually not, I am the joke here, it's me. I want to come back in mid-August when Caeslin is there so I can meet her!! And I want to try and coordinate with my cousin Steve because he drives up to Maine a couple times throughout the summer, usually. So my sister and I were thinking -- we can all drive to Boston together, get dinner with cousin Sam and Alma, and then I'll stay in Boston while they continue on to Maine. Ideally I'd drive home with them as well but depending on timing, I might need to fly one-way. Still!! Cheaper travel options mean more travel.)
Also, I suppose it bears mentioning that Yrin and I are dating, now. Which feels incredibly fake and strange to type, not in the least because it is simultaneously A Very Big Deal to me, personally, and like... A complete non-event and non-change because I am pretty sure I have been comporting myself in the way I do when in a relationship for, a while now, like since the LAST trip to Boston, at least. So I kind of assume this is not a surprise to friends who know both of us because I am an unsubtle fond mess, but I'm also very fond of ALL OF MY FRIENDS, ALWAYS, AND LOUD ABOUT IT, so maybe it is news after all.
In any event I am inordinately pleased, even if I am also. Just generally a nervous wreck disaster person. I will, try to be less of a disaster person.
And now I'm back at work and in Maryland and it's fiiiiine I guesssss but also four and a half days in Boston was not enough days of nesting on Yrin at every opportunity and I want to go back. :C
JAZZ HANDS, and that's it for this week!
Tuesday night LAST week was my last night at home. I'm horrible about leaving it to the very last minute, but I do try to clean and organize my space before leaving on any trip longer than about forty-eight hours, so Tuesday evening was dedicated to cleaning and packing and MAN, when I got home Monday night I really appreciated having clean laundry and a tidy room. I packed, basically every weather-appropriate pink clothing item I have, because I have A Brand and this time I was going to live up to it. (also, it makes Yrin disproportionately happy.)
Wednesday I went directly to the airport from work, after spending the day trying to make sure everything possible was taken care of. Even though I was only gone Thursday and Friday I just, EXPECT THINGS TO CATCH ON FIRE if I leave, which isn't even hyperbole, there is precedent for this. There was a visit from the fire department the last time I went to Boston!
I got to the airport with THREE HOURS to spare for my flight, and about twenty minutes to boarding for the one before it. I've had luck in the past being able to switch to the earlier flight if there's space, but this time it was full. And I'll never book the earlier flight leaving from work because if I'm ONE airport shuttle slower, like... Goodbye, airplane.
I wrote in the airport, though! I'm definitely behind where I want to be on the big bang but I added another scene and my whole draft is over 10k words now, which sounds impressive until you remember I'm expecting the entire thing to be more like 60k and I'm almost halfway through the work period. Help. I wanted to write on the plane as well but it was just... Too easy to take advantage of the weird liminal space that is an airplane at thirty thousand feet at night, so I enjoyed spacing the fuck out for the entire duration of my flight.
I got in around midnight, and got to Yrin a little before one! I think we may have rhythm died together first but we definitely went to sleep pretty immediately.
Thursday! Thursday was our laziest day, I'm kind of glad YRIN got to have a vacation because he'd kind of fallen on his face for a bit and needed to play catch-up on housechores and such. Which like... I always feel compelled to find interesting things to do when I travel, but in actuality all I want to do is play house in a different house than my own house, so that was entirely fine with me. We watched a bit of Rakugo anime, dunked friend June into watching Rakugo anime as well and totally ruined her life, and went to Yrin's karate class.
Which was! Interesting!! Because I've heard so many stories about Yrin's sensei, so I am genuinely very happy to have actually met this man. I wasn't expecting to be able to get any kind of handle on him as a teacher from just one class which I wasn't even participating in but... I actually could? I was really impressed by his awareness of his students and their needs, and how well he balanced the lesson to include everyone present -- even me. Yrin apologized afterward for not warning me that sensei might ambush me but it was... Really nice... He just told me a little about what everyone was doing and asked me a couple times if I had questions / encouraged me to talk to him and I was honestly very touched to be included in a way that felt both seamless and unobtrusive to the lesson. Yrin's sensei... Is good.
Friday! A very busy friend day! For lunch we went into Boston (Cambridge, technically, I think) to get food with Eric at the crepe place Yrin had mentioned to me previously, which was DELICIOUS. We all have good overlap in fandom interests and I'm always delighted to chat with friends but I'm also pleased that Eric indulged us in so many dumb tennis references. Absolutely do not get into Prince of Tennis, it's a mistake, but also... Let me (us) dunk you into Prince of Tennis.
We went home briefly to rhythm die and watch more Rakugo anime, and then went to see June for dinner! That was A VERY NICE TIME because I sure did get to bully June more than ever before!! Between bringing her some of my doujinshi and getting her into Rakugo I have submitted my poor friend to, so much emotional torment in such a short time. We also got to scream about fanfics which hurt us and give TOTALLY GOOD FIC RECS to Yrin (who is probably trying to get out of reading our rec but WE AREN'T GOING TO FORGET, READ THE SANAYANA, YRIN) and it was just, such a good friend murder evening. What's the point of friendship if you can't just repeatedly dunk each other('s feelings) into the trash??
Saturday! A day where I sure did spend the better part of five hours lowkey (highkey) fritzing out, watched more Rakugo anime with Yrin, had a small important conversation, bread pudding was made, and a visit to my cousin was embarked upon. We tried to make a small shopping detour before that but it... Ended in failure.
I failed to warn Yrin that I was taking him to a fancy dinner party because my cousin failed to warn ME that he was making dinner into a fancy party. His friend from the UK was there visiting (that I had known) as was a friend from work (this I hadn't known, and he cooked cedar plank salmon, roasted cauliflower, glazed rainbow carrots, and a salad with herbs, pine nuts, and pomegranate seeds. The food was all very good but like, it sure is an experience to sit down in the living room of the new house you're only just seeing for the first time and have a fancy cheese platter brought out like... Excuse you, cousin, I am absolutely not this cultured what do you want me to do with this.
(and then he just heaped his own plate with an entire enormous pile of cheese after forcing everyone else to try and daintily serve themselves first and like, ate his cheese with his hands, maybe crackers were involved, maybe they weren't, it was kind of beautifully uncultured. I love my cousin.)
AND I GOT TO SEE MY COUSIN'S BEES. I just kinda stood in front of the hive for a minute watching them air condition it by fanning their little wings, which isn't all that exciting, but. I love bees so much. I am so happy about this. (I probably would have stood and stared at the bees for much longer but there were new people I ought to talk to, and Yrin has the good sense to not want to be within touching distance of bees and I felt bad... ignoring Yrin... So I behaved.)
We had a nice small talk on the way home, and probably rhythm died more, and maybe even watched a small bit more rakugo? I am losing track of when we watched rakugo. And then bedtime.
Sunday! We finally made waffles! We attempted to make waffles during my last visit but blew a fuse and ended up making the waffle batter into pancakes instead rather than make a second attempt with the waffle iron, but. This time we actually, successfully had waffles. And watched more rakugo. And rather than go to Yrin's jujitsu lesson, this time I went to see my friend Dani, because as it turns out she only lives like, ten minutes from Yrin?? It's been two years since I've last seen her so I'm really happy about this.
Dani and I spent most of our time talking... We caught up, and traded notes about our respective writing projects, and she read me two chapters of the novel she's working on which is VERY GOOD and probably would appeal to... Quite a few of my friends, since it's a heroes-with-paranormal-abilities plot focusing on the protagonist coming into her ability. As well as having good gender and sexuality and polyamory content; there is definitely a reason Dani and I are still friends, after what we have deduced is like, ELEVEN YEARS. And I got to meet Dani's very good dog, Megabit!! He is so friendly and cuddly and we took him on a walk, it was a nice time.
I introduced Yrin and Dani after his lesson, which like... I always want to encourage my friends to be friends when they live close by, HANG OUT FOR THE ME WHO IS FAR AWAY AND CANNOT HANG OUT WITH EITHER OF YOU, but that's hit or miss. I'm just glad for when I can drag people into all doing some social thing with me at once despite my friends hardly knowing each other.
I also sure did spend as much of my trip as possible flopping on Yrin. There are definitely entire chunks of time where my memory is "I am not really sure what else I was doing or talking about but I do know I stuck my legs in Yrin's lap." Yrin is absolutely terrible at retaining, any heat whatsoever. I am a good space heater. This is a service I provide and I am glad for when it is appreciated.
Monday! Was mostly me sadly vibrating about needing to leave, and eating, and rhythm gaming, and packing, and just generally being aware that with every small thing we did it was closer to the time when I'd go home. We did also watch some terrible tennis music videos and the first episode of the pedal drama, so that was nice. And had one more small conversation.
I left at about 5:45 and was through security by maybe 6:30, and our DEPARTURE was delayed but I was on the plane a bit after 8pm as planned. Going home is. Always very sad. And when I landed at BWI it was right after the last airport shuttle left so rideshare prices were BULLSHIT, which means my cheap ass hung around drinking my milkshake I was just in time to buy before the froyo place closes, until the prices became just slightly less bullshit. I was, so dead when I got home. But also. Satisfied.
Now time to plan the next Boston trip!
(this sounds like a joke but it is actually not, I am the joke here, it's me. I want to come back in mid-August when Caeslin is there so I can meet her!! And I want to try and coordinate with my cousin Steve because he drives up to Maine a couple times throughout the summer, usually. So my sister and I were thinking -- we can all drive to Boston together, get dinner with cousin Sam and Alma, and then I'll stay in Boston while they continue on to Maine. Ideally I'd drive home with them as well but depending on timing, I might need to fly one-way. Still!! Cheaper travel options mean more travel.)
Also, I suppose it bears mentioning that Yrin and I are dating, now. Which feels incredibly fake and strange to type, not in the least because it is simultaneously A Very Big Deal to me, personally, and like... A complete non-event and non-change because I am pretty sure I have been comporting myself in the way I do when in a relationship for, a while now, like since the LAST trip to Boston, at least. So I kind of assume this is not a surprise to friends who know both of us because I am an unsubtle fond mess, but I'm also very fond of ALL OF MY FRIENDS, ALWAYS, AND LOUD ABOUT IT, so maybe it is news after all.
In any event I am inordinately pleased, even if I am also. Just generally a nervous wreck disaster person. I will, try to be less of a disaster person.
And now I'm back at work and in Maryland and it's fiiiiine I guesssss but also four and a half days in Boston was not enough days of nesting on Yrin at every opportunity and I want to go back. :C
JAZZ HANDS, and that's it for this week!