March 9, 2004

• I see lines of blue...movies of colour...hundreds of fishies ranging from brighter to growing duller...and I think to myself, what a wonderful weekend.

  
  

  Which is precisely what it was - and a surefire reason why I haven't blogged in so damn long. Want a blow-by-blow? No? Too bad.

  
  

  Saturday, 9:45 AM: I roll over and look at the clock. Dammit to hell, I've still got another three hours before I take off for a much-anticipated trip that's been in the works for more than two weeks. I drag my posterior out of bed and set about inhaling a good pint of coffee, then wrapping up a story that I haven't finished in almost a year and four months.

  
  

  12:30 PM: Parental units are gone. Coffee is also gone. Story has made all possible progress. It's time to sneak out the back door with only a few bucks, the clothes on my back, and my knife and keys, slither into the truck and go tip-tiring out onto the road.

  
  

  1:00 PM: Having blown almost half my remaining turnpike tokens on the Hampton tolls, I clear into Massachusetts and engage the Sebulba act. First Mass-hole who tries to cut me off is gonna get the full Monty - Dug curses and repeated broadsides until he's taking a nice, refreshing dip in the Merrimack.

  
  

  1:45 PM: I'm on US 1 south when I see a three-car accident in the northbound lane. No wonder Geico isn't available in New Jersey or Massachusetts - those are the two states where they'll have to disburse the most money. "Massachusetts Welcomes You," indeed.

  
  

  1:55 PM: Two-day pass at Wonderland. I pray that nothing's going to happen to the truck overnight, because in a sketchy town like Revere...*shudders*

  
  

  2:00 PM: I jump on the Blue Line train with less than a minute to spare. Go me!

  
  

  2:15 PM: Curse the Blue Line's shortness - I'm 45 minutes early. So I just engage in my usual Boston time-killer of hanging around on the T. (Those of you not from New England, the T is the more common handle of the venerable Boston subway. ) I amble leisurely up to the Green Line at Gov't Center, flaff down to the Red Line at Park Street, soft-shoe over to the Orange Line at Downtown Crossing, and then nip on back to the Blue Line at State Street. Are we having fun yet?

  
  

  2:45 PM: Good enough. I head back to the aquarium stop, go on topside, and look at the ticket line. Crap. Perfect day to visit the aquarium. I immerse myself in the soresole patience of waiting for Roseanna.

  
  

  3:12 PM: Roseanna calls to let me know she's coming up from the T stop. Apparently her meeting ran late.

  
  

  3:15 PM: She's heeeeere...Whatever you do, I tell her, do not worry about it. Fifteen minutes is a refreshingly short wait, esp. after the number of times I've had to wait a half hour or more for a group to get on the bus. Up we go to the ticket line - only to discover that the price has been jacked up $2.75 since the last time I was here.

  
  

  Ehh. At least the ticket line's not even a fifth as long as it was earlier.

  
  

  3:30 PM: We embark on some scenery-chewing, taking in penguins playing airplane underwater, some big-ass grouper sitting around doing nothing, an anaconda the size of an 80-year-old maple tree, crawley starfish, an uncanny simulation of a Pacific tidal pool, several stringy little jellyfish, and a couple thousand gallons of other enrapturing sea life. (I must hope to God that Roseanna's enjoying herself and I'm not boring her to tears...) At the central tank, we learn everything we ever wanted to know about tiger sharks, loggerheads, sea turtles, needlefish, and undersea vegetarianism but were afraid to ask.

  
  

  6:00 PM: Time to hit it. Brief visit to the gift shop before we hightail it up to MIT.

  
  

  6:35 PM (or thereabouts): One thing I like about the Red Line is that it really is a subway line, it barely ever travels above ground. (As far as I can remember from childhood, that is...) Dinner bell rings at India Pavilion. Courtesy of my lovely companion, I shake hands with an Indian dish for the first time. And whaddya know - it is some hella-good stuff! I was half afraid of being sick for half the night, but no indeed. This bears another bank-breaker some time in the future. The only thing better than a new experience is someone to share a new experience with.

  
  

  7:45 PM: Conversation has twisted and turned hither and yon, from Boston Rebels business to Boston Rebels themselves to matters of the heart, which thankfully didn't last long. 'Nuff said.

  
  

  8:00 PM: We repair to Roseanna's dorm via Stah Mahket to pick up some munchies.

  
  

  8:20 PM: It is brought home to me that anybody who sets foot in Roseanna's room and asks her if she's a Star Wars fan is asking to get smacked upside the head.

  
  

  9:00 PM: After a whirlwind of conversation and poring over Roseanna's card stash, we settle down to watch Moulin Rouge. Yes. No. I have never seen Moulin Rouge before. You may thwack me now. Then fall down and kiss Roseanna's feet for inviting me down to see it in the first place. In the first few scenes, I think it's so anachronistic that it's hilarious - but it works quite well to draw the audience in right at the beginning and hold their attention for the rest of the story.

  
  

  And what a story. I only wish I could agree with some of the views on...you know what.

  
  

  11:00 PM: Since it came up in idle conversation, we decide to watch the DS9 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations." We both suffer from certain deprivations, apparently: I've never seen Moulin Rouge, Roseanna has never watched the original Star Trek.  Remind me to bring a few videos next time...

  
  

  12:30 AM: The Sandman is beating both of us up with one hand tied behind his back, and we succumb. Zzzzzz...

  
  

  Sunday, 6:30 AM: I wake up, and as we've still an hour before either of us needs to go anywhere, I toss about a little bit and start daydreaming. Stories. Writing. Characters. Star Wars. LOTR. JC. Val. Feedback. Deprivation. Frustration. Blogging. Xanga. All you dear wonderful people whose blogs I haven't read in almost a freaking week for whatever reason. Rebels. Meets. CR election. What the hell was I going to say to Roseanna last night before bedtime?

  
  

  7:30 AM: The alarm goes off.

  
  

  8:30 AM: I find it strangely invigourating to watch Roseanna milling about squaring away the incalculable tonnage of paper in the bottom of her closet. Think think think...She's afraid she's boring me to tears, but no sweat. That makes two of us.

  
  

  9:50 AM: Paradox! I want to go home and finish some stuff up, but I'd just as soon stay here and chill with Roseanna and other local friendlings...argh. Let's see if I can make it halfway to church.

  
  

  10:30 AM: Red Line ride to Park Street was prompt enough, but damn that Green-E Line...so much for making it to church on time...Homeness. And it still takes the better part of half an hour to make it back to the Blue Line. Grr.

  
  

  11:30 AM: The truck's still at Wonderland, all tires are fully inflated, all windows are intact and it's not missing anything. Yay God.

  
  

  1:10 PM: Yay home. I pull in some laundry, pop online and let Roseanna know I'm back safely. Then I promptly start cooking up some props 'n' thoughts 'n' ideas for the April meet...hmm...we haven't done Hahvad yet...hrm...think think think...

  
  

  Tuesday, 12:30 AM: zzzzzzzzzzzz.........

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