The rest of the Boston trip

[cjsmith]

After the second show of course we stayed up until 2AM talking. I am amazed that my parents really wanted to be up that long -- they hadn't had a lot of sleep lately either. I even showed them some photos from Japan. (click I don't remember what this one is. click Or that one. click Oh look, a pagoda. click Oops, blurry. click Yeah, that nostril, you guys have been through that too. click These street musicians were weirdos. click Octopus! click)

I got upstairs to the guest room and surprise! the heat hadn't been turned on. Just like home! :-) (Our furnace isn't working. We haven't bothered to call anyone yet.)

Jax Cheese Curls are the most amazingly superbly delicious snack in the entire universe. Stores in my area don't carry them, but every time I go back to Boston I pick up a bag or two. There was a pile of them in the guest room. My mother had bought me four bags of this delicious crack snack!

Also included was a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. The note on it, in my mom's writing, said "CJ: These are TERRIBLE! I bought you a box before I knew how bad they were." :-)

Murphy's Law says that when you get to sleep at 2:30AM, the phone will ring before eight. Sure enough my sister was an hour away from Boston and could she meet up with us? HECK yeah! So we got our sorry butts in the shower. Before leaving the house I had repacked and two entire bags of cheese curls were inside my luggage. The other two would have to ride in a shopping bag.

I got to see the kitchen my sister and her boyfriend remodeled this winter, and also got to meet their new dog, Indy. The kitchen is gorgeous, and Indy is an affectionate and energetic cutie.

Then, y'know, the flight back, the fights over the armrest, the screaming children, etc etc. Life in the fast lane.

My house smells really musty. There's not much air flow with the windows all shut and the furnace off.

Comments

[hopeforyou.livejournal.com]

Jax. I LOVE THEM. I don't know if they were corn or wheat-based, though.

If I ask nicely, can I have some? I haven't had any since... oh, maybe 1995. Ten whole years!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Corn. The ingredients list does not mention wheat once!

I think you and I should go in on an order together! Anyone willing to buy ten bags at a shot can order 'em over the web.

[ohhjuliet.livejournal.com]

mmmmmmm Jax cheese curls are delicious.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

They are! "Cheetos" is the closest I can get out here, and those things are nasty by comparison.

[hnybny.livejournal.com]

You do know G is a licensed heating contractor, right?

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

No, I didn't! Sadly, the house that needs the work is mine, in Sunnyvale CA; my parents' furnace works just fine and they simply hadn't been heating the unused rooms. But hey, if you (and G) feel like coming to visit...! :-)

[hnybny.livejournal.com]

Sunnyvale, California needs heating?

Sunnyvale?

LOL

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

This has been an icy winter. We have a wall furnace and no other heating, the furnace is across the hall from my bedroom, but I have my wool-filled comforter, two woolen blankets, and two acrylic blankets -- plus the top blanket to collect dog hair.

[hnybny.livejournal.com]

Eeeek, wall furnace. At least you hopefully don't use it to excess. Expensive to run.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

We wear a lot of sweaters. It's gas, and fairly efficient within a very limited area.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

It's a common misconception, but yeah, it does get down below freezing here. The day temperatures and night temperatures are usually pretty different, though, which is why we don't own real coats or snow shovels.

Sadly that same misconception was shared by lots of people who built houses here in the fifties. It's not at all uncommon to see houses with badly underpowered heating and no insulation at all. And we wonder why we've had energy problems!

[hnybny.livejournal.com]

My sarcasm must have been too vague. I know CA needs heat. Southern, mostly supplimental. Northern CA can get chilly.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

My sarcasm must have been too vague.

Oh whoops. :-) Sorry for assuming!

[hnybny.livejournal.com]

Nope, I should have made an addendum.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I'd expect, "CJ: These are TERRIBLE! I bought you a box because I knew you'd love them."

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, if she knew me better. ;-) She still wishes I were a little more ladylike. Poor Mom.

[lkeele.livejournal.com]

Ooo, Everyflavor Beans! I love those. The kids and I used to dare each other to eat 'em, with Rondo rolling his eyes at us...

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

BWAHA! I can just see you doing it, too!

I've tried all the old ones (although I hear there are a few new Every Flavor choices now) and the only one I simply refused to finish eating was "vomit".

[lkeele.livejournal.com]

Ewww, ewww, that's so gross!!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Dare ya to bite off half of one! Eeeeeewwwwwww, Lisa tried it!

[msmichelle.livejournal.com]

Your family seems so cool. Your parents have some unique interests, nice to know you don't have to worry about them in their golden years.
Glad you had a good trip!!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I gotta admit they're pretty nifty! My only worries for them as time passes would be financial. They'll always find stuff to do.