Back from the east coast!

[cjsmith]

I'm baaaaaaack!

I've only sketchily read LJ. Feel free to point me at anything you'd like me to know, as I mighta missed it.

It was wonderful to have dinner with my parents & her sister & boyfriend. I don't see them often enough. Wish I had a teleporter. When I was in my early to mid twenties, being nearly 3 kilomiles away from my parents was a fine thing; I not only wanted it and was comfortable with it, but I suspect I even *needed* it if I was to form a good idea of self. But now it's no longer necessary or desirable. Ah well... planes go places. At least for now they do.

That was a TERRIFIC square dance to go out on. It was an incredibly fun weekend. People there are friendly and welcoming, several people mentioned they were pleased to see me and to dance with me, the dancing itself was phenomenal (both challenging choreo and very skilled dancers)... it was just fantastic. It was so enjoyable that I was sorely tempted to reverse my quit-square-dancing decision. (I'm sticking with it, though. I have a very strong gut feeling that if I'm ever going to heal I *must* rest for a very long time.)

eichin surprised and pleased the hell out of me by suddenly popping up in the window of the dance hall. I had no idea he was in western Mass., and he had had no idea where I was dancing -- some sleuthing on his part led him to the right city and finally to the right building. I was able to take a break from dancing and chat with him and Laura for a while. He described it as "a successful pounce". I am also amused to read his description of the dance. :-)

Now I get to dig out of the work backlog. Yee ha!

Comments

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Nothin' goin' on here but list-making, hurricane-watching, and essay writing. :-)

My experience with Western Mass (usually just passing through) is that outside any of the towns, it is all scary dense forests, straight out of horror movies. My friend B, in Ipswich, had to go somewhere out in the NW part of the state once and he said "there are woods there people have probably ventured into and never returned from." :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I've seen some o' those lists. You have much to do!

"there are woods there people have probably ventured into and never returned from."

*laughter*

I find the wooded hills beautiful. This trip was yet another reminder that I do not find the place where I now live to be even remotely aesthetically appealing. I love woods, trees turning colors, evergreens, hills, ponds and lakes. I don't love parched brown dead vegetation or dust. I suspect it's all in what ya grow up with. I grew up back there :-)

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I love the rolling, tree-covered hills in New England and upstate New York. I like the more remote areas in California's hills, though - I think it's a bit of a novelty for me, still, but the baldness is kind of bizarre, in a way, compared to out east. The Palouse hills in eastern Washington and northern Idaho are even more interesting in that sense.

But yeah, down in the Santa Clara valley... bleah. At least you have something on the horizon to look at though, whereas here all we have is... well... horizon. ;-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

New England and upstate New York

And in Finland. Mmm, lovely. Can't forget Finland.

Yeah, the baldness is bizarre but I don't really find it pretty. It's just... there. And horizon matters only when the air is clear! ;-)

[erikred.livejournal.com]

Cf. upstate New York and the indie-pic, Wendigo (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275067/). Spooky! :)