There and Back Again and There Again

[unforth]

Well, after a long week+, I'm back in NYC.

I headed up to Binghamton to visit mistress_sin on Friday last week. We spent the weekend talking. I finally got to know her boy and spend some time with him, which was also really nice. I'm so happy for them! Also, it was great to get to spend enough time with someone that we reached the "fine with sitting quietly just putzing around" point. On Monday, I went for a hike while they were at work, heading up to Watkins Glen only to discover that the falls there no longer open in April; I drove down to Ithaca in the desperate hope that Buttermilk Falls would be open, and, in fact, it was! I went for a nice long hike. I'm not sure I'd ever walked all of Buttermilk before; it's a brutal uphill but it's much prettier and nicer than I remembered it being, and so was well worth it. I love waterfalls! On Monday night I met up with Kev for dinner and ended up spending almost 5 hours with him, catching up and chatting about games of the past and present. Thanks to this conversation, I finally figured out how to start a story that I've been wanting to work on a lot for at least 3 years - I'll be posting the Chapter 1/Prologue later, and I'll explain more then.

Early Tuesday morning, I headed up to Syracuse, and I got there before everyone else on the planet. When I went to waste that time by playing with my computer, I discovered that it wasn't functional, and I spent a chunk of the rest of the day dealing with problem. The Peer Review thing then started at 3 PM, and I didn't do anything else until 1 PM on Friday afternoon. It was a really great experience; I learned a ton, met a lot of people, and generally am more excited about my work and such than I was before.

I headed back to Binghamton, computer back in hand and inexplicably functional again, and spent the evening with mistress_sin again. They were supposed to leave early on Saturday, but with her luck, their car wasn't working, and so I hung out with them for a chunk of the day before driving to Jersey to visit my dad only one day late for his 67th birthday. We got talking about all manner of things, and it was really nice, too, and so I stayed the night there instead of returning to NYC on Sunday morning.

Not long after that, mom and I headed over to Candide, the very last production of anything being done in the NYC Opera theater before they remodel it, and Harold Prince (a famous producer/director for stage) was there and there were speeches and stuff. It was the same production (but of course different cast and such) as when I last saw Candide about 10 years ago, but it was better than I remember. It really has great music!

Anyway, I'll get to be back almost a full two days before leaving first thing tomorrow morning to deliver my grandfather's cat to Texas. I can't get over how inherently ridiculous this plan is (Spot, declares Poppop, will be unhappy on a plane; obviously, she'll be much happier spending two+ days in a car while I drive 1700 miles). She's luckier than Jonie; the dog will have to be in the car for the return trip, too.

Comments

[bakanekotoo.livejournal.com]

Wow, sounds like you had a really eventful week, but a lot of fun :-) I'm glad to hear that mistress sin and her boy are doing well, and you went hiking. The falls must have been really pretty. Did you take pics? I'm sorry to hear you're going to be driving down to Texas with two pets in tow. Well think of it this way, you're going on a road trip! Road trips always lead to some interesting stories to tell :-)

[unforth.livejournal.com]

I do heart road trips, and I intend to document it photographically.

And I do have pictures of the falls, though I haven't uploaded them yet. :)

[galiyah.livejournal.com]

Ugh, sorry you're having to take 2 pets on a road trip. If you're coming through Tulsa and need a place to stop, we have a free couch. Though the free couch does come with 3 cats and 2 kids...so it may not be such a great deal. :D

[unforth.livejournal.com]

The 3 cats and 2 kids don't bother me at all,and I really appreciate the offer, but sadly a route that would go through Tulsa adds about 100 miles to my trip. :( Thanks, though! I think it'll be okay, over all, if I turn up the music loud enough that I can't hear the cat's sad meowing.

[galiyah.livejournal.com]

I certainly don't want you to go out of your way- was only offering to help save some $. :) Good luck!

[sapphohestia.livejournal.com]

Evidently computers hate Syracuse. How strange is that?

Glad the peer reviewed thing went well. It sounded like it would be a great experience.

Will you need stopping points along the way? My folks might be able to provide a bed for the night. You're welcome to stop in DC as well. Could you stop by Bton on your way back? That might make it worth while.

*hugs*

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Damn you Syracuse!!

I will be stopping along the trip, but my route goes through neither Athens nor DC nor anywhere near Indiana (though if I altered my route to go to Tulsa, it would also go through Indy...but that adds 100 miles)

Instead, my route goes through Harrisburg (PA), Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock and Dallas. I've never been to any of those places, and mom supports my plan of taking my return trip a wee bit slower, so I'm gonna make a stop or two and do a small amount of touristing. :) So at least the trip won't be entirely made of suck.

[galiyah.livejournal.com]

I can't speak for Dallas, but Nashville, Memphis and Little Rock are surrounded by some very pretty countryside. As spring is in full force now, it should be quite nice.