Back from Japan on June thirtieth and, somewhat unexpectedly, there was July. Everything was sort of immediately overwhelmingly Brad; waiting for me off the airplane, pestering me awake to sort of right the jetlag I'm not particularly good at fighting, giggling through takeout, cooking with a billion people, all dressed up for a dressy dinner I'd been looking forward to for months, not really stopping to talk much, just sort of being around each other, driving off to the beach and then to another thing, and then another thing.
The weekend after the forth we flew up to Portland to pass time at the beach with his family, run into the ocean at midnight, drink too many lemondrops, have one of those make up for a month of too much whirlwind and absence to talk late night conversations. We saw my Elizabeth and meet her new Gregory. Brought a full suitcase of business clothes to Oregon so that Sunday night, while Brad bopped back home on Bart, I sprinted through SFO to be the last person onto the Virgin red eye to New York.
Three whirlwind days where I did nothing at all with the city (walked to work, walked home, walked to everyone's favorite chocolate shop to find it closed, bought dinner at the basement Whole Foods across the way from my too-nice-for-just-me hotel). Flew back Wednesday the eighth and then flew out to Seattle the ninth to see Rula and Jill and stay in a hotel just perfectly nice for the three of us (ate french food, walked greenlake, shopped, and more shopped). Ate probably the nicest dinner Mum and I have ever eaten, and had the nicest (drunkest? frankest? gossipiest?) conversation we've ever had. Made Dad return home from the beach to make me dinner, flew home Sunday and have almost never been so glad to be off an airplane.
The weekend of the twenty forth I took the motorcycle safety training course (inspired by Brad's motorcycle, the realization after Ario took the class that really all you had to do was sign up and take it, and mostly, that a bunch of guys from work were doing it and I didn't want to be left out of the adventure). I initially had ambitions of getting my license and thinking about a bike, but even though I enjoyed the class a lot more than I thought I would, I think my motivation had actually just been those things, and no real organic interest.
And then another week passed and the month ended.
Notable events that don't fit well into the chronology:
Read a number of books:- Netherland, Joseph O'Neill - Tried to describe it as a simple book, but kept having to include more wrinkles. Stellarly written.
- 1776, David McCullough -- Seems like he got tired of the research and stopped writing at the year end. It's something of a cliffhanger.
- The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Alexander McCall Smith -- Felt like reading every other pseudo magical realism in a third world country book I've read in the last decade, but not as good as a lot of them.
- never eat alone, Keith Ferrazzi -- Way overhyped, and the degree to which the author loves networking made him a bit difficult ot relate to.
- bonk; The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, Mary Roach -- Laughed out loud about a billion times, wasn't so hot on the writing style (very bloglike), but loved it.
- Lonely Planet Shanghai -- Anticipating the sex museum and the fried soup dumplings.
I planned a number of new trips (chronologically): - Cannon Beach. Back to the beach with Brett and Colleen, as a fun surprise, Mum and Grandma will be there the same weekend (Grandma was inspired by the pictures of us biking on the beach).
- Canyonlands! Jack invited Brad and I to accompany him on a six day September sojourn to the greatest national park in the universe. This will be my third time there (Jack's second, Brad's first), and sets a pattern of my visiting every three years.
- Santa Barbara. The aforementioned Brett and Colleen are getting married.
- Seattle. Flying up with Jack and Brad in October to go to a Pogues concert with Jill. I've got no idea what they play, but it's hard to turn down travel suggestions.
- Shanghai. Heading back to the smoggy world in November for Christophe and Hellen's wedding, and then to construct the most artsy post-modern Thanksgiving there ever was.
- France. Inspired by a Tanqueray advert Jill is taking french and learning to cook french food, I'm just looking forward to dressing in black and having someone to translate street signs for me when we visit next Spring.
I made plans to live with Laura (August spoiler, we've signed on an apartment at 23rd and Church!).
Brad keeps looking over worriedly wondering if I'm being emo ("why else would you be LJing?") but I'm actually being as happy as I've ever been, and conciously trying not to look like my heart is jumping out of my chest all of the time.
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