Buon' Nuov' Anno!

See, I was nice and I spared all of you the obligatory sappy tranquil holiday posts. Peace, happiness, blah blah blah, same old same old, boring boring boring.

Nah, actually I kinda dig all that stuff. But I have to admit, I totally missed out on the holidays this year. Not because I had flights on both Xmas and New Years (although I did) but because there was neither the time nor the weather. My last final was on the 19th, after which I took a couple days of brain-dead respite, then had to hurriedly catch up on things I fell behind on during the semester, and start looking at the summer job hunt and scholarship applications for next year. Somewhere in there I found what I think were some really fun presents, but I must admit my shopping and present-pondering was much more crammed in than it normally is. And there was not the typical leisurely evening of lovingly wrapping and decorating each present amidst breaks to gaze at the Xmas tree. Nope. I think they all got wrapped in a 15-minute span at around 2 am Xmas morning, so they could be crammed into my luggage and flown east.

And don't even get me started about seeing Xmas tree lots spring up while I'm still wearing shorts, and how much that helped my holiday spirit.

At any rate, it was a good two-week break between semesters. I had a good trip back east, seeing a lot of my well-missed friends and family. It was very strange, being back in Pittsburgh. It's odd how a place can seem so much the same but so different after just under five months. The first thing that struck me was how small it felt. Even the streets felt narrower than I remember. The other thing that struck me, which made me kind of sad, was that I definitely have lost that sense of ownership and intimate belonging that I felt such a short time ago. It was great to see so much that I love, and so many people that I love, but the feeling I had towards the city was very much that of a loving visitor, not of a resident or someone with an existing stake in the place. I guess that's just how it goes when you've naturally fallen out of touch with the daily goings-on of a community, the changes, the ebb and flow of events. It definitely confirmed to me that yes, I have moved away.

On the other hand, though, the feelings I had were also still definitely that of a close connection, love, and appreciation. It wasn't quite like slipping on a glove and having it fit perfectly, but more like pulling on an old hoodie or t-shirt that feels a little weird because it's different from most of your newer clothes, but has a comforting familiarity to it. So, at the same time that it confirmed that I have left the 'Burgh, it also confirmed that I will always love it dearly.

And I would be absolutely remiss if I didn't mention the PEOPLE! It was great to see so many people. I missed one or two that I really wanted to see, but also got to see some who I thought I would miss, a very pleasant surprise. I even got that greatest of time-passers, a quick road trip with MT! Complete with Headstones! I couldn't ask for much more....except perhaps more time with everyone. It's a very new thing for me to think, "A few months ago we used to talk almost every day. Now I have about three hours to sit with you for a meal, and that's all I'll see you for half a year." I'm not quite used to visiting places where I have a number of friends to see--something I'll have to adapt to!

At any rate, it was a good break and a good visit, and I feel like I'm entering the new semester refreshed and rejuvenated. We'll see if I still feel that way in a week or so, when first semester grades are in.

End of the Gauntlet...and the Rope

OK...so...damn. All the travel finally caught up to me, and just in the nick of time it ended! Don't get me wrong--I'm very glad I did all the stuff I've done over the last couple of months; spending time with all these friends has been invaluable, knowing that next year I will be living very much elsewhere, very broke, and very busy. But, at the end it just got to be a wee bit much.

Anyhow, I haven't posted about the last month or so worth of travels, mainly because OF the travel. The in between times, I've just been trying to keep my head above water between work, staying abreast with old and new friends, kitty pimpin', and the emotion of life's impending rapids. Something had to go, and that something was blogging.

So, I'll try to catch up, but as the rapids around here get more rapid-y, I don't make many promises. All I can say is, I am so glad to be home, in my little apartment in this little neighborhood, and this morning is rainy and gray (and, I'm trying to remind myself, peaceful).

For those of you who I haven't had a chance to talk to personally, here's what's up. In a pretty shocking move that defies almost anyone's explanation, I got put on the waitlist at Loyola in LA. This was kind of stunning because I'm well above average for their GPA and LSAT, and universities ranked much higher than them admitted me and/or waitlisted me.

That in itself, though irritating, is not a huge issue, because of the aforementioned more highly ranked schools. The issue is that none of my options out west have panned out so far. The most likely scenario right now is that I'll be going to Temple in Philly, which again would not be a big deal...except LT is moving to California.

So.

I'm on the waitlist at UCLA, which is actually my top choice if you don't consider the factor of money and what I had thought would be a decent scholarship offer from Loyola. And, I'm busting my tail to do whatever I can to convince UCLA that I would be an awesome addition to their student body and they should let me in. However, failing that magical phone call from the Dean of Admissions...

Temple is a really good school. They gave me a partial scholarship and I'm already a PA resident, so they would be really cheap for me to go to. It had been lower on my list, primarily because I just hadn't taken much time to look at them--looking now at their offerings and options, I do get excited. Philly is a great city, a center of GLBTQ activity both culturally and legally. Career-wise, this is a fantastic option.

Except...

Except.

LT is headed out of Pittsburgh in about three weeks. Three. Weeks.

The First Acceptance

I'll be posting about my trip to Lesbo Land as soon as I get a chance, but time is short and I wanted to at least pass this along. It finally happened - I got my first acceptance letter! So, I don't know where I'm going just yet, but at least I know I'm going somewhere. It was from Temple, which is pretty far down my list of places I applied to, but it's a start!

It was a bit surreal in terms of how it came. Thursday went like this: No sleep Wednesday night (long story involving a watery mess from the apartment above, combined with trying to pack), arriving at the airport at 4:30 AM, 11 hours negotiating planes and airports and four different time zones catching naps where I could, two or three hours in the sun in the middle of the desert, dinner, and an evening comedy show with a couple thousand lesbians.

At the end of all this, I checked my email in the hotel room before my exhausted body called it quits, and got the email from Temple (I had only been expecting snail mail notifications). I completely forgot about it for I think two days, then partway through Saturday asked GJ, "Hey, did I dream that I got accepted to law school, or did that actually happen?"

Weekend Gauntlet 2: Nats

This weekend was a trip to Philly for the USA Hockey Women's National Tournament. Well, that's what it was supposed to be, and it ended up being the tournament, a return to Pittsburgh for about a half hour, then a trip to Washington, DC to catch the end of LT's frisbee tournament.

First the hockey - we played well and it was a fun time, unfortunately that didn't translate to great success in the tournament standings. We finished 0-3, but honestly made a better showing than that record indicates (at least, I think so!). By far the highlight of the weekend for me was playing against my old team from New Jersey. I saw my old coach and a number of old teammates, and we had a great game. My old friends got the best of us 1-0, and it was one of the most fun games I've played in a long time.

When we didn't advance to the quarterfinals, instead of staying overnight Saturday we headed home after playing our last game. Got back to Pittsburgh at around 9 on Saturday night, transferred my stuff from the car I was in to my car, picked up a friend of LT's and mine, and hit the road again on a last-minute-whim decision to head to DC. Got to DC at around 1:30 am, slept for a good 4 1/2 hours, then at 6 am bright and early headed out to the fields for the second day of an ultimate tournament. Spent a good 6 or 7 chilly hours shivering in a polo field and cheering on LT and her team, then hit the road for home again. Thankfully our friend knew how to drive stick, so I had the luxury of spending most of the ride home sound asleep in the back seat. Zzzzzz....

All in all, great fun even if half of it didn't go as originally intended, and I rediscovered the fun that can take place when you decide on a whim to drive somewhere in the middle of the night. Just make sure you have time to nap later!

Oh, and I realized that I've gotten to the point where if a drive is under 4 hours, I barely even count it as a trip. I might as well just be going down the street.

Coming Next Weekend: The Dinah Shore in Palm Springs

Things I Learned/Remembered Today

- When driving an automatic, you don't have to push a clutch to start it or put it in neutral to keep it from stalling.
- Driving an automatic is boring.
- People who drive automatic forget about parking brakes and don't remember that they're really good for your transmission.
- Sometimes you just need to tell someone to fuck off rather than let frustration gunk up your inner juju.
- Philadelphia has WaWa.
- Philadelphia has useful highways that remind me of Jersey (sometimes I do actually miss the Garden State Parkway).
- Some people play hockey on teams that are actually...y'know...teams!
- You can still have a shit ton of fun playing a game that you lose. (Well, actually I always knew that, I just wanted to mention it because it's fun.)
- I can't wait to go play in Chicago with MG! And in Cinci with [insert team here], hanging out with my buds!
- However old I feel, my knees feel older. (No wait...just one more season then I'll go get them looked at...I swear!)

Nighty night, y'all.

Weekend Gauntlet 1: Go Wings!

The way things are looking, seems I'll be out of town every weekend from this past one until May (and 7 of the 9 weekends in all of March and April). Whew! So, this past weekend was first up in my astounding run of busy-ness: a Red Wings game in Columbus, and then National Raisin Gravy Day. (Some people call the latter "Easter", but it's really National Raisin Gravy Day.)

I met my Cincy buds in Columbus to see the Wings take on the Blue Jackets. Given that the arena was half full of Wings fans, the Columbus folk were kind of cranky. The fact that the Wings won 4-1 didn't help. But, although there was some verbal sparring (some good-natured, some not). After the game we hit up a local gay bar in Columbus' arena district--after a very lame start, it eventually got good; I was happy to see a huge variety of gender expression...much greater than I typically see here in Pittsburgh on a usual night out.

And, National Raisin Gravy Day was yummy. Got to see 4 out of 5 of The Kids, and as usual got my ass kicked by the second oldest...when did he become twice as big as me? Ah well, the fun is in the fighting, not in the winning. (And it's a good thing that's the case...)

Some thoughts....

- On the way to Columbus I passed a car with the license plate SUFR4JC. Creeped me out.
- After your parents have lived in the same house for 25 years, it's weird to realize that before leaving to go visit, you need to double-check the directions.
- Yes, LT cooks more than I do, but it's all pasta, and she needs to set the timer to know how long to boil it! (pbpbthththth...) Besides, I own the aebleskiver pan!
- I'm either going to have to figure out a way to be home enough in the evening to do laundry during the week, or...well...um, there really is no alternative.

And in other news, I'm getting my ass whooped with my NCAA tournament bracket, but at least I'm doing better than Tiki and Whiskey. GJ isn't getting much of a run for her money this year though. And, my car passed 100,000 miles! (Roughly 96,000 of them with a mooshed front bumper.) Good ol' Lancer...

Coming Next Weekend: USA Hockey Women's National Tournament

Cooking and Horses and Flowers, Oh My!

When you find yourself, 11 hours before you need to be on a plane, staring at the remnants of Chinese Takeout Lunch that you just unceremoniously deposited in your bathroom garbage can, you're not too sure how the vacation is going to go. Thankfully, it went really well! I was still a little oogy on the travels there, but managed to keep things, ah, under control. After that first day, I was right as rain...well, rain with a nagging cough anyhow.

LT and I went to Bradenton, Florida (a bit south of Tampa) to visit her grandma over this past weekend, leaving Thursday and coming back Monday. It was a nice few days of sun and warm temperatures (not grossly hot, just a nice warm reprieve while everyone up here was getting snowed on), relaxation, and cooking.

Oh, the cooking. Day one was chicken breasts, day two was strip steaks, day three was a whole roasted chicken, and day four was pork loin. I don't even remember all the sides, but very yummy was the fried corn scraped fresh from the cob. Mmmm. And of course a constant flow of goodies that only grandmothers can push on you...fresh fruits of all kinds, brownies, cookies, ice cream, etc. etc. etc. Yum!

We did more than eat, though. We also went to see the a training show at the Herrmann's Lippizaner Stallion ranch, which was much more fascinating than going to one of their regular tour performances. We were able to walk through the barn and see the guys up close, which took me way back to my horsey days of yore, always a kind of emotional thing for me. And we also went to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, which was beautiful. They were having a farmer's market, tempting LT with lots of plants and flowers for sale, including tons of orchids. They also had some very intense egrets, and an odd but friendly volunteer who regaled us with a couple magic tricks and a somewhat endless story that included in-laws, an Italian restaurant in Louisville, and semi-pro football.

And of course through all this we visited with Grandmama, and also LT's aunt Tracy on Sunday and Monday morning. They both were wonderfully welcoming and kind, which was very good to see and feel. I was very happy that LT had a place in her family where she was able to celebrate our relationship rather than feel like she had to defend it. And of course it's fun to hear all the stories about people in LT's family. I haven't even met most of them and I already have all the dirt on them!

One amusing thing; we arrived at LT's grandmother's at night, so I didn't see much of the surrounding area, but the next morning I saw that we were in a gated community on a golf course. All you could see from within the neighborhood was the neighborhood itself. My surprise came later that day when we left, and as soon as we got outside the gates I saw that this expensive, carefully tended community was plunked down in the middle of scrubby, somewhat dilapidated farmland. The whole area seemed to consist entirely of farms, abandoned farms, and gated golf course communities, with the occasional Publix. There were easily four different golf course communities within a few miles of where her grandma lived.

And don't get me started on the gated community WITHIN the gated community. Yikes! Even here, though, people weren't above some of the current economic troubles. While walking around, LT and I saw lots of For Sale signs, including the nicest block in the development where over half the houses were on the market.

So, fun trip, interesting new environment I'd never been in before, and general relaxation and happiness. I'll get some pics when I have a chance.

The Bumblebee Goes to Washington (So Do I)

I spent the last five or so days visiting LT in our nation's capital. First things first, a shout out to EmJ and Kirbs for taking me in all five nights when it became apparent that the T homestead was not an option, and for hosting a fine New Year's Eve shindig.

Also a hug to LT. Keep your chin up; I still believe that patience and reasonable understanding will win out in the end.

A very cool thing about DC is that it is eminently bike-able. There are bike lanes on many streets and lots of great paths and parks and monuments to explore; you can take bikes on the Metrorail (provided it's not rush hour); most places we went had plenty of bike rack space. And oh yeah...it's FLAT (compared to Pittsburgh, anyhow). Although time constraints forced us to the car more often than we had wanted, we did manage to get in two great bike explorations, which I would recommend to anyone.

The first was a ride from the Capitol Building grounds and the National Botanical Gardens, through the National Mall and past the Washington Monument, along the tidal basin past the Jefferson Memorial, and down to the FDR Memorial. I hadn't been to DC since the FDR Memorial was installed--it is definitely a thought-provoking place if you are the type to let your thoughts be provoked, especially in light of some present day public discourses. We rode back much the same way, although we likely would have continued the rest of the way around the tidal basin were it not for dinner plans and rain.

The other was a ride from Gravelly Point (where you sit in a field and get buzzed by incoming planes at Reagan National Airport) up a path that runs along the Potomac. You can turn around at any point; we went to the Key Bridge and across into Georgetown, along the canal, then back to city streets to Foggy Bottom. Then we took the Metro from Foggy Bottom back to Reagan National. Getting back to the path to Gravelly Point from the airport was interesting, but we managed not to violate any homeland security zones, I think.

One cool thing along this path is Theodore Roosevelt Island, which is only accessible from a pedestrian bridge off the river path, near Rosslyn. Although, I feel obliged to point out that by law you're not supposed to bike through it and it's closed at sundown...um, just in case anyone out there was tempted to illegally ride your bikes through it at night. Yeah.

I was also thrilled to meet Monica, Susanne and Danny. They've given LT a lot of support and I could tell they care a lot about her. And the long list of the other good people I met...Renee, Alicia, Leah, Panah, Jim & Lizzie, Susie, Keith and family (and the other XC guys), Dean, brother Kirby, another Emily, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. (Sorry people I know I'm forgetting or whose names I misspelled...)

And lest I forget, thanks to MT for her always-superb care of my furry children.

I will now leave you with pictures of some of our bikes' great travels.

Babe and the Bumblebee go to the Capitol.

Babe and the Bumblebee go to the Washington Monument.

Babe and the Bumblebee go to the FDR Memorial.

Babe and the Bumblebee go to an undisclosed location.