Seat 20

My journey began in Seat 20 on the Bolt Bus. As I looked out the window I saw ominous gray clouds. I decided two days ago to go to Boston. I have Sunday evening through Tuesday afternoon off every week, but this is Labor Day Weekend. Everyone else is taking advantage of the final summer vacation so I decided to take advantage too. I just hoped that we would out drive the rain that was certain to pour forth from those dark Londonesk clouds in NYC.

Armed with my Vogue, two issues of W, two issues of Entertainment Weekly, two books, and my journal I started my four hour trek to Boston.

Two hours into the trip and knee deep into Vogue I realized that the sun was shining on my magazine. There were patches of blue sky and the sun had broken through the clouds. I had to take a moment and just smile at the brilliance.

As we approached Hartford CT, I finally finished the Vogue. I read about Charlize Theron, Roger Federer, Hugh Jackman, Jenny Sanford. I saw gorgeous pictures of beautiful clothes. I got a list of noteworthy locales to pull up a stool and have a glass of wine or cocktail. I ripped that list out and will certainly be talking about some of those places soon. I wasn't sure what to read next. I could stick with fashion, switch to entertainment, or check in with Sookie Stackhouse in book 9 of the series that bears her name. Sookie won my affection.

At 7:24 we took a scheduled 15 minute rest stop. We were in MA and not far outside of Boston. The rest stop was at a Roy Rogers. I skipped that piece of crispy fried heaven. Thankfully, there was also a Sbarro. Most of the passengers ended up with slices of pizza. Who wants to be trapped in a bus with the smell of fried chicken? No sir, not me! I did enjoy the ability to stretch my legs and smell the cool, crisp air with a hint of cedar and Fall. Fall is my favorite time of year to visit Boston.

When we got back on the road we had less than an hour before reaching Boston. I was surprised by the bus ride. I thought I would be on edge with passengers talking on their phones and to each other, but it wasn't bad. It was actually good for me. I needed to put myself in the situation where I had to block everyone else out in order to concentrate on what I was doing. Growing accustomed to situations like that should help with the blocking out of sounds in my new apartment.

The familiar smell of brine hit my nostrils as I emerged from the bus station. It's the first thing that makes me question moving to Boston each time I visit. I inhaled deeply and soaked up the New England feeling that assured me I was no longer in NYC.

I arrived at Neal and Stephen's condo 4.5 hours after leaving NYC. I love the quickness of this trip. They were having dinner. I joined them at the table for drinks and conversation. It's such an easy camaraderie. I always feel welcome here. It's like a second home. I strive to make them feel as comfortable at my home. I'm not sure I always succeed.

Most of our conversation dealt with my frustration over blogging this trip on my blackberry only to find out three hours later that it was lost. Even though I saved the draft every time I added to it, it was lost. Most of this has been a recreation of what I could remember. There are new things added and nothing is quite as well written as it was when I was actually in the moment. It took a while to let go of the frustration after I arrived here. That's true in the rest of my life as well. I hold on to things longer than necessary. I needed to suck it up and get over it and just get to the computer and write what I could remember. I'm still sad about the loss of words that perfectly described the situation and my feelings, but I'm happy for the memory to be able to recall the basics.

Honestly, I'm just happy to be here in Boston with two wonderful people who are not only my friends, but my family. So I lost imagery somewhere in cyberspace. Somebody on Mars is pissed off that they're reading an unfinished blog right now. I rode on the bus. I experienced everything I wrote about the first time and this time. I'm here and I'm happy. That's enough to let the frustration dissolve away.

Bring on tomorrow and the knowledge of how to blog and save on my blackberry!