Feelin' Groovy

Still out in Boston. Had another fine day in a fine vacation. Good things abounded.

1. A bunch of friends got together for feasting tonight. I'm going to count it as my birthday dinner. I'll be 35 on friday and was too much of a slow top to extend my trip through my birthday. But I'm not good with time anyway and there was all kinds of good food, beer, fruit, and pie and cake. With friends. We took a picture of three of us that had left the old job. We all looked really happy and I like this picture. I've got lots of good pictures now to remind me of this trip.
   
   
2. The MIT glass lab director was in his personal studio when I randomly stopped by and seemed happy to see me. He gave me the name of a glass artist/teacher to look up in LA who might help me find more studio time. Frankly, I wouldn't mind teaching beginners again, should that opportunity arise. At some point during our talk, I mentioned that after moving to LA and living in a motel, I would spend weekends going for long walks on the beach during which got this weird desolate feeling of not having any plans for the rest of my life. This feeling entirely went away after I found a glass studio where I coudl rent space. That feeling, the lifting of the desolation of a vast future of not much of anything, is what finally prompted me to buy my own tools and pipes and punties because I truly needed them. It was absolute confirmation for me that I really do love glasswork. (And need to finish my glass website, yes.)
   
   
3. I imagine some of you are sick of me saying so, but my favorite author has her new book out tomorrow, Force of Nature. In addition to being a favorite author, she is also a friend and an extremely nice person. She has spent the last few days, with the help of her husband, mom, dad, and friends autographing, personalizing, and packing to mail just about 900 books to fans who ordered up books from her so they could get a signed book and a bonus freebie booklet. Really. 900. All but about 50 contain some sort of personal note. And she wrote every last note herself and signed every book (although she may yet not be done). Check out the link for Suz in my sidebar, if you haven't already, and need a book to read.
   
   
4. Transportation has been easy on this trip. Jet Blue got me here from Long Beach in one non-eventful flight. The T (subway/bus) got me to my friends' house after the flight. The friends lent me their car to run errands and have lunch with other friends. (I almost had to park away from lunch and take the T in - parking in Harvard Square is not for the faint of heart. $15 for 61-90 minutes in a garage! And many meters are only for an hour. Most SoCal parking is cheap like dirt in comparison.) After returning the car I took the T and commuter rail back out to my lodgings, and since then have had access to my buddy's Prius with or without him as a driver.
   

Once again, coming back to Boston has been very easy and enjoyable for me. And I'd like to state for the record that I'm fully appreciating that fact. I hope you all enjoyed my company too. Feel free to drop by my new digs on the left coast.