We have gotten to our new (temporary) digs in the Boston area, and so far so good. The rest of the trip was lovely, featuring more visits with people of whom I get to see woefully little and less of the random tourism. All in all, a fair trade.
I am having a little bit of Other Coast culture shock; the weather here is muggy, there are thunderstorms, the buildings are all sturdy brick and Victorians, and–well, the whole place has a whole Boston-ness to it that I’m having trouble quantifying. Something sharp and clean, like the taste of peppermint. It’s altogether likable, just a different flavor than the 11 years of slow(er) California living that I’ve had since I last dwelled in New England. The whole thing is kind of a trip; I’m hearing music that I haven’t heard in about that long in coffee shops (Melissa Etheridge, Phish), and maybe it’s just about being back in the kind of environment populated by undergrads, but I can’t remember the last time I saw so many backpacks covered in earnest, message-bearing buttons. It’s a good thing! It’s just different than what I’ve had, lately.
We’re slowly getting oriented, trying to figure out where the good food is, making contact with people we know who live in these parts (respectively or together), and starting to get back in the gear of getting to work. I have an anthology manuscript due to its publisher in, oh, two weeks. There are a lot of loose ends to be tying up on that front.