music:
reading:

last weekend, I partied in RI at Joe Menassa.com's place for his graduation. we had a crazy-awesome time and I was so jazzed I went. I managed to do some fun beverage-related activities I hadn't previously done, and Tim and I partnered up to beat his boss and Blight at a game of pong. good times were had.

the next day was the day we found dead things on the beach, including the stingray, a crab, and a few horseshoe crabs, which are gross. that Monday, I went hiking Mt. Monadnock with Tim and was NOT ready for that. that was a little rough, but I made it and I'm happy I pushed through instead of getting upset with myself. good times.

this weekend I went to Rhode Island for Chowderfest on Saturday, which was ridiculously delicious. I have never been to an actual cook-off before, nor had I actually eaten chowder before (besides one time at Dean's for a meeting where I choked it down because I felt like I had to... it was pretty gross and that's all I remember). all but three of the chowders were ridiculously excellent, and I was so stuffed when we left. Zeuger and I had made a pact to try every chowder, and that we did (with two or three second helpings).

we then went to JR/Ferreira's for beverages and the Sox game, where we watched an awesome victory over the Yankees. that progressed into chugging contests (which I lost against Joe Menassa.com) and even a sprint (where I lost against Joe Menassa.com) until we finally settled on playing some Nintendo Wii (where I rocked Joe Menassa.com).

Joe gave me a ride back to my car around 9ish and I ended up driving up to Clinton to hang out with Tim, because I didn't have much else to do, and wanted to see his fishtank for his future turtles. we ended up at this awesome dive a block or two from his place, this awesome little Irish bar that I totally dug. we were just sitting there talking, when Kulis and some others that I hadn't previously met walked in, and Tim introduced me to them (and even tried to get one girl to get my autograph... bastard). we were entertained by the group's drunkenness, and we ended up staying there until they turned off the neon signs and the place became quiet. I guess I never realized how much neon added to a bar atmosphere until they turn it off, and the glow on everyone's faces are no longer there.

we left the bar and as soon as I get out the door, I manage to somehow break my flipflop, which is now barely on my foot and I have to shuffle back to Tim's. I did a quick non-cartwheel in the middle of the street, because hey, it's Clinton, and I can do that. I managed to get back in the car without breaking anything else or doing something ridiculously awkward, and head home (big mistake). around the Leominster exit, I started having to blast the cold A/C on my fast. around 495 I started to pinch myself on the forearm every once in a while, or had to give myself a light slap on the cheek. by Nashua I was driving with the heat blasting, all windows down, blaring music as loudly as I could. it brought back not-so-fond memories of driving back to Hammond in the middle of the night my freshman year of college to check up on my family, not knowing how far I'd get down I-65 before I'd fall asleep.

Tim loaned me a book on my Amazon wishlist called 'How To Survive A Robot Uprising' and I was too tired to sleep once I got back because of all the adrenaline, so I sat in bed and read that until I fell asleep around 4:30? 5:30?ish.

I got a call a quarter after nine from Tim asking if I still wanted to hike Mt. Wachusett today. I did although I apparently proclaimed that I was too tired to open my eyes when he asked me what the Manchester weather looked like. I asked for another hour of sleep and he complied. I finally got up, dealt with some things (like Pancake, who I've neglected all weekend) and headed out the door. we met at Tim's and then proceeded to drive to the mountain, while Tim explained to me how and why a manual transmission works. I am far from an engineering genius but managed to hold my own and understand what he was trying to explain (I even knew what a dog shifter was, and told him about my gift from John).

we got to the trail and found a beautiful, clear pond where Tim hilariously attempted to catch frogs. we walked a really nice, beautiful trail through the clouds, which left only a mist on my skin. it was very cool, but great for the hike, and I was completely content. the actual steep up-the-mountain stuff I anticipated really never materialized, and I ended up really enjoying the day. when we finished up, we went back to the pond where Tim did actually catch a frog before it went leaping out of his hand. this was followed by a trip to a great little ice-cream stand in the middle of nowhere next to Clinton (aka, Smalltown USA) where I had some great Maine blueberry ice cream. a tasty end to a fun weekend.

I came home and had just gotten comfortable reading Tim's book when the fire alarm went off. that always scares the living hell out of me, especially because Tim and I had just joked about his condo burning down...

now, through sleepy eyes, I am typing this having just woken up from a rather satisfying nap and just on the brink of going back to bed for round two. the rain is really coming down, and I can hear it splashing off the tree leaves and branches onto the sidewalk below.

when I was little, I would sit in front of my bedroom window and sing Kathy's Song by Simon & Garfunkel every time that it rained. I don't know why, but I had heard the song once or twice and I really loved it. I have officially carried on the tradition, except it's transgressed into No Rain by Blind Melon instead.

the sound of the rain is so comforting and relaxing that I'm starting to get sleepy once more. and with that, I bid adieu.

goodnight, gracie.