++ SAN FRANCISCO - this past weekend. we left friday after work and drove the 14 hours there through the night. s-uper s-paz m-inx r-aving housed us and heather and i showed them around 'their' city for most of the weekend. it was as if we were living there and it was just any other weekend. a day of surfing (well m-inx surfing, s-paz, heather, and i not watching, but eating breakfast at dennys), a walk through the haight, the buffalo exchange, amoeba music, o-n "t-reatment"'s house (where he was sleeping, but as usual the front door was unlocked, and there were lots and lots of self-portraits of him snorting something, which i'm pretty sure were not pixie-sticks filled with sugar), crepe vine in the castro where we got to watch m-inx be super uncomfortable while eating his food, oysterbed to visit my old place of employment, twin peaks 2 to lean on the wind (aka, not get blown over), and lots of sitting around and watching movies at their place. it was foggy (of course.) and we didn't see the golden gate bridge once, or fisherman's wharf, or the piers or any other thing which even slightly resembles anything tourist. it was nice. until we had to leave monday morning and drive the 14 hours back. once a weekend=ok. twice in a weekend=poop. and of course as soon as we hit the washington border, it started raining.

the 4th of 7 lessons in the installment:

Boston, MA
"Since my first email was just info. and was also forwarded to my family I don't think it should count as my mass email contribution... so this will.
Jumping on the bandwagon of the top 10 lists... this is what I've learned in Boston/New England as of yet...
.10. Be thankful that your family doesn't live all in the same place so if you ever need to hit them up for a place to stay they might just be in the same city as you... it's saved my butt more than once!
.9. Even though I-95 says it only goes north-south it can really go east-west too. (very good to know if you don't want to go on a 20 some mile detour)
.8.Boston is the Windy City, not Chicago.
.7. Second day on the job: "If you don't smoke and drink coffee you're not in the right profession."... hmmm, I do neither.
.6. There still exists those dispensers that give you a sheet of toilet paper at a time as opposed to taking off of a roll. (if you care to see them visit our restroom on the fifth floor in 286 Congress St.)
.5. You can get a place to live that costs twice as much, but is 1/2 the size as you can in Ohio. (case in point, my place in Beacon Hill)
.4. Prior to popular belief, laboratory floorplans do not lay themselves out, they need co-ops to do it.
.3. There are actually IT guys who know less than us... scary...
.2. You're in a real city when you have a baby shower/beer party at work.
And the #1 thing I've learned:
.Jerry Larson can find you even if you haven't talked to him since 1985. (guy that sits behind me graduated in 1984 and got a call from jerry when he came through with the 2nd yrs. for their turkey tour... hadn't heard from jerry for 18yrs.)... be afraid, be very afraid." ++