30 Things I Learned This Weekend

In honor of E's 30th birthday (and, ahem, mine recently passed), I thought I'd do a list of 30 highlights from my weekend in the big city.

1. Getting lost is a good thing. Yes, I got lost on the way to E's apartment. Yes, I ended up in a different town/city. But - I learned my way around like I never would have otherwise. And I had the pride of figuring it out myself, even if it did take an extra 45 minutes. It's all good.

2. E's apartment is very nice. The third floor, with wonky stairs, and HOT, but very nice. Charming, even.

3. 4 star hotels are super friendly. Our concierge was kind enough to change us from a one-bed room to two, and even made sure we weren't afraid of heights before giving us a room on the 27th floor. And, he let us know we could probably talk to God from up there. Hee.

4. 4 star hotels have AWESOME beds. So. Nice. I thought we should just ditch the rest of the weekend and take naps instead. They had cushy comforters and four pillows. I never wanted to leave.

5. Crazy people enjoy Barnes and Noble. And like to shout out "Hi Asian lady!!" in a loud voice. But, no, Mr. Bookshopper, I don't think she was having a stroke. I think she's just crazy. It happens.

6. E's friends are great. I finally met most of the Boston crew, and they were nice and funny and fun. I guess her good taste in people has continued since high school.

7. Kicky is my new favorite word. And E has a lot of kicky clothes. Her wardrobe Saturday night involved a kicky skirt and a kicky bag. Her hair, however, was not kicky but flippy.

8. Never underestimate your friends. Sometimes, friends who are Always Late can show up on time (ON TIME!), and other friends who claim they are coming out will not even call.

9. Togetherness is cozy. Yes, 6 people can jam into a booth built for 4 and have dinner. And, yes, 6 people can jam into a Jeep. It can be done.

10. Don't rely on the waiters to help you. Sometimes, you need to get up and get your own napkins. Or rearrange the meals that were given to the wrong people. Or clean up the margarita that he spilled into your shoe.

11. Boston is HOT. And I'm not talking Paris Hilton hot. I mean H-O-T, 90 degrees and HUMID hot.

12. I hate being hot. Okay, this isn't something new I learned, but something I relearned. I'll admit it. Air conditioning has spoiled me. I HATE BEING HOT.

13. "Free Parking" isn't really free. Just cause it's free parking doesn't mean I want to hike from my house in Western Mass to a bar in Boston. Or, you know, a 20 minute walk within Boston either. When it is HOT.

14. There are a lot of boats in Boston. I think we passed all of them on the walk from the car to the bar. And they are very nice. Really. I'd love to be rich too.

15. Sometimes, it isn't worth the wait. Luckily, we didn't stand in the mile long line for the first choice bar. Cause it was HOT.

16. I am old. The people in the mile long line? Looked like they were still in high school. I felt like I could be some of their mothers. Also, H was kind enough to point out that the high school graduates of 2005 were in KINDERGARTEN when we graduated from high school. Ouch.

17. Second choice is sometimes perfect. The bar we ended up in was very nice. Not too crowded, not too empty. The music was great, and the people were nice. And? It was AIR CONDITIONED.

18. Sailor's hats look dumb. The uniform is fine, but if you want to pick up chicks, lose the silly hat. Just a suggestion.

19. Boys are weird. Why go out of your house if you are going to text message your friends all night instead of conversing with the REAL LIFE people right there in front of you?

20. People like to text message. A LOT. I just don't get it. Does it not take longer to type out the message on that little keypad than it would if you just, say, DIALED the phone and spoke to the person? I think this goes with #17. I am old. I don't get into it, and I feel like I'm talking about that "newfangled television set" or something.

21. Bars are loud. And somehow, that makes it okay to scream out "That bartender has a great ASS!" at the top of your lungs.

22. Taxis do not always like to pick you up. Apparantly, 3 in the morning is one of those times. Also? Lots of drunk people trying to hail a cab without success is kind of funny.

23. Tipping well is okay. Yes, I gave the cab driver 20 bucks for the 8 dollar fare. SO SUE ME. I did this because a) he picked us up, when no one else would, b) it was HOT and I didn't feel like walking a half hour back to the hotel, c) he was both psychic AND an astrologer, and d) did I mention it was hot?

24. I can fall asleep FAST. Listen, I am old mother now. I can't stay up all hours like I used to. So when E paused with her drunken chatter (said with the most love!), I guess I fell asleep. I know this because she heard me snoring. It was almost 4 am! The last time I was up that late/early, it was because CG was still getting up 3 times a night.

25. Valet guys like to relax in your car. Apparantly, our valet driver took a nap in my front seat while listening to REO Speedwagon. The driver's seat was reclined into the backseat, and he had taken the CD out of the holder and put it on. He was already on the second song. Funny, he didn't look like an Speedwagon fan.

26. I LOVE to eat out. A lot. Again, not news, but still. And the Cheesecake factory makes a mean french toast. Yum Yum Yum.

27. Castle Island is beautiful. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it even more if it wasn't, well, HOT. But it was still gorgeous.

28. I can drive in Boston! I am very proud of myself. I forced my way into the roads like any local, and even parallel parked. Whoo-hoo! My biggest piece of advice for driving in Boston? Just go. Don't second guess or be nice. You'll be respected more if you are ruthless.

29. Torrential downpours make it hard to see. I got hit by a flash thunderstorm on the way home. It was like someone throwning giant buckets of water at my windshield every second. My windshield wipers were laughing at me. I finally had to get off the Mass Pike and wait it out for 15 minutes or so.

30. Coming home is the best part of vacation. As much fun as I had, it was still great to come home. Refreshed, exhausted, but happy.

Happy XXX E! Heh.