On the road again

Thanks, all, for the reading suggestions. I couldn't find the Dennis Lehane book, but I picked up Water for Elephants, and did raid Nicole's bookshelf for a few more.

On Saturday, I'm heading back east for a week-long, self-appointed tour of the Northeast. I'm flying into NYC to see some friends there, then spending a night with my friend Kristin in White Plains. On Monday, I'll pick up a rental car and drive to Stamford, CT to see Rebecca, who is weeks (days?) away from popping out baby number two. Much as I would love to meet the new baby, I'm hoping to avoid any hospital visits on this trip.

Tuesday I will drive up to Longmeadow, MA to see Maria, and Wednesday night I will drive back to my hometown to visit my mom. I'll stay there from Wednesday through Saturday, visit with some high school friends, and then finish the week at my dad's house, to celebrate his 60th birthday. (Which was actually last week, but who's counting.) I'll fly out of Boston on Sunday and head back to LA. Confused yet? Here's a map:

View Larger Map

It should be an interesting trip. I haven't driven in that area in quite a while, but I'm not too concerned. I won't be driving much in the dark, and besides, I figure that if I could navigate the LA freeways after a seven-year driving haitus, the Mass Pike shouldn't pose too many problems.

I got this idea in my head around Thanksgiving, when, for the umpteenth time I found myself trying to pack a week's worth of plans into two and a half days. There's never enough time to see both my friends and my family; what little time I do have is always squeezed in - an hour here, a lunch date there. And since I never have a car, it's like I'm a perpetual pre-teen, always relying on mom or dad to drive me somewhere.

This way, I feel like, not only will I NOT be rushing, but I'll actually get to spend some quality time. There are still dozens of people between these three states that I'm not seeing and would love to, but I would need another week and a much larger bank account to do so.

Blogging may be scarce but I'm sure I'll check in. Please send good thoughts that the clouds will part, that I won't get lost, and my flights will be wholly uneventful.