so far i have discovered the following things that were added to my car while i was away: large white pinstripes from bumper to bumper, one pair of lacy red underpants placed in the glovebox, and several gay pride stickers including one placed on the opposite side of the rear-view mirror so that i couldn't see it but everyone looking at me could. which explains those looks i was getting.

first of all, in case you weren't aware, i was in Boston last week celebrating Ciji's birthday and getting some quality time with Lindsay. i'll get to all of that in a minute. but first let me say that DENNIS IS A BIG GOOBER. Dennis was nice enough to not only drive me to the airport at the truly ungodly hour of five-in-the-morning and pick me up when i returned, but also took care of my car while i was away. of course, he took his payment in trade. he got to drive my nice little car all over the place and felt free to put the pinstripes and various other paraphernalia all over my car. of course, none of it is permanent because even though he's a goober, he would never actually do any damage to something i asked to look after. on the other hand, i now feel completely obsolved of any return favor obligation. after the brief but intense shock he gave me when i first saw the car, it's almost like he owes me.

anyways, that was my return. meanwhile, in Boston, i had a lovely time. i landed pretty exhausted because of the lack of sleep the night before and my super early departure, but was very happy to have Lindsay within grabbing distance again. the two months since we'd last seen each other suddenly didn't seem all that long.

back at her apartment, which because of my lack of sleep and not-too-long-passed visit felt vaguely reminiscent of a dream, i showered and changed, and we headed out to dinner at the always yummy Washington Square Tavern. a very mellow atmosphere conducive to both neighborhood bar and semi-romantic dining environs. in fact, the two blended together seamlessly. quite a good place.

afterwards, we meandered downtown to meet up with Yaz and Ciji. aside from spending time with Lindsay, which, to be honest, was the main reason for the visit, i was also out to surprise Ciji on her birthday. she had no clue that i was coming, the idea of which made me veritably giddy. i love surprising people. i love doing grand, unexpected things. i think i enjoy doing them more than those on the receiving end.

Ciji was a little, um, happy from her meal out and running late. but we eventually caught up with her and shared a drink or two, exchanged presents and the like. not quite as spectacular a surprise as i'd hoped but still a good way to say to a girl i care a great deal about that her birth is a benefit to my life.

my present was a camera because her old camera drove me nuts with the super-slow red-eye flash and was just generally clunky. this caused two amusing faux pas. first, as she was unwrapping it, i mentioned how she needed to get rid of "that crappy old camera" of hers. it just so happens that the crappy old camera was a birthday gift from Yaz, her ex-boyfriend, four years ago, who just happened to be sitting next to me at the time of my comment. i was mortified. oops. damn. sorry. i have no tact. this foot in my mouth needs more salt. etcetera.

the second faux pas has to do with the infamous flash. it turns out that the quite cool camera that i bought her is the same make as her old camera. and even though four years have passed, it seems they share very similar flash technology. so the red-eye flash is just about as bad as the old camera. which Ciji, of course, made sure to point out. oops. my bad. mea culpa. at least it's pretty.

anyways, despite my guffaws, we finished off the evening with smiles.

Lindsay and i spent the next few days outdoors, tromping around in nature. i'd made good on my promise to bring nice weather with me and it was an imperative we enjoyed it. we worked on her garden plot, pulling weeds, making small fences to protect the lettuce from rabbits (after doubting it was they who were menacing the veggies, i ate my words -- but not the lettuce -- when one hopped away upon our arrival), watering, mulching, and generally making the place look spiffy. we ate a picnic in the park and watched beavers paddle back and forth. we took a boat to George's Island out in the harbor and hiked around the fort that remains there, including pitch black tunnels that were rumored to hold a ghost.

(two little boys, probably eight or nine, came up to us at one point and asked if we'd walk them through a particularly scaring part of the fort where someone was screeching and grabbing them. always the skeptic, i wondered if we weren't getting set up. but we agreed. it was a room built inside a slightly larger room so that only about a shoulder's width separated the inner wall from the outer. and it was pretty much pitch black around it. some girl was giving out menacing howls that echoed throughout. we tried to convince the boys to walk around with us but they wouldn't have any of it. so Lindsay came up with the idea to go one way with the flashlight while i waited for the howler to come around. the howler showed and i gave her pretty much the scare of her life. very satisfying. but even after she slipped out the side and the room was quiet, the boys wouldn't walk around until i went first, then them, followed by Lindsay with the flashlight. back safe outside, they turned to us and said, "thank you," in a cute little kid tone.)

we also spent a decent amount of time doing absolutely nothing because it was too fucking hot and humid. (i said "nice weather"! not ungodly hot, thankyouverymuch!)

while Lindsay was at work, i managed to read Nick Hornby's How to Be Good, which was enjoyable and somewhat insightful but not nearly as drop-dead amazing as the reviews made it out to be. this could also be because i'd heard Nick read a bit of it a while back and there is nothing that compares to an author reading his own work. it is a quick, fun read, though, and i definitely recommend it.

anyways, Saturday was Ciji's big birthday party. when we finally pulled ourselves out of bed -- around mid-afternoon because we were tired and it was hot and, oh, we were tired, we got some lunch and met up with Caitlin to help decorate for the party. i did my manly duty of banging the tacks for the banner into the wall, albeit with Caitlin's very unmanly shoe, while the girls put together a very pretty setting for the party. then we headed back to the house to grab a few extra snores, a shower and a change before heading back out.

the party was good, full of people who either knew and loved Ciji or were somehow related to someone who did. we had a private room in a bar all to ourselves and a few "interesting" nibblets to keep us happy. i was still a little tired and spent most of the time just talking but i did manage to get on the dancefloor for one song.

i did, however, fail in my protective male duties when Lindsay was swooped up and onto the dancefloor by some drunk friend of a friend of a friend of Ciji. i sent over Leon to make sure everything was cool but he apparently also failed in his duties and she was left to fend for herself. i kept an eye on the situation, making sure the guy didn't get out of line, and poised to take him for a walk if he did. i'm happy to watch out for my female friends but i have no interest in stepping on their independence and their ability to take care of themselves. it's a very precarious line to walk.

also that night, Ciji finally met up with a boy she'd been getting to know quite well over email and the phone, and who'd finally come out to Boston. actually, she'd met him the night before but since none of us had been around to chaperone, we discounted that. we all agreed he seemed nice and cute. "we" being the girls around me when he appeared since i'm rather lacking in the ability to judge male cuteness. i just smile and nod.

around one o'clock we said goodnight to Ciji since the party seemed to be ending and headed home to sleep. (turns out the party was just moving to the bar but no one told us this.)

Sunday, we slept in, as is our completely healthy habit, i said goodbye to Ciji, Lindsay and i had a quiet lunch, i packed, and she drove me to the airport. we said our goodbyes at the car since the stupid security measures won't let her come with me to the gate, and then i was off. well, almost. for a brief few minutes, the flight was oversold and i nearly was in Boston for another night. but a bunch of people didn't show up for the flight and my sacrafice for the airline wasn't needed.

and that was my trip to Boston. some quality time with Lindsay, a birthday for Ciji, and enough humidity to bring back nightmares of my days teaching summer camp at Wellesley with only a tiny little fan to protect me. now that's livin'.