June 25: A cappella, Friends, Boston Beans
Friday, Friday Friday Friday.
Oh my I can't believe that this trip is really here. This has been the longest time
that I've had to plan a trip and it's coming to fruition. There are some things
that I haven't planned out far enough (like meeting up with
patrick and columbine.)
But I'm sure that it'll all work out in the wash.
I'm going to Boston to attend the 1999 East Coast Summit of the Contemporary A cappella
Society of America. I'm so very excited. I'm getting to meet people that I've only
spoken to over email and the phone for the past couple of years. People like 'ka,
amy, gary, lisa d., don, carles, jim. But as well, i'm getting to see and hear a lot
of great a cappella singing. Toxic Audio, 10fm, Double Dong and my friends in
Ball in the House are just some of the groups that are going to be performing.
But not only that. I'm going to be seeing two friends of mine whom i haven't seen
in almost five years. I think that may be the most exciting part of the whole trip.
Eliza and Nancy mean a whole lot to me. They were members of my second class of students
at Carolina Summer. There were a group of students (eliza, nancy, seth, david and aninda)
and they were amazing. We hung out together a lot during the three weeks of the program
and they developed some very strong bonds.
I've recently been able to connect with two of them again who had moved away from north
carolina. and of course they live together now. in boston. and we're spending part
of the weekend together after the summit.
I'm stoked.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The day started off very sketchily. I had a time getting to the correct terminal.
Parking has been totally screwed at RDU and so I had to park at the Park and Ride,
something I had never done before, and hadn't scheduled the time for in my ahem planning.
Well, my flight was delayed anyway, so I had more time than I really needed.
The flight to Boston was great. I got a chance to read some and just let my mind drift.
I should have slept more. I hadn't slept more than 5 hours that whole week. egads.
But I was too wired to sleep. I was going to a new city, meeting some friends, and
hearing some great music.
Eliza was waiting for me at the airport. I was neverous when I first deboarded the plane
because Logan doesn't allow non-passengers inside the gates. I looked around and didn't
see anyway. You know how when you are travelling alone but you have that glimmer of hope
that there will be someone waiting for you at the gate to greet you warmfully and fling
their arms around you. But those dreams were dashed.
I also panicked when she wasn't there because i thought maybe i was supposed to meet me
somewhere else. But then I saw her. and it made me happy...so i took a picture.
She looked exactly like she did 5 years ago. Except now she's cut off all of her hair.
And considering I never change, she knew exactly who i was as well. we hugged and
it was good.
*~*~*~*~*~*
We walked towards the bus station so that we could go to the T and catch a sub to
Somerville where she lives.
We walked through her neighborhood and talked about a lot of old times and what had
happened to both of us over the past few years. She lives in an area called Little
El Salvador, or Little Mexico or Little (insert a Hispanic culture here) so she
decided that we needed to eat some authentic food.
It was delicious.
We went back to her apartment to basically veg out before we headed out to TUFTS so that
I could unload my stuff and we could get to the Vocal Percussion Competition and the
A cappella Concert at the Somerville theatre.
Eliza and Nancy have a wonderful apartment: a living run, den area, two bedrooms and an
eat-in kitchen. and it bespoke of the kind of women that eliza and nancy are. there
were colored lights everyone, and pictures and objets d'art that they had made. It was
very much a home unlike the residence where i occassionaly sleep.
The only bad parts were that it was a third floor walk-up. UGH god was i tired. and of
course i didn't have any air conditioning. I don't know what it is about you Yankees,
but we in the South know that it's going to get hot in the summer and we have means of
good climate control because of it.
Eliza took me on a photo tour of she and nancy's friendship through the years. It was
good to look back on what was the beginning of their friendship. It made me all misty
because they were able to stay together through all of those years from a chance encounter
at a summer program for smart kids.
*~*~*~*~*
I'm in Boston. and it is good.
continued....
Performing is the only thing keeping me sane at the moment. Wheeee!
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