My New England Adventure - Part 1

This is going to be super long...feel free to jump around and read words that jump out. Here's a basic outline:
-Leaving California
-Arriving in RI and letting my family know I'm a Lesbian
-Spending the Day in Boston
-Some Random Thoughts
-The Positive Thought of the Day

DEPARTURE
So RIGHT before we left for the airport, K and I got into a nasty little tiff. It was super awkward and I made her feel bad AND cry and that just made ME feel awful. We cleared things up as far as I'm concerned and I left on a good note. It was sad to say goodbye even though it's just for a week. I don't like being away from her; at the same time I'm my own person and can survive. The plane ride was a lot shorter than expected. I got one of those pre-packaged meals and it was gross. What ever happened to the days of free food on planes. Then again that was gross too. Anyhow, I got to D.C. and transfered planes and finally made it to Providence. The whole gang was waiting for me there. Four of my .... (counts) nine cousins I'm visiting jumped up to greet me and help me with my bags. Yes, bagS ...I don't pack lite. We took a quick tour of Providence then got breakfast at some place that's very self serving. I mean like you do everything for yourself practically - at least that was our experience. It was called Au pan Au bon or something???? Any New Englanders reading are probably laughing. Oh well.

AWKWARD...
On the way to Newport we stopped by two of my cousin's school. My older cousin was like "Oh...Gracie plays crew...do you know what crew is?" Well of course I do - K does crew and talks to me about it all the time so without thinking I was like "oh yah my girlfriend does crew" ...oops. First Slip. A little later we were talking about my school:

Cousin Jackie: So why'd you pick your school?

Me: The town reminded me a lot of home, my major is popular, and I asked every school I visited the same question and my school was the only one that gave me the answer I wanted.

CJ: What'd you ask?

Me: What's your tolerance for diversity?

CJ: So why were you looking for diversity?

Me: Uh... (thinks quickly and can't come up with anything except 'I like Mexican people')
Well...let me ask you something first

CJ: sure

Me: Are you really religious?

CJ: I think so?

Me: Would you consider yourself a conservative?

CJ: I'd like to think so

Me: Boy this is awkward...

CJ: Just say it

Me: Well like I said..I have a girlfriend AndIfThatBothersYouICanTotallyGoHomeAndImSoSorry ...

CJ: NO!!!!!! No! Noooo ...no...no

Me: Well yah, that's why I asked about diversity

CJ: oh...

Rest of Cousins in back seat: OH COOL ::fake smiles::

-awkward silence for remainder of car ride-

Don't ask me why I gauge how people are going to recieve my being gay by asking them if they're religious and/or conservative. I either ask them that or if they've seen Rent and Angels in America but when I ask the latter question they usually end up thinking I'm trying to tell them I have AIDS. And also...I don't know why I offered to go home; if my family wasn't going to accept me then that would've been there problem, but yah...more on that later. We finally got to Newport and to my cousin Kevin's house. I was greeted by lots of food and smiles. I dropped another bomb by accidentally mentioning K once again and inducing more silence. My cousin michael who is 5 taught me how to play Wii (I've never played before...needless to say it was awesome), then we had dinner which was equally awesome. Then came time for bed. It was Sunday night and I hadn't slept since Friday.

THE CLIMAX
So I'm up in the room I've been allotted talking to K on the phone and start crying about the awful sudden awkwardness with this new branch of family I've just met for the first time. I call my Mom who gets upset that I'M crying and calls my cousin Kevin's wife and makes MARY CRY because she feels bad that I'm her guest and I'm upset and comes upstairs and hugs me and basically tells me she's glad I'm a lesbian and no one gives a shit about the choices I make (she meant it nicely). All in all, I felt better - showered - and slept for 12 hours.

BOSTON
I've already written a lot so I'll sum up my day in the city as quickly as possible. I woke up (forgetting it was St. Patrick's Day) and threw on some green. We drove about an hour and a half to the T station and caught the train into the city where we visited Fenway park only to pay an arm and a leg to see basically nothing - it's off season and the park is being renovated. I got to see the "green monster" though and sit in the oldest seats in baseball though. Next we caught the T to the beginning of the Freedom Trail and walked the-whole-thing. I didn't know it would be that long. Took a lot of pictures...saw a lot of cool things. Understatement of the year. Favorite part would have to be seeing the grave of Mother Goose. Next, caught the ferry back to the main part of town and got some lunch then went to Harvard...we were all pretty tired by then so we just browsed around the bookstore. I saw a textbook written by a professor at my school and told my cousin "hey..this guy teaches at MY school" and what HAD to be a Harvard student just snickered and brushed by me. I bought an old Harvard textbook on gay studies and a book for K's cousin who's staying with her. We then went home and had an awesome dinner and here I am. :)

RANDOM THOUGHTS
-Will I really get married to a woman? Will it be marriage someday or just something like it in a state that allows it? Or will it just be a commitment ceremony? Or will I just be a chronic dater?

-Will I have children? Will they have a father?

-Why do I think about the future so much?

-If you respond to one thing in this post - tell me this: What's your definition of love?

me

p.s. ...it was COLD today! And it's only going to be colder in Russia, which, BY THE WAY, I got accepted to. Fall '08 study abroad here I come.

Positive Thought of the Day: I saw a city I've never seen before...and I fancied up my blog!