Time to catch up. This could take awhile.
Aug. 28th, 2010 02:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
outsdrThe trip back to Maryland went fine. To be honest, a lot of it is a blur and I can't remember a lot of details, but I'm going to do my best.
Days 1 and 2
Andy and I left the house at 2 a.m. and made the two hour drive to Casper without incident. Andy slept the entire way. I made all my flights okay, without any trouble. Got into the airport, made my way to pick up my rental car, and hit the beltway just in time for rush hour. The humidity of the eat coast was killing me, and the stop and go beltway traffic was killing my rental car- I had to turn off the AC because the engine was overheating. It took me three hours to get to Frederick.
I got to Frederick and made my way to Doug's house (Doug is a friend I made in college. He was my first gay friend, and we've been very close the entire time we've known each other, except for one or two years here and there we lost track of each other. It's been a good 22 years of friendship. We mail boxes filled with magazines and stuff to each other frequently. He sens me stripped comic books, and I send him Dr. Who DVDs.) Once I got to Doug's house, I found his spare key and melted into a puddle on the couch. Maryland was undergoing a freak heatwave with 99 degree temperatures at 8 p.m. and near 100% humidity. Doug was at rehearsal for his production of Dog sees God, and got home around 10 p.m. We went and had a late dinner at Waffle House, then Doug and I shared the bed for the night while his partner Dave slept on the couch. Even with the fan pointed directly at the bed and all the windows open, it was a miserable night; I never stopped sweating. The only relief came at 4 a.m. when a thunderstorm hit; the air cooled enough that I could sleep.
It was a little weird sharing a bed with Doug; it's the first time we ever have. It's kind of sad that Doug is just not my type and I have no attraction to him whatsoever, because we'd probably make a great couple. Sadly, Doug has hinted more than a few times that I am just his type, but nothing has ever come of it. Which I'm glad of, because this is truly a friendship that would be ruined if sex ever became involved.
Morning arrived and the three of us headed once again to Waffle House for breakfast, and then it was off to Beyond Comics, where Doug was scheduled to work for the day. Hanging out there is always fun, and Doug and I spent the morning watching The Variants, which he had never seen. I also warned him of the devious Rick Olney and the ne'er-do-well Geoff Beckett.
But mostly, I was trying to delay the inevitable.
Doug behind the desk at Beyond Comics.
Doug and I.
Bomber the cat inspecting my luggage.
I finally said my goodbyes around 2 p.m. and hit the road again. The drive west was uneventful; the most annoying thing was the loss of decent radio stations around Hancock. Western Maryland has never had great radio stations, and still does not.
My father called me as I was just going past Frostburg, wondering where I was and how the trip was going. I missed his call, andit took me three tries to call him back; for some reason, when in Maryland, whenever I dial a number on my cellphone, it asks me to enter it again before making the call. Annoying.
I stopped in Grantsville to visit my grandmother in the nursing home. It was strange to go in and not go straight to my mother's room. My grandmother was glad to see me, but after about 5 minutes her conversation turned once again to her usual complaints, all of which I'd heard before; all of which I'd hear again, repeatedly, over the next 15 minutes.
I finally arrived at my dad's house at around 6 I think. I might have stopped to get something to eat; I really don't remember. Arriving at dad's house is even kind of a blur. I know I went down to see my brother and his family, and gave my nephew a few little gifts, and then later went to bed, but my memory is just kind of blank.
Day 3 would be the start of the difficult time.
Days 1 and 2
Andy and I left the house at 2 a.m. and made the two hour drive to Casper without incident. Andy slept the entire way. I made all my flights okay, without any trouble. Got into the airport, made my way to pick up my rental car, and hit the beltway just in time for rush hour. The humidity of the eat coast was killing me, and the stop and go beltway traffic was killing my rental car- I had to turn off the AC because the engine was overheating. It took me three hours to get to Frederick.
I got to Frederick and made my way to Doug's house (Doug is a friend I made in college. He was my first gay friend, and we've been very close the entire time we've known each other, except for one or two years here and there we lost track of each other. It's been a good 22 years of friendship. We mail boxes filled with magazines and stuff to each other frequently. He sens me stripped comic books, and I send him Dr. Who DVDs.) Once I got to Doug's house, I found his spare key and melted into a puddle on the couch. Maryland was undergoing a freak heatwave with 99 degree temperatures at 8 p.m. and near 100% humidity. Doug was at rehearsal for his production of Dog sees God, and got home around 10 p.m. We went and had a late dinner at Waffle House, then Doug and I shared the bed for the night while his partner Dave slept on the couch. Even with the fan pointed directly at the bed and all the windows open, it was a miserable night; I never stopped sweating. The only relief came at 4 a.m. when a thunderstorm hit; the air cooled enough that I could sleep.
It was a little weird sharing a bed with Doug; it's the first time we ever have. It's kind of sad that Doug is just not my type and I have no attraction to him whatsoever, because we'd probably make a great couple. Sadly, Doug has hinted more than a few times that I am just his type, but nothing has ever come of it. Which I'm glad of, because this is truly a friendship that would be ruined if sex ever became involved.
Morning arrived and the three of us headed once again to Waffle House for breakfast, and then it was off to Beyond Comics, where Doug was scheduled to work for the day. Hanging out there is always fun, and Doug and I spent the morning watching The Variants, which he had never seen. I also warned him of the devious Rick Olney and the ne'er-do-well Geoff Beckett.
But mostly, I was trying to delay the inevitable.
Doug behind the desk at Beyond Comics.
Doug and I.
Bomber the cat inspecting my luggage.
I finally said my goodbyes around 2 p.m. and hit the road again. The drive west was uneventful; the most annoying thing was the loss of decent radio stations around Hancock. Western Maryland has never had great radio stations, and still does not.
My father called me as I was just going past Frostburg, wondering where I was and how the trip was going. I missed his call, andit took me three tries to call him back; for some reason, when in Maryland, whenever I dial a number on my cellphone, it asks me to enter it again before making the call. Annoying.
I stopped in Grantsville to visit my grandmother in the nursing home. It was strange to go in and not go straight to my mother's room. My grandmother was glad to see me, but after about 5 minutes her conversation turned once again to her usual complaints, all of which I'd heard before; all of which I'd hear again, repeatedly, over the next 15 minutes.
I finally arrived at my dad's house at around 6 I think. I might have stopped to get something to eat; I really don't remember. Arriving at dad's house is even kind of a blur. I know I went down to see my brother and his family, and gave my nephew a few little gifts, and then later went to bed, but my memory is just kind of blank.
Day 3 would be the start of the difficult time.
