I'd say it's hot but I understand the rest of you are feeling it too

To recap the last few days:

The beach was nice, though it cost me $2 to walk onto a beach that was no more than 300 yards long and packed to the gills. Apparently, walk-on fees are standard with New England beaches. Sort of sullies the naturalism of the event. Sort of like paying to get into Zion or Yellowstone. Oh, wait...

Aside from the strangest sunburn I've ever gotten (it can only be described as 'splotchy', but in a very Pollack sort of way), I learned that women go to the beach to watch other women, compare themselves with those other women and either feel better or worse for wearing their own swimsuit that day. In short, not much was learned.

The following day, we rented a Zipcar for a few hours. It's sort of like a subscription car service. You pay a membership fee and then have the ability to reserve one of several cars parked in your area online for half hour increments. It turns out that the closest one to us just happens to be a Prius, a 'hybrid' sedan. This gasoline/electric bastard had its quirks, like a shifter that I swear was a rip-off of the classic Pole Position shifter of the 80s, but turned out to be a fine mode of transport for us and our stuff. Driving in Boston, on the other hand, was a pain in the ass.

Much like Italy, if the road is wide enough to accomodate four lanes of traffic, it does so without the benefit of additional painted lines. This is all well and good, except that it requires a judgement call on the part of each driver. What's wide enough for me might not be for the blue hair driving the Caddy 18 mph in front of me. Further, Boston seems afflicted with the same naming convention issues that Atlanta is stricken with: a road can only be called one thing for 3-4 blocks, then its name must change. Also, EVERY intersection is a 'Square'. There is one not a block from where we live; it's a normal 4-way stop in a sleepy residential area but it's called "Susan 'Bee' Smith Square" with the subtitle 'Dedicated Mother, Quilting Enthusiast and Public Employee'. With luck and perserverance, I hope to get it changed to "Shaun 'Tall Shaun the Prawn' Van Eyk Square' in the next few years of living here. Subtitle: 'Low Miles, New Tires/Brakes'.

Aside from those two excursions, it's pretty much just been setting up the homestead. We are officially 'unpacked' and ready for guests. I painted the bathroom today (Grape Reflection...apparently, the same people that name squares also name paints) and will knock out the hallway tomorrow. w00t.

Cheers,

S.