Brief but eventful weekend in Boston–my first time there.

Friday night got into South Station by Concord Trailways bus (on-"flight" films: Peter Pan and Chasing Liberty), hopped on the Red Line to Harvard Square and met Jimmy Behrle at WordsWorth Books, where he was just finishing work. We had double cheeseburgers down the street with John Maloney and then walked to his Medford den, where we tried to watch a video of X-Men 2 but I passed out from humidity and the natural fatigue of encroaching middle age. Next morning up bright and early and was picked up by Dan Bouchard and driven to Gloucester to meet Mike County, James and Amanda Cook, Patrick Dowd and his wife Ariana (sp?), and Gerrit Lansing, at whose seaside home we relaxed for awhile, admiring his rooms full of books. Gerrit gave me a copy of his book, A February Sheaf (Pressed Wafer, 2003). Bummed around in Gloucester some more, lunch with all at Alchemy (local restaurant), shopping at Mystery Train (books and music). Found a copy of Larry Eigner’s The World and Its Streets, Places (Black Sparrow, 1977). Back to Sommerville/Medford area, where Dan gave me a copy of his book Diminutive Revolutions (Subpress, 2000).

Then back to Cambridge for my WordsWorth reading with James Meetze, where I met in person for the first time Mark Lamoureux, Sara Veglahn, Xtina Strong, Nick Moudry, Mairead Byrne, Katey Nicosia, Joel Sloman, and a couple of other people I can’t recall names for offhand. Noah Eli Gordon a familiar face and tatooed limbs! Reading ensued, and afterwards dinner at Pho Pasteur. Folks went off to various places, and Jim and I went to meet his friends Liz and Hillary and go see Dodgeball. Very high on the laughometer. Back to Jim’s, finished watching X-Men 2, minor eyelid-shutting episodes.

Up early, back on the bus, watched Peter Pan again with the sound off while reading Gerrit’s book (wonderful!), The Poker 3, and Pressed Wafer 1. Then Lara Croft 2 (something about an orb that leads to Pandora’s box, which apparently has biological warfare applications) with the sound back on.

Oh yes: don’t ever, ever get in a situation where you have to watch Chasing Liberty.

My selection of details to focus on, in the midst of a weekend that was really rich with experience and rewarding social interaction, is indicative no doubt of my general away-from-home-too-long fatigue. Anyway, it’s Father’s Day, so here’s a picture of my great-great-great-grandfather Jeremiah Merithew.