Back Home Again In Indiana

There's no place like home, or so they say. And no matter how far I roam, home still feels like Indianapolis, IN. Which is where I sit right now, a week and a day since my last post.

So much has happened in the past week I've barely had a moment to sit down at a computer, let alone post to this blog that nobody has yet laid eyes on. So with the caveat that it's a bit late, here's a summary of the past week:

A week ago yesterday: Jesus Garcia picked up my stuff from 417 Humboldt and set off on his merry way. (See previous post.) I cleaned the apartment, putzed around, sent my computer to myself in Indy.

A week ago today: I spent my last day in Brooklyn, doing more cleaning and straightening up for BS, who took over my very Genovese-connected apartment. Missed having lunch with my Shambhala beloveds because I had too much to do at home. Later little GTO came over, beers were consumed, and much goodbye-ing was in effect. Met Winslow at DuMont for dinner. Ah, how I will miss the DuMont.

Wednesday: Called a car at 6am and flew out of LGA to Denver. Met by the lovely and accomodating J.Go, driven to Boulder to start with the househunting appointments. (Not before lunching at Sherpa's Adventure, a small and delightful Himalayan restaurant with four-star chai. Seriously, nothing should taste quite as good as that chai.) Will not bore you with the details of the househunt, which was laborious. At the end of the day, drove back to Evergreen and into the arms of G.Bro and Huck, that spunky mountain dog. (A little clarification for those of you who aren't up to speed: J.Go and G.Bro are married types. Incidentally, they met at a Memorial Day picnic thrown by moi, nearly four years ago, in Prospect Park Brooklyn. They now live on the side of a mountain near Boulder, and have been an essential part of my move thus far. Shout out to the Go-Bros!)

Thursday: More househunting, chauffeured by the ever-patient J.Go. Panic sets in. Will I ever find a place that I can be excited about?? So much carpet, so little hardwood. So much stuccoed plaster wallboard, so little wainscoting. And then I find it: first floor of a Victorian, just two blocks from Pearl Street. Leaded windows, french doors, view of the Flatirons from the back porch. Oh, and a rockin' 1950s pink stove. Wrote a check immediately. (Downsides include a no-pets clause and a move in date of March 1. I'm fully hoping to sweet talk the landlord around the former; the latter, while annoying, seemed a small price to pay for an apartment this great.) Back to the mountain to eat a steak dinner and watch Grizzly Man with the Go-Bros and their neighbor, a not entirely un-grizzly fellow named Wink.

Friday: Spent all day on the mountain, much of it finagling the details of acquiring a storage unit where Jesus can deliver my stuff. Driven back to Denver International by that queen of the stick shift and MVP of the week, JGo. Picked up at the airport in Indy by SAL, best friend-type who is herself back in Indy for a couple of weeks.

Saturday: Woke up in my parents' bed, as they are snowbirding it down South at present. Orchestrated the delivery of my goods to the storage unit from afar. (Thanks to a fellow Capricorn out in Boulder, who really deserves an award. I got her a massage instead.) Went car shopping but found nothing. Ate decent Thai food and fell into bed circa 7pm; proceeded to watch more TV than I think I have in the past 12 months. Did you know there's a reality show about the Playboy bunnies???

Sunday: Woke up, bored already. Called SAL and demanded she floor it home from her trip to Cincinnati and take me to Steak 'n Shake for lunch. Which she did. (If you don't know the joy that is Steak 'n Shake, I am very sad for you and shall say no more about it than that.) After lunch, tooled over to SAL's sister's place to see her new, tiny, wrinkly and adorable twins. Hello, cute. Back to SAL's parents' place to watch the Seahawks get beat. (I was rooting for them, K&E!)

Monday: Up early to get some stuff done before breakfast at the R household. Mrs. R's biscuits and eggs--talk about a childhood flashback. Off to Speedway to look at Subarus! Met Dave Morris, a very nice young salesman. Test-drove the car I thought I wanted--Subaru Impreza Wagon--and was underwhelmed. Caught sight of a shiny new silver Forester on the lot, and it was love at first drive. GJN called and did the negotiating for me, with the result being me not just buying a new car when I had budgeted for a used one, but me buying an EXPENSIVE new car when I had budgeted for a used one. But hey, you only buy your first car once. Back at the ranch, found Dabney home from work (little bro-type housesitting for my parents) and took him to Cheesecake Factory for dinner. (Where I proceeded to cut him off sternly after watching him toss back two martinis before the entrees had even arrived. It's official: I've turned the corner and am now old, maternal, and uncool.) Back to SAL's parents house to watch Dora the Explorer with her 3-year-old niece, which was a surprisingly satisfying way to end the day.

Today: There's really nothing to say except that today I drove my new car off the lot. She's a beaut, if I do say so. You'll be pleased to know that we agreed, as we left the parking lot, never to have a car accident together. Drove in my new car to meet J&S for dinner at Sakura. Love those old birds. Then went to Target (hurrah for Target!) in my new car. Then took my new car home and put her in the garage. Then spent the next 20 minutes investigating all the cool things about my new car. Put down the back seats and assessed the sleeping potential of the new car, and re-emerged with both thumbs up. Said goodnight to my new car. Came to my computer and began this insanely long post that if you actually finished reading, really read all the way through, means you're either one of my very good friends or terribly bored. Either way, I love you for it.