Day 22: Northampton, MA

Mass at last. I only had to drive 200 miles yesterday - piece of cake! I gave NY a brief kiss on the cheek as I passed over the Tappan Zee bridge and onto the Merrit Parkway, but I'll have to wait for fall to enter into another full-on lust affair with the city I learned to love. The rain held off except for a 5 minute shower to rinse my car before I pulled into Leeds, MA.


I began the process of winding-down my road trip and preparing to re-join a somewhat normal life. I did laundry, and the psychological benefit of not having a car full of dirty socks and underwear cannot be overstated. I wrapped the various gifts I picked up for people along the way and am pretty pleased with how they came out.


I used the maps from my trip - eco-friendly, economical, and thematic.


Last night I had a delicious dinner with my Aunt and we caught up on family gossip (Steph and Mary - nothing good). This morning I slept in and then cocooned myself in the hammock on the front porch with a fleece blanket, a mug of hot tea, and Middlesex. I love the lazy life.


After breakfast I took a bike ride, which was much more difficult than I had thought it would be. I clearly underestimated how out-of-shape I am, and thoughts I had previously entertained of borrowing my sister's bike and cycling to work this summer dissipated with a quickness. The afternoon has been spent browsing the shops of downtown Northampton. I absolutely love it out here. When I was little I would complain about going to visit my aunt who lived "in the boondocks" and "didn't have cable" [gasp]! Then I grew up a little and realized how amazing this area is. Amherst College wait listed and then ultimately denied me (fuckers - not that I'm bitter, but man did they miss out), and I turned down life as a grad student at UMass in favor of NYU. Still, there's something I'm drawn to out here, and I wouldn't mind a sweet tenure track job at one of the 5 schools. In the meantime, I'm doing my part to support the local economy with the purchase of a cute, gold-ish short trench for $15, some belated and up-coming birthday gifts, and a 7-day smoothie with orange and mango juice, banana, ginger, coconut and frozen yogurt.

Forecast for tomorrow? More of the same.