when in massachusetts...

so i went to my first state-licensed gay wedding today. it was also my first quaker wedding, kind of a double-whammy. i have yet to be unamazed by how cool friends ceremonies are.
so we had regular silent meeting, which consists of sitting in the meeting room, silently, unless one is moved to speak, starting at 10am Sunday morning. the friends do this until the clerk (a rotating position) is moved to end the meeting, which miraculously always happens right around 11am. then we all say hello and go have some refreshments. during refreshments i talked to a wicked cool guy about a friend of his who is on death row, whom he had met while participating in anti-capital punishment activism.
at 11:30, the wedding ceremony began between Shelli and Carol DuBois, who have been married for over 17 years but now have all legal perks. the wedding was like silent meeting, in that we all sat in the room and people spoke when moved to do so, but many more people spoke--mostly words of encouragement and other statements about the couple. then when the brides were moved to (friends are all about being moved to do things... probably not the favorite religion of writing teachers), they stood and spoke their vows, and for another 45 minutes the popcorn meeting (when people keep standing and speaking with little time in between statements) continued, until the speaking slowed and the clerk again was moved to end the ceremony. then all 80 or so people at the ceremony lined up to sign the marriage certificate--a large piece of parchment with gorgeous calligraphy--as witnesses. then we got to eat.
the other guests were all very nice, although many had to leave early to attend other weddings. two other couples attending had had their own official weddings the previous weekend. 'tis the season i guess. if only i owned a catering company in provincetown...

Alum: Week 1

Well, it's happened. I just had to go and graduate. I've joined two important social groups at once: "Alumni" and "Real People." I guess you could add to that "college grad who has gone home to live with one's parents," but hopefully that's less permanent.
So far being an alum is a lot like being a student home on summer vacation, except for all of that graduation-related stuff--not that a red cap and gown isn't the height of fashion these days, but...
Real-world-avoidance-tactic (RWAT) #1: Go to the beach
Spent a week on the beach with some friends, enjoying the indoor pool and hot tub mostly (you'd think the weather could have warmed up more, seeing as we all just graduated and all). Woot, super-fun. We also watched a lot of Law & Order.
RWAT #2: Throw a party
Got back from the beach just in time for the party my parents threw me up at home. Hey, I might as well milk this graduation thing for all it's worth before Mom and Dad start charging rent.
So a bunch of family friends showed up to mostly ask about my future plans, which so far consist of bumming around for a couple weeks and then going to Europe (see RWAT X). I told them about the trip. Then I told them about my lack of plans following the trip. It got old rather fast. To make it interesting, I switched the order in which I mentioned the countries we're going to.
RWAT #3: Go to a high school reunion
So they're knocking down my high school because they just built a new one next to it. Also because it's falling apart, apparently. So my old history teacher put together a "Great Gathering" of everyone who ever graduated from the place. Highlights included seeing a bunch of people I'd never met because they graduated in the 70's, and tours of the new school. The tours of the new school were cancelled due to lack of some permit (I'd have worn a hard-hat and gone anyway, but I guess public schools can't afford to get sued), so there was basically lots of wandering around the old building and seeing lots of 70's alums.
Unfortunately, the only sweatshirt I had in my car was for the high school's wrestling team. "What's this? This is the shirt you're wearing? You're wearing the shirt of the high school who's reunion you're going to. Don't be that guy."
RWAT X: Run away!
So my future plans now consist of a trip to Europe, starting in two weeks, with a couple friends. Because so many people have asked...
Two college classmates and I are spending all the money we have saved to go to Oslo, London, and Ireland. We're staying with my uncle and aunt in Oslo, and bringing some cool gifts to my pregnant cousin. We're going anywhere and everywhere in Ireland. It'll be wicked fun. We'll be broke, unemployed, and mooching off of our parents upon return. But hey, it's the last time before retirement that we'll have some cash saved and 6 weeks free, so we figured, 'what the hell?' (Okay it was more like 'hells yeah.' It's Europe, after all).

badass test post

welcome to my blog. this is that test post i have the compulsion to write. if i don't write it, i think i might explode or something. i dunno, i'm new to this whole blogging thing. anyways, here it is, my blog about the real world, as in life after college. woot.