My Heart is Back On the East Coast

We got back from our trek westward earlier this week. I loved California a lot, but by 11:30 on Monday - after 15 hours of travel - I was happy to be driving down the DC to Fredericksburg stretch of 95 – after navigating route I know like the back of my hand.

It was a wonderful trip with lots of things seen, lots funny things said and laughed at, and tons of intense conversation about feminism, misogynism, identity, and sex. Jon worked hard to convince me how lucky I am to have Condoleeza Rice as a role model (I am serious, and so was he - his argument included vectors). And with all this good conversation filling our days I started to wonder what the hell I am doing with my life.

I was completely ready to love the greater San Francisco area with all my heart and to fall so hard that I'd cry my way back east. That didn't happen. But lots of magical things did. Like how Matt and I kept tripping over our love for each other. I guess any kind of freedom from the suburban deathtrap we've called home for the past year and a half sends us into some sort of first crush bliss. We kissed all over California. And we saw things, and thought things, and talked about the things we saw and thought - which just highlighted for me how little of that is happening here, even with me in grad school.

I surmised that the solution isn't to pack up and move away from the highest concentration of people we care about but to try to find those life experiences here on the east coast, which can totally see California's organic markets and raise them cheese grits and a more reasonable prime time TV schedule. Because truly when I think about it, the best thing that trip had to offer was Jon and Ingrid, which is a pretty big plus. But, I doubt they're going to want to hang out all the time and talk about feminism every night.


(I know at least this last picture is not really related to the blog - but HELLO look at how gorgeous that is!)