We arrived back in L.A. last night after an uneventful flight in from Boston; I finished the last two episodes of “State of Play,” which was a lot of fun, but I’m sure won’t translate that well into Russell Crowe/Ben Affleck-ese next year. We had a really great time hanging out with Aimee’s family for the week, but it’s time to get back to work, and it’s nice to be back in our own place again.
We had lots of quality time with the kids, who are cuter than ever, and everyone got in on the action with the newest member of the family, the Wii. I managed to give myself a sore shoulder from too much bowling and baseball, plus some sore fingers as I strummed my way through the Easy level of Guitar Hero III in four days. I managed to get to the first challenge in the Medium level, but didn’t have much hope of passing that or desire to practice the necessary amount to get through it. But boy, was it fun while it lasted. Can anyone explain why, among the extra songs you could “purchase,” among twenty bands I’d never heard of (Heroes del Silencio? Senses Fail? Gallows?) I found “She Bangs the Drums” by the Stone Roses? Very strange. But I played it, and enjoyed it.
We had a wonderful Christmas day with the whole extended family, and we had a great cousins’ night out with Aimee’s four cousins and their spouses/fiancees, which was great. The weather was pleasant, with lots of snow on the ground when we arrived and mostly mild temperatures throughout the week.
I spent most of Friday in Boston, having lunch with Josh and visiting the ICA, which had a great design exhibition up and was fun to explore, finally. I got to take the Silver Line there, with its underground buses, and use a CharlieTicket for the first time; the MBTA has changed quite a bit in the two and a half years since we last lived in Boston (and T fare has gone from 85? to $2 since I moved there in 2000…) Turns out the Big Dig is done today, as well. Finally.
On our way to the airport, we stopped at The Natick Collection (yes, it’s a mall, and yes, that’s what it’s called – but hey, it has the largest skylight in New England, ok?) to return a few things, and I ran into my roommate Steve from GCDS at the Apple Store. He came up to us and said hi; I guess he recognized me, and he hadn’t changed a bit so was able to recognize him right away, as well. We haven’t seen each other or been in touch in at least seven years; turns out he lives not far from Aimee’s brother, and is a school psychologist nearby. A strange coincidence, and we have the Natick Collection to thank for that…
This afternoon, we finished off the year with one more Walking L.A. walking tour, of Carthay Circle, near Wilshire and La Cienega.
More photos here.
We’re planning a quiet night at home for new year’s eve, with a nice meal and some martinis. Sounds good.
