Electric Relaxation

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Woke up feeling ruph after partying till the wee hours with Chang. Resolved to possibly nap and talk to Pop about the itinerary. He beat me to the punch.

Grandpa David is apparently about to depart this world, and I am feeling that familiar disorienting mix of guilt, numbness and distraction that have accompanied the passing of my other two gramps.

Your-grandfather-is-dying conversations are uniformly awkward and unpleasant, particularly when you hate telephonic communication as much as I do.

The upside is that my tickets are booked and the railpass is on its way. I shudder to think of the jagged cavity left in my modest bank account after those charges book. I am really being diligent about reassuring myself about this leap. It seems to have some calming effect, but I am pacing a lot and nervously snacking almost constantly.

Here's the first leg:

May24th - San Francisco, CA to Miami, FL

My pop has threatened to be waiting at the flight gate in waders toting a golf bag. I think it's a safe bet that there is about to be some serious bonding going on. My sisters will be in the midst of finals.

June 2nd - Fort Lauderdale, FL to (exotic) Albany, NY

On this leg I get to catch up with family on pop's side - Aunt Janet and Uncle Howie, truly kind and generous people. Excited also about the prospects of seeing my cousin Jon (big, strong and with a high threshold for physical abuse). Going to deal out some righteous pummelings! I've heard rumors that there may be a Papa Jackie sighting. Details are still being verified. I will update with more information as it becomes available.

June 6th - D-Day, as in Dublin Day. Why did I choose the Emerald Isle's shimmering centerpiece as my first stop on foreign soils? Like all great solutions, this was multifactorial. I get to sample the country that first burst open the limited scope of my dreams fifteen years ago. And it's cheap.

Apparently I'm supposed to go to Temple Bar. I am instictively averse to this idea.

(brief shearing workshop)

June X - I hop onto Budapest, barring a possible slow detour through Europe, landing there later in the month.

Time to party!

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