Category Archives: Family

Height of Summer

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July is the height of the summer; reliably hot and untinged by August’s melancholy, it is the time to be with the elements. Specifically, I’m talking about sun, sand, grass, and water – preferably salt. Summer is also about family, especially those you may not get to see so often. It’s for reminiscing and creating new memories, blending the temporal and the timeless. I spent Sunday afternoon riding waves in Asbury Park, NJ. In between sets, I’d float on my back with my feet pointed toward the beach. The scene? Beach blankets, umbrellas, color everywhere. Classic, fresh and real — it exists across generations. There’s more, but that’s it for now.

~WD

My Very Gay Weekend

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I had a wonderful weekend and figured I’d share. On Thursday, I went to a gay club in downtown Boston with a new friend. The place, Estate, was pretty nice and had good music. Though drinks, at $10 a pop, were a bit too much for this unpaid legal intern (…), I had fun and was glad to have my first gay night in Boston in years!

On Friday I drove down to Hartford, CT, to visit Cinestudio, the movie theater that gave me 1/2 of my Trinity education (thanks, mom!) Each year the CT Gay and Lesbian Film Festival holds a week of gay film right at Cinestudio. It was great to see some old friends and fresh faces in the audience.

After a pleasant visit (and sleep) at a friend’s place, I headed down to Asbury Park, NJ, for Asbury Pride. Luckily, it was a beach day. I swam, soaked up the rays, and enjoyed a particularly mellow mental state. After catching up with my cousin and family, I headed to Paradise, the gay club attached to the Empress Motel, the gay resort/motel right on the beach. I’ve had many an interesting evening at the Empress, and this one didn’t disappoint. I think I danced off 5 or so pounds. Hot men… hot times.

As a bonus, I got in a few hours on the beach Sunday before heading back to MA. And you know, while I was dancing and strutting around in my bathing suit, I really felt that my efforts at the gym over the past year had been well worth it. Who doesn’t like to turn a few heads now and then? I feel sexy and great.

When life gives you an egg, make egg salad.

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I’ve been back home for about a week now and I can throughly say that a change in scenery was well warranted. Coming home is always somewhat of an emotional challenge. Family and friends have grown and matured, and though many things appear to be familiar, often much has changed. I had a humbling moment this past weekend, involving an old flame, some confusion and hurt feelings. It sucked. The following day, my Dad and I attempted to go to Walden Pond… unfortunately, it was full when we arrived, and by the time we came back and were able to park, the lake was closed due to lightning in the area. I guess it was a failed weekend, one where things go wrong on most all fronts. But what can I say? Shit happens and people miscommunicate. So is life. After picking myself up from the floor and an evening of strong drinks, I feel an odd sense of clarity and calm; perhaps this is growing up. I am reminded of the old TR quote I liked so much which basically said that even when you lose one at least you know you are alive and you tried. For now, Italian ice replaces snowballs and I haven’t cooked a meal for days. What’s next?

Getting to know you.

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It’s been a while, and much has happened – my apologies. The biggest and most interesting thing I’ve been up to was my trip to New Orleans with my father. As most of you probably know, I will be going to Tulane Law School this August. Considering that I applied to the school site unseen, I was a bit nervous about going down to New Orleans, what would it be like? To answer that question my father and I took a few days earlier this month to have a look for ourselves. Admitting that we were indeed tourists, we decided to just enjoy that status and try and get an overview of the city. In addition to a a van tour which took us all around (including the lower 9th ward,) we took a riverboat cruise and tried out many of the fine dining establishments the city has to offer. We also stayed in style, at the Le Pavillion hotel, which boasted a rooftop pool and spa! See a few photos in the gallery (Under the Maine category)

I became particularly fond of the St. Charles streetcar, which had had service to Uptown (the wealthy part of town where Tulane is located) restored just a week or so before we arrived. The streetcar is a real classic, slow and creaky, but charming. The line begins at the edge of the French Quarter, goes through the business district and then through the garden district to uptown. Around 2000 St. Charles, as my father pointed out, the houses start to get very fancy. Tulane Law itself is just a short walk from the trolley and is situated in a beautiful part of the University campus. Although the building was rather quiet when we arrived, we were able to speak with a contact from admissions, view the stunning law library and of course stop by the bookstore. Having gotten this small overview, I feel much more relaxed about going to NOLA – in fact, my only fear now is the plethora of distractions the city will offer…

In other news, JT came up to visit for new years. We went to one of my favorite restaurants in Boston (an ITALIAN one – can you believe?) my favorite cocktail bar (Flash’s) and then stopped by a party that my sister and some of here friends were at in a fancy South End condo. So as to not get stuck in Boston, JT and I had to cab it back to north station and jump on the train just seconds before it departed! All in all a fun time.

While back in town I was also able to catch up with some old friends and sleep in, both activities which I value highly 😉 I recently had my first ski of the season at Lost Valley, a local place, and I found a new coffee shop in Lewiston (at which I currently sit.) What’s on the agenda? At the end of the month I’ll be joining my colleagues at a Campus Compact conference in Austin, TX, and I’m looking forward to some visits by friends – skiing anyone?

Loopy Loops

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Hi folks, it’s been a long time, but I am still here. Where am I? Well, that depends on when you read this post. For the next few days I’ll be at home in MA and then I’m up to Maine next week. For the past month I’ve been doing quite a few things. Most important to me has been visiting family and friends. My first loop was to see family in both New Jersey and New York – though I didn’t see everyone, I hit up most. Highlights from Jersey included: BBQ at my cousin Bette’s place, Asbury Park’s 4th of July parade with my Aunt, a big family brunch at a diner with Gram and the frozen drinks poolside at the Empress Motel. In New York, I spent some quality time with my Grandparents where I learned more about my Grandfather’s time spent during the Second World War.




After a few days back I did another loop, this time visiting some friends. Thanks to all of you who put me up, and to those I didn’t see, let’s make it happen next time. Highlights from that loop included: seeing the facial expressions of Dan and Trishan upon tasting some of my famous Romanian plum brandy (tuica,) dinner with James at Tisane, the sports bar at Buckland Hills with Rick, beers with Jude and Andrew, Longwood Gardens with Melissa and intense conversation with Jon.

At the end of this second loop I was lucky enough to attend the wedding of my two dear friends Kate and Nate. The event was held at Glen Magna Farms in Danvers, which was the perfect venue for their big day. After the ceremony we caravaned to Revere Beach for ice cream which was just perfect! Meanwhile, I’ve been going to Walden Pond a bit, contemplatin’, eating well, and enjoying my down time.

My next batch of posts will be from Maine where I will be working as an AmeriCorps VISTA Leader for Campus Compact. Of course, more information will be forthcoming as I learn the ropes there myself. I do hope to have myself situated soon so that I can host visitors. You can now find the final photo album and some videos from Peace Corps Romania in the photo gallery. Thanks for sticking with me during the past two + years, and I hope that I can continue to deliver for this next one… onward!