Never underestimate the power of people who understand you.

So, this trip to Maine was exactly what I needed. Meg and Becca are wonderfully awesome people, and a little friend-to-friend time with two of my favorite Hamiltonians has inspired me to attack my Binghamton life with new vigor!

No longer will I sit in my room and complain about how bad things are! No longer will I go out with people only to abandon them! No longer will I let anything get in the way of my artistic education! No longer will I be anything but myself to anyone, and I will do so without any reservations!

Despite all the double negatives, I think all of that made sense. And what's more, I mean it. I'm not saying all this will occur immediately, but it is my new goal. WOO for wanting to live life!

Drove to Maine on Friday with few complications, setting aside the traffic jam I encountered on 495N. Met Meg at her apartment (which is GORGEOUS!) and she came outside and screamed and so did I because I was SO HAPPY TO SEE HER!!! and met her friends Ben and Cathy and her roommate Audrey, who were all sweet and thought I was funny so I loved them immediately. They tried to foist many foods upon me, which I did not eat because I had had all the foods in my car. Literally, all the possible foods. It was semi not okay. Then we watched "A Nightmare Before Christmas," which I had not seen since I was scared by it as a young person. I liked it much better this time! Meg, who had never seen it all the way through before, fell asleep in the middle so she did not see it all the way through again! WOO! Then the friends left and we stayed up all the late talking and gossiping about everyone and everything.

The next day, we slept late and then got up and had showers and oatmeal, and played Wii. Turns out I'm real good at Wii boxing, but the character I made sucked on Meg's baseball team. No matter! I could not reach the "Professional" level at boxing this time, because the controllers were tweaking out, but it will happen someday! I graded papers a bit and they studied a bit while this was going on. Then we went into Portland to meet Becca! I was also SOOOO HAPPY TO SEE HER!!!! and we hugged a lot. Then we went to a little place the name of which I can't remember and had delicious coffee with Bailey's (and Becca had a fr rlz Irish Coffee) and we got the tappas plate with stuffed green olives, cheese, and buttered salted almonds, which was DELISH. Then we went and got inexpensive yet delicious sushi, and went to a play at Portland Theater, where Becca does her internship.

The play was called "Indoor/Outdoor," and was about a cat, and it was real real funny and contained Michael Jackson but also ripped your heart out at the end. A real crowd pleaser, and the star of the play (the cat) had even made an appearance on Law & Order: CI! After the show, we went back to Becca's apartment so she could come to sleep over with us, so she did, and then Meg took our blood pressure because she can do that now that she is training to be a doctor! Then we gossiped some more, and went to bed.

This morning, we took Becca back to the theater, and then Meg and I went back to her apartment and ate some more and then I left her house at noon. I arrived back in the Bing at approximately 6:30, which is right on schedule.

Along the lines of interesting things going on, my car almost didn't start this morning and I think the battery is on the fritz. I am going to have it looked at when I take it in for its next oil change. Also while I was driving I called all the possible people because I so seldom have so much time available just to talk, but almost no one answered. At least I got to talk to Mom and listen to my "Master and Commander" and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtracks!

This trip was amazing. It was so great to see people who know me again, who are also doing their own lives and totally understand what I'm going through here with the making of the new friends and the not being all the happy sometimes. Meg and Becca, I owe you great thanks for my new zest for life! All my love!