Summer sure has passed quickly! In the middle of summer school, it didn’t seem that way. Yet, now it’s over and my final grades have been submitted. Thank the goddess!Soon GayProf must turn his full attention to finding a place to live in Boston. I must confess feeling a wee bit of stress about that. One, I still have half-a-house hanging around my neck that needs to sell. Buying that house with liar ex (who told many lies)? Worst.Idea.Ever.
The other part of the stress involves figuring out how to navigate the Boston housing market. From my remote location, I have already deduced that Boston apartment agents operate in two modes: complete apathy or extreme over-enthusiasm. So far most of the things that I wanted rented within hours. One less than zealous agent gave me the stunning advice, “You know, Boston isn’t Texas.” Um, gee, thanks. It’s been some time since somebody made feel totally incompetent.
Grad school in the Midwest and working in Texas has made me soft. Soft, I say! Time to resurrect my harsh urban-life skills. Wait, did GayProf ever have harsh urban-life skills? Hmmm – I might need to develop those from scratch.
Time to turn to popular culture for reference. How would That Girl's Ann Marie handle this apartment hunt? Oh, right, she would just whine and have Donald solve her problems for her. Damn you, sexist pop-culture reference! Damn you!
All these agents always want to work out details on the phone. Who uses the phone anymore? What’s wrong with e-mail? Wasn’t it invented so that I didn’t have to, you know, actually talk to people? Come on, help a misanthrope out.
Whatever the case, I am sure the cosmos will act in my favor and I will land a decent place when I visit Boston later this month. I will think about that tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day.
In the meantime, my invisible jet has been fully gassed-up and I am leaving for New Mexico today. For the next few nights, I will enjoy all that the northern part of the Land of Enchantment can offer.
Here are some things that I am looking forward to in New Mexico:
Being asked “Red or Green?”
Friends/family
Home-made enchiladas.
Access to decent coffee that is not from a corporate conglomerate nightmare or a creepy-Christian vendor.
Astounding natural beauty.
Not so-astounding city scapes.
Old Hippies.
Allowing the dry desert air to clean out all of the Texas mold that collected in my lungs.
Sopapillas, with honey.
Margaritas, on the rocks, no salt.
Being in a state with mandatory bilingual access for all government services.
Being in a state that tied with New York as leading the country in LGBT laws. Have I mentioned that before?
Residing in a state with a longer history (both indigenous and colonial) than almost anywhere else in the U.S.
Tossing my wedding band into the Rio Grande, as previously mentioned.
Watching the local news filter any national/global story based on its immediate relevance to New Mexico – clearly the epicenter of the universe.
Having time to work on my current research project. I vaguely remember research. Allegedly, I am paid to do research – allegedly.
While I am away, I expect that you all will analyze the previous post’s photos as often and as closely as others have inspected the Zapruder film. See you soon.
Are you looking at Boston only, or the surroundings as well? I'd be happy to hook you up with the broker who got me my kickass Brookline place (at no fee!) last year on two weeks' notice.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your time in the "Land of Enchantment".Perhaps you will find the time to take someof your legendary photos.
ReplyDeleteDisney's 'The Rescuers'?
ReplyDeleteShelby Flint?
1) You're visiting soon? When?!? We must have drinks sitting around in a bar where everyone ignores us. Weeeeee!
ReplyDelete2) Like I mentioned before, I'm zero help in the housing market. Maybe you should see if my ex is selling his last tripple-decker house.
3) Verbify makes a good point. You're not just looking in "Boston", but Boston, Brookline, Cambridge (where Harvard lives), Somerville, Medford... In Mass., cities often reside across the street from one another, literally.
4) YAY! I actually know what "red or green?" means - I think. Neither one was ever the killer stuff, but always added a nice kick to everything.
The mass transit is decent, so NOT living in Boston proper is viable, even sans car, and probably cheaper. And you'll be only three hours away!
ReplyDeleteI completely empathize on the housing search. Not an enjoyable task. I can't remember, but I think the duration of your stay wasn't particularly long which could make the search even worse. Boy, am I just a bucket of sunshine or what!? Enjoy NM, and good luck with the search!
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to ask you, are you red or green, Gayprof? I was always green...I just found it more of a mix of flavors rather than a couple of really intense ones. Would you mind picking up an egg, potato, and cheese burrito (green, of course) from La Hacinda Express on Central while you're out? Thanks a bunch!
ReplyDeleteNew Mexico is worth 50 Bostons.
ReplyDeleteHave fun in NM with the fam! And I'm totally crashing on your couch once you find a place in Boston--a city I've had on my "Must Visit" list for some time.
ReplyDeleteSay hi to my uncle in Pecos. Have a wonderful time and I will be having margaritas on the rocks with no salt in a parallel universe. And I always get green except on my huevos rancheros.
ReplyDeleteCraigslist, baby, craigslist. If I can find a no-fee studio for under $1000 in NYC on there, you can find something in Boston. Or, alternately, you can just move in with me and take the Chinatown bus back and forth to Boston every day. (If you choose that option, just be forewarned that someone *always* barfs on the Chinatown bus. Prepare accordingly.)
ReplyDeleteI am enchanted with the land of enchantment and I know you're going to have a fabulous time. I have to say that as much as we'd love to move to one of the coastal havens i would miss the paucity of some form of mexican food. I know you're a purist when it comes to that cuisine but I do enjoy tex mex, but not as much as New Mex ;)
ReplyDeleteYour tossing ceremony sounds absolutely over the top. I love it! I think you should do it from a very tall rock, dressed in drag (as Wonder Woman of course!), and a bottle of Dom Perignon waiting in the wings.
At the moment ABQ is (relatively speaking) soaking wet, so may not be much help in banishing that Texan mold. However, sufficient quantities of Pedro's green salsa and Garduños margaritas should do the trick.
ReplyDelete"...just be forewarned that someone *always* barfs on the Chinatown bus. Prepare accordingly."
ReplyDeleteYeah, and it's dried fish barf, too, which only an alley cat could love.
One the complete opposite end of the spectrum: mmmmmm, sopapillas!
And it's entirely appropriate that you're throwing the ring from lying ex (who told many lies) into the Rio Grande, as that river and the Pecos are the lengedary territories of Pecos Bill, one of the biggest of all tall tales. Please take photographs, especially if it gets swallowed by a catfish the size of a whale.
Have a great trip!
Whenever moving to a new city I always prioritize: First find the GE triple enforced cardboard box - preferably the Freezer 3000. Second - a decent underpass. From this solid base, a academic career is ready to flourish!
ReplyDeleteHave fun in New Mexico
That Girl's Donald was HAWT!
ReplyDeleteMaybe Gay Prof could remake the show in Boston with the role of Donald played by Bobby Cannavale!?
Totally googlestalkable:
www.geocities.com/bobbycannavale/
Oh! You make New Mexico sound great. I've never been there for an extended period of time, though I did drive thorugh once when moving to Arizona.
ReplyDelete"Being in a state that tied with New York as leading the country in LGBT laws. Have I mentioned that before?"
ReplyDeleteWhatchyu tawkin' 'bout? No grand protections here. PS... Parking Lot Gay Bashers got merest slaps on wrists by Santa Fe judge.
Green!
ReplyDeleteHey there. You have already left of the land of enchantment, but here's a note for when you return. Contact me, I have ears in that area. Craigslist is definitely a good start. Yes, about sans car. Very important about detail where exactly you want or don't want to be as Boston itself is on the smallish side.
ReplyDeleteI've been to New Mexico only once, but it is definitely worth seeing again. Friend of mine moved to Albuquerque and described a police raid on the local gay gym social hour. You might ask the locals of they heard the full story.
ReplyDeleteSopapillas with honey. YUM!
ReplyDeleteOh, and thank you for my latest computer wallpaper. That photo is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteFYI Girlfriend,
ReplyDeleteMy cuñada has an apartment in Jamaica Plain that's available. After Mr. Gordo read your post he said, "Wow, that would be funny (if you ended up in the Beautiful Lisa's JP apartment).
Also, Mr. Gordo and I will be up in Mass. sometime this summer on the Cape, and would love to hook up with you for some, ahem, fun :-) Have a sopapilla (or twenty) for me, Miss Girl, it has been years since I've had a good one. Hopefully I'll eat another before I die.