Moments in Buffalo

Classes ended Thursday afternoon with final presentations followed by much drinking. Most of the class went to a bar called 1-2-3 for a while to take advantage of $2 shots and $3 beer on tap. That was a nice way to start things out. Once we were all thoroughly lubricated we took taxis from 10th ave to 3rd ave to Tonic to keep the party going. I think I preferred the cheap (i.e. trashy) place we started at because the atmosphere was very unassuming and the girls wore booty shorts, but I was mostly interested in finishing out the semester with my friends. Tonic was OK, the alcohol from 1-2-3 kept sinking in slowly and I was completely lit. This led to some good conversation and overall enjoyment and ended with me hitting up Tasti-D-Lite one more time with Steph and then rushing home to meet my cousin Paul to move out of my room. Moving out while drunk is a little confusing, but we got it done.

Paul drove me to Queens, we hung out for a while then I passed out. On Friday I ran errands then on Saturday we drove up to Tarrytown to see our ancestor's gravesites from the Revolutionary War. I took some pictures, enjoyed being out of the city and had a great conversation with the cemetery caretaker who knew more about our family history that Paul or I did. 

After an interim weekend in Queens staying with my cousin, I flew to Buffalo to see Leigh, Juneau and our friends and prepare for a road trip to the southern states. It was great to see Leigh, I was so excited to be out of New York and in a more normal place (sorry NYC, you're just missing a certain something). Leigh and I went straight from the airport to our friend's house to hang out and catch up. We had a few drinks, talked and laughed until 4am and then went home to pass out. The next few days were spent running errands and preparing for Leigh's and my trip which starts today. 

The plans are as follows:

I am leaving today to take my car to my dad's house so he had try to sell it for me. Leigh leaves tonight after her class to go to her mom's to drop off Juneau for the week. We'll meet up at my dad's house in Roanoke, VA then drive to Charlottesville, VA to see Monticello and camp. Then we're driving to Jacksonville, FL to see my brother and his family for a few days, go to the beach, and relax. We'll then drive up to Savannah for a quick stop off to see the old part of town and eat at Paula Deen's Restaurant (don't judge!). We'll camp in Charlestown, SC that night. The next day we'll go back to Leigh's mother's house in Grundy, VA to get Juneau and then back to Buffalo in time to prepare for my father's visit for my graduation. I also need to prepare for my summer out west and I wanted a little more time with our friends here before leaving for God knows how long.

This trip is going to be a lot of fun but, honestly, I'm a little apprehensive. I am basically penniless after my semester in NYC and completely unprepared for my flight to Anchorage. It's highly illogical to spend the next week driving around and having fun. Then I realize that, though Buffalo is where I visit people that I love, it is a pretty dull place and I'd likely spend more money just hanging out here (food, shopping, bars) than I would if I were spending my days driving from place to place and camping out. I think of how long it's been since I've seen my brother and how long it will be before I see him again. I think of how much Leigh and I need this compacted, quality time together before I go away. 

As for going away, it is my time to do this. I decided to study for the bar in Alaska because I knew I didn't want to be in New York anymore and Alaska was the place I've felt most at home ever. I still want to take the bar exam in Alaska and eventually practice law there (even if only for a few years), but I'm just not ready to be completely on my own again. After 3 months away and taking the time apart from Leigh to sort some things out we're doing really well now and I'd love to take advantage of this time now that it's come. Instead I have to run off again and keep doing crazy shit for my career, for myself. I promised myself I'd spend some time focusing on my own needs and working toward becoming the person I want to be, but I just wish I could slow things down and take a little breather before doing this. 

It's just not in the cards, so we're going on a road trip to get the most out of this time we have together. When I get back I will graduate and say my goodbyes to my friends here then go off to battle the final aspect of my legal education. I hope one day all this hard work will turn into my having more choices and being brave enough to follow my heart above all else.