21

Wednesday night after no sleep and 12 hours of traveling (+3 hours added onto the clock) later, I found myself wandering around the too familiar Suburban Station in Center City Philadelphia. The overwhelming stench of urine has either gotten worse or after 2 months of fresh air I was just that unadapted to something that's been so familiar to me the past 4 years. I won't lie, I teared up a little when we came flying over the skyline and I knew I was in the place I love most again. It's not an overwheming excited or strange feeling to be home, because the little things that make it exciting are the little things. It's also more so just plain overwhelming. After laying around my mom's house for 6 weeks, it's like having to readapt to my life. To feel and remember my life and never having to let anyone know what I'm doing and being completely on my own, all that became foreign. To readjust to having the people I love most around and live in this constant state of hanging out. "Hanging out is what we do best."

I've been (and will be until the night before leaving for Fest) "squating" in Chrystina's mostly empty house on 29th and Wharton. I've got my own room and free reign and it's so nice to feel like I'm living in the city again. Last night we walked back from the train station, it was so cold. We made Pb&js, watched Law&order on a make shift couch and I passed out around 10 completely exhausted. I slept until one this afternoon and then headed to center city. Despite my "working out" and running a mile every night while in California, the massive amount of walking I do in the city takes just as much readapting to as everything else. I'm not complaining though, it's one of the things I love most; constantly roaming and wandering around. I walked the 40 minutes from Chrystina's to Rittenhouse and got coffee and used the internet at Barnes and Noble while I waited for Stacy to get out of class. I met up with her and we walked to South Street and got vegan Pizza at Blackbird. Walking in a first I missed Gianna's and the millions of old show flyers that lined the wall (the Philly-ness it had), but sitting in there eating our huge slices I decided it's really awesome to have a new all vegan pizzeria/a new vegan place in general in Philly. Stacy paid for everything as a welcome home gift (which has to seem a lot longer of a time I was gone to her because we haven't hung out since JUNE, but thankfully things will always be great between us and we're back and better than ever and I'm so excited to hang out all the time again) and we walked around for awhile afterwards. It's also taking me getting used to being in the city and seeing people I know everywhere again. It's strange how used to constantly being alone/not knowing anyone anywhere I became. Since she got a new bike, and had her old, extra one sitting in the closet at her apartment she's letting me borrow it for the rest of the time I'm here since I'm staying so far south! And then until I get the money from my car and can buy myself something good. Biking through the city was harder than it looks, not because of cars and what not but because it's totally a work out! The hill on 21st and Market was almost the death of me. But I think I'll soon fall in love with it. The tires could also use some air, I think that would make my situation a lot better itself. Just before parting with Stace we ran into Chrystina and Dylan by Logan Fountain so I hung out with them there for awhile and eventually Chrystina and I biked back to her place. She made food and we listened to the Ergs! and I read both the Fall and Winter series of Mouse Guard. IT IS SO GOOD. All the other comics/graphic novels I've read up until now have been about humans and well, life. So I was skeptical of mice from 1152 fighting off the bad guys, but now I'm going to have to totally give super hero type comics and the like another chance. Chrystina's stacked a whole bunch of other zines and things in "my room" too, which is so awesome.

It's really nice to have a life again, I'm even more excited for tomorrow than anything. I'm waking up and biking to apply for some jobs, meeting up with Chrystina and going to get vegan noms from Grindcore House, reading in the park until Stacy gets out of work and then getting more coffee with her until 4, biking back to the house and dropping off the bike and heading to North Philly to see Tigers Jaw AND MY BEST FRIENDS. Brett and Joanna have found out I'm home (Brett knew because he dreamed about it....freak) and I'm (hopefully) surpring Melissa! I think if anything actually makes me realize I'm home and for it to hit me, it'll be seeing them AS WELL AS GOING TO THE FIRST SHOW I'VE BEEN TO SINCE AUGUST. And if it does hit me, I might start crying while hugging the very closest friends to my heart.

I'm so excited for everything right now. LIFE. I think I've found a place to live, and all I need is for a job to fall into place. The rest of the weekend is going to rule and the Fest trip is so soon and I won't even get into how amazing that plan is right now.

It's almost 4 am and my alarm is set for 9, the whole sleeping 15 hours last night thing is fucking me up. But I can't fall asleep for anything. Oh well, not being able to sleep at least got me a cute text from the person I wanted a cute text from.