15 February 2011

real (not-so) long distance

Hello from Hyperion! I love this place. I am having the best day ever in Fredericksburg, the town where I once decided that I should at least try to have the best day ever every day. About three years ago, during my final semester of college, I dropped Chinese 102, took History of Jazz pass/fail with some friends, and just generally enjoyed my life a lot more than the previous seven semesters in which I took 18 credits. I don't think I was ever super negative, but I've definitely been a much sunnier person since then.

Anyway! Why is today the best day ever? It really began last night when I went to see Josh Ritter in D.C.. Well, maybe a little earlier hanging out with Luke. He's cool, despite some of the funny things he says sometimes. But Josh put on an excellent show, as always. He's kind of a sunny, happy person, which is probably at least half of why I like him and his music so darn much.

I was also amused by a brief contemplation of space. Yeah, I'm a dorky geographer. Before heading to Virginia on Sunday afternoon, I stopped by the hospital at home to visit my pastor, who was in for a little re-hydration following a bout with the flu the previous week. We had a good conversation about the greater Presbyterian church and how it's functioning (or not). He believes the future may hold Presbyteries that are less geographically-restrained, since we have the technology to overcome such differences more effectively than in the past. This is true of many things-- I mean, my thesis is about how we've broken down geographic barriers and allowed plants to grow in places that aren't always convenient. This idea was also evident at Josh Ritter's show. A few weeks ago, he invited those attending his "Valentine's Day Brawl" shows this week to submit dedications to people they were going with. It was actually a pretty cute concept-- lots of people professing their love and crap, one dude even had Josh propose to his girlfriend for him. I was really touched by one message from a soldier in Afghanistan who sent a message to his brother who was in the crowd. It's amazing how we have these ways of being connected from so far away, kind of blurring the entire concept of distance. (And yes, if you're wondering, I am a totally awesome and super romantic girlfriend and Josh Ritter totally read my dedication.)

So, back to the best day ever. Today I went to Fredericksburg to visit with my beloved undergrad advisor, who I had lunch with at the awesome Soup and Taco. I had somehow never been there before despite my love of downtown Fredericksburg. It was really great to catch up with her and get some ideas about moving forward with the thesis and job hunt. After visiting with some other professors in the geography department and my old boss at the auditorium, I parked myself here in the coffee shop to do a little work until my good friend Jeremy gets off work. We'll get dinner somewhere downtown before I head north again. It's a lovely sunny day and I am totally delighted.

(This entry's title comes from this fun song by Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band.)

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