To compare...

I miss Boston. I think I was born to live in the Northeast. I miss the snow, and I'm tired of the rain. I used to love the rain and hate the snow. I miss the people who actually MOVE through the mall or the grocery store or whatever instead of strolling down the aisles and randomly stopping in the middle to stare at the shelves with complete disregard for the fact that someone is behind them - then when you say "excuse me" they stare at you like you're the rudest person on the planet before begrudgingly moving out of the way. I miss the fact that people generally just leave you alone instead of asking random stupid questions like "have you ever wondered what Wassail is?" I like being left alone and remaining in the shadows, I hated when people did things like that even before I moved to Boston. And now it bugs me even more because I know there's a place where people DON'T do it.

The two things specifically Portland I really wanted to see while I was home were the "Made In Oregon" sign with the red nose on the Stag for Christmas, and Mt. Hood. I saw the sign. No Mt. Hood yet because the damn clouds are in the way. I don't think I remembered it being this dreary day in, day out. No wonder I have Seasonal Affective Disorder.

So the only good thing about this visit has turned out to be seeing friends and family and talking endlessly about the wonders of Boston and Law School. I visited my old office yesterday, it was so nice to see the excitement on my old co-worker's faces when I showed up. Not that my friends and family weren't excited to see me, but they expected to see me so it wasn't that look of genuine surprise and real excitement like I got at the old office. Of course, we also went downstairs to the Horse Brass Pub after everyone was off work to have a couple drinks like old times, so that was nice too.