Burton Speaks

So far I've been in New Hampshire for about two days. My internal clock is a little off; I didn't sleep New Year's Eve until I was on the plane at 6 AM on New Year's Day, then I napped from PDX to O'Hare and then again to Manchester for about three and a half hours total. I barely saw daylight as I took off before dawn and landed after dusk, plus moved forward three time zones. I've been having a series of Lebowski-esqe "is today a... what day is it?" moments. Good times.

I've finally had a chance to meet a little girl I can only describe as my "first cousin, once removed". I think I got that right - she's my cousin's daughter. She's fairly delightful, and we've had a fun time meeting.


As I'm visiting here for my other cousin's wedding, I've spent a lot of time reconnecting with family (I don't see them very often) and meeting out-of-town guests - and while my family's all visited Oregon at some point or another, most of the other folks are a little fuzzy on where Portland is - or even Oregon, for that matter. Of course, I still have to look at a map to figure out where all the little states are, so I'm not in much better shape.

As there was recently a pretty major ice storm (and another smaller one a few days ago), flights into the area are still occasionally delayed. As such, I was forced to stand in for one of the groomsmen at the wedding rehearsal, which was fun. I got to meet the wedding party, joke around, and play the part of a "warm body".

Since I'm here for one reason, really, I don't have a lot of independent time. But, since I'm without a car and my schedule's pretty set, it's strangely relaxing. I just go where planned, offer to help where I can, and all I ask in return is a little bit of internet access. It works out nicely.

And, on a weird final note, apparently there are wild turkeys roaming around in the woods behind my aunt and uncle's home.