Boston

They gave my brother Brian a new diagnosis last week. PDD-NOS, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified. It's in the spectrum of autism. I looked up some info on it, but it looks like it's something psychiatrists give out when they don't really know what's wrong. And they say it took them so long with Brian because he doesn't really fit the diagnosis, probably because he's been able to mimic the behaviors of his older brothers. So whatever, they don't know what they're talking about. I'm glad it isn't super-obvious that he has autism or something like that, but it's frustrating to be in the gray area too.

I had a wicked awesome time in Boston this weekend. But I spent all my money. I have $1.60 for the next week, so I can ride the bus one way one day. Wait, I forgot the quarters on my dresser. Two ways, baby! I met up with Amy at Boston Common and we talked about old times and walked the Freedom Trail. We got to Paul Revere's house just as it was closing, though. Amy worked on Howard Dean's campaign during her winter break this year and refers to him as "the governor". She gets a starry look in her eyes when she talks about him, too. you know the one.

On Saturday, Chris had to take someone to the hospital and the fire department came to Amy's house. So it was a happening night. The Boston house made this lethal green punch with rum, vodka, and whiskey in it. But they also made a lot of food so nobody got sick. Rya from Syracuse fell on a table and had to go for stitches. Since Amy's folks live in Wellesley, I went to her house to sleep. All the JV houses can offer is the floor, and it's usually noisy until 4. We got to her house at about 12:30 and her little brother Edmund was still up reading a book. He's the nicest 13-year-old I've ever met, you could really talk to him like an adult. So we were all talking and at one in the morning we see a fire truck pull up to the house. They had a cop with them too. They said a 911 call had been made from the house. Edmund said the phone hadn't been working for a week, so we couldn't have made a call. When they asked Amy if she lived there, she said "No, my parents live here. I'm just visiting." I think that made them suspicious, because they kept asking if her parents knew she was visiting, and asked to see her license. Luckily she hadn't exchanged it for her New Hampshire one yet.

But after that the night was uneventful, and Amy's Mom made us breakfast. I also found out the super-cutesie nickname her mother calls her. And she won't even let me call her "Aim"!

In Jersey I ordered "Taylor ham, egg, and cheese on a hard roll-salt, pepper, ketchup", and when we stopped in Philadelphia on the way back I ordered "pepper steak whiz wit'" and impressed the tourists behind me (cheesesteak with peppers, fried onions, and cheese whiz). I like being plugged in to the megalopolis this year. These Northeastern cities are all in a row.