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The nightdragon discovers that being in Boston causes high levels of serotonin

August 02, 2003 ~ 10:38 p.m.

BOSTON, MA, U.S.A.�I am so high right now, but not on cannabis or alcohol or any other drug. Just pure, lovely serotonin.

It�s amazing what getting out of London, and back home to my family, has done for me. I know there is such a thing as a natural high, but I hadn�t experienced that for quite some considerable time.

We landed in Boston last night, flying in through thick cloud and fog, at 9:35 EST, though to our bodies, it was 2:35 in the morning. I had consumed three glasses of wine and four Valium pills and, as such, was feeling pretty exhausted. We breezed through immigration and customs, but had to wait ages for our suitcase. The problem was that luggage from the British Airways Boston flight came in on two carousels, and we�d spent most of our time watching only one of them. Finally, it arrived and we strode out to arrivals to be welcomed by my family. They were so surprised�my father, mother and sister�to see my wife. They were not aware that she was popping over for a visit along with me; we had been successful in keeping that a secret for months. We gazed at the Financial District skyscrapers shrouded in mist as Dad drove us home through the city to the house.

* * *

I woke up this morning at about 9:30. Poor Squirrel had screeched twice during the night. About 3 in the morning, she screamed from a leg cramp. Then, about 8 o�clock this morning, she started hollering again. Asking her if it was her leg bothering her again, she replied, �No, I was dreaming about bloody carpenter ants.� Apparently, an itch on her arm awakened her and sent her into hysterics, believing that an ant was crawling across her.

�I�m sorry that I ever told you about them,� I mumbled. �I feel as if I�ve tortured you.� She fell back into an uneasy doze. My room, however, has thus far remained ant-free.

It was a grey, wet and very humid morning, but cool, and I took a barefooted walk through the damp grass and looked at the garden. My inkberry bushes are recovering from the severe beating they took during the extremely cold winter just past. In fact, you�d never think winter had ever occurred, judging from the panorama of green plants and flowers everywhere. I smiled wistfully at a patch of ferns near the rock garden. Those ferns have been a staple of the backyard for decades, even before we moved into the house in 1976, even though we�ve had to cut them back a bit. But they�ll never entirely disappear, and that is a good thing. I�m sentimental about links to the past, even if that link is only a thick crop of ferns.

* * *

The day did get much better.

After getting my requisite hit of music via my Walkman while having my breakfast, my sister arrived and we all went out for a coffee at Starbuck�s in Belmont-Cushing Square, and then we went to the mall in the River City district of Waltham. As the ladies shopped in a women�s clothing shop called Dots, I strode across the street to DL Liquors for two Samuel Adams beers and a bottle of Californian wine, whereupon the following amusing interaction between the 60-year-old, Ted Williams look-a-like cashier and I ensued:

�That�ll be $10.50, please. Wait a moment, I�ve seen your ID, right?�

�Actually, you haven�t, but I�ve got my passport.�

�That�s fine, thank you. OK, year of birth is � 1969. OK, good, you�re old.�

�Well, it happens to the best of us.�

�You got that right, buddy. Hey, may I ask why you�re using a passport for ID?�

�Well, I live in Britain these days and my state ID is dated.�

�What would happen if you lost it?�

�Well, I�d be upset, certainly, but it can be replaced. All you need is your birth certificate and the American Embassy in London is right there in London where I live.�

�Ah. Well, you have a good day now, and have a safe trip back to the U.K.�

�Thank you, sir. You be well.�

I left the package store and went back to the car. It had become mostly sunny by this point. The temperature was near 80�F (27�C) and the humidity was still high. I waited for the ladies to finish clothes shopping by leaning against the car and reading the paper. Then we got groceries in the adjacent Star Market and went home. My sister, wife and I threw the frisbee around for a while. Everybody we�d met today was friendly, the weather had turned perfect, and I�d done some more unpacking and whipped my room into shape. My father told jokes in the kitchen shortly before dinner and we all nearly split our sides; my dad has a sardonic sense of humor and tells stories in such a manner that you can�t help but laugh.

And to think, this was only the first full day here. I�ve got sixteen more to come. I expect my serotonin levels to remain high for all of them.

� M.E.M.

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