That right kind of Pride.

On Saturday Morning somewhere in June, I woke up in Boston and started my day the Right Way… according to what Sameer (and many train ads) had told me:

Because ‘Boston Runs On Dunkin’ ‘

If you think starting with an actual Boston Creme is perhaps a terrible breakfast (hi Mum!), don’t worry, I soon added a Bagelsaurus Bagel to the mix.

I walked my way to Harvard, or more specifically to Harvard Yard, and entered through not-the-big-gate, which, according to my Harvard podcast guide, was the right choice to make if I ever get-enough-money-to-decide-to-commit-to-more-education-at-a-cost-of-80-grand-a-year, and want to be able to graduate (it’s a whole superstition thing).

And then well, I spent a bunch of minutes slowly wandering around the yard, learning things about the buildings and people, and promptly forgetting them all.

Still, lack of mental retention aside, it was a very nice area, with pretty trees contrasting with pretty red bricks, and- for the time being at least- it wasn’t even raining.

This is my ‘Tegan Goes To Harvard’ look:

And this is my (much more natural) ‘Tegan as a Dragon’ look.

One fact I do remember from the pod-walk is that Harvard used to have a requirement that every graduate had learnt how to swim, and that this due to a request tied to a donation from someone whose son had died by drowning.

Unfortunately, I’ve just now googled that so-called fact, and learnt that this is, in fact, an urban legend.

Which makes me wonder if the whole podcast was a lie.

I mean, is this even John Harvard?

Or is it just another old white guy with fancy shoes?

The most important building on the block:

(the library)

And a few more pretty things:

In an ideal world, I supposed I would remember a great deal more of the facts from my lie-cast, and would be able to litter this post with interesting tidbits.

Alas! this is not that world. I am an old lady with a mushy brain, and right at this moment in time I can barely remember something I learnt yesterday.

I guess that means it’ll be exciting and new if I ever go again!

I hadn’t realised when I planned the Boston weekend that it landed right on Pride, but because it did, I decided to stop by for a bit to feel the love.

I sat, I watched, I felt a bit emotional.

And then I sat on the hill and watched the pretty colours pass while stuffing my face with mango.

Apart from the presence of one jerkface who had misguided notions of what it meant to be a decent human being, it was overall a lovely thing to see, even if only for a few minutes.

Unfortunately, I had other places to be.

So I refueled myself on Dunkin’, including a fancy avo toast…

..and headed out to meet the witches….

But more on that later.

PS: …

10th June, 2023