Lest you think that we fell off the face of the earth (or the edge of the continent, at least), rest assured that we arrived in Daly City safe and sound on June 18. I think the one word to describe the whole move process is “exhausting,” both physically and mentally. But we all made it (including our cat, Alex), and have spent the past two weeks settlling in. I’ve started a Flickr set, mostly of photos from the road, and will be adding to it soon.

So far we’ve bought a few major appliances and have been doing minor repairs around the house. (A new Home Depot has opened at the formerly sleepy Westlake Shopping Center along with lots of other new stores.) We also bought a bed at Sleep Train in Colma, from a cute (straight) salesman who was great and totally picked up on our gay couple-ness. What else to conclude from two men shopping for one mattress? (It also reminded me of a certain New Yorker cartoon.) At one point in the conversation, he was all, “So how do you like the Bay Area? Oh, you know, the parade is this weekend!” Pride parade, that is. (Speaking of which, we watched the parade on TV, and then ventured out to check out the festival at Civic Center later that afternoon. Not bad. I got us some It’s It ice-cream sandwiches, which I probably haven’t had since high school.)

Wednesday last week (June 21) was a kind of anniversary for us; it’s the day that Thom and I first met three years ago. Aww.

Thom started his new job this past Monday, and I drove him there on the first day since he hadn’t been given an employee parking permit yet. When we arrived at his building, I resisted the temptation to wave a brown paper bag and yell, “You forgot your lunch!” like a mom on the first day at school. I’ve been slowly getting back to speed on my own work, and when our DSL connection is up, then I’ll really be back in business. (Thom sent me an article that hits a little close to home: “The Two Most Dreaded Words in Telecommuting.”) Just getting new phone service has been a slog, but we’re finally hooked up on that front. (The old rotary phone in the kitchen still works, and I’m tempted to keep it there, if only for the ring. It has actual bells. Remember those?) In any case, periodically I’ve been bringing my laptop to the local library for the free wifi. I tell you, Daly City, and Westlake in particular, have changed so much since I grew up here.

Oh, and is June over already?

CARLIN, NEV. — One day more! Our road trip from Virginia to California has taken us across the country (mostly on I-80), with overnight stops in Elkhart, Ind.; Omaha, Neb.; Laramie, Wyo.; and Carlin, Nev., where we are right now. Tomorrow is the final leg, which will get us to Daly City, Calif., hopefully by early evening. Details and photos are forthcoming, but for now, here is a photo we took earlier today at a rest stop and information center in Echo, Utah, which is surrounded by some amazing rock formations and elevated trails.

Almost there!

The past week, indeed the past month, has been crazy. Last Friday was our last day at our jobs (or in my case, my Bethesda office), yesterday the movers came and hauled most of our stuff (which is now already on its way west), and today we begin our five-day road trip across the country, on a route that will take us through Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and finally, California.

Twelve states, 2,800 miles across America… it’s the sort-of-amazing race!

The frenzy of preparation for our move continues (sorting, shredding, packing, donating to Goodwill or the public library, etc.), but we did make time for a couple of outings in the past few days. Last Thursday, we went to see Assassins at Signature Theatre, whose cast features some familiar players, including our blog friend Stephen Gregory Smith as The Balladeer/Lee Harvey Oswald. I really enjoyed the show: strong performances, and as always at Signature, innovative staging. The show has been extended and will run through July 23 in Arlington.

Last night at the Warner Theatre we saw Kathy Griffin. Hilarious. I laughed pretty much the entire time. She talked about American Idol, Oprah, Tom Cruise, Scientology, and on and on. After the show, ushers were at the door handing out purple rubber bracelets that say “Help Kathy” and “OffTheDList.com.” I love it. Now if I wear it and people ask what charity or cause I’m supporting, I can say, “Kathy Griffin!” (By the way, being so busy we probably won’t make it to any of the gay pride events in D.C. this weekend, but given the audience last night – lots of gay men – you could say it was a pride event de facto. Boy, does she love her gays.) The next season of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List starts tomorrow, June 6, on Bravo.