Back in B-more

Last weekend, I made a pilgrimage back to Baltimore in order to attend my brother's graduation from MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art). My parents graciously agreed to drive me and my three rowdy boys there in their van. I think they may have regretted that decision during the two hours of screaming that occurred on the six hour drive.
The trip was very nostalgic for me- a part of me missed the sights and sounds of Baltimore but another part of me was very grateful not to be living in such an "exciting" place. It had been far too long since I had seen my friends, been able to use sign-language and enjoyed the unique architecture of Baltimore but not long enough since I smelled weed, had to parallel park, or worried about the possibility of being attacked by cat-sized rats at night.
Anyway, I really did enjoy my time there despite the stress of traveling with children (see other post). I got to see the commencement exhibition at MICA which features artwork of the 2010 graduates. The show was wonderful. One of my brother's paintings can be seen here. Gabe and Elijah were very interested in some of the statues in the gallery of the classical style. Gabe was convinced that most of the statues depicted Angel Moroni while Elijah would exclaim in worried tones about the statues being "broken".
Commencement itself was a lengthy ordeal, but far more entertaining than Medical School graduation. I am pleased to say that Matt graduated magna cum laude. He chose not to wear a cap and gown- but hey, this is art school, people do what they want. At first I was concerned that he would stick out in jeans and a button down shirt, but that was before I spotted the graduate in star-spangled spandex with a light-up cape or the one wearing a full Native American headdress. Some graduates had written interesting middle names on their name cards so that they were announced as Mary "boogie-down" Smith or Joe "is awesome" Doe. A few people did dance steps across the stage complete with jazz hands and one guy performed an admirable robot.
I was so happy that I could be there to cheer my brother on. We miss having him around and the boys certainly miss Uncle Matt's hi-jinks. We ended the trip by going to the best low-cost Chinese buffet I have ever been to. If you are ever in the Baltimore area and want to eat a lot of tasty food check out the Hibachi Grill.
Our trip was short- but I think I'd like to go back again sometime. I guess there will always be some part of me that sings "I Love You Baltimore".