On Wednesday, November 6th, the day after Election Day (when I only got about two hours of sleep!), I went into Boston with my friends Sara, Meredith, Shelly, and Christanne to celebrate Meredith's birthday. Because I work now, I can't do as many things like this with my friends as I used to do, so I was especially grateful that this worked out. The weather was unseasonably warm (about 80 degrees), and it was a beautiful and fun day...except for the fact that I fainted at lunch 😮. But more about that later!
There were still Halloween and fall decorations out, which was fun to see. 
The floating witch hats were fun...
And so were the flying ghosts and the skeletons...
Pumpkins and patriotism
The gold-domed, majestic State House is a place where I once dreamed of working when Mitt Romney was the governor. I went inside of it for the first time that day.
We liked the "General Hooker Entrance" sign. Sounds fairly typical for politics. 😂
This sign about John Hancock was right near the State House:
We went to the Nichols House Museum, and it was lovely. I learned about a family in history that I didn't know about, and it was neat to tour their historic and well-preserved home.
I love this corner bookcase!
The red brick townhouses and sidewalks of historic Boston are elegant, gracious, and beautiful. 😍
This is a much-photographed little cobblestoned side street where many families have their family pictures taken. There was a car parked down there which kind of ruined the effect, but you get the idea of how picturesque it can be at the right angle.
Our angle wasn't very picturesque, but we did what we could!
We walked through Boston Common on our way to the Boston Public Library.
I saw the famous row of ducks! They were dressed in sports costumes.
It looked and felt like summer, not November.
I was excited to go to Boston Public Library for the first time. I'd passed by it many times in a car but had never been in. It's HUGE and so beautiful and majestic.
The courtyard
NPR was doing a live radio broadcast from their studio set-up there. I used to really like NPR but they've proven to be too partisan and unobjective in their coverage, and I gave it up years ago. But this was still cool to see.
We had a lovely and delicious lunch in the library's Tea Room. Such an elegant space!
There was a book at each place setting, which was appropriate given the venue. 😊
I enjoyed a nice herbal tea.
The little sandwiches and desserts were delish!
And then, the drama happened! 😱 Towards the end of lunch, I suddenly started feeling funny—uncomfortably full, very lightheaded, and then I completely blacked out! I passed out for about 30 seconds, and when I came to, I was lying on the floor (Meredith and Shelly caught me and laid me down) with a bunch of people around me. I had no memory of passing out or how I'd gotten onto the floor. Everyone was relieved that I wasn't dying and that an ambulance didn't need to be called. 😅
I sat in my chair for several minutes before we left and soon felt back to normal, though I was definitely tired and a little weak. I think the combination of lack of sleep + walking around in the heat + lack of healthy snacks + some dehydration + suddenly eating sugary (but delicious) foods did me in. I'm prone to vasovagal syncope and this was the fifth time I've fainted in my life since my senior year of high school. It seems to happen about every 5-10 years. I can't donate blood because of it—it either makes me very lightheaded or I flat-out faint. And it usually happens in a public setting, which is so embarrassing. Some of my most humiliating experiences in life have come from my fainting episodes. Fortunately, this one wasn't as embarrassing for some reason. It was quick, and I was fine after. And my friends were so supportive and great. But dang! What a way to experience my first time in the BPL! I'm so glad that it didn't happen until the end of lunch so that I didn't spoil the whole (wonderful) meal and experience!
Aside from my fainting spell, it was a lovely day with good friends in a great city. I was heartened to see the total lack of protest or division about the election, especially given that Boston is a blue and liberal city. It was refreshing. And very cultured!
