Walmart!!

Today was shopping day. My credit card was once again put on "Fraud Alert" and was declined when I used it in New Hampshire. I was waiting for that to happen and am thankful it happened at Target and not Walmart again. A quick call to the 800# I have now memorized and everything was good to go. I did really good today. 5 hours and 2 Walmarts, 1 Kohls, 1 Costco, 1 Target and 1 trip to the mall later... I have everything needed to cook, clean and decorate my apartment for the moment. The quality of Walmart's items have improved a lot, I'm really happy with my stuff...oh, and they gave me free stuff!! I have no idea what they expect me to do with Fiesta Mix Cat treats, but I also found a comb and toothpaste in my bags when I got home. These items must have been in the bags in the spinning thing when they started to scan my order. Of course, I didn't know this at the time, and I will not be going back to return these items, so I am thinking it's a free gift with purchase sort of thing. Also found a nice couch at Costco, I might just buy it, but want to test it out before doing so. AND if I can get a truck next week, I can get a really nice table with 8 chairs. I hope I can figure out who to rent a truck from (and bribe a guy to drive it for me) so I can get it. So much to do!!

In other news, roommate texted me at noon in a bitchy tone "Because you returned your cable box, I can't watch TV or use the internet this weekend b/c they turned off the internet and cable and will not turn it back on". First of all, I did not respond back, nor will I. Second, the cable was getting shut off as of August 1 (tomorrow) anyway so who cares. Third, she wanted me to take her box and modem in when I returned mine but I told her I wouldn't be able to carry all that plus my suit case on the bus to return the boxes (mine was smaller than a laptop and fit in my bag). So, if I had she wouldn't have watched TV today anyway. Fourth, I did not know they would turn it off b/c I returned mine, her cable box and modem haven't been turned in, so how would I have known they'd turn it off a day early?? Fifth, she is supposed to be packing. And lastly, use the internet from the neighbors that don't have it locked for crying out loud. Stupid bitch! UGH! Tomorrow should be fun when I get back with a full car load of stuff!

I'm on that Train to North Bellerica

Today was a long day. After having a hard time falling asleep last night, I snoozed my alarm 4 times before getting up to get out of the apartment before 7:45 to make it into Allston to drop off my HD cable box so I didn't have to do it on my lunch break. (Toting my suitcase with me.) I made it to work, where most of the building were out of the office for a long weekend. I managed to make an early train up to North Bellerica (picture of the side of the train as it left the station so we could cross... it was a foot away from my face). Had the best Mexican food this side of the U.S. in Bellerica at "Casa Blanca". The owners are from California and the food was excellent. I ate it all up and didn't feel sick afterwards. It was authentic So Cal Mexican food. It was yummy!! And I am happy :) Now it's off to bed, listening to the forest sounds. Makes me feel like I am camping... only I don't have to worry about bugs biting me or rocks poking me in the back. I do miss the country.

What a difference a day makes

Faneuil Hall

Well, my sis can't come visit me this year. I am really disappointed and sad b/c I was super excited to have her meet my friends and show the kiddies around Boston, but I can visit them so it won't be like I'm missing my family. My mom better not bail on me now, because I would be pretty hurt if no one in my family visited me. I mean, I've been here for over a year now and not a single friend or relative has visited me :(

I went down to the North End area to hang with friends tonight and wore a nice summer dress (cool, short and very showy). I hate my cup size b/c there are certain pieces of clothing I feel are too revealing and feel really self conscious. I'm not one who says "If you've got them, flaunt them". I danced, I had a few sips of beer and got out on a school night (I figure I can say that b/c I do work at a school). Before meeting up, I listened to some street performers at Faneuil Hall and am promising myself that one day I will walk along the water after work, it's so pretty down there this time of year.

Tomorrow I head up to Groton to stay with my family away from home. Looking forward to getting out of the city and relaxing. Watching a few shows b/c tomorrow morning I'm dropping my cable box off and going cable free for a few months.

It's Summertime!

So today felt like summer to me. I don't know if it was a certain smell in the air that reminded me of California or what, but I welcome summer now. And need to start going out after work to wander around this city and have some summertime fun (minus having a summertime fling- not going there this year!)

I went out on my lunch break to thaw out and get some vitamin D. It was in the 80s again, but low humidity and a strong wind at times. They hold concerts in the square outside Harvard School of Public Health, which is just a few steps from my building. Today's concert was pretty fun. The guys were cute, dancing around, singing, bopping to their music. It was so nice out and was fun to take a break and just get lost in the entertainment! I've been in a really good mood lately and haven't been home much. Partially to avoid the roommate, but also because I realized I've missed out on some gorgeous days spending my time holed up in my room. So tonight I took advantage of the nice weather and walked down to Coolidge Corner and towards Allston to browse the racks at TJ Maxx and grab dinner at the Pita Pit before my friend Megan drove me to Target so I could get my black desk! It was fun catching up with her and getting out. My cold is still here but slowly getting better, so as long as I keep my schedule open and relax, I should be better in a week or two. Im also super excited b/c my mom will be visiting me in August and I will be flying my sister and babies out to visit me in September!! JetBlue has awesome deals right now. If Josh doesn't deploy in October (keeping fingers crossed that he does NOT deploy) then he might join them for the 4 days in September. So Boston friends you have to meet my family when they are here and I will give you plenty of notice! You have no idea how excited I am about this!!!!

Today was a good day

Another beautiful day in Boston. No humidity which is the way I like it. I talked to my mom today and she will be visiting in August and bringing some things for the apartment. I also saw that JetBlue has $49 fares between BOS and RDU so I am going to book some more trips to see my sister b/t September and November and try to fly her and the kids out to Boston as well. I love that I have an apartment and can have my family visit me now! I'm just sooooo excited!! Things just seem to be getting better for me and I'm so happy!! I also went shopping at the Dollar Tree for some cheap kitchen items and scored there and then bought some more stuff at AJ Wright where I used a gift card I got from my rewards credit card, so I didn't spend any of my money :) Also talked to my best friend and found out they will be here next October for a wedding, so I'll get to see them in Boston too (of course, I'll see them in CA before that, but still!) So this photo was taken in Allston, not the greatest area in Boston, certainly not the worse either...ok during the day. I was waiting for the bus to take me back to Brookline.

Perfect Weather, Under the Weather

Today I didn’t feel good. I went home after work and watched TV after having some toast. It was such a beautiful day out, low 80s and no humidity. I would have loved to walk home today if I was feeling well. And even taken an evening stroll after dinner, but there will be plenty of other days for that. It was kind of nice to not do anything after work. I took advantage of having cable and watched a movie and a few TV shows. This time next week I’ll have no Internet or cable, but will be able to save money, use my phone for the Internet. Can’t wait for the roommate to move out and I have the place to myself so I don’t have to be holed up in my bedroom. Anyway, it’s nice staying in and taking care of myself. It’s so hard to say no and I’m always running around that things are going to have to change on my end. Just so I don’t get so burned out. One day at a time I have to start doing something for myself, like staying in like I did tonight.

Some Brookline Firsts

Today was a pretty good day. I'm feeling yucky today, but managed to buy some pots and knives at Macy's. Then I met one of my friends in the neighborhood later this evening at Athan's. This is a bakery on the corner of my street that I've only been in once since I moved in 11 months ago. They are known for their desserts and tonight was my first time trying one. It was so good. After coffee and dessert we walked down to Coolidge Corner and went into the Brookline Booksmith. It's an independent bookstore that is really popular in the community and advertises the fact that a handful of couples have met inside this store and have since married. Maybe I'll start hanging around there on evenings when I have nothing else to do. Now it's TrueBlood time, last time watching it for awhile.

Mangoed Out

What a day. Went shopping and bought some things (non-essentials) at the 3rd store I stopped out today. Coat rack, pictures, and a nice Wine serving dishes. I also bought my metal mixing bowls. I did some laundry but the washing machine sounded funny so when it was done I noticed my fabric softener was on some of my clothes in blue dots... so I know the machine is broken and not agitating. Of course, my air head roommate either didn't tell me it was broken (she does laundry like every other day) or she doesn't know it's broken. So I had to hand wash my clothes and they are hanging on her dryer thingy and hanging up in the bathroom on the curtain rod b/c it's hard squeezing out water from shirts and sweaters. I'll have to talk to the maintenance guy since he got the washer and dryer for our apartment for free. I wasn't about to take the T 4 stops to a laundromat to rewash my clothes. Around this time last year I decided to not hand wash my clothes for a change and used the laundromat around the corner from my Fenway apartment. OMG, the dryers pissed me off so I brought everything back to the apartment and made a makeshift clothes line, and hung all my clothes all over my room to air dry. Of course, it was hot and muggy that day so it took forever to dry. But I refuse to use a laundromat. Anyway, after that, I finished cleaning my apartment and took a nice relaxing soak in the tub. Something I haven't done in a long while. Then I put on a dress and went to a Mango party.

So I was really late, showed up 30 minutes before the "end" time, but people were still there and I made my Cucumber Mango salad and tried some other dishes and drinks people made. I think it's really funny that all my friends are telling me I have to have a party for when my roommate moves out a "Thank Goodness the Bitch is Gone" Party, lol. Anyway, mangoes...I'm all mangoed out. Of course, I used a knife and nicked my finger (yes, the same finger I nearly chopped the entire tip off last December) and it wouldn't stop bleeding (well it did stop bleeding but...) all of a sudden (like an hour later) I was sitting talking to a friend when all of a sudden the sucker was bleeding all over again! I wasn't even doing anything. I was told saliva helps stop the bleeding so I sucked on it and now I have to keep it straight and not bend it and remember to put some neosporin and a band-aid on it after I'm done typing. I swear, I probably should just buy cheap ass knives instead of a few good pairs b/c I know I'll end up just cutting myself over and over and over again. I walked more than half way home (it's an hour plus walk) with another friend that lives up the street from me and then hopped the T b/c my sandals were hurting my feet. Then I get home and I forgot my camera at my friends place, then my left over Cucumber Mango salad spilled all in my purse, so i had to hand rinse my purse out. What a day! I'm so pooped and ready for bed. Hopefully I can sleep tonight b/c my sinuses are acting up. So since I left my camera with photos of my dish, I took one with my camera phone when I got home.

Things have a way of working out

Didn't sleep much last night b/c I was so excited/stressed about my roommate moving out. I have a lot of items I need to purchase so that's all I could think about. Today was a long day. Not much work to do. Took yoga at lunch, which is not a good idea if you have a sinus cold. I felt like crap afterwards. I wanted to go to Target after work to get this set which had all the basics for cooking: measuring cups, knives, peelers, cooking utensils, etc. which was on sale, but when I got there and looked at it and I thought about the items I already have, I decided just to look at prices of items I do need and ended up walking out with 2 of the same 4x6 rugs for the living room. I'm hoping they will look ok side-by-side, the colors match my color scheme. Anyway, every time I go to this on Target it's always raining. Of course it was pouring when I came out with my 2 rugs, but I used the umbrella bag turned inside out and put on one end of a rug so I didn't have to hold it while I stood at the bus stop (which is were I managed to snap this photo, while holding an umbrella and holding 2 rugs). Now I'm much more relaxed watching a movie then off to bed before I get up early to go shopping!

Strange Day

Well, this has been a wonderful day! First, missed the early bus as it was at my stop as I was making my way down my steps. So I walked to the next stop but missed it there and then the gardeners were blowing leaves so I got so dead plant stuff on me. Got to work and at lunch managed to spill some of my salad on me and then later in the day some Coke Zero. Then I was trying to print all my groupon/buywithme/livingsocial coupons and "lost" a whole bunch of them. Figured out I have 2 bwm accounts so I found the "lost ones". Then I couldn't find one that I knew I bought and went to my Citi credit card account. Log-on failed. I'm like WTF?! I actually know that password. So I closed the browser and went to the sight again, looked slightly different than the failed one and got right in. I hope it wasn't a phishing site. Compared my coupons with my credit card statement and figured out that the one I couldn't find was actually a restaurants.com purchase. OMG!!! So my BBFF put up with me freaking out over this. LOL. Time for me to take a real vacation and unplug from the world... life was way more simpler before the Internet! Speaking of internet. I also canceled my match profile, I refuse to pay for it, so why should I have my photos and info available to people when I can not communicate with them? Plus tired of my email box getting filled with match.com emails. And lastly, my roommate wanted to chat and informed me she is moving out August 6th. I'm pretty excited b/c I have until October 1st to let the landlord know what I want to do. Now I just have to out and buy a trash can, utensils, pots, a microwave, baking sheets and other bake ware, and some sort of furniture. I can't wait to play around with a blank canvas to redecorate and figure out which bedroom I want... also means that my family can visit me :) A crazy day ended on a good note and the photo is Brookline Ave near Longwood where I work... as I walk to wait for the bus.

Girls Night In

Today was an interesting day. Took my weight class at lunch. Opened a piece of mail with a drawing of a guy giving another guy a BJ which was sent to the Dean's office (security took it, we didn't even bother reading the written content- their problem now). Canceled Girls Night Out because a few gals have a lot on their plate so 3 of us stayed in, ate Asian food and watched "A Single Man" which was somewhat depressing. The T to get to BBFF took forever, my line was late (hence the photo of my T stop minus a T)and then when it finally decided to arrive, it went 5mph all the way into town (not happy). It sprinkled a little bit and boy I cannot wait for Fall and Winter. I wonder if Alaska gets this hot in the Summer?? Anyway, all in all, a good day. Cold is still lingering and I totally need to take it easy, even if it means saying "no" to things. As a people pleaser that is hard to do. But I really do need to put myself first for awhile. Oh, and it's been since Tuesday since my last Facebook status update :)

Back to Reality

Slept like a baby, something that isn't easy for me to do. Got sick this morning but went to work and took spin class at lunch. I thought I was going to take Zumba after work and left my gym stuff in the locker room. Was going to run to Blockbuster to redeem my free movie after work and before Zumba, but silly me, left my T pass and wallet in my gym bag, in the locker room. Guess it was a sign that I needed to take it easy and take care of myself tonight. So I went to the gym to get my gym bag, went to Blockbuster and walked up Mass Ave. Reminded me of last summer how I could walk to Blockbuster and through the Fens. Man, I would love to live closer to the city again, and be able to see the Pru.

Raining Cats

9:42PM, the time I should have been home and writing this in my bed before going to bed. Instead I’m typing this 11,000 feet up, as we pass lightning coming from the stormy clouds. I love traveling, however, whenever I fly to North Carolina I always seem to run into delayed flights. Today went like this. I got my nephew up and we played until sissy woke up. I took the kids outside to play and ended up at the park. That’s when things went downhill. I was pushing both kiddies when a kitten pounced over to us and was very friendly. The kids played with her and then my nephew found some sort of a rib bone and was going to put it in his mouth, so I had to rush home to wash his hands. Well my niece wanted to stay at the park and was throwing a fit, mean while I was freaking out because of my nephew’s dirty hands. Well finally I run into the house and wash my nephews hands, then run out to find that my niece was nearly home but pouncing right alongside her was the kitten. So, then my sister tries asking a few neighbors if they know who’s kitten it is and go back towards the playground and nothing. So my sister puts the kitten in the puppy’s indoor crate and calls the animal control on post. Well my bro-in-law has the car so she texts him saying we have a small situation at the house. He gets home for lunch and is not too happy with the addition. We take her to the vets and they take my sisters info and if no one claims the kitten by Friday my sister can foster it or keep it. So, I no longer am able to take the kids to the park, lol.

I get to the airport about an hour and a half before my flight is supposed to leave. While driving through a major downpour where you can barely see the car in front of you, I check the flight status… “on time”. Get to the airport “delay”. Check my bag, agent says “about a 30 minute delay, flight hasn’t left Ft. Lauderdale yet”. So I go through security and my flight that was supposed to depart at 6:05pm is now “delayed”. We board at 7:15pm, push back from the gate and taxi out to the tarmac. We sit…captain says he has bad news. Weather in DC (area we have to fly through to get to Boston) is in a hold. We had to sit on the tarmac until weather passed through the DC area which had a holding pattern for all flights already in the air heading to DC. So we sit for over an hour on the tarmac and finally are told that we have been re-routed. Of course, if my flight has been on time earlier, we wouldn’t have been stuck on the tarmac and I would have been home right now sleeping. I am not a fan of JetBlue right now, especially when flying in or out of NC. So of course, we have weather we are running into all the way up to Boston with a major thunderstorm to pass through the Boston area around 10pm, which is now… while we are making our descent. Oh and here's the kicker... I've been delayed on all flights where the plane I am on is either coming from Buffalo or going to Buffalo... whhhyyyy?! 2 minutes before midnight and I am posting this and going off to bed.

Lazy Sunday

Pool day! Today we went to the pool. We lasted about an hour (between the chlorine and my fair skin, that's all I could tolerate). It was semi-overcast but still hot. The kids walked around in the pool and I tried teaching my nephew how to blow bubbles. We had dinner around 4:30 and it was a little before 6PM when we all crashed hoping it was later than it really was. I was ready to put the babies down and fall asleep myself, but had to hold off until 7pm so we weren't up before the crack of dawn tomorrow. It rained a little bit after dinner so instead of going for a walk, I've sat on the couch watching junk TV :) Tomorrow night I leave and have a sore throat and fear I'll be nursing a cold or sinus infection by the time I get back...oh well, nothing planned for the next month, so I'll have to do a better job at taking care of myself.

Stormy Weather

Today was a stormy day. Went to look at cars with the family. The babies played in puddles and then the sky opened up: lightning, thunder, and rain. Babies and I hung out in the car while mom and dad test-drove the vans. Thank goodness for car DVD players. Elmo, Barney and Cars helped me get through the afternoon. While we didn’t get a van, it was good bonding time with the babies and made me think what the heck did our parents do back in the day when there were no DVD players?

Stinky Poo Poo Caca Face

What a day. First, my niece and I are quite alike. We went to bed around midnight and at 2am she got up and went down off her bed to play with that cat. Then I woke up to her sleeping at the door crying for some milk at 5am. Then at 10:30 she was standing at the foot of my bed waiting for me to get out of bed so we could go downstairs. This kid has issues with sleep. No nap and this photo was taken a little before 10pm...she'll probably still be awake by the time I go to bed.

Went shopping with just my sister and fell in love with Hobby Lobby. Thank goodness I only brought my small suitcase. My niece and nephew are so cute, but absorb words that should not be said by such young people. My niece said her brother was stinky poo poo caca because he had a dirty diaper. My nephew now says "Lorien" which I'm amazed at b/c he doesn't say "woa win" or "n"... he says "Lorien" which at 18 months is really good!! My niece repeated the F word and $h!t a few times today; we had to say "no, poo poo caca". We really have to watch what we say because she picks up and repeats everything, and then my nephew repeats what she says, and then we laugh b/c it's quite hilarious and boy... my stomach hurts from all the laughing we did today in the car.

We went for Mexican food for dinner. The new phrase the kids say is "oh boy!" The Mexican food was good, though we passed the first restaurant b/c we didn't see it so drove across town to another location. Now my throat hurts and stomach is bothering me. I really hope I'm not getting sick, but with the lack of sleep and all the stress and being on the go... it wouldn't surprise me.

I LUV Southwest!

My seat when I fly SW

Today was the first time in a long while that I flew on Southwest. I may have grown up as an AA kid, but I LUV Southwest! For starters, they give me free flights, free alcohol in-flight and helped me travel to a majority of the States in 2008. Of course I got my “A” boarding pass when I checked in last night (wouldn’t fly any other way)! Why else do I LUV Southwest? In Boston, they have their own security gate so I don’t have to deal with long lines. It makes me feel very VIP :) I also didn’t have to go through the stupid body scanner like last time when I flew on JetBlue (or rather get a pat down b/c I object to them). The flight was on-time leaving Boston to Philly (didn’t take a non-stop this time to save money and didn’t want to get delayed again) and we arrived early in Philly. I snagged my favorite seat on the entire aircraft…11C… aisle emergency exit seat- the row with the most legroom! We also landed 40 minutes early in RDU! Much better than when I flew in last month arriving after 1am! I didn’t mind flying a one-stop flight. I love being able to pick my seat, though no single men this time around :( Is it weird that I find myself dreaming of what it would be like flying all the time like George Clooney in “Up in the Air”? I seriously love flying and airports are “my happy place”. Now off I go to see my niece who rode with my sister only because she wants to see what type of present I brought her this time, LOL. Now who’s the spoiled Princess in the family? I’ve renounced my crown and have officially passed the title off to my niece.

Things I've Learned Recently

Waiting for the bus on trash day when it's hot and muggy after a night's rain... stinks (literally)

Using an at-home hot wax for hair removal when it's 83° in the house is a bad idea... it's messy and doesn't remove hair.

Taking a spin class at lunchtime is awesome; taking a cold shower afterwards feels nice, but then when you step outside and walk 5 minutes back to work, you get sweatier than when you were in spin class...that sucks!

Even the non-asshole boys can be assholes some times.

No matter what, people will always complain about "space" [personal, office, how it's used, etc.]

A friend will listen to me bitch and complain, a great friend will say "anything else?" and mean "are you really going to keep complaining?"

Sleep deprivation totally affects my short-term memory... I've been quite absentminded lately.

Friends fib, clothes don't... you may not think I've gained weight, but my closet tells the truth.

I'm way too independent and self efficient for my own good, what can a man offer me if I keep this up?

I miss listening to country, being goofy with my family and hate being alone.

More structural fires happen here than in Cali... I say it's b.c of the ancient buildings and bad/old wiring, but then again it could be stupid frat boys :P

I really love winter.

With the right guy, I do want to have at least one baby.

I have poor gay-dar (sorry straight dudes who I thought were gay)

I need to learn to identify fake people a hell of a lot sooner; they are the ones I really need to stay away from.

Traveling to see family makes me so very happy.

Tomorrow's Another Day

"Another day has almost come and gone,
Can't imagine what else could go wrong.
Sometimes I'd like to hide away somewhere and lock the door.
A single battle lost but not the war.

'Cause tomorrow's another day
and I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain.

It's almost like the hard times circle 'round.
A couple drops and they all start comin down.
Yeah, I might feel defeated,
I might hang my head,
I might be barely breathing, but I'm not dead.

No, cause tomorrow's another day,
and I'm thirsty anyway,
So bring on the rain."

It was one of those days. I was done. Started off bad and ended with me taking the T home glad that the day is over. Hoping to get a good nights sleep... or any sleep for that matter and I really don't want to deal with shit right now. So, unless you have something good or nice to say/share... might want to hold off until "I've Got Sunshine" b/c I'm not in the best mood and am bitchin' left and right about just about everything.

It's a Sip of Wine... it's Summertime!

Afternoon thunderstorms rolled by today while at work. It was so fun watching it come down, it almost looked like snow! It did cool down for a bit, but temps climbed right back up to near 85° by the time I got off work. It was a typical Monday. Had a rough night sleeping, nearly missed the bus b/c I had to run back to grab my cell phone, but was on time for work. I started looking into flights for a trip back home in September. I can't believe how expensive flights are nowadays. Might have to suck it up and spend $400, or try flying on my mom's pass again (ya right! Not spending the night in Chicago's O'Hare again.) I've also started looking at apartments again, but can't really get out there and physically look because my schedule at the moment doesn't allow it. Things right now just feel like they are up in the air, I don't know why, but that's how I feel. Me and a coworker opened a bottle of wine that I put in on Friday and didn't get to, so we had a happy hour before I headed to my weight class. I was pretty relaxed for lifting and am glad I am finally in somewhat of an exercise routine. Nothing really interesting went on today. Looking forward to my long weekend.

Happy 7-Eleven Day!

7/11 isn't just a date... it's a convenient store. I celebrated 7/11 today with a FREE "Happy 7-Eleven Day" Slurpee. I totally forgot how convenient it is living where I do. A 5 minute walk this evening took me to 7 Eleven for a nice cold Slurpee. Yummy! I haven't had a Slurpee in ages! It turned out to be a gorgeous day once I left the apartment this afternoon/early evening. I think I finally caught up on my sleep and did some things around the place before heading outdoors. Dressed in shorts and a tank top I went down to the Public Garden and read a book. I actually got chilled while reading, it was much cooler outside than in the apartment. 76° outside and 84° inside. It was so peaceful in the Public Garden this evening, except when groups of Spain fans came passing by, screaming and singing while waving the Spanish flag. Thank God the World Cup is over! As another week starts, I'm looking forward to my long weekend coming up this week. Oh thank heaven for seven eleven!

Summertime Thunder Showers

It poured today and it was a good day to stay inside and watch movies all day long. It was a lazy day for me. The thunderstorms helped cool us off a bit so I was able to open the doors and windows to get some fresh air blowing through. There was flooding (some cars were completely submerged under water because of the torrential downpour and T stations also were flooded). It was nice to sit and listen to the rain come down. I watched a few movies and organized my room. I was all alone today, which was nice, but I got bored and wished I had someone to play checkers or cards with. That's one thing I miss about living at home. I always had someone around to play UNO or Mexican Train or one of the several other games we had.

Of course, since I was inside all day, it was hard calling family and catching up b/c of the poor service I get in my area. I got so frustrated that I finally called Sprint to complain. They credited me for 4 months since I cant use my phone in my apartment. (SWEET!!) They said that 3 of the 4 towers in my area are down and have two techs working on them. Hopefully by next month the 3 towers should be fixed and working so I hope this means that I will soon be able to carry on conversations in my apartment without having to call people back 5 times in less than 5 minutes.

Wine Club on a roof top

Typing this a little late, but after 40+ days of being good about blogging before going to bed, I think 1 late entry is allowed. Crashed on a friends couch after a rooftop wine club gathering. The view was amazing. It was a perfect night really. Want to know how small Boston really is? Last June, when I first moved here, I walked to a local bar in Fenway (Cask n Flagon), right across from Fenway Park actually. The Yankees were on town playing the Sox. I didn't know anyone, I was wearing my Yankees t-shirt and sat next to this guy who was actually delayed in Boston and had a couple coworkers meet him after the game, one from TX and one from Boston. Well, at Wine Club, the hostess' roommate had a friend come and it was the guy from the bar's coworker, the one from Boston, that I met last year! He totally remembered me, or at least claims he does. But really, Boston is a small small world. So here I am at 7am, blogging on my way home after a night full of wine and to glasses of really really good quality, Scotland scotch. Ready to change, shower, crank up my AC and sleep.

Tour de France

Beacon Hill (notice the steep hill!) where BBFF lives

Getting back into the swing of things, I decided to take a spin class during lunch. Of course, I didn't realize the Tour de France was happening so our hour long class was set for the 7 hour stage 6 tour the bikers will be riding tomorrow. I honestly don't know how any one human being can cycle for that long, 23 days straight (with 2 "off" days when they ride 4 hours with their team). I learned so much about cycling during my hour spin class. Had to take a cold shower b/c the gym had no hot water during 1-3 which was when class was, but that was fine, of course, the minute I stepped back outside showering really didn't matter. I love working out and am so determined to lose my "freshman 15" that I am trying to make my favorite classes every week, even if that means doing so during lunch.

It actually worked out well today since I was able to cycle during the day and have the evening to hang out with my Boston best friend for dinner. I've been separating myself from people lately, but it's always nice to sit down with a friend and not spend money. I have a lot going on and am in a transformation stage (I don't really know how else to describe it). I'm needing a change and just feel like I need to get back in touch with myself. I'm still having thoughts about the ex (I met him last summer) so its hard being single especially when everyone is pairing up for a summer fling. Of course, my BBFF (Boston best friend forever) completed my OKCupid profile tonight. I never knew about this site until recently and to be honest, thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. I think it has to do with the fact that I always meet the losers that always take take take from me and I fear meeting more of those types. But whatever, I'm strong and capable of living single (and don't mind being known as the lush "Auntie N" who has a cocktail in one hand and my baby nephew in the other). The grass isn't always greener (I have to keep reminding myself) and as angry as I am about allowing yet another guy strip me of my self-worth, I know I have it in me to bounce back (though, with each loser guy, the harder it is and longer it takes for me to bounce back). Working my ass off at the gym, getting my ass kicked in spin and weight class, will help me gain that confidence I lost and the happiness I'm missing. And someday soon, all will be wonderful in "Lorien's" world once again. Summer will be over, the weather will be cooler... and I will be much happier even if I'm still single :)

Just like old times...

Today I revisited my favorite spot in Boston...the Public Garden. Last summer, I would walk there from my Fenway apartment, stop at the Starbucks across from the Common to get an ice coffee and sit on one of the benches facing this fountain. I would read a book or chat with my best friend Angie back home. Today on my lunch break I took my lunch and book and went to the same location, sat on a different bench, but still faced the same fountain. It was still super hot (in the 80s) but in the shade it was quite nice. It was so peaceful. I think it's time to start scouting things out on my own again and doing things I loved doing last year when I didn't know anyone. It is quite refreshing sitting around and just being one with myself. Something I haven't done in a really long time. So, I pledge to go to my spot at least twice a week to get centered, feel some grass between my toes and just listen to the city sounds surrounding me... and who knows, might meet some regulars or a nice gentleman friend while I'm there :)

It's Like a HEATWAVE

I don't think my AC shut off at all last night. I woke up around 11:30am and the rest of the apartment was in the 80s. I decided to go into work today where I could be in an air conditioned office. There was no way I was going to a) walk around the city b) stay in my apartment on a day like today. I don't know why I bothered putting on makeup this afternoon because by the time I got to work it had all sweated off! I sweat really easily as it is (hormones, blood pressure, my northern European heritage... I don't know why but I do) and on days like today where the temps reached above 100° with humidity, everyone seems to sweat, so I don't feel nearly as self conscience as I do on other days when I'm dripping wet. After taking Zumba at the gym I came home and sat on my back patio eating cold pasta salad and drinking some ice cold lemonade. It's days like this that I wish I had more options for food. It was either pasta salad or cereal b/c I was not going to turn on the stove or use the microwave. Of course, since I opted for the pasta salad I have nothing to eat for lunch tomorrow unless my avocado ripens overnight and then I can make a sandwich. I like having a patio and if I sit in one corner I can carry on a phone conversation without losing signal! So I caught up with family and friends tonight. Looks like we're in this for the long haul, no cooling trend in the near future and it doesn't cool down over night either... its still in the 80s at 11pm. But I will do my best to try to get out tomorrow and find something cool to take a photo of so I can start making my blogs more interesting again (because lately all I've been doing is complaining and just stuck in the work-gym-home routine... need to start getting out again and meeting people so I have some good things to write about)!

Back in the U.S. of A.

Amazing how much faster trips seem to be when you are on your way home. Left Montreal around 10:15 and I was in my apartment a little before 5pm. We stopped in North Woodstock and that was it. We went a different way through Vermont than we did coming up so we had a smaller (faster) border inspection wait. We were listening to Johnny Cash while waiting (can't get more American than that!). The border patrol agent that checked us was pretty cool. Asked us if we bought anything in Canada and we asked for clarification and I'm like "oh I bought a shot glass" and then the guy next to me pulled out his huge bottle of water he bought and said "I bought this" lol... and the agent was like "that's not for the shot glass". Anyway, I'm glad to be back in the U.S. of A. I'm super exhausted and sore from my 10.5+ miles walk from yesterday and my "allergies" are really bad. It is super hot in Boston (96° at 5:30 tonight when I went to pick up some food) but it feels so good to take a shower using my own stuff and lay on the couch watching "Dear John" and just relaxing. All you loyal Americans must be recovering from this weekend's shenanigans because NO one is returning any of my text messages today! Come on people, I go away on holiday and miss my friends and family and NO one wants to talk to me :( Oh well, I am all ready for bed. Hoping tomorrow I can sleep in to make up for all the sleep I lost this weekend. It's good to be back on US soil, but Ms. Traveler really needs a vacation! Less than 2 weeks to go before I take off again for another 4 day weekend, which will be here before I know it. I wish time would just slow down so I can catch my breath!

4th of July

Am I in Canada or Europe? This definitely feels like Europe... Old Montreal


Obviously Canadians do not celebrate the 4th of July, I mean, they have a 4th of July, they just don't do anything special for it :) This is my first time out of the country on Independence Day and I do feel unpatriotic for being in Canada instead of the States. This time last year I was standing in the middle of Storrow Drive with my then roommate's friend of a friend watching my first Boston 4th of July fireworks. This year, I am surrounded by 16 friends I met over the past year. Oh what a difference a year makes! And look at where I am now compared to then. Wow! is all I can say when I think about things like that.

Today was my last day in Montreal and packed a lot of walking into my last day. First, the bed in the hotel is as hard as the floor. It's way worse than my old bed (and my bed in Cali, for those who have slept in them...way worse). So sleeping hasn't soundly hasn't happened (so much for trying to make this my R&R weekend). I walked around today by myself...as... Ms. Traveler. I think I under calculated how far Olympic Park was from the hotel. But first, lets start with going back down to Old Montreal. It looks quite different in the day than it does at night. I saw the Notre Dame Basilica (obviously NOT the same one as the one I visited while in Paris) and loved walking around on the stone streets. Checked out a lot of artwork which I totally could have bought a painting or two.

I then walked down Saint Catherine Street which was lined with art booths and had roses hanging from one side of the street to the other (being Catholic, I'm pretty sure I should know what Catherin is the Saint for, but I'm sure it has to do with roses if I'm going to guess). A lot of artists were selling their paintings, they had jewelry and musicians trying to make a buck or two. I then walked and walked and walked....and walked and walked some more. Finally reaching Olympic Park where the Stadium (built for the 1976 Summer Olympics) stands. It started to rain a bit, but I needed to rest my feet. I sat and ate and then made my way around the maze to walk up to the stadium (though didn't go inside). This is my 2nd Olympic park I've visited, the first being in Germany in 2008. Maybe I should add those to my should hit list when traveling (along with the whole breweries and baseball stadiums).

Now, as much as I enjoy traveling with a group, I do miss all the little things that happens as a solo traveler. For instance, meeting random people and taking photos of each other in front of monuments or typical tourist spots. This happened to me today. An nice (cute) foreigner (maybe really French?? I dunno he did speak English to me after I said "sure I'll take your photo") ANYWAY, he stood on the medal block thingy where the rings and torch are with the stadium in the back ground and I snapped his photo. Then it was my turn. A couple with their two kids who were college age it seemed just walked up. The father asked if the two of us wanted a picture together, and I wasn't quick enough to think of anything to say (always happens!!!) and the foreigner said "oh, no we're not together" lol. The guy who asked was so embarrassed and his kids gave him a hard time. But what an opportunity it was if only I had opened my mouth and thought to say "oh sure"? Talk about random... like when I went to the Brewers game in Milwaukee and met those guys who I had photos taken with. So we parted ways after taking each other's photos (don't even know his name). Then I walked and walked and walked and walked....and walked and got a text that the group was in the park I had past 15 minutes ago, so I turned around and walked and walked. Finally met up with the group and laid down under the trees and relaxed. I was exhausted. When we got up to leave I was so stiff. So I walked back (another 25 minutes or so) to the hotel, where I then went swimming and chilled in the sauna. I googled my trip and I walked over 17km today (which translated into American is "I walked over 10.5 miles today") No wonder I was so stiff after sitting down for any length of time. It did feel good to go swimming, especially since it was hot today and I sweating pretty much all day long... I really HATE this type of weather and totally love being able to take a dip in a pool.

We then all went to an apartment a couple in the group rented and did a toast to the 4th of July and Montreal as this is our last night all together. Some of us are leaving tomorrow (including me- in the early car... woot woot!) some on Tuesday and a handful of who's left on Wednesday.

I'm ready to be back. I've been go go go for way too many weeks and haven't been feeling that great for a while now. Today I feel like I'm having some sort of allergic reaction to something, so I am just ready to be back in Boston where I can be a little more comfy being in my own bed and hopefully catch up on my sleep b/c I HATE the feeling of being so exhausted and swollen. One last time...Bonne nuit Montreal!



Had to add this photo, since this is the one foreign boy took :)

Celebrating the 3rd of July with Fireworks

So there was no Toby Keith playing, but I did get to see fireworks tonight on July 3rd! Montreal hosts a fireworks contest that runs through the summer with different countries setting off fireworks on Saturday nights and in August the winners are announced. I must say, Portugal did not keep us entertained. I think any state in the US could put on a better display. But, I got to see fireworks on the 3rd of July (which might as well just be the 4th of July fireworks since I wont be seeing them this year in the States.

Where to begin. It's almost 3am and I'm writing this. My day started at 9am, continental breakfast and walking around the city. Walked to Juliette et Chocolate (about a 30 minute walk) where everything is chocolate. I had a Nutella crepe and a glass of 65% cocoa chocolate to drink. We then walked and stopped at this consignment shop which was interesting. Then went to the location where they are having the Jazz Festival. It was hot, I was melting, the sun was not being nice to me despite wearing SPF 45 (which I applied twice). We listened to 2 bands before walking some more, to the Latin Quarter and found some Poutine. Something I have never had and is Canadian and we had a vegetarian friendly kind! It was pretty good, kind of reminds me of In-n-Out's animal fries to be honest. Then we walked back to the hotel where I then went to the penthouse and went swimming in the pool after checking out the amazing view from the rooftop deck. Oh, ans before jumping in the pool to do laps, I did some weights. (Nothing like getting back into the swing of things with working out... and I now can say I've lifted weights in 4 countries!)

So after swimming and sitting in the sauna, we all changed and took the metro to Old Montreal along the water to watch the fireworks. It reminded me of the 4th of July in the States with all the crowds. The Metro is super fast and has wheels like buses. They also have TV's in the stations. Montreal is so much cleaner than Boston and many US cities... even the bar's restrooms and clubs are cleaner!! After the fireworks we walked and walked and found this place where I purchased a $12 glass of wine and opted for no food (then felt tipsy, but I did have a half of my subway sandwich for dinner a few hours before). I need to stop ordering alcohol to drink when I go out, I will save money and probably lose weight (or at least stop gaining weight). After that we walked and went dancing to some place on McGill Street where they were playing hip-hop (woot woot!!). I love dancing to hip-hop and when they played Mark Morrison's song "Return of the Mack" it totally took me back to 1996.

I took money out of the ATM today and have only $5 left over. It's fine b/c Scotia Bank and Bank of America are partners so I don't pay a fee for withdrawing cash from their ATMs, but still, I don't want to spend any more money. Tomorrow I want to revisit Old Montreal b.c from what I saw of it tonight, it's gorgeous. Totally reminds me of a European city. Many people are going on a bike food crawl tomorrow but I really don't have the money or the energy or the stomach to do that, so I think Ms. Traveler is going to tour the city on her own tomorrow. Until then... bonne nuit!

Bonjour

Travel day. I’m writing this as we are driving in Quebec on our way to our hotel apartments in Montreal. 10 hours on the road and I am beat. Technology has not been my friend lately. I had charged my iPod at work today and was so pissed when it stopped working on me less than an hour into the trip. I just added new songs to it last night and was not really feeling the weird music being played in the car. Now when I turn the iPod on there’s this little sad face :( I used my phone to listen to some music and then it restarted all on it’s own. Ugh! I’m like this phone better not break on me! Then because I was charging my iPod today at work, my phone battery died on me when we met up with the group in Burlington, VT. Vermont is gorgeous. I would really like to take this drive during the Fall. It’s so pretty and really really really green. We stopped off at a brewery ”Magic Hat” but found out that there was no food, only beer. Some people forgot their passports so were behind us by an hour, so we drove around downtown Burlington and met at the Vermont Brewery. The wait to cross the Canadian border was pretty long, quite a few of us unpatriotic Americans all coming up to Canada for the holiday weekend I guess. This is my first time entering Canada via auto after the whole passport requirement went into effect. Now we are driving across a bridge and I see Montreal all lit up. It’s so pretty. Looking forward to doing some sight seeing and chill-axin’. I’m ready to be out of the car but not looking forward to all the French speaking people and signs. I already know some words… like Ouest (West) and Nord (North). I also found out that I can charge my phone via the USB port on my laptop. Woo whoo!! Now I cant text people that I’m in Canada! This is a very good thing to know, especially for when I’m on long car rides and my phone dies. I tried charging it in the restaurant’s restroom, but that didn’t work out too well. Anyway, in hotel now and it's 11:30, I'm going to bed. Bonne nuit!

Just One of Them Days

What a day. Woke up to the heater on, which we have no control over and it was actually a nice night that I didn't even use my AC. So my pole they painted was hot and the paint smelled. Then I find out that my contacts are all screwed up from last nights phone upgrade. All my Gmail email addresses are gone, only a few of my Gchat friends were still there and now some of my phone numbers that were on my phone before are no longer on the phone. UGH!!!

After work I went and walked along the Esplanade and the Charles b/c I wasn't feeling the gym today and wanted to get a nice Boston photo. It was overcast but otherwise gorgeous. Then went to dinner with my Boston best friend. We went from plan A (Italian place that had a 15-20 minute wait) walked to another one (plan B) was seated right away, had some water and looked at the menu and it was way too pricey and didn't have anything I could eat, so we had to figure out how the hell to leave, lol. Then plan C was this hole in the wall which was a nice neighborhood type bar/restaurant. It was good. I had lobster raviolis and have decided I am not a fan of lobster. I've tried lobster a few times now and it's just not something I like. Then I get home, shower and turn my light on and I have 3 flies flying around in my room. WTF?!?! I'm not in NC anymore :) So of course I don't have a fly swatter, so I had to use rolled up grocery store ads. I got 2 of the 3 and can't find the third one. Ugh! I'm so ready for a vacation!!