Goodbye 2010

What a year 2010 has been. I've been to the doctors over 12 times this year for various issues, seeing numerous specialists. I guess it's only fitting that I'm celebrating the last day of 2010 home sick with bronchitis and a horrible sinus infection with chills, coughing and blowing of my nose instead of celebrating NYE at my best friends house (which was canceled b/c a couple of us are sick). I was up early enough to catch the clock strike midnight in Australia and know I won't be able to make it until midnight tonight to watch the ball drop in Times Square. I am so looking forward to 2011. Not all of 2010 was bad, I mean I did have a blast learning flip cup, going on a pub crawl for Saint Patrick's Day, attending a Celtics, Bruins, Patriots and Red Sox games. I made a lot of acquaintances and feel like Boston is definitely where I belong. So on the last day of 2010, I'm saying goodbye to toxic people, unhealthy decisions, putting others ahead of myself. And hopefully, goodbye to viral infections and being sick. Tomorrow's a new day, a new year, a new decade and a new start and I'm looking forward to leaving the past in the past.

Nashers

My kitty. 19 years old. We used to dress her up in doll/baby clothes and push her around in a baby stroller when we were little. I miss her so much and wish I could take her with me back to Boston. She is such a cuddle bug. After taking her to the vet the other day, I have to bathe her twice a week for a skin issue. Thankfully she is fine with baths. So now she is cuddled up with me under blankets purring. How I'm loving her cuddling.

Just Like Old Times

It poured like crazy today. Streets flooding again, no matter what you got soaked. I got up early to make it to my old gym (24 Hour Fitness Sport in Oceanside) and took a Zumba class with one of my old instructors. It's amazing how certain things you never forget (like choreography), it was as if I had never left. Then I went to my best friends house to baby-sit her two boys. Just like old times. I was shown all their toys, watched a couple movies (including Toy Story 3 for the first time). It did stop raining but was pretty cold, so we stayed out just long enough to get some fresh air and blow some bubbles. Then dinner time. We ordered from the Noodle place we used to frequent and brought the food home and sat at the old barn door coffee table in front of the TV to eat dinner...just like old times. We had the kids, the dog, the TV on to a kid's show and no hubby. Indeed, today was just like old times, and felt so natural like I had never left.

Sick

So sick of all the drama and the lies my sister is telling- (I did not beat her up, which she is telling everyone, I tried to defend myself after she threw her kid down and came at me- I even reminded her that she threw the first punch and that I made sure of that before laying a hand on her. She seems to think a jury wouldn't convict a pregnant woman for assult. I say, go ahead and see. I am so sick of her losing her temper and acting up in front of her daughter. Another fight nearly went down tonight while my dad was on the way home, she started running her mouth and telling her 2 year old to tell me to go to hell (which at that point told her to F@$k herself). Granted I need to learn to stop running my mouth back, but she also needs to stop calling me a bitch and yelling at her kids who want to say hi to me. She is getting herself so worked up that she is risking her unborn child's life, but not my problem. She so wants to kill me (her words). I said, go ahead and hit me, I'm ready to call the cops and WILL press charges b/c she needs help. So this is the last I write about family drama (promise). I'm not denying the words I said, just putting them out there b/c unlike some people, I'm not one sided. That's how the night ended, but the day was nice. Just Dad and me. We ran errands and went down to the Oceanside beach. It's so pretty, another gorgeous day here today- but rain is moving in tonight. I finally got around to taking a photo of the house that was in Top Gun, all boarded up. We also went to the recycling place to recycle all my old magazines from the late 90s early 2000s and all the cans and bottles we had. I love that I can get money for recycling magazines and junk mail. Now to top all this drama off, I'm sick again. I'm sure the enviornment I'm in isn't helping, but another respioratory infection (bronchitis). I really hope 2011 treats me better.

Some Things Never Change

Today I was reminded as to why I wanted to get out of California. It is nothing but a stressful, painful place that makes me really angry. I've already blown up at my mom twice, and said something to my sister who is pregnant that set her off and she threw my niece down and came at me. I can't very well throw punches back at a pregnant woman and so I have a scratch mark on the corner of my right eye, my arm and shoulders and a bruise on my boob where she grabbed me. I swear it was like something you see on Jerry Springer and all I can think of is the line in "The Blind Side" where Sandra Bullock's character tells her son S.J. "sticks and stones S.J., sticks and stones". She said I didn't have a husband or kids and until I do I can't say shit about things. I am so fed up with her always moaning and groaning and posting all this stuff on her FB page, it's such a pity party and they got themselves into this mess with no money and I got so fed up with her treating me like I am the Help and she is my mother that I said "you're right, I don't have a husband who voluntarily left to his family go to Afghanistan". She complains and is so dramatic, now I have nothing against the military, but she knew what she was getting into. I would feel a little different if he didn't volunteer and was chosen to go. But they volunteered and they decided to get pregnant with a third child right before he left. I have no pity for that. That's like asking a friend to shoot you and you complaining that you got shot. Well you asked for it, so shut the hell up. Of course, I let her hit me first so if anything happened I could take the "self defense" route. My mother just stood there watching us with my niece in her arms. Then my sister before finishing by pulling my hair was yelling at me to go to my room. Um, last time I checked I was 28 and you are 25 and not my mother! My mother never says how proud she is that I am the one who has my shit together. And my sister calls me jealous? Jealous of what? I have been supporting myself and have helped her and my parents out in the past. I'm not jealous, I'm pissed that she expects everyone to cater to her b/c of how sucky her life is. I swear, I am so sick of California and know 100% that Boston is where I should be. I feel bad for my dad b/c he understands my point of view and shares similar thoughts, only I manage to say them out loud. Before the fight, I had gone to my old gym and worked out with my dad. I tell ya, only in CA do I feel fat working out at the gym where all you see are SUVs parked in the parking lot. I even took a drive to the beach and walked on the shore, remembering how I used to meet my best friend there to have sunset walks and chat. It was so nice, I wore a tank top and the sun felt so good on my bare skin, it was so peaceful. So now I have a decision I have to make. Book a flight for Friday and stay with my best friend the remainder of the time and say forget all my stuff at home I was supposed to pack up and have shipped or store in storage should my parents lose their house, or do I hang in there, pack as much as I can up, stay with my best friend and come home ever so often until Monday? I was so looking forward to coming home for 2 weeks, and I didn't even last a week, can't wait to get back to Boston and away from all this drama. Have you ever yelled and cried so much that your throat and lungs hurt? Yeah, well I have on many occasions here in CA over the years, but I think this takes the cake.

Football

While Boston is getting the snow I have been waiting for, I'm stuck in a house with crazy people and 2 sick kids. I hate how San Diego doesn't show a morning AFC game even though the Chargers don't play until the afternoon game. So my nephew and I watched the NFC game, rooting for the Rams b/c it's uncle Sean's favorite team. Hayden had his football snack and was sitting on his papa's chair with his blankets and juice cup. I seriously need to get out of the house tomorrow, hoping to hit up my old gym...24 Hour Fitness.

Christmas

Today was our first Christmas everyone was home for Christmas since before my sister got married. It was the first time we had the babies here for Christmas too. Of course, my niece slept through the night when I slept with my nephew who kept me up with his whooping cough (went to the ER just before dinner for his cough). They got so many toys. Hayden had to have everything opened before another present could be unwrapped. Which meant the plastic had to come off and the twist ties undone. They actually got bored and didn't open everything. We waited for my dad to get home this afternoon from work before we opened our presents. The kids finished opening their gift and then I manged to get my sisters to pose for a photo in our "sister PJs" I bought- penguin footy pajamas. Of course, they were pussy's and didn't want to put them on, but we posed for our photo and I am glad I saved the receipt so I can return theirs. I'll keep mine b/c they are actually quite cozy. I had our traditional homemade tamales (cheese and the sweet kind that have pineapple in them, which my grandma always brings down). I got what I asked for... a fondue set and Mario Kart for my Wii. I also have a new game my mom bought for me (we will have to try it out for the next game night I have), some gift cards, some Seattle chocolate (which I haven't tried yet b/c I am so stuffed from all the chocolate I've had today) and sleeping shorts. Cousins came down and we had dinner and all the kids have been playing nicely together. I'm exhausted!

Christmas Eve

This time last year I was just arriving in San Diego. Today, I went to lunch with my mom and In-N-Out. Oh, how I've missed their secret menu and french fries. Got the grilled cheese, fries and a vanilla shake. Mmm good! Tonight, my grandma, mom and I went to church (no, not going to make it to midnight mass). I do enjoy my Irish priest here and all the Latin that is spoken and sung in church (I have never heard Latin in and of the churches I've attended in Boston), however, I got so antsy. I managed to count over 75 sprinkler heads on the ceiling from where I was sitting going towards the front of the church while the priest was giving his sermon. I am so used to my 40-45 minute Sunday mass in Brookline, and tonight's 1 hour and 10 minute's mass just about killed me. It was nice to see people I grew up seeing, like Whitney Houston's doppelganger and her family. Oh, and only in SoCal (or maybe Hawaii and some other warm states) would you see hot guys in church wearing shorts and a nice collar button up top. It doesn't really feel like Christmas Eve- can't believe it's Christmas tomorrow. The weather was nice today. Flip flops, jeans and a t-shirt. A lot of memories have been flooding back to me, makes me wish I still lived here. If it wasn't for a job in Boston and the fact that I would need to buy a car again and get a mover to move my stuff across country, I think I would probably move back.

Operation Santa

The kids were excited to see Santa, even as we stood in line Hayden went "ho ho ho". The minute it was our turn, Kaileigh refused to move and then started crying, which got Hayden crying. I had to peel myself off Kaileigh so she could sit on Santa's lap for a photo. Last year they both screamed and this year was the same. Santa even said he will print the photo for his collection, it is right up there with the 2 brothers who had their photo taken, one practically hanging upside down crying while their photo was snapped.

California

I made it to California, where the rain has stopped and the water has receded. I do not remember the trip from Boston to San Diego being so long. I stopped in Phoenix but did not have de-plane. The trip to Phoenix was a little over 6 hours, and I was itchin to get off at the 3 hour mark, and we weren't even outside Denver yet. I guess those one hour plane trips from BOS to RDU have spoiled me. I'm exhausted, but it was so nice to have my best friend pick me up at the airport so we could go out for dinner. It was so nice sitting and catching up with her. The bar was calm and friendly, totally different feel than the Boston bars. It was fun people watching and comparing the people in Boston to Californian's.

Unwrapping and Packing

The snow is nearly all gone. Thank goodness I snapped some photos yesterday. Today was a typical holiday work week day. Not busy at all and I had tons of things to do at home. I have been cleaning and packing since I got home at 5. I unwrapped my gifts from people here that I had under the tree. I love what I got and am looking forward to using the mittens when I get back. I placed an ornament I got with my initial on the tree and took a pair of those cozy socks to wear at home (or on the plane). Mr. Mouse has yet to die, so I'm gonna chance it and just leave the stuff in my cabinet, I don't have time to put everything in different containers (nor do I have containers to put everything in). Just have a few more things to pack and I'll be ready to leave for the airport in the morning!

SNOW!!!!

Well I finally got what I wished for and was late to my massage appointment bc the roads were gridlocked due to the snow storm. It's New England people! It took me 20 minutes to go the length of Avenue Louis Pasture via the shuttle bus (a 5 minute walk) and got off in traffic to run and catch the T to make it into Harvard Square. I was only 10 minutes late, but learned that on snow days, the T is the fastest choice. Of course, really needed a massage after that. I got 40min instead of an hour, but it was better than nothing. Then I treated myself to Finale for a 3 course meal and hot beverage. Now I'm stuffed, wet bc my boots leak and am ready to fall asleep. The snow is nice and fluffy, but to powdery to make a snowball. I did try. It's finally winter...well, we got snow on the eve of the Winter solstice, so as far as I'm concerned...it's winter, and I got the snow I was so looking forward to. Now just need to pray that my flight on Wednesday isn't delayed (b/c of snow here and heavy rain in San Diego).

Bowling-yeah, too much partying the night before

The bowling team. M.E.'s birthday party last night so of course he was hungover. Another teammate was also out celebrating the birthday last night, while two of us were enjoying my holiday party. So needless to say, we didn't play as well as last week. No one really carried the team and I think we walked away with our first loss of the season. It was kind of a shitty day. They wouldn't even let me bring my holiday cookies in (left over from last night) so I had to stash them in a car. Grrr. Some people are just scrooges. However, I do enjoy bowling and gives me a reason to get out and flirt (or get really close and talk about things people usually talk about on dates) ;)

Holiday Party

Aly, Me, Winnie, Jenn
Tonight I played hostess. I had a great turnout and had so many interesting (yet yummy) cocktails (I honestly have no idea how much I drank). Who knew Disaronno and eggnog would make for a tasty drink? Or adding ginger ale to an appletini would make it even tastier? Tons of desserts, two different types of bake brie cheese, hummus, chips, dip. I'm so stuffed! The cocktails were a big hit. Thanks to Jenn for her bar-tending skills, she whipped up all these yummy cocktails using vodka, Kahlua, Disaronno, Irish cream, schnapps, and ginger ale. DJ ErIc-POD had the dancing tunes playing in the dance room. We had quite a few new faces come and the guy to girl ratio was perfect. I actually had the apartment prepped and was ready to go an hour ahead of schedule, so I was able to relax for a bit. I had a blast and cannot wait to host more parties in 2011. Topped the night off with an authentic Irish coffee with homemade whipped cream (compliments of Meg). I am sad I only have a few more days before leaving for Cali; I have all this food and drinks left over...the remaining 3 and I wrapped some goodies up and went next door to the Firehouse, but it looked dark like they were sleeping (it was past 1:00am) so I'll bring them over in the morning. As for the other stuff, I'll have to go through it in the next few days or leave it for my furry new roommate (Mr. Mouse) as a holiday present.

A Little Too Much To Drink @ Work

Today I was invited to a department holiday party at work. It was catered and there was a nice selection of vegetarian items and alcohol. I was invited by one of the guys in the department who I interact with a few times a month. The department is full of researches (read: people I do not interact with at all). So, I was forced to step into circles and introduce myself and work on networking... I must say, I think I did a good job first time in this situation. It was nice to meet some new people. I was bombarded with questions regarding the Dean, apparently to some he is like a rock star, but managed to get a couple glasses of wine and some food before realizing they had Prosecco... that's when I started to feel the alcohol and suddenly it was 7pm (I showed up a little before 5). So, I had to pack up my stuff which included a heavy box of desserts for my holiday party tomorrow night. I missed my bus so went to stand and wait for the other bus I can take, then realized I forgot my loaf of french bread under my desk which is for tomorrow's party. So I had to walk back and get that, decided I might as well go to the gym since I refused to stand around for 45 minutes in the 30° weather and couldn't walk home b/c of all my stuff. So, I went to Zumba drunk. I had a blast and am glad I did it. It's not much different than going out to a club after drinking. So this photo, it's me waiting for the last bus of the night after the gym, wearing shorts but you couldn't tell b/c my white down coat covered up the shorts. It wasn't too cold, so it felt good with bare legs. That is also the box full of goodies for the holiday party tomorrow. Oh, what a night. It was hilarious to me...in my head.

Movie Screening

Tonight I went to a very secret movie screening. So secret that we were not told the name of the movie until after signing non-disclosure forms, filling out paperwork, handing over our cellphones and getting seated in the rented out theater. The movie theater workers didn't even know the movie we were about to see- it was that secret. Once we were inside, the production company rep informed us that we were the first group in the world to see this movie which is in the post-production phase. Unfortunately, the genre was my least favorite genre, horror. Ugh! I must say, the movie was pretty good and I can't wait until I am allowed to talk about it. At the end of the movie we had to fill out a two page questionnaire, which reminded me of taking a scan tron test in school. While they were passing the questionnaires out, the director/producer walked down from the back of the theater and left, but not before people recognized him. I couldn't believe that we had just watched a movie with the director/producer in the theater! Very cool!

Another Cookie Tradition

The second night of cookie baking. This time I did our candy cane cookies. Butter, shortening, egg, powder sugar, vanilla and almond extract, salt and flour. Very simple to make, and fun for kids. Split dough in half and add some red food coloring to one half, then make long snakes and twist the two colors together, or if you get lazy, mash the two together for some interesting red & white candy canes. This dough isn't nearly as tasty as chocolate chip cookie dough or the sourdough cutout cookie dough I ate last night, so it makes a few dozen cookies. All these cookies were made in less than an hour, all done to the traditional holiday music mix which includes Mickey & Friends "12 Days of Christmas" (something my sisters and I grew up listening to at Christmas time), "Carol of the Bells" by Mannheim Steamroller, "Baby It's Cold Outside" (one of my favorite holiday songs), "Rudolph", "What Child is This" and a variety of songs by *NSYNC, 98°, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Straight No Chaser, Tran-Siberian Orchestra, Bing Crosby...you get the picture. Now, I need to figure out how I'm going to store all these cookies. I'll figure that out a little later. Now, on to present wrapping!

Cookies!

My second year in Boston has been about me trying to make Boston feel like home. This season I've brought my family traditions to Boston. First with my advent calendar and now with holiday cookies. Tonight I made one of the cookie recipes my mom has always made for Christmas. We have the sourdough sugar cookies, candy cane cookies and chocolate chip cookies. Last year I missed out on this tradition since I flew home on Christmas Eve, so this year I decided to make all 3 cookies here in Boston. Tonight was the sourdough sugar cookie cutouts. I made a little over 7 dozen cookies tonight. I will be taking some to work and keep some here for my holiday party. I didn't get a chance to make the candy cane cookies tonight, so that will be my project for tomorrow night. And one of the best parts about making these cutout cookies all by myself, the fact that I can eat all the dough I want without having my youngest sister yelling at me and kicking me out of the kitchen! HA! Of course, now that I have all these cookies baked, I am running out of containers to put them in, and I can't eat any because I am full from all the dough I ate. Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Holiday Partied- Out

I am exhausted and sore. I got in late last night from my group's holiday party and did not want to get out of bed. When I did get out of bed, I had a hard time walking because I was super sore. I had every intention on going to the gym to use the cardio machine, but because my boss was out today, I was running the show and didn't really get a lunch break. We also had work's holiday party, so I didn't leave work until after 6. The morning flew by, I didn't get anything completed but I was busy doing tons of things that my boss usually handles. Work's holiday party was in the cafe and it was so nice mingling with people I don't normally have a chance to talk to, looks like I have some new girlfriends to go out to lunch with! I had a few drinks, mixing beer and wine (photo of one of the bars). I do have one thing to say, Sam Adams Winter Lager tastes like Oktoberfest to me, so I'm going to say that almost all the Sam beers (minus the pumpkin and other unique beers) taste the same. So no gym today, but I haven't really had an off day since last Monday, so my body definitely needed a day to recover. I feel like this week is going to fly! So much to do so little time to do it. So exhausted, hoping to sleep like a baby and feel well rested for tomorrow.

Winner!

What an amazing weekend I had. Today was our first game of the bowling season and I had an AMAZING game! Not only did I beat my personal best score, I got 4 strikes in a row and carried the team to our first WIN! 184 is what I bowled and was on fire! Hopefully I can continue to kick ass each Sunday. It has been raining all day and warm (in the 50s) which made it tough getting to the meetup group's holiday party in town. I wore my white dress with sequins and my silver glittery heels. Had a couple of cocktails and danced until I became sore (12 hours at the gym plus over 3 hours of dancing this weekend, my body is aching). My friend Aly and I won biggest sports fans in the group, which was awesome. Of course we had the Pats game on earlier and we were watching the game at the party. In the group, there's over 65 of us, and the biggest sports fans are girls...awesome! I remember this time last year not knowing too many people and cannot believe that a year has blown by and I've made so many great friends. I'm going to sleep well tonight, it's pouring out and need a good night's sleep cuz it's going to be a crazy busy week.

The Slutcracker

The nice thing about living in the city is the unique things one can do. Like tonight 10 of us (organized by yours truly) went to see The Slutcracker in Somerville. It's a burlesque version of the Nutcracker. I sported a scarf as a top, which was to be somewhat slutty. It's one like I saw at an airport that said you could wear it 6 ways, so I decided to give my scarf a try...yeah, wont do it again. The Somerville theater sells wine and beer which is awesome and they also have a Museum of Bad Art down in the basement, free with admission. There were some interesting pieces of bad art. The show was good, very entertaining and was surprised by the variety of people that came to the show (quite a lot of guys and older people- older as in 40+), the show itself had ladies of all sizes too. Afterwards, 4 of us made our way off the beaten path to Sagra for an appetizer and drinks. It was definietly a "Lorien" bar. Somewhat upscale, with sports on TVs. I fell in love when the DJ started playing a Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz song from the mid nineties "Deja Vu- Uptown Baby". Suzanna wanted to dance but I protested because no one was dancing, but she won and we danced. Us white girls dancing on an empty dance floor, it was like we owned the place. Now I wore that scarf as a top in honor of Slutcracker, so I had a problem keeping it up dancing and that sucker made me hotter than normal, but the hip hop music was the best I've heard in Boston and one of the guys did say he liked my top (now was it b/c it was fuzzy or made my boobs look bigger? I will never know). Slowly some F.I.N.E. brothas started dancing on the dance floor with us, man this place was crawling with hot guys who outnumbered the ladies (shocking in Boston) and the place wasn't crowded which made it better. Now, I don't understand why certain men feel the need to wear shades in a club, but man, if I wasn't wearing that damn scarf as a top, I would have stayed longer b/c man oh man, it was like I died and went to heaven with all these hip hop loving guys dressed so nice and smelling so good! We will definitely have to go back, dressed better so I'm not so hot and losing my top. This has been one of the funnest nights out I've had in months! And welcomed the mid 30° weather outside the place, I walked for a few minutes in my tube top scarf before putting my coat on to cool myself down from all that dancing.

Gym

I started an intense workout routine this week. I clocked 12 hours at the gym these past 5 days. From spin, to weights; from dancing to cardio and yoga. I tried a 1.5 hour yoga class and disliked the yoga teacher. She not only gave me a hard time about me wearing socks (my feet sweat and if I don’t wear socks I slip and can’t hold the poses) and then the poses had to be done her way, so when modifying she would come over and try to get me to do it her way which I explained to her I can’t do certain poses b/c of an injury. Now I will not take that class again and will just continue doing my Baron Baptiste DVD which is the exact same routine this yoga nazi I had today uses- only Baptiste gives modification and makes us listen to our body and what it says in the day’s practice what we can and cannot do. ALSO tonight this new gay guy in my Zumba class was totally pissing me off. OMG, I just wanted to punch him! He was all up in my space even hit me at one point (by accident) b/c he was hogging up the entire middle space of the room Instead of staying in his own little spot. GRRR. Not to mention his short shorts he wore – ugh, I’m being mean but I am hoping he doesn’t come back b/c I don’t know if I can put up with him again. Anyway, I’m exhausted but feel great.

Broken Coaster

Tonight was game night. I had 4 friends over and cooked homemade mac n cheese which I kind of ran out of cheese making it, we still ate it but wasn't as cheesy as I normally make it. I also made homemade buttermilk biscuits. Cocktails, wine, beer were served and we had sweet potatoes, sauteed kale and the guys brought dessert from the bakery down the street. I love having friends over, it's fun, it's cheap and I love the company. We watched a bit of the old school claymation Christmas movies (like Rudolph) before we started playing one of my new games "The Game of Things". There's a topic like "Things that make you cry" or "Something Naught" and everyone writes down a response, gives it to the reader, who reads them out loud and the person to the left guesses who wrote which response. We had a blast. We also played Catchphrase but it's difficult when there's an odd number. Chris broke one of my glass photo coasters which started the night off and made it's way into some of the answers in the "Things" game, as did a friend who wasn't even at Game Night. Before we knew it, it was 10:30 and I sent my friends on their way in the 20° weather (thankfully the car drivers gave the T riders a ride home tonight! Thanks boys!). Good food, good drinks, good company, great friends. I'm so glad I started having monthly Game Nights.

Potato Latkes

I remember a store my mom used to take us to to buy grocery's up on the hill near O'side High. I remember parking in that parking lot after the store closed down on the 4th of July because it was free and close to the beach. The Canned Food Store I think it was called. Anyway, I'm not Jewish but I am German so I don't think it's strange when I say I used to love eating these potato pancakes (or hash browns as I called them when I was a kid b/c they look like larger versions of McDonald's hash browns). They are a part of a traditional cuisine for most of Europe (at least Eastern Europe- including German, Austria and Switzerland). So today, when I walked to the store in below freezing weather, I noticed these potato latkes on sale (probably b/c it's Hanukkah) so I bought 2 of them since they were BoGo. Man, I don't remember seeing these in the store since I was a kid, so I'm pretty excited. They look nothing like the Jewish potato latkes I attempted to make one year and I just today put two and two together...you say potato latkes, I say hash browns, but anyway go ahead... say "oy vey". I love breakfast so I know I will eat them, I just hope they are as yummy as I remember b/c it has been decades since I last had me some. The store was also a place I nearly panicked b/c I lost my brand new extra toasty gloves...but thankfully some guys saw them and I was able to get them back. I would have been mad if I lost them since I just bought them, but crisis averted.

Relationships

Good Relationship, me and best friend Angie

I’ve been hear over a year, I started making the friends I had this year about this time last year when I started participating in the meet up I joined. It served its purpose; I made friends. Now that I have friends and am making friends outside the group, I’ve had a chance to step back and re-evaluate my relationships I’ve made since transplanting myself in Boston. This time last year the BF starting pulling the “fade away” breakup crap and I was a mess. This year, it seems like the same shit is happening only with people I thought were friends. I’ve been struggling to weed out the people who are hazardous to me and to be honest, I’m fed up with being taken advantage of, used, teased, and just overall brought down by negative people who refuse to use words or signs to communicate. So, I’m done. I’m the nice girl, who has a hard time saying no, but you cross me and I become someone many never see. Friends can sometimes piss each other off, but true friends get through it. Of course, in order to be a friend you have to really know the person. I think a lot of the people I’ve met would fall more under the acquaintance column than friendship column b/c they don’t really know me. Some know me better than others, but they don’t really know what makes me tick, what drives me, how things from the past have shaped me. I may have a hard time letting certain people in and I think I need to guard my heart even more than I already do and learn to keep my damn mouth shut! I know who my true friends are. They’re the ones who can say shit that pisses me off b/c it’s stuff I don’t want to hear (like LL being a player), but they’re also the ones I appreciate for being honest and telling me like it is. Sometimes I need a slap in the face to see clearly. This leads me to Latin Lover. An ok relationship? LL and me
He was my first love, he changed my life around (in fact, he played a huge part in my journey to Boston), he made me light up and smile, he got me to live life and he has always been the one I turn to whenever I have too much negative energy. So, of course when he said I could visit him in Denver I was beyond ecstatic. Tickets have been bought and I’ve started this rigorous workout regime to lose as much weight as I’ve gained since moving to Boston and toning back up to how I used to look, when he tells me TODAY MIND YOU, that he is sort of in a non serious long term relationship and connecting the dots I figure out it’s the same girl he was seeing this time last year (when I so badly wanted to drive down to his family’s house last year for Christmas b/c of my need for some positive energy after mattress asshole). WTF does that mean?!!!!! So yes, my best friend may be right about him playing me, but I hate it when I let people in, I trust them, I love them and then they keep me around b.c the sex is great or b/c I am a great planner. If I had a therapist, he’d say that I should be doing this crazy workout regime I’ve started for no one but myself. He’d say that LL served his purpose and I can’t keep going back to 2007-2008 to be happy. That I need to continue working on finding people similar to me and to keep those who like the entire package instead of the a la cart friends who like me or need me or use me for a few of my assets instead of appreciating the entire package. He’d probably suggest me going through my FB friends and delete those who should not be on there. Damn it, I am worth it so screw those who have used me, and thank you for those who take me as I am and not taking advantage of me, or trying to lesson my worth. Man, I do feel slightly better now.

Ugh!

I was so hoping that I would see snow flurries today so I could write my first flurry blog, but no, it didn't happen today. So, I have a lot to say tonight but am going to keep it simple. I do not sleep with the heat on in my room b/c I like it when it's cold. I enjoy wearing my PJ's and sleeping socks (yes, sometimes I sleep in nothing but my sleeping socks, and while there are some guys that hate that, I know others who have slept in nothing but their socks too- but I digress) and I have the coziest bed (my winter flannel sheets, my ever-so-soft plush blanket and my down comforter. I sometimes wake up hot, even if it's 28° out. So since I keep my radiator knob turned off and the heat setting knob thingy down to the lowest number, I was surprised when I turned it on to warm up the room a tad (and make sure I don't freeze any pipes) to see water streaming out of the pipe!! Yeah, that's not good. And the floor looks like it has water damage, don't cha think? So, it stays off (which is fine) and if it gets too cold I guess I'll have to call the maintenance guy (who I have been avoiding ever since that awkward lunch) to come fix that, change the light bulb in my hallway that decided to burn out last week (having really high ceilings suck otherwise I'd change it myself but am managing without that light for now) and check the wood floor near the door b/c to me it looks like it's rotted and I have this fear of falling through the floor. I'll wait until I leave for Cali, then maybe have him come over and fix everything on my list while I'm gone. Ugh, sometimes I wish I owned my own place, cuz I'd rip down walls, redo the floors (carpets baby!!) and install central air and heat. Oh well, it's a renters world until I decide to settle down somewhere.

My Last Free Sunday

Today was my last free Sunday for the next couple months. Bowling starts up next week which means I wont have the luxury of sleeping until noon and staying in my PJs until 2pm. I made some money renting my parking spot out last night and went shopping for some work clothes but ended up buying more stuff for entertaining. Took a nice walk down to Coolidge Corner and back with a friend. It's so weird not seeing the streets decorated like in Cambridge or stores with holiday displays in the windows. This might have to do with it being a Jewish town, but they have blue lights and isn't Light the whole point of Hanukkah? There was only enough oil for one night but it lasted 8? I mean, it doesn't need to be Christmas lights, just lights and I would be happy. That's why I got excited when I saw that this one shop had a small Christmas Tree outside their door. Now, 34° and my ears are still frozen...time to start wearing hats when I go out the door, we may not have snow, but it sure is freezing out and only going to get colder. Winter is here!

Dessert Wine Tasting

Tonight was my first large social appearance in over a month. It was a great night. My friend down the street hosted a dessert wine tasting with pairings. Everyone brought a dessert wine and/or a dessert to pair the dessert wines with. Let me just say that when you do dessert wines and dessert you are unable to get drunk by downing drinks. Many of the dessert wines are too sweet to drink like a normal glass of wine. Eve was smart in having small tasting size cups, making it harder for people to drink too much at once and allowed for the perfect tasting size. The desserts were amazing, most if not all were homemade. We had a decent spread (photo of just the beginning, when everyone arrived the table was covered from side-to-side with wines and desserts (salty food and cheese were on another table in the living room). There were about 18 people (give or take) that showed and we did not finish all the wine or the desserts. I did find another yummy dessert wine that I like and walked away with a slice of cheesecake I was too full to try and some homemade biscotti (which will go perfect with my daily cup of eggnog latte). I loved that it was 2 blocks down from me, about a 5 minute walk. Which meant I could get drunk or stay out as late as I wanted without having to worry about the T since I just walked. Now, I didn't get drunk, and it was one degree above freezing when I walked home, but it felt so nice considering how sweaty I was from all the bodies in the apartment (note to self and others: dress in easy layers so you can shed your long sleeves at my holiday party). A fun night out, met a new guy and had great conversations, didn't take me long to travel to and from the party and no money spent...nearly a perfect night out! 'Tis the Season, let the holiday parties commence.

BIDMC

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Affiliated, has decked out their trees in the courtyard off of Brookline Ave. I've never seen so many blue lights in one place before. It was chilly tonight getting off the bus (yes, cute bus driver dropped me off) but I made it to the gym (my second time today). I put on my dancing shoes (my gym shoes) and danced a bunch of Latin styled dances (I dislike the Flamenco for the record). A newly acquainted male friend of mine was slightly mislead by my gchat status "got my dancing shoes on" but it started a conversation. Growing up in Miami, he learned to dance salsa at age 12 (and no, he's not Latin- at least he doesn't seem to be). It's been over a month since I last took Zumba because of being sick. Now that my asthma is kicking in, I find myself struggling if I run or do anything too strenuous, so I need to be careful about how far to push myself. It was peaceful walking back to the bus stop (yes, cute bus boy picked me up to take me home too) seeing the blue lights in the trees, but man, it was windy and I was so thankful I decided to bring my extra warm gloves with me, otherwise my fingers would have turned blue (or purple). Not sure how night gym classes are going to be in the winter, I refuse to wear a thick coat b/c I have to rush to get out of class to catch the bus, so we will see what happens, my sweatshirt was ok for the shore time I was outside.

Harvard, Starbucks, Veg Food and Plays

Today I found myself on the other side of the river. It took less than 20 minutes to get from Longwood to Harvard. There was a little celebration at the Holyoke Arcade tonight with President Drew Faust, free yummy cupcakes, pizza and amazing hot cider and Christmas carols being sung by Harvard students all promoting a toy drive and getting me in the Christmas spirit. Every time I go over there I feel like I’m in a foreign country and out of my element. Even in the Harvard Coop where I bought some presents, it felt weird like I was out of place. The streets were decked out in Christmas lights. I walked from there to Central Square where I stopped at Starbucks for their 2nd day of Christmas: buy 1 get one free of their Christmas blend coffee (can't wait to make my eggnog latte with that blend instead of the French Roast I have). I read my book while waiting to meet a friend for dinner. We ate at this healthy vegetarian place “Life Alive” which was actually really good before crossing the street to the Central Square YMCA to see our friend Gill perform in some 1 Act plays. Christopher Durang was one F#$&ed up dude! That’s all I can say. Interesting performances, I’ve never been to any thing like it and I’ve seen lots of live stage performances ranging from kids->high school->college->community and Broadway. It was entertaining for sure, and it got better with each short. Maybe because I caught on to he theme and/or the shock/confusion/surprise wore off and I began to see where things would go. Gill performed in the last two shorts. The first was a minor role with no speaking parts and his last where he was the main character and did great! Thanks Gill for telling us ahead of time of your performance, looking forward to the Goat one next month :)

Happy Hanukkah

No, I'm not Jewish. I was born and raised Catholic, but there may be some Jew in me down the line. I have celebrated Hanukkah before (well sort of) b/c my ex in Cali is Jewish. I have a dreidle from when I was a kid (no idea where I got it but I do remember I used to know the symbols on the sides and would play with it using chocolate coins). Living in a predominate Jewish town now, it's funny seeing blue lights instead of the colorful lights and white lights I grew up seeing. Where you see menorahs from the windows instead of Christmas trees. The other day I was out in my living room and had the curtains open with the Christmas tree lights on and I heard a girl walking by with her friend say "ohhh a Christmas tree!" So clearly, I've been noted as being a gentile among the Jews (or so it feels).

This Advent calendar I have had since I was a kid. Every year my mom would hang it up so the 3 of us could take turns putting the plastic Christmas figures up on the Christmas tree to countdown the days left 'til Christmas. The felt has thinned over the years and faded, we still have all put one piece (for the 25th) and to be honest, I do not even remember there being a 25th figure. So 25 stays blank and we open presents when it gets to that day. A few years back I had to put Velcro on the tree because the felt was too thin to hold the Velcro-backed figures. Since I am the first born and it holds more sentimental value to me, I brought it with me last year. This is the first time I've had it up in my own place, a touch of "home" is proudly displayed in my dining room. Tonight I placed the elf on the tree. For those who are counting...24 more days until Christmas and I hope you all take time to enjoy these 24 days because they are going to whiz by.