LAST POST of My Second Year in Bean Town

WOW! 365 days of blogging! As I end my 2nd year as a Bostonian transplant, I can't help but feel accomplished. Let this be an example to you, that when I commit, I commit. When I say I'm going to do something, I'm gonna do it. I said I'd blog 365 days straight about my life in Boston. Sometimes I wrote about boring stuff like container gardening, cleaning and going to church, but I did share some funny tales like the one about my boobs, the video of disposing one of many dead mice, the 17 scoops of ice cream that I ate in an hour while it was raining during the scooper bowl and not to mention the misadventures, the travel stories, the drunken nights and amazing time with friends. I blogged in 3 different States and 2 countries. I blogged early and into the wee hours of the day, but never fell asleep before I wrote my blog.

It'll be 3 years ago tomorrow that I landed in Manchester, NH to begin a new chapter in my life. 3 months of summer with an awesome friend/roommate in the Fenway apartment right on Park Drive. I came with 3 bags and wasn't sure I'd even stay after the summer. What a ride it has been. In this year alone I've done more than the previous year when it comes to sporting events and parties. I still managed to experience new Bostonian things and continue to surprise myself.

I've been trying to figure out what I'm going to do now that my year is up and if I'm going to continue blogging. I am looking forward to not having to write nightly or forcing myself to write about pointless stuff just because nothing fun or interesting happened to me that day. I might continue blogging only when I have something to say. I know I'll be doing WAY more traveling this year, so I might have to start a brand new blog since it won't really pertain to Boston. Meanwhile, [if you're still reading this] I'd like to share with you how my last day as a 2nd year Bostonian transplant went.

[cue Craig Morgan's "Redneck Yacht Club"]

The scene: country music, trailers, big ass trucks, tons of beer, BBQ, jello and pudding shots, lawn flamingos and a tiki bar. Horseshoes, flip cup, wiffle ball.

The players: People missing teeth, bare feet, smoking and beer bellies...ok, there were a few of us normal ones around too :)

Though this is my third Memorial Day weekend in New England, this is my first time going to family friend's friend's for their family memorial day weekend and even though I was in Pepperell, it felt as though I was in the south. Campers, tents, so many people. I think I may have been the 4th thinnest person here, which doesn't say much for the crowd. So many families on the parents land, camping out in the backyard all weekend long. I had a vodka and a tequila shots...my first and I enjoyed the vodka one. I sucked at horseshoes. There were bugs everywhere and clouds with sunshine after the rolling thunderstorm passes through, spitting on us with some rain. I fixed myself up with my version of a piña colada. Malibu coconut rum, pineapple rum, sprite, ice and topped with some pineapple juice. Now, of course with the rum, I put no more than 2 shots total into this drink, so most would say it was weak. However, you definitely needed some alcohol to be able to make it through this party. And I have to admit, we were at the pre-party...more people were to show later tonight and tomorrow. CRAZY!

I also got some exercise by walking the dog, but not until after I was doused in Off to keep them darn 'squitoes off me. A quick run through the forest led to a complete head to toe check for ticks, which I'm happy to report, I'm clean! Then a relaxing, yet late night watching Mystic River. I hadn't seen this movie before and despite the storyline and messed up characters, it was well done and glad I had people to watch it with.

Oh, and of course, my trip up here wouldn't be complete if I didn't go shopping in New Hampshire. I bought a set of 4 lamps at Walmart and am super excited about it.

So, that is how my last day as a 2nd year Bostonian transplant went. Thank you so much for taking time to read my blog over this past year! Love you all!

~L

Anniversary Long Weekend!

Today was a very hot day. If I wasn’t away for the weekend I would totally confine myself to my bedroom and put the AC unit in the window. I was so glad to get to Groton so I could take a nice cold shower. It was 92° as I took the T to Harvard (which was packed after two stops and I tried my best to snap a photo trying to show how packed in we were) and hopped on the bus at Harvard to take me out to fancy schmancy Belmont. As we drove to Belmont from Harvard on a bus with no AC, it made me think I was in the south riding a bus in the 50s for some reason (I think part of that came from the fact I’m reading a book that takes place in the south, but I digress). I was so gross by the time I got off the bus, and was so glad there was a Starbucks store calling my name…[venti mocha coconut frapp which also acted as my lunch]. I did not feel out of place in the downtown area of Belmont with all these rich people surrounding me [many old] but everyone was really friendly. We drove past the Belmont Country Club [where Tom Brady plays] and huge houses. We stopped in Nashua for some shopping where I bought some dresses at JCP and hit up Costco for some BBQ items for tomorrow afternoon. I’m finally cool after my much needed cool shower, watching the Bruins game and completely relaxed. What a game this hockey game has been. It’s 8 minutes into the 3rd period and there have been NO penalties and NO scoring. What a game. No major fighting and they’re just letting the teams play hockey. Before the end of the night one of these teams playing in game 7, will take on Vancouver for the Stanley Cup Final. Go B’s!

Harvard Commencement

It's that time of year. The HMS quad is turned into what looks like a circus. The white tent goes up, the chairs get polished, the banners get hung and forget about traveling by car over in Cambridge near the main campus in Harvard Yard. Today is an easy day at work, I really haven't done much because no one else is really doing much since many are participating in the Commencement day activities. The weather is gorgeous, but hot. My temp widget on my computer reads 80°, but know under the ten is much warmer. Not too much humidity, which is nice too. For the HMS/HSDM (Medical and Dental) Class Day event under the tent, I stood outside to watch and listen to Dr. Atul Gawande's Commencement address. He's such a down to earth guy, very simple and yet inspiring speech for the new round of doctors. One of my really good friends graduated this morning in Harvard Yard and I had a blast celebrating this huge accomplishment with her close friends and family with dinner at The Elephant Walk.

In Memory of

Today was a prime example of why you should always carry a camera in Boston. It was such a San Diego perfect weather kind of day here in the Bay State. I decided to walk around the city after work and as I was cutting through the park to go to Macy’s, I saw a bunch of flags in the distance. I remembered hearing about this last year, but didn’t get to see them. So, I took a detour and took some photos of the flags that cover our sledding hill. This is one of the things I love about Boston. I love how you can find cool things just by wander around. If I hadn’t walked today, I probably would have missed this cool memorial for fallen MA soldiers.

YUCK!

Today I made the mistake of walking to work. I melted. It was 68° and muggy. I was dripping wet and my underthings were wet by the time I got to work. I hate heat and humidity! I was happy when I got home after running errands and trying on suits for work, my apartment was cool, almost as if I had A/C. It reached 81° today, and am happy it's much cooler and dryer in my apartment.

Tonight I went to Panera Bread. The photo is of the usual meal I order. The soup and sandwich deal. I learned something very valuable tonight for you vegetarians out there. The cheese and broccoli soup is NOT vegetarian. I always thought it was because of the cheese and since I'm not vegan, I always order this. However, what I didn't know was it is made with chicken broth! So those who care, do not eat the cheese and broccoli soup. I, on the other hand, ate it anyway. I eat chicken flavor top ramen and noodle soup when I'm not feeling well, and I gave up meat b/c of the flavor. I mean, really... how much chicken is really in broth these days anyway?

One other comment tonight. Go out after work to go shopping and run errands sucks when shops close so early. The mall closes at 9pm! WHAT?! I get home at 7, go drive to a mall or shopping center. Go into one store, try things on and by the time I get out at 8:30, there aren't too many places still open. I feel like places should be open later on weeknights to accommodate the working professionals who have to buy a suit and only have one night free to do so.

Monday

If I could, I would start today over. At 8:37 I left the apartment and the bus pulls away before I cross the street. I decide to take the T instead of waiting 20 minutes before the next bus comes. Miss the T, b/c of having to wait to cross the street. Wait for another T and this next one goes past us without stopping. Meanwhile, I see these weird mobiles. At first I thought they were two nerds who were riding to work or something in their cool contraption. But as they crossed the street, they looked like sweep cleaners, or more like gutter suckers.

[Back to my commute story]

Finally get on a T at 8:50 and it takes forEVER at each stop 9it would have been faster had I just waited for the 8:50 bus). I arrive at St. Mary's, and walk to the buses, but I just miss the shuttle bus. I wait for another bus, it doesn't stop b/c it's not in service. I ended up walking 15 min to work carrying 25 lbs of clothes, shoes and food. (Ok, it probably wasn't 25 pounds, but I had my gym clothes and shoes, my umbrella, my bowling shoes and outfit to bowl in and my lunch). My total commute time: 1hr- when I only live 2 miles away or a 30 min walk from work. If my bag wasn't so heavy, I would have walked to work and not been late. Grr! But the fun didn't stop there. Oh no, I get into work and start working and the network is down so I can't save my work. And of course, they are working on the network, but it's not affecting everyone.

Anyway, I'm exhausted. I went to the my 2nd to last free red pin bowling party and we walked away empty handed. We had so many chances to win another one, but nothing. Well, at least we have 2 more chances to win more parties. The End. Glad today is over!

Nothing

No photo today. Why? Because other than going to church and stopping by Starbucks to get my 30th purchase (which now makes me a Gold Member), I did nothing. I was a bum and stayed on the couch in PJs, covered in a blanket b/c it was cold today and watched The Tudors and Mad Men. I enjoyed taking a day off and relaxing. This is my last week in my 2nd year of Boston, trying to decide what I’m going to do with this blog come my 3rd year. I can say, after blogging every single day for the past year, I will not be as religious about blogging for my 3rd year; that is for sure.

Busy Busy Busy Day!

[Disclaimer: I typed this on my phone and did not proof read it before posting due to the time I got in and how tired I am].

What a busy 15 hours I had. First, woke up before my 9am alarm. Met a group to do a pastry crawl in the North End where we had cappuccinos, lobster roll, moon pies [pictured], cannolis, pizza or calzones, and gelato. It was such a lovely day out. No rain like I was expecting and blue skies. We are outside along the crawl. So nice! We even stumbled upon the North End library book sale. I bought the entire Twilight series for $6.

I got home and entered the dirty diaper pail, and started looking for the dead mouse. I found it. The exterminator had set a snap trap under my kitchen's radiator and it caught a fat one. I nearly threw up my pastries from the stench as I wrapped my broom handle with a grocery bag, pushed the dead mouse and trap out from under the radiator and onto a newspaper where I managed to get it into a bag.and toss it. One would think I solved the problem, right? No! The stench got worse after disturbing the resting place! I kept my back door opened all day and that didn't help. I so wish I had Vicks to put on my upper lip to mask the stench. I don't have Lysol, so I did my best to pour baking soda under the radiator.

I was so glad when a friend who's apartment shopping showed up and asked if I wanted to go with her to check out the apartment directly across the street from me. The 2 we looked at were not that nice, which made me really appreciate my apartment. We grabbed ice coffee from a coffee place near me which I've never been to and enjoyed the sunshine.

After a few hours of resting, out I went to a friends going away party on Newbury St where I had multiple cups of Jungle Juice and a shot of tequilla. She's joining the Peace Corp and did a "Welcome to the Jungle" theme. I then headed down the street to a friends birthday party around midnight and managed to say hi and chat with those I knew before heading home ten minutes to 1am. Low and behold, I caught my train before it left the station and got home a little after 1. I must say, I am beyond exhausted. I don't think I have a free weekend until July and might miss church in the morning and opt for the 4pm mass so I can try to recover from this crazy busy week. I'm just thankful the baking soda seems to have done the trick on eating away the death stench so I'm not inhaling and gagging while I try to sleep. Oh what a day it has been.

Tent

Today the sun came out for a brief few minutes, but before I could go out to snap this photo at work, it went back into hiding. It may look like a tarp, but it's the tent going up in the quad for next week's commencement activities. Busy busy day getting things ready for next week. I have a feeling the next week is going to fly and I'm starting to get super excited about the upcoming travel plans. I can't believe summer is right around the corner!

Game Night

Tonight I hosted Game Night. This was the first time I opened it up to the meet-up group. It was a new mix and the first night I ordered pizza for delivery. We played Taboo and Family Guy Clue, which took over an hour to play with 5 of us playing. It was a little tough remembering the character names since I don’t watch Family Guy, but it was fun and I was so happy when it finally ended. Classic moment: one of the guys thought he had a great strategy and took an attempt at cracking the case and he was so sure he was right and was going to blow us away, and every since card he thought was it (when who, what and the where) were wrong!! LMAO! The minute he read the first one that I knew was wrong, I looked around and everyone else was looking at him like he was totally joking, but he was so serious, lol. Oh man, best play of the night!! It was a different feel than the other Game Night’s I hosted, probably because it was a new group, but considering the rainy day, I think it was just the perfect amount of people and rather chill Game Night.

In other news, my kitchen smells like a dead animal. I am thankful that it’s a dead animal and not a live one running around my kitchen and counter tops, but I can’t figure out where they smell is coming from and there are no animals in any of the traps I have laying around.

Blogging While Drunk

3rd Red Sox game. 2 shots of Jamison. 3 beers. Fog. Misty. Rain delay in 8th. First time I blogged whole drink. Buchholz pitched. 0 to 0 in 8th, before we scored after a brief rain delay. Scored in top of 8th. Ended up going to Cast and Flaggon where I ended up drinking vodka on the rocks (water with ice). Wishing I had peed before getting to T stop ( C line takes FOREVER!) And so glad I have some leftover pasta waiting for me when I get home. I better not have the Irish Flu tomorrow. We did end up winning 1 to 0. Yay!

Rain, Port, Cake and a Book

Have you ever had one of those days where you put on an outfit and before you're halfway through the day, regret it? Who'd have thought I'd be wearing tights, boots, a wool skirt, an under layer and a sweater in mid-May? I was so uncomfortable today and was so happy at lunch when I was able to change into my gym clothes; of course, the outfit had to go back on after the workout. So that, the rain and being bored, today was not a fun day at all. I did however treat myself to my free birthday dessert at Finale and ordered a nice port that complemented the molten chocolate cake perfectly. Me, port, chocolate cake and ice cream and my book, in a corner booth all to myself, with the entire dining floor to myself. I kind of felt like I owned the place. It was nice, despite being in my uncomfortable outfit, and it was a perfect end to a long day.

Squish

Wet, heavy, misty rain. It’s something I will have to get used to. I’m not complaining about the cold weather...the rain just makes it hard for me to walk to and from work and it makes me want to stay in bed or under a blanket sipping hot cocoa and lattes all day long. Got to get used to the squishy sound of my shoes on the marble floors at work. Another squishy sound happened when I found this huge house centipede in my bathroom when I came home from work...yup, I squished it. I'm just glad I decided to wear my shoes into the apartment instead of taking them off before I going inside.

Enchiladas

Today was a relaxing Sunday. I made it to church before it started raining. It looks like there won’t be any sun until next weekend, rain rain rain in the forecast this week. No bowling and no walking other than to and from church, so I decided to book a trip to Scotland. Yes, my first time flying out of the country in over 2 years. I’m going for a long weekend at the end of June. I couldn’t resist the $600 round trip airfare and since I’ve seen London in 24 hours, I figured a 3.5 day trip to putz around Scotland would be enough time. I’m staying with a friend from my Europe tour, so I really couldn’t pass on this great deal. Yay! Ms. Traveler is back! So exciting!! After booking my flight, I finished taking down balloons and decorations in the common areas which were left over from the birthday party, rearranged the living room, cleaned the floors, cooked a few different dishes and enjoyed sitting and relaxing with some homemade enchiladas. Yes, I know I’ve blogged about these homemade enchiladas before, but they are just so gosh darn good.

8oz of tomato sauce
1.5 cups of water
McCormick Enchilada Mix
Whole wheat tortillas
Sharp cheddar cheese

Oh so easy, oh so yummy with avocado, lettuce and sour cream…all that’s missing is Spanish rice but still mmm mmm good.

Doyle's Pub After Sam Adam's Brewery Tour

Today I went back to Sam Adam's Brewery with some guys from the meet-up group I belong to. I was excited that I was able to get the 3rd glass (out of 4) of their tasting glass collection. We got to try a test beer, so no one else ever will taste this beer and once it's gone, that's it. It was a dark beer, a maple wood port and I wasn't a fan (but that doesn't say much since I'm not a fan of the Boston Lager either). MA state law allows 21 ounces of free beer to be given out per person, so we are only allowed 3 different kinds of beer (and also why the tasting glasses are 7 ounces). Of course, we had extra beer floating around in pitchers so I had probably 35 ounces of beer in as many minutes. We then took the free party trolley to Doyle's for some food and more Sam Adam's beer. Because we were on the brewery tour, we were able to keep our Sam Adam's pint glass. So now I have 3 tasting glasses and 2 pint glasses and each time I go to the brewery, I taste a new beer. One of the oldest Irish Pubs in Boston, Doyle's was established in 1882 (a little more than a century before Sam Adam's was established). The beer was only $5 (not bad!) and I had a grilled cheese and fries. It was a fun day and I tried a new place, which I'm looking forward to going to after the next visit to the brewery. This pub was in the movie "Mystic River", something I have not seen, but after hearing this and reading a reference from the movie in my DC thriller book "The Inner Circle", I'm definitely going to have to add that movie to my movie queue.

Long Day

Friday the 13th and boy did it feel like it! It was a very long day today; filled with crazy people at work, crazy people on the phone and weird things happening with stuff on the computer. I took 2 classes today at the gym and didn't get home until 9:30pm. I had to walk home, which was fine... there were others walking the route and the weather was nice, but I had to stopped by Trader Joe's to grab some items b/c I was starving. I decided instead of walking the rest of the way home (10 minutes), I'd wait for the T. Bad call! I should have known that I would be staring at the tracks for longer than what it would have taken me to walk home. It's been that kind of day. There wasn't even enough champagne in the fridge at work today for a mimosa to make the afternoon go better. Of course, I'm too tired to fix myself a drink now. Just gonna pop in a movie and call it a night.

The Fens

About 2 weeks away from my second Boston anniversary and what a ride it has been. It was a sad day today as I visited for the last time, one of the best gals I've met since moving here. I did my best to hold back the tears and refused to say goodbye since we will keep in touch. This photo taken this evening as I walked to say my "see you soon". When I first moved to Boston, almost 2 years ago, I lived on the other end of the Fens. I remember my first time visiting and being warned by my friend's dad to stay away from the Fens, especially the reedy area, at night. Not sure how well you can see the reeds, but they are there in the photo.

Walking around the city on Boylston tonight reminded me of my first month in Boston. Not knowing anyone, not having a job, not sure what I wanted or how long I'd be here, but for once I was living life. Now, I know quite a few people, I have a job, but I'm still not sure what I want or how long I'll be here and I'm not really living life like I used to. My first year here was figuring things out. Jobs, boys, friends, etc. This past year I've been focusing on doing stuff and experiencing more Boston firsts. I think year 3 will be focusing on living here. Something I haven't really come to terms with. Many in my inner circle know that I don't really feel like I live here. Yes, I have an apartment filled with stuff, but it doesn't feel like I'm settled and at any moment; I could leave if I wanted to. I still say I'm from California, but this year I've felt like more of a Bostonian Transplant than ever before, slowly changing favorite teams (Lakers out, Celtics in) and becoming a fan of a new team (Bruins). I've always tried to be different and go against the current, and still fight Boston ways. I will never accept the liquor laws, understand how an "r" can make an "h" sound or why the light switches are placed outside the bathroom instead of inside, but I do live here, pay state taxes here and have a job here, so maybe it's about the time that I start acting like I live here. All this reflection from looking across at the Fens tonight, bringing me back to when I first moved to Boston.

Drinking

This may look like OJ, but it's not. I mean it is, but it also contains champagne for an afternoon mimosa at work. It feels good to be able to drink alcohol (wine) at work after giving it up for lent and having to pass on it while attending various receptions and parties during the working hour. I'm a fan of alcohol in the work place, but only b/c I am not an abuser of it. I think one glass isn't going to hurt anyone or anything. In California I had to drive home, so I wouldn't drink. Here, I can walk or take the bus/T home, so I do drink. I also think it's ok to have a glass of wine or beer at lunch every now or then. It won't impair my judgement when it comes to taking phone calls and printing material out. So yes, it's not quite 5 o'clock and I'm drinking a yummy mimosa while working. Of course, since I have proven that I can abstain from alcohol, we know I'm not an alcoholic, but for those who are, or those who don't think they are alcoholics but can drink like no other (or like other alcoholics) then I do not advise having alcohol at any point during your working hours.

Futon

Well, not much to report today. It was a typical New England day. It was cold, cloudy, and started heavily misting on my way home from work today. I stopped into my friendly hardware store after work to return my extra pieces. The same guys who were in there yesterday helping me out were there tonight. They wanted to make sure I was successful at putting the futon together, which I was. It only took 3 trips to the hardware store, but I did it. So this photo may not look like it was a lot of work, but whatever. When I over think and find things out as I assemble, it was a learning experience for sure, but now it won’t fall backwards when someone sits down on it, and is no longer missing a screw so it’s safe to sit and lay on (not that it will get much use, but I’m a perfectionist so I had to fix it up).

I’m really getting tired of this rain. I really want to start walking along the dirt trail around the reservoir, but I don’t want to walk in the mud or rain. I’m kind of getting tired of hanging out in my apartment and rearranging stuff and decorating it. It costs money, I’m a shopaholic when it comes to home goods and I need to get out and interact with people outside my circle.

Hardware Store

Today I walked to and from work and had to stop at the hardware store on the way home. Yesterday felt like I moved. Suz is leaving and I took a bunch of stuff off her hands. It looks like I have a roommate moving in, but no...I don't. I thought I lost pieces to the futon so before going to work I grabbed pieces I thought I needed more of. Two trips to this hardware store and I manged to put the futon back together again. I have to return extra pieces that I ended up not needing tomorrow b/c they were closed by the time I got the thing put together. Poor guys working there; they were really helpful, but probably sick of me. First I brought the wrong screws (smaller ones for the back) when I really needed a large screw (for the front). Then I bought new screws and bolt like thingies b/c I thought I was missing the bolt like thingies and the screws that I did have for the front of the futon frame would not fit in the bolt like thingy b/c they were different cuts, so I had to buy new screws for the bolt like thingies. I come home and find that some of the bolt thingies were actually in the holes out of sight, so after all of that, I didn't need the screws or bolt thingies, other than the one that was always missing. So tomorrow I will walk to this hardware store to return the extra pieces (my third trip). Now, this is about a 30 minute walk from my apartment. I have a hardware store right cross the street from me but they close way too early (5:30/6) so there was no way I'd be able to get what I needed there. I guess besides successfully putting the futon together, I worked off my mocha coconut frapp I bought at Starbucks today for happy hour :)

Lilac Sunday

Every year on Mother's Day the Arnold Arboretum hosts Lilac Sunday where free tours are given explaining the various types of lilacs and for one day only they allow visitors to picnic in the Arboretum. I had arranged a meetup event to go today and then picnic after the walk. The rain scared everyone but one other person away, so I met a new person and enjoyed the nice weather as we walked 3 miles through the lilac garden, the vines/shrub gardens and the bonsai garden. Some lilac plants were more fragrant than others and this weekend didn't seem to be their peak weekend. I learned a lot about lilacs (a flower I wasn't too familiar with). This was definitely a Boston experience and I'm glad I went this year after hearing about it after the fact last year. We didn't do the picnic b/c of the weather, but I am glad that I went. It may have taken me nearly 2 years to finally step in to the Arboretum, but I can now say that I have been.

Thunderstorms

Ahhh. I think I finally caught up on the sleep I lost the other night. It felt so good to sleep in. However, since I got a late start the nice weather turned to stormy weather by the time I was ready to head out and run errands. I was caught in the rain a couple times today. It opened up just as I got to Haymarket, nothing like shopping for produce during a thunder and lightning storm. I managed to get home without melting and kept my back door open so I could listen to the rain as I rinsed the produce and cooked. This video I took outside on my patio... I tried to capture a video of the rain/lightning/thunder from my back porch...I love a good thunderstorm and we had quite a few throughout the day. This week has been one wet week! Never have I ever been caught in so many downpours than I did this week. This is why I prefer snow to rain...you get less wet with the white stuff. Anyway, it's spring...rain is expected. I'm not complaining too much b.c we didn't get too much rain in CA, and always remembered liking rain. I just wish I didn't have to be outside when it rains and that I had better views of the lightning storms.

Society Olympics

Today was a very long day at work. It was such a BEAUTIFUL day outside. We had the Society Olympics today at the Medical School, which was done right outside our office. It was very distracting as they danced to "Thriller" and other 80s songs. This photo I snapped on my way to Starbuck's Happy Hour. They were doing the limbo. When I came back there was some sort of eating contest going on. And to think, these first year students will be treating us in a few years! What a day, it was so nice no one wanted to work, and to be honest...not much work got done in our office.

Home Goods Grand Opening

I'm a shopaholic. Not with the typical girl items like clothes, shoes, purses, make-up, etc, but with home goods. Today I went home early b/c I was beyond exhausted after last night's game. I took a nap and after I woke up I went shopping. When I grabbed the mail today I saw a flyer announcing that today is the grand opening of the new Home Goods store in Allston (part of TJ Maxx, Marshall's, etc). OMG! It's like heaven. I got so many ideas, but only bought one thing... a thing that you put under your area rug to make it a little cushioning on the feet and keep the rug from sliding on the hardwood floor. I've been toying with buying one for my living room rug for months now and decided it was a good price and bought it (but I paid with a gift card so I don't feel so guilty). They didn't have as much as I was hoping for, for the size of this store (I think the one in Somerville near the Christmas Tree Shops is better), but I did spent quite a while walking around looking at items, like lamps for the living room and paintings. This could be dangerous, having this kind of store so close to where I live. They even have Waterford Crystal at really low prices and really nice Italian wine glasses that I really had to show some self control b/c I really don't need anymore wine glasses, but these were really nice. Maybe once I buy a china cabinet will I start purchasing nice dishes and glasses, but until then, I have to keep telling myself I don't need anything!

Red...

...Pin

...Sox


Well today we got rain. Got caught in a downpour at lunch and have been wet since. Tonight was my Red Pin party. And yes, it wouldn't be a party if I didn't win another party, which I did during the last 10 minutes striking on my one and only front red pin.

After bowling a friend and I hopped over to Fenway for the Red Sox/Angels game (he got free tickets from his boss). We get there at the end of the 4th, and no sooner do we get to our seats do they call a rain delay! I'm thinking "cool, I've never been to a game delayed by rain". We didn't get to see any plays, only the guys running off the field and the ground crew putting the tarp on the field. 8:30pm and we end up going to Fenway to watch a Bruins game (as they put the game on the jumbo tron). 2 hours later, it's still raining and I'm being stubborn wanting to stay to watch at least 1 inning...if the rain ever stops. My friend leaves at 10pm. It's still raining. Finally at 10:45pm the ground crew takes the tarp off the field and the top of the 5th begins a little after 11pm, with it still misty raining. I am soaked and cold. We get to sit wherever we like so I choose 8 rows up from home plate looking straight down the 3rd baseline. I get great views of my favorite players, Mike Cameron and Adrian Gonzalez. We get free Dunkin Donuts coffee, tea or hot chocolate for our patience during the 2.5 hour rain delay. 1:12am and it's the bottom of the 9th. I'm tried, the T has stopped running, it's still raining, but then the Sox tie it up. So I stay, find myself near the away team's dugout, 4 rows from the field. 10th, 11th, 12th inning. We think we're going to win it, as someone (honestly, I'm too tired to even look at my photos, but I think it's Youkilis) hits the green monster but it bounces into left field and we get an out at home (which would have won the game). So it's 2:24am, top of the 13th, it has stopped raining and I have to go home. So I walk about 10-15 minutes and catch a cab in Brookline to take me home. My first time taking a cab by myself (ok, 2nd time, forgot I had to take a cab home from the airport once), and I get home just a little before 3am. What a game! Just checked the score and the Sox lost in the 13th inning, final score 3 to 5. Now I just hope I don't catch a cold!

Rain?

Today I get up expecting to see rain and cooler temps, but nope... it's sunny and a bit on the warm side. I check the weather channel and it says it's supposed to rain all day starting at 9am. So I decide to walk to work since I didn't want to walk home in the rain. I'm sweating by the time I get to work. I'm carrying my rain coat, my 10 pound gym bag and my purse, walking for 30 minutes with the temp in the 60s (despite the temp on my phone saying in the 50s). The day goes on and not a drop of rain. I go to the gym, it's sunny. I leave work, it's warm but cloudy. I run some errands, sweating in the Library as I search for a movie they didn't have on the shelf and make my way to the T station. I cram into the T and start to sweat. I get home and still no rain. I decide to change and do Wii Sports for 40 minutes and take a nice cool shower. I don't get the weather, it says it's supposed to rain and it doesn't. It's very frustrating. I would have put my plants which have been transplanted outside on my front windowsill if I had known it wasn't going to rain. Ever since the Pear (not cherry like I had thought) trees outside my apartment started to bloom my plants haven't been getting enough light. I'm really worried that my whole plan to have a nice container garden isn't going to work. So far the kale, squash, cucumber and tomato plants are doing ok; the lettuce and flowers don't look like they will make it. And now that I have squirrels on my back porch, I'm not going to plant anything out there.

Walk a Different Route

Today was another beautiful day out and decided to walk home from work. I ended up taking a different route home and walked through a part of Brookline that reminded me of the suburbs. Huge houses, kids riding bikes, some nice apartment buildings, neighbors talking outside, yards for gardening. It was so pretty walking through a new part of the town I live in. It's funny it seemed a little longer than my usual route, but I'm thinking it's b/c it wasn't as straight of a walk. I had to turn on to many different streets, whereas I usually only have to turn twice if I walk up Longwood and Beacon. I did feel a little out of place being in an unfamiliar area, but it was nice to explore a new route coming home from work.

The Morning After

I feel like a bad hostess. I ended up sleeping in until 11:30 this morning. I didn’t wake up at all once my head hit the pillow, and did not plan on sleeping so late. Poor Suz who crashed at my place after our party was awake for an hour or so before me. Thank goodness for iPhones, she was able to keep herself entertained while I slept. It was nice having a house guest and now my place feels empty and I find myself lonely. She was my first friend to sleepover. I’m glad I have a comfy couch. We had a light breakfast with coffee and chatted before taking over some cupcakes to the firemen next door. They weren’t the same ones from last night who rescued us, but there was a cute red head sitting at the desk and seemed to be the younger crew (of course, I always see the older crew in passing). So, yes, I’ve finally met (albeit briefly) some firemen from next door. [I wonder if they actually eat the stuff people bring them??] We had a cab pick us up so we could carry her hoop, table we used for beer pong, bags and cupcakes in the tins. We pull up to her apartment and get everything and Suz was like “are we forgetting something? Do you have the cupcakes?” Oops! They were sitting on the planter outside my apartment where we were waiting for the cab and totally forgot to grab them when the cab finally arrived. I was worried that someone would have taken the tin pans they were in, but after running errands and walking through the park to snap some tulip photos, I came home and found them in the same spot where we left them. So now, I have almost an entire lemon cake and 15 cupcakes to take to work because I’m not eating them all. The rest of the day I just lounged around. Finished up one book I was reading. I was too tired to take out the trash and recyclables, wash dishes and wipe down the tables…but there’s always tomorrow. I decided to leave all they decorations up. It makes the apartment look festive and we spent so much time putting them up, might as well get the most out of them. I do have to post another party sometime soon since I now have a full shelf of beer in my fridge thanks to everyone who brought cases.

Photo taken in the Public Garden. Not all of them are blooming yet, but wanted to get some photos just in case I don’t make it over again. I always walk alone, if I wasn’t wearing loungewear I would have asked someone to snap my photo so I would have another tulip photo, but next time. It was a nice day. I’m loving this cooler weather and happy that it’s warm enough to wear flip flops!!

The Royal Afterparty

Tonight Suzanna and I celebrated our birthdays. We had a royal theme since the party took place the night after the Royal Wedding. We converted my spare bedroom into the dance floor/prom photo backdrop. Every room had balloons and decorations (yes, even the bathroom). While we didn’t have as large of a turnout as expected (which I’m actually thankful for), we had a blast. All that stress this week regarding the cleaning, the decorating, the hosting, the clean up afterwards and the noise was really silly, but I can’t help myself. Suz went next door and met the fireman; we couldn’t turn the knob on the helium tank, so she got a strong fireman to come to our rescue. Robin was a HUGE help, driving her car over and helping us move stuff from Suzanna’s apartment to mine. The drinks were tasty and I have a fridge full of beer that people brought (good excuse to host another party soon). The birthday girls donned our birthday tiaras and had a great time dancing, drinking and talking to friends. We had beer pong going in the kitchen, cocktails in the living room (white Russians and Suzi Saturns) and a tasty lemon cake and some cupcakes in the dining room, with chips and dip spread throughout the apartment. We had party favors…some bling; we had rings that were fun and fit well with our Royal theme.

We ended up taking the party down the block to the Golden Temple for some dancing around 12:30am. No cover, close to home, great music (despite the fact that the amount of songs played there were also on our party playlist and the dance floor about the same size as ours) and of course wonderful friends who came out to help us celebrate. I feel like an old lady though. By 1:30 we were done and managed to leave just before 2am to get home, clean up a little and call it a night. My feet are killing me and it feels so good to lie down. I’ve been on my feet since I got up at 9am and don’t think I could have lasted any longer. Tomorrow I’ll have to mop and take out the trash/recyclables and take over some cupcakes to the fireman since they were all asleep by the time we got to the cake and candles at 11:30pm. Overall, a great nice and I’m so thankful for having a nice group of friends here in Boston and am really glad that Suz and I were able to pull off this dual birthday bash. I’ll never forget this birthday party and look forward to living the last ye