Me Day

Today I had my massage and I wanted to just fall asleep on the table tonight. It felt so good and I really need to make it a point to go monthly. It was snowing when I left and raining when I got out. It was my second night over in Cambridge. Yesterday when I was over there I stumbled into a shop that sells foods and goodies from around the world. Lately I've been craving Vegemite for some reason, haven't had any since I was a kid and when I saw that this store carried Marmite, I ended up spending $10 on a tiny jar of the stuff (125g)- the closest thing to Vegemite this side of the equator. It's a yeasty (salty) spread. You either love it or hate it and I'm ok if I have a tiny bit. Less is more where Marmite is concerned. So I'm going English tonight with some tea and crackers with some Marmite, nice way to end the night after my relaxing massage. Of course, this came after I cleaned myself. I hate Central Square, it's so dirty and I feel like I need to go through one of those bio hazard showers after passing by. So of course, a guy that gets on the T at Central on my way back to Brookline has to sit right next to me. Nothing like the smell of pot and greasy fried chicken for what seems like the longest 3 T stops ever! I did the best I could to hold my breath b/c my stomach was turning, yuck! Not what you want to experience after enjoying an hour long massage.

Live Music @ Club Passim

Tonight I did something I haven't done since I worked with the IT guys last summer, I went out to see live music performed in a lounge-like setting. Location: Cambridge. Food was by Veggie Planet so I could everything on their menu! I had this Peanut Curry meal- coconut rice, broccoli and Thai peanut curry sauce topped with fried tofu croutons and peanuts on a pizza dough. It was delicious until my friend tried a tofu crouton and said it tasted like eggs (since I don't eat eggs b/c they make me vomit, I had a hard time chewing them after I was informed it tasted like overcooked scrambled eggs). It was definitely filling and I'm still tasting the curry sauce.

Kevin So and Paul Erlich performed. It was a small, intimate crowd, many of whom have followed Kevin for years, so they knew his songs and sang along. There was a lot more interaction with the group than I had expected. It was my type of music too. A little bit of Stevie Wonder mixed with Bob Dylan. Kind of reminded me of an Asian-American Jamie Cullem. It was a late night, but I'm glad I went because it reminded me of when I was in college and I wanted to be an A&R (music scout). It was fun sitting listening to music that didn't heart my ears, makes me want to go out and listen to some jazz music in a lounge with little tables (maybe it's time to look up an old friend of mine who is an amazing trumpet player and see if he is performing in Boston anytime- or make a trip out to NYC to see him). If you're interested in listening to some of the music I heard tonight (which was streamed live tonight on some live stream site) you can check out his Myspace http://www.myspace.com/kevinsoandmidnightsnack

I'm Back!

I've had a rough few weeks with my bowling game, where I couldn't even bowl a 3 digit game. Today during another free Red Pin Party I got my game back. I noticed I wasn't doing my ballerina/shot put move when I bowled. Once I started raising my leg during my throw, bam! Stike! I even got a strike on a red pin which means, I have another free bowling party to book :) One of the other guys also won a free party, his first! With our luck, we should be able to bowl for free at least once a month until summer! I found a new ball that I like, a pound heavier than what I usually bowl with and hope that come Sunday during the league I can bowl high scores again! Yay!


Me (Red Pin Winner) Suz (redeeming her Red Pin Party tonight) Max (Red Pin Winner)

I FOUND IT!!!

For tonight's blog you may read the bracketed text for the longer version, otherwise feel free to skip down to the unbracketed section for the story that goes with the photo. :)

[I spent all day looking up travel tours and have to narrow down where I can practically travel to over the winter break this year. It honestly scares me to travel alone to some of these places where one can die from tons of different viruses and bugs. I feel like I'm at the point that I'll just have to make a list of all the places I want to see and just start pulling from a hat, because I really can't decide b/t Bali, Australia, Argentina, Egypt, Chile, South Africa, Antarctica, Iceland...and the list goes on. Before I knew it, it was 5pm and off. I have started walking home from work and even if I stop into Trader Joe's to do some grocery shopping, it only takes me 32 minutes from Gordon Hall to my back door. I did some power yoga, fixed myself a salad (which was just lettuce and avocado) and heated up my homemade split pea soup and ate in front of the TV. I've started watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and it's quite funny, I'm really surprised that I'm enjoying it.]

To end the night, I went up to the grocery store and bought tons of fresh produce and some frozen veggies, and my guilty pleasure Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn. For some reason, every time I go to a grocery store, I find myself looking at the Gelatin. Why? B/c I am determined to find a gelatin that I remembered eating when I was little. Memories of me being sick with tonsillitis and laying in bed watching Gilligan's Island and eating 3 layered gelatin treat, a treat that disappeared like many other childhood snacks, years ago. I have yet to find it, but tonight I my trip down the baking aisle, I found this box and it looks very similar to what I remember as 1-2-3 or something like that. It was a pink colored dessert and I don't remember what the flavor or flavors were, but it was 3 shades of pink, each layer having a different texture. So imagine my surprise when I found this box. THIS IS THE CLOSEST THING I'VE FOUND to this childhood dessert!! I almost bought it, but I decided that now that I've found something that looks similar (despite it being grape flavor and more purple than I remember) I can do some research online and buy it later (they weren't going to run out unless word gets out and all these kids of the 80s go out and buy them all after reading this blog). It's amazing how little information you can find on stuff from the pre-internet years. I've found others posting questions trying to find this dessert I remember as a kid in the 80s, and apparently this brand is from Canada and the closest thing to what is believed to be 1-2-3 JellO from my childhood. All these years of searching and I stumble upon this at the grocery store up the street from me. And NO, I've never seen it there before...notice packaging says "NEW"...maybe all those people who petitioned to get this dessert back on shelves succeeded :)

Strike...Out

Another Sunday and I woke up before 8am again. Only, I decided to make the most of the day. Started off with yoga, then packed my bag to drop library books off before going to church. Made my way out to the library by 10:30 only to find that the library doesn't open until 1pm on Sundays. So I decided to pop into Starbucks where I acted like the old lady that I am and told the cute boy working that I couldn't read the teas behind him so he'd have to tell me what my options were [true story!]. It was 29° out and windy so it felt good getting out of the elements. I ended up getting Calm tea and don't quite understand why tea stays so hot and takes for EVER to cool down.

I went to church in town, instead of going back into Brookline. St. Clements Shrine I used to go to when I lived in Fenway, they are the only church I know that still does wine with communion and they actually sing parts of mass in Latin, which I like. Of course, since I gave up wine for Lent I didn't drink any, but as Suz pointed out... "it's not wine, it's blood so you could have drank it" and then after the fact of course I remembered that Sundays are not included in the abstaining for 40 days and 40 nights so I could have some. Anyway...after church I headed towards the North End and had some time to kill before meeting a friend to walk part of the Freedom Trail. My plan was to go to VS down near Faneuil Hall, but low and behold, that one was closed, so I waited around the courtyard at the Old North Church. So twice I had planned on something and stuck out.

My first time walking the Freedom Trail was in January 2008 when I flew in to see the AFC Championship Game. Of course, I've been here for almost 2 full years and I have yet to walk the entire trail. I'm missing the part that leads to the Bunker Hill Monument, but I'll get there. I want to start doing a Sunday walking club. Get some people together and pick a different part of the city to walk (no food, no drinking... just walking and enjoying the weather, scenery and company) so this was a start. 3 miles in one hour, following the red brick road through Boston. Afterwards, I hit up the library to return my books I carried with me since the morning and picked up Mad Men Season 2 and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Seasons I and II). Then hit up VS before making it back home at 4:45pm.

With just enough time to cook some pasta and scarf down some food before making it back out for bowling. A few strikes for me, but I am sucking. I keep tweaking my wrist and 3 out of the last 4 games I've bowled under 100 (the 4th game was exactly 100) which is horrible for me. So, I started using a heavier ball, which helped a tad, but not by much today. I'm so glad this is the last season until next year b/c I'm kind of done with bowling (probably just my frustration talking here). Anyway, now I'm feeling sick again. Probably overdid it today, but I guess that just means another week of taking it easy.

HOMEsick

Today I got a little homesick. I went to The Home Depot today and got kind of sad. I loved going to Home Depot back home; sometimes with my dad, sometimes not. It brought back memories of all my gardening I've done over the years, from plotting out sections in the backyard to hoeing, shoveling, raking, weeding, watering, driving away pests and eating the fruits of my labor. I truly miss having land to dig and grow things in, but my window containers and pots are just going to have to do until I move out of the city. It made me realize how much of a country gal I am. Anyway, this a picture of the Somerville Home Depot's garden section. Notice how empty it is? I guess since we are still getting snow flurries and below freezing temperatures overnight, the plants just aren't ready for the outdoors yet. That totally makes sense, but quite different than what I am used to. I mean, it's not always sunny and warm here, so it's just one other adjustment I have to work through.

Flowers

I love daffodils, they aren't my favorite flowers, but they are up there. It's like the earth is smiling when I look at these and I can't help but smile back. Given to me anonymously for the American Cancer Society fundraiser at work. This is our second batch as the initial delivery we received were a bad bunch; they were sick and turned black, never blooming. When I left work last night these daffodils were all sealed up and it was such a surprise when I walked in this morning to see that most of them had opened up; it was like they were singing to me when I walked in. I love springtime! Which may leave some of you scratching your heads b/c you're probably thinking, "wait! I thought you love winter?" I love seasons; I love winter just as much as I love spring, just as much as I love fall, but summer and I kind of have a love-hate relationship. Of course, being a spring baby does play a part in my love for this season.