right.

Things not to say when you haven't seen your ex-girlfriend in a long time:

"Oh, my friend thought they was you but I said no, that can't be her. She's like 20 pounds skinnier than that."

Right.

fabulous.

Things that were fabulous about the MSPCA event last night:

The food- Seriously was not expecting such extravagant food. Thought they'd have people passing around appetizers, but not only did they have that, they had a hugeee array of really delicious food. Including a gigantic boat of really good sushi, amazing eggplant parmesan, and a tonnn more. (In case you haven't noticed, I refuse to care that people think I'm a huge fatso after the nacho story...most of my blog entries are about food, and I like it that way).

The people- I think people who like animals are just nice in general. Hence my thoughts that I will never again date someone who claims they "don't really like animals." As I've always said, you can tell a lot about a person from the way they treat an animal. So true. And the people we met at this event seemed to be really genuine, good people. We sat with one man who adopted an 11-year-old dog who had been abused his whole life and had a lot of issues. The dog basically destroyed the man's house (and his "pottery"), but as the man said, "they were just items." He really wanted to give the dog a better life; and he is.

Randy Price- He has 25 cocker spaniels. Enough said.

The goody bags- I like events that have goody bags. Granted I don't see myself finding any use for dog shampoo in the near future, still nice to have on hand.

All in all, I'd go to this again in a heartbeat. I'm extremely excited for the rest of this weekend too. It's going to be a good one. At least it better be...I'm counting on it.

doin' it for the animals.

Tomorrow night I am going to the MSPCA Spirit of Kindness Silent Auction at the Skywalk Pavillion Top of the Hub at the Prudential Center. I'm totally psyched for many reasons. The main reason being, I have been a long-time supporter of the MSPCA all the way back to my third grade days of day camp at the MSPCA Methuen location. Though I must take this time to say I feel like the MSPCA completely misled me and my sweet 8-year-old innocence and expectations of what camp was all about.

You see, when my mom asked me if I wanted to go to camp at the animal shelter, I jumped at the opportunity. I loved dogs and cats and imagined myself playing with them all day long for 2 weeks straight. But no, my animal-loving friends. In the 2 weeks of camp, we visited the actual dog and cat shelter twice. 2 times. However, here's a sampling of the things we DID do at MSPCA camp

1) Make up animal names for ourselves. I was "Susie Seal" because I didn't want to be Snake and I couldn't think of any other "S" animals.

2) Get chased around camp by Teddy the Goat. He took a special liking to me and head butted me on several occassions.

3) Sing songs such as "I Got You Spayed" sang to the tune of Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe."

4) Tie-dye shirts, lay them on the hay stacks to dry, and then watch in horror as Teddy the Goat climbed onto the hay stacks and trampled all over them.

5) Clean the horse manure out of the stables.

6) View pictures of baby calves, AKA veal in their horrible small living conditions. As well as pictures of starving and abandoned dogs.

7) Watch as one asshole kid tipped the porta-potty over with another child in it. Hence my fear of porta-potties.

8) Sit in a gross, dark barn loft filled with hay all day. They've since re-done the Methuen location and I think it now has an actual room in a building for campers (and real bathrooms too, ahem).

9) In my case, fall in love with a greyhound named Susie, and then get a peek at "the room" (as we referred to it) where she would be lay to rest.

So you see, MSPCA camp wasn't all it was cracked up to be. I like to joke that my mom sent me to animal slave camp/brainwash your child camp and that they should have been paying us for me to go there every day, rather than my parents paying them. However, I did go back for a second summer. Why? Because I love everything the MSPCA stands for and I would probably work there for free for the rest of my life if I didn't have a pesky thing called rent to pay for, the necessity for health insurance, and a love for the finer things in love (just being honest).

The MSPCA taught me that there are other animals besides cats and dogs that need help. They taught me that every act helps, no matter how small. While I'm not yet in a position in my life to donate a lot of money to any cause, I do the little things where I can (like bringing old blankets, towels, and comforters to the shelters). They taught me that there are plenty of people in the world who have no shame mistreating animals and that we need to do everything we can to stop them.

So, I'm super excited to see what tomorrow night's all about and to support my all-time favorite organization. Plus, my all-time favorite newscaster Randy Price is hosting the event. Yay! And who can turn down a dinner at the Top of the Hub? Not me.

P.S. anyone want to buy me a goat? As much as I despised Teddy at the time, he gave me a great appreciation for goats and I've always wanted a pet one. One who won't head butt me.

must love dogs.

Weirdo of the day:

While enjoying the beautiful sunny and sweltering hot day from a public grassy hill in Brookline, I encountered an incredibly strange man. Luckily, he stayed away from me. Had I brought a dog along with me, I may not have been so fortunate. It took me a little while to figure out who the man resembled, but then it hit me. He totally looked like the creepo uncle from Napoleon Dynamite. You know, Uncle Rico (sans sweatband, unfortunately). He didn't have quite as much hair, but otherwise I'm pretty much sure it was him.

I first noticed him staring at a girl in her early-20s who was sitting quietly listening to her ipod. She had a cute little dog (springer spaniel maybe?) who was sitting obediently by her side. The dog noticed Uncle Rico, too. That's because he was a)making come hither faces at it and b)holding up a giant stick, as though he were taunting the dog to play fetch. Every time the girl turned around, he looked the other way. Finally, she got skeeved out and walked away. As she and her dog left, Uncle Rico picked up a tennis ball and threw it at them. The girl walked faster without turning around, and Uncle Rico threw a stick at them. He stared after them until they were out of site.

Five minutes later, another girl came by walking a dog. Uncle Rico stared and stared and then started a conversation with her. I couldn't overhear but she looked completely sketched out, seemed to be politely answering his questions, and then quickly left. Every time a dog came within view of this man, he picked up the large stick and tried to get the dogs' attention.

When no dogs were within view, Uncle Rico sat on the stone wall and made loud noises by slapping his hands on his knees. At one point he got up, took off his shirt (ew), walked around, put his shirt back on, and sat down. What is wrong with people? I am honestly concerned for all dogs in and around the Brookline area. Keep your eye out for Uncle Rico.

tuition makes me poor.

So today I basically depleted my life savings. Well I'm not entirely broke, but I should probably get a real job soon, huh? Anyway, I decided since I had the money and I really don't feel the need to rack up anymore student loans, I would just pay for my last semester of graduate school and get it over with, interest free. Whoo. I tried to pay with my credit card to get reward points (yay Amazon gift certificates!) but they told me I would have to pay a $68 surcharge. Yeahhh right. So, right out of my checking account the money went.

I am still in shock over how much one class (+ fees) costs. Seriously, I really had no idea bc I usually just let Sally Mae take care of it. It's seriously disgusting how much one single credit costs. For the price of one credit, I would be just a bit short of buying one of these. Yeah, that'd be nice. So for one class, I could practically buy four. But instead, I'm spending my hard earned money on education and my future. Go me. Ugh.

I don't regret it, because I love school, will be happy to have my degree, and feel like I've learned a tonnn about the industry and about myself as a person. As much as I'm excited to be done, I have noo idea how I'm going to survive not being in school. I am so lucky that my parents paid for all of my undergrad so that I was able to afford graduate school on my own. Sure I have some loans, but education is worth it, right? Please tell me it is. Ooh fitting that we just got our rent bill yesterday, too...there goes another Prada purse. That's my life right now...

...Anxiously awaiting the new Ryan Adams CD (Easy Tiger) which will supposedly be mine in less than an hour. Yay!

yum.

It's seriously a wonder that I don't weigh 300 lbs. I ate a lot of food this weekend, and I loved every second of it. I've been getting way too excited by food lately. On Saturday I went to the Phantom Gourmet Beach BBQ and was in heaven. First of all, I have to say, I'm not a huge BBQ person; I mean I like it, I eat it, but I never really get crazy excited over it.

Maybe it was because I hadn't eaten all day. Or maybe it was because we waited in line for over an hour and a half. But the food was sooo amazing. We waited in line for Willingham's BBQ from Memphis because everyone was raving about it, so we figured, it we're gonna do it, we're gonna do it right. No regrets. I legitimately stuffed my face. Didn't care that everyone else in line was staring at us eating our food. Didn't care that I had BBQ sauce everywhere. Didn't care that I ate my pulled pork sandwich plus ribs in about 5 mins. Didn't care that I've never eaten so much food in such a short period of time in my life. And I was smiling the rest of the day. I'd seriously consider hopping on a plane to Memphis for more of that.

The people at the "BBQ Beach Party" were of a mixed variety. I was expecting a lot of hickish NH sketchiness (yeah, I'm saying it) but I'd say it was mainly your average Boston person. Lots of interesting sites/people to watch though. One guy had a shirt on that said "meat is murder." Why is he here and why is he in line for ribs??? Not really the best place to make a statement about the evilness of meat. We were confused, until we read the rest of the shirt: "Tasty, tasty, murder." HA. In order to drink beer, you had to stand in the beer garden, which probably kept the place a lot tamer than it would have been otherwise.

I personally miss the Phantom Gourmet days of Billy Costa and I am not a fan of the Andelman clan. Wait, that's the understatement of the year. I can't stand them. And I don't like funding events by them because quite honestly, I think they're the most annoying people to ever get a job on TV and I refuse to eat at Kowloon or Firefly's because of them and their excessive raving (not a fan of Kowloon anyway and their 84302 page menu...with items named after the Andelmans...and nasty sushi. I know, don't ask me why I got sushi at Kowloon, my bad). My point is, I didn't want to fund an event by them, but I did and I don't regret it. Though I did get the strong urge to beat Dan Andelman up when I saw him (and the woman asking for his autograph...because I bet that will be valuable someday!).

And I'll be funding the Phantom Gourmet once again when I go to their Lansdowne Street Food Festival in September, which I cannot wait for. And it's 21+ so I'm sure it will be even more fun/entertaining. I hope Trani doesn't run out of their ice cream filled cupcakes this time. Woww, I'm kind of sad, huh?

big sister knows best.

I always knew my older sister was a know-it-all, but now there's scientific evidence to prove it.

I don't really believe that she's more intelligent than me though. We're just smart in different ways...at least that's what my mother always told me. Awww, she wouldn't lie, would she?

That's kind of depressing...definitely not telling the sister. Damn it; if she really is smarter than me, then she probably already knows.

Despite this news, I am literally ecstatic to see my sister at our family reunion in about 2ish weeks. And I'm sooo counting the days down until she moves back to Boston. Visiting Chicago has been great, but it's not going to get any better than having my sister in the same city. I knew she'd miss Boston too much to stay away for too long. Yay.

"An older sister is a friend and defender - a listener, conspirator, a counsellor and a sharer of delights. And sorrows too." -Pam Brown

i heart new england.

Something I take for granted living in New England my whole life is the fact that we live so close to the ocean. I remember when I was about 8 years old and I went to visit my cousins in Pennsylvania. They told me they had never been to the ocean and I was basically in shock...how was that even possible (consequently, my aunt had only recently been on an escalator so I'm not sure why I was so surprised). I grew up spending summers at the Cliff House in Maine, at the ocean in Cape Cod, and taking plenty of day trips to the beach. These people had never seen waves. Seriously. Now it's already June 20 and I haven't been to the beach at all yet...granted summer doesn't officially start until tomorrow. Making myself get plenty of ocean time in this year, or I may as well be in PA learning how to ride escalators.

Along with the ocean comes the best seafood around. Last year I went to visit my sister in Chicago and we went to a steakhouse for dinner. I was so not in the mood for steak and the salmon sounded delicious. "Ummm," said my sister, "I wouldn't get salmon in Chicago if I were you." "Huh? Why not?" I wanted to know. "We're in the Midwest; you live in Boston. Wait until you go back." I never really thought about it like that, but I guess it makes perfect sense. My sister said she didn't bother eating much fish in Chicago because it just didn't compare.

I went home for Father's Day on Sunday and we had the best dinner ever. My mom and I went to the Lobster Tail in North Andover and got lobsters and crabcakes. My mom made garlic bread, pasta salad, and corn on the cob and I legitimately pigged out. When I was a kid I wouldn't go near any type of fish, especially lobster; I had no idea what I was missing out on. My sister, who has always loved it, has developed an allergy to it and her lips get seriously puffy and gross if she goes near shellfish (maybe a side effect of living in Chicago too long). Ha, but when she comes home she eats it anyway and deals with the misery. $70 for 3 lobster seems kind of ridiculous but it is soo worth it.

Sometimes I think about moving somewhere else but I'm not sure I could ever go too far. I seriously heart New England.

i hate bin sales.

Why do so many stores think it's classy to throw their sale items in big bins and then think they're going to sell the stuff? Honestly, there could be a perfectly nice item of clothing that I would love and want to buy hanging on the rack, but as soon as it's thrown in a bin, it is not attractive anymore. Even if it is 60% off. I went to Copley w/ my friends tonight and both Express and Victoria's Secret were having bin sales.

Express basically chucks all their clothes in cardboard boxes and writes the size in magic marker on the front of the box. But it doesn't even matter what size you are or what the box says because you can guarantee the XS box is going to be mostly full of XL clothes anyway. Every piece of clothing is completely tangled up with every other piece of clothing and it can take an hour just to pick up a shirt you're trying to look at.

Victoria's Secret at least uses semi-nicer bins and "professional" prints of the size signs, but every single thing in the sale was pretty much ugly. What is with Victoria's Secret and butterflies this season? Butterflies=trashy/ugly/creepy to me and I have no desire to have them all over my clothes and underwear. And there were soo many people in the store, it was basically impossible to even get to any of the bins to look at. And once again, right when you think you find a nice pair of underwear in your size, you pick it up only to find it's a XXL. Plus, who really wants to buy intimate apparel that every person in Boston has already had their grubby hands all over? Ew, not me.

I've decided bin sales are a conspiracy to get you into the store to buy the full-priced items. You see a 60% off sign in the window, go in to look, and leave the store having bought bags full of non-sale items. Because they look appealing hanging on the racks or folded and put on shelves. Clothes thrown in bins don't.

israel, here i come.

Today I was invited to Israel by a native of the country who seemed shocked and impressed that I had ever heard of the place. Maybe he supposes Americans are even more ignorant than once thought. He sat beside me while I was sitting on a bench in Coolidge Corner reading a book and just started talking. It was fine; I love meeting new people/talking to people, even if it is blatantly interrupting my concentration. But there's something about a random guy sitting next to me, asking me where I live, telling me I should go to Israel to visit him, and telling me how beautiful I look that's a little unnerving.

Finally I think he got the point that I was trying to read and said he would go. "But will I see you again?" he asked. "Umm possibly, I'm around CC a lot" I replied. "Well, how about I call you?" Ugh. That's where the ever useful imaginary boyfriend comes in handy. "Yeah...I have a boyfriend; not sure how he would feel about that." He finally shook my hand (ew...Purell please) and left. Only to walk by half an hour later to tell me "how amazing I look" (ew, ew, ew), shake my hand again (ewwww), and leave for good...I hope.

I'm trying to break out of the "rude Bostonian" mode and be nicer to people, but oftentimes I think I understand why Bostonians are known for being rude. Whenever I'm nice, I get put in the awkwardest of situations. Sometimes it's easier just to mind your own business and keep to yourself. I wish it wasn't this way. But in most cases, you can't immediately distinguish the weirdos from the non-weirdos. And that's when you thank God for imaginary boyfriends.

rock on.

I went to The Middle East in Cambridge for my first time last night. In the words of my now-living-in-Chicago-sister, "OMG you've never been to The Middle East?? What do you do??" When she asked me if I've ever been to T.T. The Bears and I said no to that too, I thought she was going to disown me. I didn't date a Boston band guy for 4 years of my life like she did, so I guess I haven't had the opportunity to check out too much of Boston's music scene. Actually, I probably haven't even been to Central Square since my high school days. Sue me. Anyway, my roommate's boyfriend is in the band My So-Called Friend, which is great because it gives us the opportunity to check out parts of Boston we normally wouldn't. Not to mention, the band is amazing and never fail to put on a fabulous show. And they're cute too. You should check them out here

MSCF also has probably the best manager in the world...Matt Cohen. I grew up playing with a family friend Matt Cohen who my parents secretly hoped I would marry someday. But until now I never met another Matt Cohen. And then out of the blue last week, my sister called me and said, "I met a guy named Matt Cohen the other day!" So, maybe it's a more popular name than I thought. However, this Matt Cohen is most def. the best of them all. And he's also an avid reader of my blog...and that makes him even cooler. Soo hi Matt Cohen, rock on!

add another one to the list.

My friends often make fun of me and my stringent list of characteristics a guy must have in order for me to date him. My list is partly in good fun; I wouldn't turn anyone down because they don't exactly fit my ideal person. I just have a few nit-picky things...though I am now convinced I will probably end up marrying someone completely the opposite of the man who fits my specifications. Anyway, my main specification is that my significant other must not be a picky eater. If he hasn't tried a lot of foods, fine. But he must be open to trying new things, and hopefully he'll like them. Sushi is the main thing. I am sushi-obsessed and must have someone I can go on sushi dates with. Also, I don't like birkenstocks and don't want to date anyone who wears them. And I despise Subarus...a lot. And I prefer dark hair to blond hair.

OK, now that I sound like a picky and horrible person, I have to add another to the list. I cannot feasibly date anyone who doesn't have Verizon as their primary cell phone service. Years ago, I used to have horrendous cell phone bills until Verizon introduced Verizon to Verizon minutes. Almost everyone I talk to has Verizon, including the old bf, so I had absolutely no billing problems. It was a spectacular couple of years. Then I quit my job and had all sorts of time to hang out on the phone. One friend in particular (no names shall be mentioned) calls me almost every day on her lunch break. This is one of 2 main friends who do not have Verizon (The other doesn't like talking on the phone.

Anyway, my mom called me last week and was just wondering whyy my bill was $290 extra this month. Ooops. First of all, oops to the fact that my mom still pays my phone bill. Horrible I know, but FYI it is extremely difficult to get off of a plan once you're on one. She asked me who on Earth I've been talking to. And now she probably thinks I'm dating Chelsee (yeah, I mentioned names) because I spend excessive amounts of time on the phone with her. Not to mention we e-mail all day long and she lives about 5 minutes down the road. Maybe I should just date her. After all, she does like sushi...doesn't wear birkenstocks...doesn't drive a Subaru...and has dark hair. Her only downfall is that she doesn't have Verizon. Tough luck.

it's a small city, after all.

It always amazes me what a small city Boston is. And by small, I mean I can't go anywhere without seeing at least a few people I know. I kind of like it and it kind of creeps me out. Basically there's no room for mistakes. I feel like in a place like NYC, you can be a complete idiot for a night, go home, and say "well, it's not like I'm ever going to see those people again." And you won't. But it Boston, you probably will see those people again.

Basically this means we are made to avoid certain bars, certain restaurants, and even certain neighborhoods just because we know certain people will be there. There's a constant feeling of "oh crap, what if I see someone I know," because you know you will. On the other hand, it's kind of comforting to run into familiar faces all of the time; makes the city feel a bit more like home (as long as those familiar faces are not the same ones who saw your drunken antics the weekend before). And it helps you make friends and form relationships better if you're always running into the same people. I'm just waiting for the day when I've met every person in Boston and I can walk into any establishment in the city and realize that I know every single person there.

I've always hated when people use the phrase "it's a small world." But it really is. And Boston is even smaller. See you soon, I'm sure.

fresh frozen fish.

Trader Joe's has the best fish ever. Period. I thought eww frozen fish, no thank you. But then I tried it and was completely shocked. It tastes amazingly fresh. Apparently, they use some process called "flash freezing," where they freeze the fish right when it gets on the boat, making it essentially fresher than fresh fish. Wow, good to know. It's cheap too. I especially recommend the salmon roulettes. Honestly to die for. Something else to love Trader Joe's for.

lol.

Sometimes I wonder about my sense of humor. I think I'm great face-to-face. I find myself laughing a lot, sometimes uncontrollably. It's movies and TV shows that I have a hard time with. I just don't sit in a movie theater watching a movie and laughing out loud, unless it's really amazingly funny. And there are certain things that will just never be funny to me.

Tonight I went to see Knocked Up. The previews before the movie were kind of funny. But the audience was literally laughing out loud (LOLing for those of you who only understand Internet jargon) at things that just weren't funny to me. For instance: Man throws ball. Ball hits other man in face. Audience laughs uncontrollably. I thought the woman behind me was going to choke on her popcorn, she was laughing so hard. Huh? I don't think I even cracked a smile. This, to me, is not funny. And I call this type of humor Home Alone humor. Remember in Home Alone when little Kevin plays all those dirty tricks on the men breaking into his house? He drops a hot iron on one of them. He hits them with paint cans. Yeah, not funny to me.

I don't know why I don't find these things funny, I just know I don't. And I'm kind of jealous that others can laugh so whole-heartedly at stuff like this. Strangely though, I often laugh at people's Home Alone type misfortunes in real life (i.e. woman falling of T, etc.). Does this make me a bad person?

I'm very specific in the movies and television shows I think are funny. I absolutely love things like The Office and Napoleon Dynamite, which makes me think that maybe I'm just a true Bostonian with a purely dry and sarcastic sense of humor. I think Bostonians are also quick to laugh at other people's misfortunes. In real life. LOL.

i hope you're hungry for mexican food.

Why, oh why did Coolidge Corner decide that it needed yet another Mexican restaurant? And when I say restaurant, I mean cheap, take-out food Mexican. They closed down McDonald's (more than fine with me) and are putting in a Qdoba. I'm sure Qdoba is quite delicious, but last time I checked, there were 5 Mexican take-out places I could walk to in less than 8 minutes.

Not only are there 2 Anna's Taquerias within a 5 minute walk of eachother (one at the corner of Beacon and Summit and one on Harvard), but there is also a Boca Grande at one end of Coolidge Corner on Beacon St. and there is a Baja Betty's a short walk away in Brookline Village. In addition to this, there's a newly built Taqueria Mexico on Beacon St. right across from the Anna's location. So, tell me again why we need a Qdoba. No really, tell me, because I do not understand.

Don't get me wrong, I am a BIG fan of Mexican food, but a) enough with the chains; give us some real, traditional, sit down and be served Mexican food, and b) Mexican or Asian? I'm sick of having basically 2 cuisine choices living in Coolidge Corner. Anna's is good, but I don't think it's "omg the best Mexican food ever." And Boca Grande and Baja Betty's are similar enough. I've never been to Taqueria Mexico for one main reason: my friend strongly warned me not to ever step foot inside the establishment. She said it's small, dirty, and that they nuke their nachos in the microwave and use nasty cheese. She ate one chip and threw the plate in the trash. If you can't make good nachos, then tell me, what kind of Mexican place are you?

Anyway, I'm still awaiting the day when Coolidge Corner opens casual dining restaurants that serve more than Mexican food or Asian food (besides the 2 token Indian restaurants). And if they really must open more Mexican restaurants, make them somewhere I can sit down and relax and get served authentic cuisine. I yearn for something like Oscar's Piñata of Tewksbury...yum. Until then, Ole! Bring on the guacamole.

it's a jungle out there.

While debating whether to take a cab or walk home from my friend's apartment in Brighton this evening, I determined how my mother would feel. I hate taking cabs and I love walking, but I'm well aware that a 5'3, 100 lb. girl walking 20 minutes down Beacon St. at 2:30 a.m. is probably a recipe for danger. And my mother would most certainly not approve. I think it sucks that I can't feel safe going on a pleasant stroll home, and instead have to pay money for transportation and sitting in a car when I am perfectly capable of walking 20 minutes. But evil lurks all around; people are just waiting to kidnap me, steal my purse, and do other crazy things that most normal people wouldn't think about doing. Sometimes the world just sucks, eh?

So, after my friend told me she would absolutely NOT let me walk home (even threatening to tell my mother), I called a cab and went outside to wait. Immediately upon stepping out of the lobby of the Brighton apt. I walked practically directly into the path of a rather large black cat hissing loudly at a fluffy and irate skunk. The skunk saw me and his tail automatically shot up in the air. I gasped, turned right back around, and ran back into the apt. lobby, slamming the door behind me. Somehow, pure luck maybe, the skunk did not seem to have sprayed. The cat grew bored and the skunk eventually ran into the bushes. I watched behind the glass doors.

Lesson of the night: Maybe muggers and rapists are the least of my worries when considering walking home at night. I should be more aware of the potential wildlife that lurks around the city's suburbs. After all, Brighton sure isn't Boston. Do you think you'd find any skunks walking around Faneuil Hall?

P.S. Has anyone else noticed the plethora of cats that seem to roam freely around Brighton? Kinda creepy...

read to me.

"...it is not news that we live in a world
Where beauty is unexplainable
And suddenly ruined
And has its own routines. We are often far
from home in a dark town, and our griefs
Are difficult to translate into a language
Understood by others.
-Charlie Smith "The Meaning of Birds" from Lorrie Moore's Birds of America.

One of the most joyful and also most painful things about being a writer is reading other writers who are able to say things a million times better than you ever think you will be able to. To me, there's nothing better than reading something that makes you feel like the writer completely knows and understands you. But it can also be somewhat disheartening when I try to put my own thoughts into writing and don't get the same effect these other writers do.

I fell in love with Julian Barnes about two years ago and I'm pretty sure he knows me better than I know myself. I had to do a class presentation on Flaubert's Parrot and was miserable trying to figure the book out. And then all of the sudden, I got it; and I realized the man is a literary genius. And I continued to read everything he wrote and I loved it all. If he weren't just 2 years younger than my dad, I might find him and try to marry him. His views on life and love are absolutely congruent with mine; and he molds them in ways I didn't know were possible.

''The world divides into two categories: those who believe that the purpose, the function, the bass pedal and principal melody of life is love, and that everything else -- everything else -- is merely an etc.; and those, those unhappy many, who believe primarily in the etc. of life, for whom love, however agreeable, is but a passing flurry of youth, the pattering prelude to nappy-duty, but not something as solid, steadfast and reliable as, say, home decoration.''
-Julian Barnes Talking it Over.

Don DeLillo and Lorrie Moore are also fantastic at acting like they know me. And more than anything, I want to be able to write like they do. Someday. Someday. But for now, I will continue to read beautiful prose and make sense of the world around me.

"Books say: She did this because. Life says: She did this. Books are where things are explained to you; life is where things aren't. I'm not surprised some people prefer books. Books make sense of life. The only problem is that the lives they make sense of are other people's lives, never your own."
-Julian Barnes Flaubert's Parrot.

Yes, it's true...but with writers like Barnes, these other people's lives have the power to help us to make sense of our own.

please raise fares...or just tax me.

right.

Can someone please explain to me how the MBTA is so deep in debt?? Because as far as I'm concerned, I'm paying $59/month to sit on a nasty, dirty, overly crowded train with rude employees and less than dependable service. Sooo how can that be costing so much money for them?

And lucky us, now we can plan on having the T's debt come out of our tax money. Yay! Thank goodness there's at least one very bright woman working for the MBTA: “'It’s gotten to the point where the T can’t raise fares any higher without substantially losing customers,' said Carrie Russell, staff attorney at the Conservation Law Center." You think?? Because I was willing to pay much higher fairs. Genius.

Personally, I'd rather the MBTA try to pay of some of the debt on their own before installing misting systems at outdoor T stops. I have zero desire to have dirty T water anywhere near my body and prefer to shower in my own home and not while waiting for a ride to work. And if they're in such horrible debt, why are they even considering such an option?? Ohhh Boston.

how do you spell awesome?

Did anyone else notice that the Awesome Ten Salon & Spa on Beacon St. in Brookline all of the sudden turned into Awesome Tan, Salon, & Spa? I drove by the other day, noticed the new attractive sign and then went, "huh?" How did the "e" turn into an "a"??? Or have I been wrong all along?

So, today I decided to stop in and see what was going on. "We get new owner," the woman at the front desk told me before I even asked her a single question. "Oh yeah," I said, "didn't you used to be 'Awesome Ten'??" She vigorously nodded her head up and down while saying, "No, no, no. We tan. T-A-N...T-A-N" A-ha, I was right. I looked around and realized the place looked a lot better than it used to. Really clean, bright, and modern. There's even a big flat screen TV. "You like better??" she asked me. I told her I did.

She continued. "We get lots of regulations. So many rules. They check on us a lot." I'm well aware...in case you didn't know, there are a ridiculous amount of regulations salons must follow to stay open. And state investigators come out and check and are not afraid to fine or even shut salons down. I remember the time I looked Awesome Ten Salon & Spa up on the licensing database to see if it was safe to get a manicure at and I saw all of the state violations against them. But now that they are Awesome Tan, Salon, & Spa, they should have a clear name in the database. I sure hope that one letter makes all of the difference.

let's get reacquainted.

Chelsee took this picture last week as we wandered aimlessly around Boston, realizing how little of the city we really know. After almost 2 years of living smack dab in Brookline, I realize that I need to break out of my comfort zone a bit. Since I'm in the process of signing my lease for another year at the pad, I want to make goals for myself and become more knowledgeable about the city I've lived within 25 miles of for my entire life (besides my brief hiatus called college in the NH...but still, what's that, 60 miles away?).

When I have visitors, I feel like a complete moron trying to give them a proper tour of Boston. Umm wanna go shopping on Newbury St? I know some great restaurants. Bar hopping in Faneuil Hall? It makes me feel so shallow. Of course I've done the Boston tours a billion times, but always only half listening; it is my city after all, I already know everything there is to know.

I definitely don't go the way of the harbor...pretty much ever. And until Chels and I walked there last week, I didn't realize how beautiful it is. Definitely planning some long city treks this summer and re-discovering the city I love to call home.

not impressed by the weather.

I did not leave my apartment once today and right now I am experiencing extreme cabin fever. I feel like running up and down the stairs of my building yelling. Probably not a good idea though, considering what time of night it is. Ugh, the weather was just so nasty, there was nothing I needed to do outside of my apt. that really seemed to matter very much. It was quite comfortable just sitting in my room, nice and dry.

Tomorrow I have to go to the grocery store no matter what, so I hope the downpours have stopped. Plus, if I went another day without going outside, I'd probably turn into a real live crazy person. I just don't understand how Saturday was a beautifulll 90 degree day and then yesterday and today were basically winter, in the rain. Eh, I guess that's New England for you. Keeps me on my toes and certainly is never boring. It does, however, make for some pretty boring blog entries, because this rain makes me have nooo life. Looking forward to the supposedly warm weekend coming up!

OK, off to bed in my dungeon. Ha.

“The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.” -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

singing along.

Sara has been trying to force us to go for months. I'd say it's been almost a year since Sara started attending Singalong at The Tap every Wednesday night. And every Wednesday afternoon, without a doubt, Sara will say "guysss, you know what tonight is...please come!" And we always said NO. Going to a bar on a Wednesday night and singing along to a crazy man is just not our idea of a good time.

Well, unbeknownst to us, Singalong also occurs the first Friday of every month and on our way out on Friday night, Sara finally managed to finagle us into stopping into The Tap to see the famous Bruce Jacques. And I have to say...it was pretty damn funny. And yes, I'd actually go again.

If you don't know about Singalong or Bruce Jacques, check his site out here.
OK that probably won't convince you to go because you'll basically just see pictures of a crazy man cross dressing. But honestly, if you're looking for something a little bit different than your typical night at a lame bar, you should try Singalong. Bruce gets up on stage and sings songs that everyone knows and loves (anything from Journey to Britney Spears), dresses in strange costumes, and encourages everyone to sing along (hence the name Singalong). He runs around, stands on tables, gets in people's faces, and makes you yell "ole!" The man is certifiably crazy.

I totally forgot the power of a room full of people just laughing and singing together and it brought me back to my UNH days of Irish Nights (also Wednesdays) at the Tin Palace. I don't think I stopped laughing the entire time I was there, and to me, that's what makes a good night. So, my apologies to Sara for making her ask me for an entire year and I'm looking forward to some more fun times at Singalong as we coerce more of our friends to attend.

Enough said.