Boston Blogger Meet-Up!

Saturday was the Boston blogger meet-up! OK, so there were only 7 of us there. And 2 of the girls (yes, all girls) I already know quite well. But it was a blast and great to get to know some of the other local bloggers. Sadly, Julie Q took the only picture and so she is not even in it! But of course, that just means we'll have to have another meet-up soon, and hopefully even more bloggahs will join us.



From left to right is Chelsee (SeeLeigh and my co-writer at We are not Martha), Me, Sara (ComfortSource), Pam (Cave Cibum), Amanda (In Development), and Susie (yes, another one! Transient Travels). And obvi Julie (JQ Lounge) was the girl behind the camera.

Sara brought cupcakes from Sweet and we hung out, drinking beer, and chatting and filling each other in on the things we didn't already know from our blogs. Like the fact that Amanda's uncle is a man I've had a crush on for about 7 years. OK, I think I might have scared her a bit with that one...I'm really not creepy, I swear.

And a 40-year-old "challenged" man tried to buy me a beer and I kind of rudely turned him down. Yes girls, after Chels pointed out that he looked a little slow, we were leaving the bar and noticed a sign on the door that said "Special Olympics Meet-Up Downstairs." Oops.

Anyway, I am totally down for another gathering any time, so let me know who's in and when and maybe we can even find somewhere cooler to go to than the Pour House.

the week in advance.

Reasons this week wins the award for best week ever:

-Tomorrow is Patriots Day, also known as Marathon Monday in Boston. While this is a state holiday, a lot of people I know don't get it off. Of course, since I am on an "alternative work schedule," I am granting myself the day off (for my recent good work habits). Sara and I can be found wandering Boston starting in the early AM, possibly sipping coffee with Kahula. And looking for bars that will let us in so we can watch the Red Sox game. Eventually we will make our way to the Marathon finish line and revel in the fact that we live in the fabulosity that is Boston.

-Wednesday, my favorite UNHer is coming to town. We will be going to the Isabella Stuart Gardener Museum, which I'm ashamed I have never been to. Then I'm giving Kyle a tour of Paper Source, which I'm certain will quickly become her favorite store. Can't wait to see her!

-Wednesday evening I will start dogsitting for my two favorite little puppies in the world. Allegedly, my aunt now calls Mitzi "Houdini," as she has recently learned to escape from her pen. Sweet. Let's hope she doesn't destroy any more of my personal property.

-Friday, my sister and her fiancee are moving to Boston for 3 months! I'm already sad as I know the 3 months will fly, but maybe just maybe they will end up back here after they travel to North Carolina and Austin. I'm also quite excited to visit them and my lovely cousins in Austin.

So, my week basically looks fabulous. I'm going to be fitting a lot of work in the PM hours, but then, how is that any different than usual? Seriously though, I can't remember the last time I've been excited for a "week" as opposed to a "weekend."

Bed time now as I have to be up earlier tomorrow than I do on a normal Monday. Ahh, tough life taking a holiday, huh? Sorry to all of you poor kids who don't live in Boston and so don't get to celebrate one of the best holidays of the year!

Flashback! From last year's marathon. Wow. that feels like SO much longer than a year ago. Cannot even believe where I was at that point.

in case you're looking for somewhere to eat.

Just got back from The Met Club where I once again had an AMAZING meal. I've seriously never had a bad experience there and will go back again and again (as long as my aunt keeps taking me...uhh I do not come close to affording dinner there). And I highly recommend it to anyone in the Boston area (it's on route 9 in Chestnut Hill). The employees are also super friendly, which could partly be because they know my aunt, she's in there so much (um, the waitress followed us out thanking us over and over for the tip). My pseudo aunt is seriously the most lovely, generous person I know. Just an example: she and her husband have 4 seats for season tickets to the Sox and get this...if she is at the game and the rest of her tickets aren't being used, she goes up to the highest, worst seats; finds people she thinks look nice (usually a parent and child); and asks them if they want to move down to her seats (which are obviously amazing). She does things like this ALL the time and is without a doubt, one of the most generous, caring, and not flashy people I know. Love her.

Anyway, I had salmon wellington for dinner, along with some really good salads (something with beets and goat cheese and something with arugla and goat cheese...um, I like goat cheese?), lots of wine (2 bottles for 3 of us = me practically falling asleep on the way home), coffee, and gingerbread souffle. Oh, and we can't forget the french fries. No matter what you get to eat a The Met, you HAVE to get the fries. I'm seriously not a big french fry person, but wow. These are basically really crispy french fries with parmesan and a white truffle parm mayo. Some people have been known to eat a whole order themselves...

Along the same lines of eating a lot of food, my friends and I decided that instead of exchanging holiday gifts this year, we would all go out for a nice dinner together. It took forever for us to decide on a restaurant, but someone brought up Masa in the South End and when we looked at a menu, we decided to go for it. So happy we did because it was amazing! Saturday evening, 10 of us (seriously a miracle that all 10 of us were able to go out to dinner on the same night) celebrated the holidays together at Masa. The Southwesternish menu was so extensive that almost all of us got something different. And I think every one of us was pleased with our choices. First of all, the appetizer Sas and I shared was to die for!! If you know me, you know I'm obsessed with anything pumpkin, so when I saw it on the menu I HAD to get it. It was Mexican cinnamon roasted pumpkin and goat cheese quesadilla and was absolutely succulent. It almost tasted like dessert and was perfect for sharing. I want to recreate this as soon as pumpkin season returns. For my meal, I had grilled pasilla rubbed mahi mahi with red chile sesame sauce, mango mint salsa, and crisp plantain polenta cake. Ummm YUM is all I can say (I think I'm really bad at describing food except in terms of yum, omg, wow, to die for, uhhhhh, etc. Need to work on that).

The only thing I didn't like about the restaurant is that it was so dark I could barely see my food, which I think was presented really nicely on the plate. Sometimes it can be sketchy eating something you can't really see, but everything about this dish was so good it didn't even matter. The flavors melded so well and I think I ate every bit of it. The prices are very reasonable too. And they have really good drinks. I stuck to the Malbec, but Sas and Chels got yummy-looking drinks (sangria margaritas?? Is that right? I remember a cinnamon stick in Sas' though I'm not sure why). The chef also brought us some complimentary stuff. Some sort of appetizer, which was delish, though I couldn't see it so I have no clue what it was. They even made Chels a special one since it had nuts on it and she's allergic (good thing she was smart enough to ask!). They also brought us complimentary coconut macroons for dessert. A sign of a good restauraunt! Also a sign of a good restaurant: when we split appetizers, they split them for us and brought us our own plates. Masa=really good restaurant.

So, yes, if you live in Boston or are visiting Boston, these two restaurants have very strong recommendations from me! I cannot wait to go back to Masa and try something else on the menu. I now need to go on a post-holiday diet as I have been eating WAY too much good food lately. I also decided I need to return to my apartment as soon as possible because my parents are way too amazing of cooks and I have spent this entire week eating. I'm now going on a diet of smoothies in my new blender and veggies sliced with my new mandoline. Yesss.

and we didn't even have to wait another 86 years.

World Series champions!!!!!! Honestly, that series was amazing and I'm still in shock that we swept. I almost started crying when I saw how happy the boys were. And I think it's soo cool how many rookies made such a huge difference in our season. It was a total and complete team effort. I've been hearing a lot of people say things like "It would have been so much better if the Rockies won; the Red Sox always win!" Umm hello? We didn't win a thing for 86 years. And we even waited a few years after winning in 2004. So, I think we've been playing pretty nicely. Then they say things like "New England wins at everything! It's no fair!" I think it's fair. It's called we're better than you. The best team wins and our teams are pretty damn awesome right now (I may have to exclude the Bruins from this statement, though I will try to keep some faith in them).

I watched the game at Chelsee and Katie's apartment because a) we didn't get an early enough start to be able to fit in any bar in Boston and surrounding cities, b) thinking about even being near alcohol was making me sick, and c) my mom told me I would probably get hurt if I went out. So we sat in front of the TV in our Sox t-shirts and enjoyed the game in a peaceful and safe environment.

Then Chelsee offered to drive me and Nina home and we had the fabulous idea of checking out the action more into the city. Kenmore was entirely blocked off so we just had to imagine the craziness that was there. I'd probably rather not though considering when we entered the Mass Ave. area, people (also known as college students) came from everywhere, surrounding Chelsee's vehicle from all sides (also known as jumping on it). They started banging on her windows, climbing on her car, jumping on the roof, screaming, basically being complete morons and preventing us from driving anywhere. I honestly felt like we were going to die, the windows were going to smash, someone was going to tip the car over with us in it, etc. Nina said she felt like she was at a car wash (from hell) and there is honestly no better way to describe how it felt. This human car wash resulted in a huge dent in Chelsee's brand-new, just paid $2,000 for hood. And us kicking ourselves because we should have known something like that was going to happen.

Moral of the story: Always listen to your mom. And while I love Boston and the Red Sox to death, there are a few citizens I could do without.

after the boys won game 4

we saw this scene many times on our after-game drive

Photos compliments of Boston.com

still in love.

Yesterday I went to the South End. I am a completely pathetic Bostonian due to the fact that I have never been to the South End before, ever. HORRIBLE, I know. I've lived in Boston for over 2 years now, and grew up just 20 minutes outside of the city. And it was only a few months ago that I actually figured out that the South End is not the same as South Boston or Southie. Seriously though, could they make this any more confusing? The South End and Southie are 100% nothing alike, at all. And now it is oficially my new goal in life to move to the South End. When I told my mom my new life goal she said, "Great! You might wanna get a job. Or two for that matter!" Point taken. Oh but I will be moving here, I assure you.

Chelsee and I went to the South End because we wanted to check out the Open Market at SoWa. It wasn't quite as cool as we thought it was going to be (probably because it's late October), but we still managed to make some purchases and have a good time. I love stuff like this and can't wait for the holiday market. It was a beautiful day so we walked around for a long time and marveled at our surroundings. We went to Francesca's for lunch and got sandwiches and ate on a bench while people watching. We really did not feel like we were in Boston though we were sooo close to everything. The streets in the South End are SO flat (unlike anywhere in Boston) and the sidewalks are wide. There was actual diversity! And the people just seemed lovely. And the buildings are beautiful. Shops are fun. And good restaurants are everywhere. Can you tell I'm obsessed? Also, there are not a billion college students everywhere. I love Brookline and Coolidge Corner to death but when it comes time for a change, I've found my new home. Now I just need to find some money.

Yesterday was just one of those days that makes me re-discover my love for Boston all over again (I can't forget that the Sox also won last night). I'm the type of person who is constantly defending the city as much as possible and I generally refuse to speak ill of it, but sometimes some of the people here discourage me and I wonder what it would be like to be somewhere else. So days like yesterday make me happy and help me realize how much I really want to be here and that even if I get sick of my current situation, there are so many more opportunities for me. As small a city as Boston is, I clearly have a lot to learn. And I love that.

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.

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.

summa time in the city.

Today I had my first Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee of the season. Pretty much the only thing I don't like about summer is iced coffee. Not that I don't like it...I just greatly prefer hot coffee. But when I'm out walking around under the hot sun, hot coffee just doesn't seem to work really well. So I had to force myself to get iced.

I never understood how people could come to work at 9 a.m. in the dead of winter with an iced coffee. There's something about getting a cup of scalding hot black coffee, cupping it in my hands, sipping it slowly, and waking up to the aroma. Iced coffee you just can't do that with. Where's the fresh coffee smell? And I never feel like I can drink iced coffee black. Other than the coffee issue, I'm so psyched it's summery out. And I'm still hoping to bump into Rachel Ray in D&D one of these days...

On a side note, don't you love when you go to a convenience store and the guy in front of you buys a 12 pack of beer, a pack of cigarettes, and 3 lottery tickets...have some vices, dude.

Pics from last week in lovely Brookline:

just an idea...

If you think people in Boston are cold and unfriendly, try purchasing a dog. Tonight I discovered that driving around with a cute little dog sitting on the seat next to you will cause many people to smile and wave in your direction. Tomorrow I may try walking her around the city just to see how many friends I make.

Disclaimer: I'm not advocating buying dogs just to make friends. You should actually like dogs before purchasing them.

stop teasing me.

Is anyone else confused my this weather? I'm cold right now. I thought maybe I was done with being cold. Yesterday was absolutely amazing and I really don't like being teased like this! I cannot wait the real summer, especially since I now know the best place in Boston and its surrounding areas to lie out and catch some rays. And I'm not telling.

Oh, how I love being jobless. I also love the fact that in exactly 5 days, I will only have one more class to take before I have my master's degree. I cannot wait for the beautiful summer days of hanging out and doing freelance work, and summer nights strolling around Boston with my friends (and eating nachos of course- HAHA). Anyone have any favorite Boston summer hot spots?

remember pokemon? they're still alive!

Today I semi-attended Boston's Anime Convention. No seriously, this convention was going on in Boston. Who knew, right? My friends and I certainly had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when we decided to do a bit of shopping in Copley and the Prudential. As we crossed the bridge over to the Pru, we slowly began noticing people in strange costumes. And as we neared the center of the Pru, there were suddenly people dressed in costumes ALL around us. "Is it some sort of Halloween thing?" my friend asked. "Umm it's April," we replied. "Well then, it has to be some sort of video game convention," she determined. We finally asked the employee at a nearby watch kiosk and he informed us it was an anime convention that was lasting all weekend.

So, we did what any other normal human beings would do: we went and got lunch at Au Bon Pain and sat in front of the entrance to Hyne's Convention Center for over an hour, just watching all of the action. You would not believe the costumes that these people were wearing; I'm not even going to try to explain them because I could do them no justice. I don't know much about anime but I do know we saw some characters from Pokemon, a few Sailor Moons (remember her??), some Yu-Gi-Oh characters, and even a couple Marios (a la Mario Brothers) and Princess Toads. We also ran across a Jesus Christ, a Hello Kitty, the green Power Ranger (Tommy), and a Jack Sparrow; and we heard through the grapevine that there was a Waldo wandering around. Not quite sure how they fit in, but they were there.

The highlight of the event was when two people dressed in giant brown boxes realized they were both dressed as the same character. "Look!! Turn around!! There's two of you!!" one of the brown box's friends yelled to him. He turned around, both of the brown boxes began running toward each other, and they embraced (as well as they could dressed in boxes). The crowd in front of the convention center erupted in applause and cheers.

Apparently Anime Boston is the biggest anime convention in New England and last year they had 9,000+ attendees. My friends and I spent a lot of time discussing the kinds of people who are obsessed with anime, how you become interested in it, the amount of artistic skills it must take to make some of the costumes, etc. There were little kids there and grown adults, but the majority of attendees were probably in their teens and twenties. I, for one, never knew such conventions existed nor did I have a clue about the extent of them.

Check out the website http://www.animeboston.com/ to learn more. All kinds of events were going on, including 24 hour video gaming and an Anime dating game. One of the best parts of the website is the dating games FAQs. One atendee asks "My costume has moving parts/large weapons/gets in other people's way. Is this a problem?" which renders a long explanation about costume restrictions. And let me tell you, some of these costumes were NOT "street-legal" (hello, excuse to dress skankily and excuse for men to wear dresses!) and I have no idea how these people were allowed to walk around a mall with all sorts of fake guns, swords, and huge knife-like weapons. But they did.

We didn't even enter the conference center (it was $30), but we learned oh so much about a whole subculture of New England we didn't even know existed.

get your running (snow) shoes out.

So apparently there could possibly be a Nor'easter on Marathon Monday. That should be interesting. Does anyone remember last year? I recall the weather being absolutely beautiful. I believe it was so warm that they were saying it might be too hot for the runners. Now there might be running in a blizzard. Sweet, I bet they're all psyched. Well, that's Boston for you; I personally love the unpredictability, though it does make it difficult to plan outfits ahead of time. And road races.

Would the Boston Marathon ever be postponed?? I don't know, it never has been before. But what would they do it there was 3 feet of snow falling from the sky? When would they postpone it to? I wonder how many people would have to drop out due to travel arrangements. What a waste of training and anticipation that would be.

WBZ's website says this from the Boston Athletic Association:

"As the Boston Athletic Association continues to make preparations for Monday's Boston Marathon, we are monitoring the upcoming weather conditions forecast for this area. Based on the National Weather Service's most recent report and in cooperation with the Executive Office of Public Safety (Commonwealth of Massachusetts) and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, together with the eight cities and towns along the 26.2-mile marathon route, we are planning for likely heavy rain and windy conditions on race day. However, all race day plans remain the same. The Boston Athletic Association advises participants in Monday's race to plan accordingly for their run, bringing with them gear and apparel to suit the conditions."

So it may just be pouring cats and dogs with lots of wind...I live right on the marathon route and love watching it, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to drag myself out the door to watch a bunch of sopping wet people run by. It makes me sad too, because, to me, Marathon Monday marks the beginning of beautiful weather, bringing with it the anticipation of another summer in the city, and the state-wide pride that we, Massachusettsians (or is it "ites?"), are the only people in the country who get Patriot's Day off (except for maybe Maine and Wisconsin...but still). I know I'm praying for a bit of sunshine come Monday.

“I guess God made Boston on a wet Sunday.” -Raymond Chandler

i swear i know my way around.

One of the best feelings in the world is the feeling that you know what you're doing. I got lost while trying to attend a conference at MIT this weekend. I don't frequent that area much at all, and I am pretty much clueless in all of Cambridge. I had directions to the building I was trying to get to, but of course the street I needed to be on was missing a street sign. So I basically walked a mile out of my way before I realized something was not right and I needed to seek help. I asked various people if they knew where the Vassar Street was, but nobody seemed interested in helping me and basically just shrugged when I asked if they knew where the street was. Finally, a man told me how to get there ("You can't miss it!" Oh, but I did), and I preceded to turn around and head practically all the way back to the T stop. Side note: My shoes were NOT comfortable!

Later, as I was leaving the conference and walking back to the T stop, a man stopped me and said "Do you know where the Stata Center is??" It was the same building I had just come from! I got a little too excited and said "YES!! I do know!!" and told him I had had trouble finding it too, but it's really not hard, the street sign is missing, etc. etc. He just stared blankly at me until I finally told him how to get there.

I couldn't help my excitement at actually being able to help another lost citizen. I walked back to the T station feeling like a true Boston resident who even knows my way around Cambridge. Next weekend I might even venture into Somerville.

P.S. This is the building I was trying to get to...

I know, pretty easy to miss, right? I actually think I was so distracted walking by it, I had noo idea it was where I was supposed to be. Gotta love Frank Gehry :)