Go Bruins!

I wish I was dressed this spiffy.

Cut-Outs and Greek Key

Now that we are in May we have begun to encroach upon Wedding Season!!!! This year is light for me, just one wedding and bunch of pre-wedding fun (see bacholorette parties, bridal showers, and dress shopping). Even though there is only one main event, I decided I needed a new dress for the occasion.

I popped down to LIT on Newbury and tried on what felt like 25 dresses. As much as I love the store, they are all about the short girls - most frocks barely covered my bum and the long dresses barely covered my ankles.

In the end, I bought a dress by The Addison Story. It is super comfortable but impossible to describe. After scouring the internet, I finally found some pictures. Voila!

The key holes around the neck and down the back are what really sold me on the dress. They are elements that just spark interest. Additionally, I sometimes have redness on my upper arms, so I am extremely grateful for having the coverage without having to have full on sleeves. Can't wait for June to wear this out!!

I went to there

Major thanks to a dodgeball friend who swiped me a ticket to the most amazing event. Because of her I got to spend close to 3 hours eating bacon and drinking various beers while unwinding from an INTENSE Saturday. (Morning was spent presenting a major school project)

The foods were tasty. I tried as much as I could handle. By far my favorite food was actually a cupcake that had a bacon topping on the frosting. Yuummmmmm.

Fingers crossed I will be working at the Lobster Party again. I almost promise I will take pictures next time. (There is no way I am really promising, as I tend to just stuff my face at these festivals, no time for pulling out a camera!)

Burlesque! Steampunk! Awesome!

A few weeks ago, there was Groupon or Living Social Deal for the Burlesque Expo in Boston. For $10 you got general admission which gives you access to the displays and drop-in classes on April 23rd and 24th. In true form, I managed to commit to a job that made it so the only time I could attend was Easter afternoon. Easter brunch was so tasty and coma-inducing, that I almost skipped the whole thing, except that a friend of mine texted me asking when we were heading out as we bought the deal together.

I can tell you I am so happy I didn't take that nap. If I had, I would not be the proud owner of a owl themed clock necklace.

























This purchase makes me so happy. The metal looks like an antiqued brass color and hangs right at the smallest part of my waste, since I don't have a ruler, I would guess that the chain is about 24 inches. I can't wait to wear it to work, as sometimes my tacky green watch just doesn't go with my outfits and I am addicted to knowing the time.

Where Am I?

I am slightly behind the times. This past weekend my traveling companions and I joined foursquare for the first time. The unnecessary competition is just too much fun to pass up. No matter how may times I read about Foursquare or heard about it, I just couldn't understand why you would want people to know where you were. But now, I get it.

First off, you don't have to share every time you check in. But if you do share 10 times in one day you earn a badge - and who doesn't want badges??? I was never a Girl Scout (which is fine, I didn't want to be one) so I never had the chance to earn pieces of felt to signify random craft and nature projects. Now I can happily receive a circle for visiting places I already go.

Besides the badges, you can get discount and free cookies by checking in! This girl loves a deal, and I cannot wait to find discounts and free stuff while I wander around town.

Please join and friend me, right now I only have 3 friends so the meaningless competition of scoring the most points is fairly limited. I would prefer a bigger fight!

New Graffiti

(Photo from Boston Globe)

There are people who tag up walls with spray paint, and then there are others who cover telephone poles with yarn creations. Boston.com recently published an article entitled "Watch your streets - knitters are on the loose". The South End Knitters is a group of women (at least I assume they are all female) who have taken it upon themselves to create knitted graffiti.

When I first read the article I smiled and thought how funny it would be if I walked home and saw an elephant (like above) hanging off a tree trunk. Seeing random pops of color on dreary winter days would help brighten my mood, and I totally appreciate that these crafters periodically clean their pieces to keep them look like trash that got tangled in a bush.

However, I don't understand why the group chose to do all this. I mean if you have extra yarn and no current project, why not donate mittens/hats/scarfs etc to charity. The graffiti is cute, but it makes me think of littering more than anything else. I understand that no one has to be charitable but I don't know why you pick defacing property (no matter how cute it is, these creations are still vandalizing property) over helping the greater good.

Oh well. To each his own. Let's get back to shoes and fashion!

To the MOON

December is my birthday month. Due to my own stubborn behavior, my birthday is just 2 days shy of Christmas (I was due on the 8th!), which means celebrating on my actual birthday is pretty much off the table. Instead, I try and go out with as many friends as possible throughout the month of December. This morning, I realized that with school, intramural, and the holidays, there weren't many days left open to do just this, so I sent out an email to my 3 closest friends to see if we could do our annual Margaritas and Me dinner.

One friend said she had another birthday that night at Howl at the Moon but she should be able to go to dinner first and then meet up with the other party after. Being the awesome friend she is, she invited me to come along with her and I figured, why not. I immediately opened up my Google Calendar to put this new event in. I just made the event the quick way, where you click on the time slot and just add the title, in this case "Howl at the Moon". After, I realized that I haven't been to Howl at the Moon and should edit the event with more details to include the address. When I opened the event I saw this:



Google Calendar tried to be so helpful by adding in an address based on the title of the event! Since there was a link to click on map I had to see if Google Earth has become Google Universe. Sadly, no. As far as Google is concerned, "the moon" is in Lexington, KY. Nice try Google, you aren't as perfect as I thought.

A Greater Power Doesn't Want Me to Diet

After chowing down Thanksgiving weekend, I thought it might be in my best interest to go on a diet until the Santa Speedo Run. The run is on December 11th and I would rather look as fit as possible when running around Boston in a bathing suit. Last night I made a declarative statement on twitter that it would be salad and pilates for the next two weeks. I find that if I don't let a large group know about my intentions, I don't go through with them.

After tweeting, I went the Exercise TV section of my On Demand and found a 21 minute pilates workout. Did the whole thing, felt good, felt positive. My plan began to form. Salads and some pasta for lunch/dinner, maybe some oatmeal for breakfast. Maybe I should do a second workout in the morning. You know, start the day off properly, helping me get some bounce in my step.

Well, all of this has gone up in smoke. Why? Because while I was shopping around the grocery today, after picking out THREE different types of lettuce, I came across this:


You're seeing this right. Cabot is making a Smoky Bacon Cheddar Cheese. And a block of it is sitting in my fridge as we speak. I haven't cut open the packaging yet, but I can't imagine I will make it through another day. Bacon and cheddar cheese can't be good for my diet. A beach body in December is pretty unrealistic, I mean, I can barely handle one during the summer.

Girl Date!

My professor let us know a few weeks ago that our class this week would be canceled. She had suggested that everyone work on their group projects as everyone should now have 7-9:30 free. Well, two of the members of my group saw the free night as a way to earn more money and agreed to work late, which meant free night for me! I mean, it would have been rude to work on the project myself, I wouldn't want anyone to feel bad about not pulling their own weight.

So instead, I thought why not have a girl date with one of my best friends. We agreed to enjoy a feast at Redbones. Thanks to a groupon that I had burning in my pocket, we were able to enjoy three different types of meat (sausage, ribs, pulled pork), sweet potato fries, cold slaw, beans, and of course some pie. Once we got to the point that another bite could not even be considered, let alone executed, we saw that it was almost 9 pm and time to head over to the movie theater to see The Town.

Let me tell you, this movie was amazing. As you may know, many scenes we re shot here in the Boston area. My friend and I had a great time picking out areas that we frequent.

Early on, Ben Affleck's character eats lunch with Rebecca Hall's. They are sitting on the patio of Grendal's Den. How do I know that? Well, first if you have ever walked in the area, you can tell based on the surroundings. But the main reason is that I stood in the park area for my entire lunch hour the day it was filmed hoping to see someone famous. Sadly, no one came out and I had to return to my office sad.

Later on there is a large sequence that was shot in the northend right by Bacca's. We had eaten there during restaurant week together, so of course we made a little girly shrill of excitement when the location was on the screen. I won't spoil the ending, but I will say, it was disappointing after about 2 hours of awesome.

Even taking into account the ending, this movie gets my stamp of approval, and I urge you all to go out and see it. I mean, come on, it's a Ben Affleck movie.

Booze before noon? Hells Yeah

Massachusetts passed a law that allows for booze to be served before noon on Sundays! This is some of the most exciting news I have heard that would fall under the category of politics. I realize that makes me seem shallow and pathetic, but really, having to wait until noon to order a mimosa is quite taxing at times.

If you have ever gone to the Highland Kitchen for Sunday brunch you would know how quickly the bartenders need to react when noon hits and EVERYONE wants a drink. Everyone sitting at tables, at the bar and waiting for a table wants a Bloody Mary or Mimosa STAT.

I cannot wait to brunch. Let's check my calendar...any one free July 18th? If not, how about August 1st? If neither works, maybe we can go for sometime in September :)

Taking the Scenic Route

I brunched with a few girls this morning down at Masa on Tremont Street. The brunch was tasty, but the services wasn't so spectacular. Today's weather was perfect for a stroll, so I opted to leave the house early so I could get off at Park St Station and wander my way to the restaurant. I saw online that the walk wouldn't be too long and who wants to have to hop onto the Green line for just a few stops anyway?

After checking with Google Maps I saw that the walk should be easy and simple so I didn't bother to print the map or write anything down. Not the smartest move on my part. See, I decided that while strolling through the park I would chat with my grandmother. By the time I thought to check in with my surroundings I realized that I was on a street I wasn't planning on walking on and really had no idea where I was in relation to where I should be.

At this point, I would like to give a thank you shout out to the bell hop that pointed me back in the right direction, as I still managed with this detour to be the first one at the restaurant.

If anything this weekend has taught me I should be more diligent about printing maps or getting addresses of places I need to go. Friday night I had a similar experience in that when I finally found parking I realized I wasn't sure where the restaurant was that I was supposed to eat dinner at. Thanks to a friendly policeman, I again made it just in time. :)

Too Tired To Type

Today is Patriot's Day. Or for those of us that live in the Boston area, Marathon Monday. While I have lived here for almost four years, this is the first year that I had the pleasure of having the day off. Previously, my employers have opted to require the staff to show up, as our offices were not along the 26 mile route. With my new job, this is no longer the case, so the day was mine.

A friend of mine decided to run this year, and so, I, with a handful of others, chased him along the racecourse cheering him on the best we could. It was actually a lot of fun trying to figure out exactly where he was at any point in time. Technology allowed for us to see if he made it past various check points. That, with the help of phone calls from friends who were staying stationary along the course who could provide us with visual confirmation of his progress, allowed for us to stay a few steps ahead.

After catching up with him by the St Mary's T stop, I had to call it quits and let the group know I would catch up for dinner. I needed food, beverage, and a bathroom. Honestly, I was exhausted. Cramming on crowded trains and maneuvering along sidewalks isn't as easy as it sounds. And by seven I was ready to call it a day and climb into bed! Granted it is now almost 11 pm and I am still up and typing, but once I hit "publish post" this little blogger will be heading to dreamtown. I hope to sleep enough tonight to make it through the work day tomorrow.

I know the runners will have it worse when they wake up - with the lack of toenails and inability to walk up stairs - which only reinforces my belief that I will never be a marathon runner. My body just cannot handle that kind of stress. My hat, or I should say sunglasses, is off to you fine people. May your body recover quickly.

Oh stuff and fluff

The rain just won't stop in Boston. It is awful. I was hoping for some great fun now that I kind of have my life back. (We can ignore the fact that my application for school isn't quite complete, nor have I filed my taxes) But the damn rain just won't stop!

If you think I am exaggerating just check with the news. I saw today that we have received 15 inches of rain this month. Normally this area gets 14 inches for March through June! The year gets about 43 inches and had 15 in a month! What is going on with the world? I don't remember it raining like this when I was growing up. I heard rumor school was canceled back home due to flooding!

Mother Nature, please give me back the sun. Thanks.

Road Rage in Paper Form

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I now drive to work each morning instead of relying on public transportation. In addition to driving to my 9-5, I have begun driving to my shifts for my part-time night work as well. I am often required to find on-street parking in downtown Boston, which isn't the easiest thing to do. Some areas have painted lines to help drivers understand where they should park, but most streets lack markers, allowing for parking chaos. I have found that if a driver is given freedom of where along the curb to park their vehicle, there is a small (but annoying) population that will opt to park in such a way that eliminates parking spaces in the hopes of protecting themselves from having cars too close to their own bumpers.

As it turns out, youparklikeanasshole.com came out with some great notes that you can fill out and leave under the wiper blades. Yeah, I know I would never have the balls to use such a note, but I like thinking that there are people out that do.

No Google!!! Don't Encourage them!!

Google posted that a new feature has been added to their maps feature. Now, for certain cities, such as Boston, you can get directions for walking, driving, public transportation and BIKING.

Not a fan of this at all.

I hated bikers when I was a pedestrian first and driver second. (Bikers never yield at crosswalks) Now that I drive to work every day, I really despise them. Boston roads are in terrible shape. Many are barely wide enough for two cars to travel down them on two way streets, especially with the road side parking. Add in potholes that can take off car tires there is just not enough flat surface to go around.

Bikers love to go down the wrong way on a one-way street, weave through bumper to bumper. If you are a biker you do not get to cut to the front of the line at the intersection and then cross when the light is still red by weaving through traffic that has a green light. I could rant for so many more inches, but I won't. All I will say is if you are a Bostonian and are thinking of taking up biking now, please consider the fact that this area is just not bike friendly and just stick to whatever mode of transportation you are currently depending on.

Thanks.

Nothing like a biker holding up traffic because he just can't pedal fast enough...

Who dat on my ring?

Saturday morning I had some time to kill between brunch and wedding shoe shopping (for a friend, not for me!). So I poked around Davis Square for a bit. While in Davis Squared I stumbled onto a couple of adorable rings. One was a cluster of pearl like beads, the other an owl wearing glasses. Decisions, decisions.

Clearly, based on the picture to the left, I went with the owl. I think it is adorable and so far have worn it out 3 times. Everyone notices it and makes a compliment. By notice, I mean that I shove it peoples faces because I am so excited about it and then complements come forward. Personally, I think owls are rather fashionable. I have a scarf with an owl and, well, now this ring. Still. I think they are an animal that really can make an outfit appear smart!

I thought I already owned an iPaad

After Apple's big announcement regarding the iPad was made, I started searching online for responses to the new product. The news stories found through Google News provided the same basic details over and over again, so I decided to hit up Twitter to see what the general masses thought about it 140 characters or less. Most of the tweets I saw were linking me to the articles I already read, or announcing how the individual would want to purchase the iPad if they had the money. The absolute best tweet about the new Apple product came in the form of a retweet that I too, came close to having to retweet as well.

quoting a friend of a friend: "i thought ipads were just people from boston trying to say ipod...i was WAY OFF"

So yes, I understand that Boston does a unique accent where many letters are dropped, added or simply mispronounced. But did the group in charge of naming products at Apple really need to name this the iPad. The name is nice and short, but it is only one letter off of a very popular product. Couldn't they do iTablet like it was initially rumored? I can't imagine that the Boston accent is the only one that will cause people to be confused about what exactly is being talked about. Personally, I don't think my accent is all that bad, but I am now very conscious about saying iPad vs iPod.

I did hear that the next electronic that Apple is releasing is an outdoor touch screen radio for gardners called the iPot. Bad joke, I know I know.

A (Hot Pink) Tights Under the Pants Kind of Day

Brrrrr!!! Did Mother Nature forget to pay the heat bill? We just went to high 40s to, well, this

At dinner last night my friends and I watched the crazy white happen from the comfort of our table at Cactus Club and realized that we had been lulled into a false sense that winter was behind us. Unanimously we agreed that getting dress for Friday morning would require the oldest trick in the New England Winter Clothing book. Tights under the pants.

The way I see it is if I have to deal with dreary winter weather, I might as well spice things up by wearing tights with attitude. Knowing my legs were covered in a hot pink material definitely helped to brighten my morning as I walked to the bus stop. In all reality, I do try to wear something brightly colored on a daily basis - more often than not, it is a layered item that no one can really see. Just knowing something is bright and cheerful on my body when the winds are 25 mph and the temperature is in the low 20s makes summer seem that much closer.

Countdown to April 10th

Why?

That would be the night that I, and four friends, will be seeing the one and only Chelsea Handler. We all love her show (Chelsea Lately) and her books. The woman is just so hysterical. It is really hard to find female comedians that are consistently good. I just feel like Chelsea has the same thoughts that we do. She is very open with her audience and let's in on her bladder problems - specifically that she has occasionally peed herself from laughing too much.

Sadly, I have only read My Horizontal Life which was beyond funny. The book is a collection of short stories of her one-night stands. It is a great book to have to read while commuting because once you are done with a chapter you can easily put it down without feeling like you have to keep reading. Seriously, it is worth the read. I have not had the chance to read Are You There Vodka, It's Me Chelsea yet, but I have every intention of picking up a copy as soon as I am able.

To show our respects, the five of us plan to drink some Belvedere (as Chelsea recently switched alliances from Grey Goose to Belvedere - apparently Grey Goose has extra sugars) before attending the show. Also, we found it rather appropriate that Ms. Handler will be preforming at the Wang - we hope she can use that in her routine.

Well it is December. Snow was bound to happen

View from my living room

In case you weren't in the Boston area last night, it snowed. Like big snowflakes. This of course came after the awful horizontal rain that I walked through while going to and from the T to get to my job at the World Trade Center. I know it is December, but I was a little thrown off with the snow falling when I left my job at 10 pm. It was super slippery to walk to my car and drive home. I forgot that I would need to brush off my back window as well as the front, so I had to awkwardly get back out of my car after starting it up.

I was more than kind of hoping the snow would be gone this morning. When I first got up around 9 there was a good amount of snow everywhere. When I got up a second time after a nap, a good amount of the snow had disappeared (as seen by the picture above). I do like snow, I really do, but I just haven't bothered to get my winter clothes out of the basement and I just don't want to have to think about that quite yet.

Mother Nature, could you hold off with the snow for another week or so? I'd like it to be kind of warm for the Patriots game that I am going to next weekend. Thanks. :)