I had been doing errands in the Square, so was late to catch my normal bus. I saw an M2 approaching, so ran across the street to catch it. Right then, the sign changed to "out of service." The driver, however, noticed me and opened the door--"Where are you going, sweetheart?" I told him that I was going to Kenmore, a normal stop on the M2 route. He said that if I was willing to be dropped at Mass and Beacon (a mere block from my apt), he would be happy to bring me there, as he was on his way back to the station.
BEST. BUS RIDE. EVER.
No stops. Only person on the bus. And a bus driver happy enough to be on his way home that he sang the whole way.
10 December 2008
A big question
B: What kept you motivated?
K: Motivated to not be with him? Or generally motivated in life?
B: Both
K: Life motivation is hard. And harder with a broken heart. Naps exist for a reason. So do kitties.
K: Motivated to not be with him? Or generally motivated in life?
B: Both
K: Life motivation is hard. And harder with a broken heart. Naps exist for a reason. So do kitties.
13 September 2008
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
I just finished this book by Chris Crutcher.
I cried at least twice.
It is definitely an "issues" book, but it is done well enough to only feel slightly manipulated as an informed reader. The book clearly had an agenda.
I still loved it.
I cried at least twice.
It is definitely an "issues" book, but it is done well enough to only feel slightly manipulated as an informed reader. The book clearly had an agenda.
I still loved it.
12 September 2008
Overheard in Kenmore.
I'm walking into my apartment building when a girl passes me on the street in the middle of a VERY intense phone conversation.
"No, no I will not. I will NOT reach for the stars! I'm sick of it. I just won't anymore. I will not reach for the stars."
I have no idea who she was talking to, but man, was she serious.
"No, no I will not. I will NOT reach for the stars! I'm sick of it. I just won't anymore. I will not reach for the stars."
I have no idea who she was talking to, but man, was she serious.
09 September 2008
Safety.
My apartment was broken into a month ago. Until that point, my summer had been very not-fun -- my personal life was in shambles, my cat was sick, and my grandparents were having various health issues.
I was away in Maine visiting my grandparents when the robbery occurred. The thieves came in through my air conditioner--the unit didn't take up the whole window, so I had boarded the rest, figuring I was on the second floor and wasn't a target. They came in there.
And then apparently threw a party!
The first thing I saw upon entering my apartment was a bottle of creme de cocoa that someone had left in my apt years ago. Being allergic to chocolate, I probably should have thrown it out, but I kept it in a bin with other strangely acquired hard alcohol (which I don't drink, so have never used). I couldn't even give the police an assessment of the crate--maybe some tequila? And a bottle of rum-ish substance? I really had no idea. But they did leave a mixer of some sort, THANK GOD.
Back to the robbery: I was slightly confused about the creme de cocoa in the middle of the floor, but I'd just woken up from a car nap and was much more concerned about finding Lin. Who was in the closet, apparently shaken from the random intruders. Once I found her, I finally realized that my apartment had, indeed, been robbed. I ran out to Bea, who, bless her heart, thought that Lin had died and, in that split second, had a eulogy planned. After learning that my apartment had been broken into and my computer stolen, she said, "At least I don't need to drive a dead cat to NH for burial."
I'm lucky to have such a level-minded sister, as she took over and called the police while I changed into restaurant clothes and left (the Yankees were in town--I had no choice, I couldn't leave my best friend alone to waitress).
This is what they took:
8-year-old DVD player
3-year-old laptop
1/2 bottle of wine that had been sitting my fridge for at least a week
random hard alcohol from that untouched bin
the contents of my bowl of change
Jess's bottle of vodka, left after my Marathon Monday party (sorry Jess)
This is what they left:
LIN!
My digital camera
The bottle of creme de cocoa (oh thank god! They only took swigs from it!)
Did I mention MY CAT (thank god she didn't decide to venture on the balcony after they left the window open.)
All of my expensive Coach, Kate Spade, and Prada bags.
My autographed Red Sox stuff.
My TV.
All my DVDs.
All my books (obvi not interesting to thieves, but a lot of them are signed and special)
So basically:
They got a non-working DVD player
and my computer. Which I loved. Which was missing the delete key because Charlie stepped on the keyboard a lot. Which had all my grad school papers and music and pictures (of which I had transferred most to my work computer as a back up).
I didn't lose a lot. But I still feel violated. I don't have an A/C in my bedroom anymore, which, if you know me, makes me crazy. I HATE sleeping warm. I open my window wide in December. I've frozen out more men with my sleeping habits than with my personality, which is saying a lot.
But I'm dealing. I have a fan to shuttle the living room's cooler air to my bedroom. I lock the windows and make sure my curtain is in place. I double-lock my front door. I hate feeling insecure in a place I thought was so safe.
And after my friend was attacked while walking home (about a week after my apartment was broken into), I have become very paranoid.
Where am I safe?
My city has become foreign to me.
I was away in Maine visiting my grandparents when the robbery occurred. The thieves came in through my air conditioner--the unit didn't take up the whole window, so I had boarded the rest, figuring I was on the second floor and wasn't a target. They came in there.
And then apparently threw a party!
The first thing I saw upon entering my apartment was a bottle of creme de cocoa that someone had left in my apt years ago. Being allergic to chocolate, I probably should have thrown it out, but I kept it in a bin with other strangely acquired hard alcohol (which I don't drink, so have never used). I couldn't even give the police an assessment of the crate--maybe some tequila? And a bottle of rum-ish substance? I really had no idea. But they did leave a mixer of some sort, THANK GOD.
Back to the robbery: I was slightly confused about the creme de cocoa in the middle of the floor, but I'd just woken up from a car nap and was much more concerned about finding Lin. Who was in the closet, apparently shaken from the random intruders. Once I found her, I finally realized that my apartment had, indeed, been robbed. I ran out to Bea, who, bless her heart, thought that Lin had died and, in that split second, had a eulogy planned. After learning that my apartment had been broken into and my computer stolen, she said, "At least I don't need to drive a dead cat to NH for burial."
I'm lucky to have such a level-minded sister, as she took over and called the police while I changed into restaurant clothes and left (the Yankees were in town--I had no choice, I couldn't leave my best friend alone to waitress).
This is what they took:
8-year-old DVD player
3-year-old laptop
1/2 bottle of wine that had been sitting my fridge for at least a week
random hard alcohol from that untouched bin
the contents of my bowl of change
Jess's bottle of vodka, left after my Marathon Monday party (sorry Jess)
This is what they left:
LIN!
My digital camera
The bottle of creme de cocoa (oh thank god! They only took swigs from it!)
Did I mention MY CAT (thank god she didn't decide to venture on the balcony after they left the window open.)
All of my expensive Coach, Kate Spade, and Prada bags.
My autographed Red Sox stuff.
My TV.
All my DVDs.
All my books (obvi not interesting to thieves, but a lot of them are signed and special)
So basically:
They got a non-working DVD player
and my computer. Which I loved. Which was missing the delete key because Charlie stepped on the keyboard a lot. Which had all my grad school papers and music and pictures (of which I had transferred most to my work computer as a back up).
I didn't lose a lot. But I still feel violated. I don't have an A/C in my bedroom anymore, which, if you know me, makes me crazy. I HATE sleeping warm. I open my window wide in December. I've frozen out more men with my sleeping habits than with my personality, which is saying a lot.
But I'm dealing. I have a fan to shuttle the living room's cooler air to my bedroom. I lock the windows and make sure my curtain is in place. I double-lock my front door. I hate feeling insecure in a place I thought was so safe.
And after my friend was attacked while walking home (about a week after my apartment was broken into), I have become very paranoid.
Where am I safe?
My city has become foreign to me.
08 September 2008
Arrest.
An arrest was made.
It's so disturbing that such a violent hate-crime could happen in Boston, in the South End, to someone I dearly love.
It's so disturbing that such a violent hate-crime could happen in Boston, in the South End, to someone I dearly love.
07 September 2008
23 August 2008
Friends.
Tonight one of my friends told me he loved me more times than I can have possibly warrented.
I am so, SO lucky.
I am so, SO lucky.
22 August 2008
Okay, I'm really back.
And so excited that one of my best friends was on Bostonist:
Doesn't she look hot?
Yes, that's my girl.
Doesn't she look hot?
Yes, that's my girl.
08 August 2008
Lin.
Lin is doing just fine, thanks for the concern. She pees a lot. It's like having a fuzzy baby, but a baby that attempts to clean me, so I guess that's a step up.
Facebook.
Wouldn't it be great if, when you posted on someone's wall, the picture you had at the time was the picture that forever showed up next to that post? FB is nice enough to change every post's picture to your current picture, but it would be better if each post kept the picture from that time. Anne has a post from me from 2004, and god knows what shit I looked like then.
13 July 2008
11 July 2008
Go to El Pelon.
In Boston, there are two family-owned burrito "chains." One is Boca and one is Anna's. Anna's has an enormous following. Boca has its followers too, but I've never met anyone as passionate about Boca as they are about Anna's.
I, personally, dislike Anna's because I find it salty, the cheese has no taste, and the guac is not good. I'll eat Anna's, as it's passable, but I don't love it. That said, the people who love it do because of the meat in the burritos. So that's a different story. But the bean and cheese is shit, and I can't even have rice because they make it with chicken stock.
I HATE Boca. One opened in Kenmore and I was very excited. It's always nice to have another place to grab a quick lunch or dinner when I don't want to cook. And the burrito is fine--not as salty as Anna's, def too much rice (but that can be corrected if you ask for light rice), but okay. Then they decided to be assholes.
Boca has two bean burrito options for its regular burrito (which is a whole OTHER issue--they automatically make you a grande burrito, and if you ask just for a burrito--which is, oh, just LISTED ON THE MENU--they get mad cause they've already pulled out a grande tortilla): bean and cheese, or bean and rice. I used to get the bean and cheese and ask for a small spoonful of rice on it. I don't even like rice, but I eat it when I have beans because it makes a complete protein, and as I'm a vegetarian, that's important.
So the chick at the register started charging me like a dollar extra for the ounce of rice they gave me. I went in there for like a month straight, and every time, she would first charge me for a grande burrito. "No, I actually got the regular burrito." She would sigh, roll her eyes, and re-punch the numbers. EVERY. TIME. Like, dude, I come in here every day. I know you're dealing with a lot of people, but seriously? I order the same exact thing every single day. I don't want a fucking grande burrito, because THAT'S WHY THIS COUNTRY HAS AN OBESITY PROBLEM.
Anyway, then they raised the prices. So suddenly my $4 burrito that contained bean, cheese, some rice, and salsa, cost over $5. Not a huge deal, but annoying. THEN she started telling me I wasn't allowed to get the regular with bean, cheese, and rice.
The last time I went there, my burrito cost like $7.50. For a burrito that's listed as costing $4.50, that's a little ridiculous.
The thing that's really irritating is that the meat burritos are the same price, with all the same stuff as mine. That just doesn't make sense! They contain another whole ingredient! Can I just order a meat burrito and ask for rice instead of carne? Why am I getting charged the same when my burrito has one less thing?
I tried giving Boca one more chance. There's one near where I work, and I was super craving Mexican. They must have raised the prices again, because I walked out with a bean and cheese burrito, light rice, side of guac, and $1.50 change from my $10.
Also? The Kenmore register chick? She must have been spending the day in Cambridge, because there she was at the register of the Mass Ave store, waiting to roll her eyes at me. Yippee, I'd missed her so.
And for the record, El Pelon is actually the best taqueria in Boston. So tasty and their bean, cheese, AND rice burrito is a lovely $4.20.
I, personally, dislike Anna's because I find it salty, the cheese has no taste, and the guac is not good. I'll eat Anna's, as it's passable, but I don't love it. That said, the people who love it do because of the meat in the burritos. So that's a different story. But the bean and cheese is shit, and I can't even have rice because they make it with chicken stock.
I HATE Boca. One opened in Kenmore and I was very excited. It's always nice to have another place to grab a quick lunch or dinner when I don't want to cook. And the burrito is fine--not as salty as Anna's, def too much rice (but that can be corrected if you ask for light rice), but okay. Then they decided to be assholes.
Boca has two bean burrito options for its regular burrito (which is a whole OTHER issue--they automatically make you a grande burrito, and if you ask just for a burrito--which is, oh, just LISTED ON THE MENU--they get mad cause they've already pulled out a grande tortilla): bean and cheese, or bean and rice. I used to get the bean and cheese and ask for a small spoonful of rice on it. I don't even like rice, but I eat it when I have beans because it makes a complete protein, and as I'm a vegetarian, that's important.
So the chick at the register started charging me like a dollar extra for the ounce of rice they gave me. I went in there for like a month straight, and every time, she would first charge me for a grande burrito. "No, I actually got the regular burrito." She would sigh, roll her eyes, and re-punch the numbers. EVERY. TIME. Like, dude, I come in here every day. I know you're dealing with a lot of people, but seriously? I order the same exact thing every single day. I don't want a fucking grande burrito, because THAT'S WHY THIS COUNTRY HAS AN OBESITY PROBLEM.
Anyway, then they raised the prices. So suddenly my $4 burrito that contained bean, cheese, some rice, and salsa, cost over $5. Not a huge deal, but annoying. THEN she started telling me I wasn't allowed to get the regular with bean, cheese, and rice.
The last time I went there, my burrito cost like $7.50. For a burrito that's listed as costing $4.50, that's a little ridiculous.
The thing that's really irritating is that the meat burritos are the same price, with all the same stuff as mine. That just doesn't make sense! They contain another whole ingredient! Can I just order a meat burrito and ask for rice instead of carne? Why am I getting charged the same when my burrito has one less thing?
I tried giving Boca one more chance. There's one near where I work, and I was super craving Mexican. They must have raised the prices again, because I walked out with a bean and cheese burrito, light rice, side of guac, and $1.50 change from my $10.
Also? The Kenmore register chick? She must have been spending the day in Cambridge, because there she was at the register of the Mass Ave store, waiting to roll her eyes at me. Yippee, I'd missed her so.
And for the record, El Pelon is actually the best taqueria in Boston. So tasty and their bean, cheese, AND rice burrito is a lovely $4.20.
Pop Culture.
It's funny when I find a book extremely dated because it refers to Britney Spears as being "hot."
09 July 2008
Hating Subway.
I've always liked Subway. I mean, I don't get the best sandwich in the world, but it does the trick for fast food.
But I'm pretty fucking annoyed with them right now. They have this $5 footlong sub campaign going on. Well, you know what? A VEGETARIAN SUB WAS ALREADY $5, YOU WANKERS. Whatever, I'll pay $5 for my non-meat sub.
But seriously? All I'm getting are vegetables. So give me vegetables. Tonight I got a sub that had a scattering of lettuce, three tomatoes, three cucumbers, four green peppers, AND TEN TONS OF HONEY MUSTARD. Plus, oh, a loaf of bread.
I'm so annoyed right now. I mean, there wasn't enough lettuce. That's always what there's too much of.
Seriously, Subway, don't make me break up with you. I had to do that with Boca after they started shafting the vegetarians, and it's been awkward ever since.
But I'm pretty fucking annoyed with them right now. They have this $5 footlong sub campaign going on. Well, you know what? A VEGETARIAN SUB WAS ALREADY $5, YOU WANKERS. Whatever, I'll pay $5 for my non-meat sub.
But seriously? All I'm getting are vegetables. So give me vegetables. Tonight I got a sub that had a scattering of lettuce, three tomatoes, three cucumbers, four green peppers, AND TEN TONS OF HONEY MUSTARD. Plus, oh, a loaf of bread.
I'm so annoyed right now. I mean, there wasn't enough lettuce. That's always what there's too much of.
Seriously, Subway, don't make me break up with you. I had to do that with Boca after they started shafting the vegetarians, and it's been awkward ever since.
30 June 2008
Red Sox
Tonight I realized that I haven't changed the channel from NESN in over two weeks. How did I realize this? My remote has been missing for about that amount of time and I haven't even attempted to find it. I apparently don't need anything except for channel 13 and Don Orsillo. Oh, and Jason Varitek's thighs.
Things on or under my desk at work.
10: pens from Basil Tree
9: extraneous folders
8: different types of binder clips
7: pairs of shoes
6: tubes of lip balm
5: bottles of water
4: bottles of lotion
3: ball jars
2: containers of clorox wipes
1: pepper grinder
I have a lot of stuff.
9: extraneous folders
8: different types of binder clips
7: pairs of shoes
6: tubes of lip balm
5: bottles of water
4: bottles of lotion
3: ball jars
2: containers of clorox wipes
1: pepper grinder
I have a lot of stuff.
29 June 2008
Best. Quote. Ever.
"The drunker I get, the more I feel like people are intimidated by my beauty."
--Brittany
--Brittany
26 June 2008
25 June 2008
Likes/And nots.
Things I really, really like:
--My father's over-concern about the states of my air-conditioners because he thinks my apartment is going to get too warm and we (meaning Lin and I, since my cat's comfort is factored into all family decisions) will be uncomfortable (also: see last sentence of this post for important follow-up)
--The fact that I have two air-conditioners. My apartment is a nice size, but it's hardly warranted, unless you understand HOW. MUCH. I. HATE. BEING. HOT.
--That more than one guy on my softball team will ask about Lin, by name, with concern
--Smart Puffs
--Emails that end in i loveeeeeeeeeee you xoxoxooxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxooxox
--The skirt I found in my filing cabinet at work that I forgot about but now realized I was missing a lot
--The little baby tomatoes in the garden
--The very large kale in the garden
--Clean sheets
--My new Calphalon pan that has revolutionized my cooking experiences
--That for some reason, when I'm irritated about my psoriasis, I can yell, "OUT DAMN SPOT" as I'm applying scary steroid cream and it makes me laugh every time
--Also, I get Macbeth and Hamlet confused until I'm actually asked about them
--Also, I love the name Ophelia, but that ends badly. And yes, that's Hamlet.
--shit, wait... no, it is. IT IS.
Things I don't like so much:
--I haven't studied Shakespeare in six years and am losing facts by the day. (But I haven't read The Tempest in ten years and I can still tell you way more than you want to know about Miranda, Caliban, and Ariel, so suck it. Prospero can suck it too, I never liked him. Ferdinand either.)
--Finishing a book and not knowing what to read next because nothing else will be good enough (and no, this is not the cue to pick up Shakespeare).
--My dvr hasn't recorded anything in like a week except the same "Good Eats" about cheese. And I love cheese, but still.
--Lin=haaaaaates kidney food. Not a surprise, but frustrating.
--Olives (always)
--Corks that are synthetic in the middle but real on the outside. It happens, my friends. and they SUCK.
--Psoriasis. It's a freaky mutation and I'm not okay with it.
--My bank balance. But can we say, hello, three pay periods AND A RAISE in July?
--My bedroom air conditioner isn't very cold. The 61 degrees? Is a lie. (Luckily, the father is likely to get involved, as making my apartment AS COLD AS POSSIBLE is his life's mission [see 1st line of this posting]. And that? Is fiiiiiiiiiine with me.)
--My father's over-concern about the states of my air-conditioners because he thinks my apartment is going to get too warm and we (meaning Lin and I, since my cat's comfort is factored into all family decisions) will be uncomfortable (also: see last sentence of this post for important follow-up)
--The fact that I have two air-conditioners. My apartment is a nice size, but it's hardly warranted, unless you understand HOW. MUCH. I. HATE. BEING. HOT.
--That more than one guy on my softball team will ask about Lin, by name, with concern
--Smart Puffs
--Emails that end in i loveeeeeeeeeee you xoxoxooxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxooxox
--The skirt I found in my filing cabinet at work that I forgot about but now realized I was missing a lot
--The little baby tomatoes in the garden
--The very large kale in the garden
--Clean sheets
--My new Calphalon pan that has revolutionized my cooking experiences
--That for some reason, when I'm irritated about my psoriasis, I can yell, "OUT DAMN SPOT" as I'm applying scary steroid cream and it makes me laugh every time
--Also, I get Macbeth and Hamlet confused until I'm actually asked about them
--Also, I love the name Ophelia, but that ends badly. And yes, that's Hamlet.
--shit, wait... no, it is. IT IS.
Things I don't like so much:
--I haven't studied Shakespeare in six years and am losing facts by the day. (But I haven't read The Tempest in ten years and I can still tell you way more than you want to know about Miranda, Caliban, and Ariel, so suck it. Prospero can suck it too, I never liked him. Ferdinand either.)
--Finishing a book and not knowing what to read next because nothing else will be good enough (and no, this is not the cue to pick up Shakespeare).
--My dvr hasn't recorded anything in like a week except the same "Good Eats" about cheese. And I love cheese, but still.
--Lin=haaaaaates kidney food. Not a surprise, but frustrating.
--Olives (always)
--Corks that are synthetic in the middle but real on the outside. It happens, my friends. and they SUCK.
--Psoriasis. It's a freaky mutation and I'm not okay with it.
--My bank balance. But can we say, hello, three pay periods AND A RAISE in July?
--My bedroom air conditioner isn't very cold. The 61 degrees? Is a lie. (Luckily, the father is likely to get involved, as making my apartment AS COLD AS POSSIBLE is his life's mission [see 1st line of this posting]. And that? Is fiiiiiiiiiine with me.)
Small relief.
Although I have an MA in children's literature, I don't usually find children themselves all that intriguing--mainly because they're so...unpredictable. I was, then, obviously pleased to discover--on two separate occasions--that I ADORE my friends' children.
So phew, that chip isn't totally missing.
So phew, that chip isn't totally missing.
24 June 2008
Rain
Tonight while coming home from work, I was caught in the second downpour in as many days. And when I say I got rained on, I'm not talking like, "Oh, it started to rain and I had to hustle to get inside." No, yesterday when the bus dropped me off in Harvard Square, it was raining so hard that cars were pulling over. I was instantly soaked through and ended up taking a cab to the quad, which was ridiculous but necessary. Luckily, cause I'm lazy and change into my softball clothes and leave my other clothes at work and never, ever bring them home, I had some spare shirts and pants. My hair was wet until after 5pm, though.
Today it rained as well, but just when I was leaving work, even though more rain was in the forecast, the sun peeked out. I did not grab an umbrella. Some people would say that was foolish, but I say, you know what? THAT'S OPTIMISM.
Today it rained as well, but just when I was leaving work, even though more rain was in the forecast, the sun peeked out. I did not grab an umbrella. Some people would say that was foolish, but I say, you know what? THAT'S OPTIMISM.
23 June 2008
Hindsight
"Love blurs your vision; but after it recedes, you can see more clearly than ever. It's like the tide going out, revealing whatever's been thrown away and sunk: broken bottles, old gloves, rusting pop cans, nibbled fishbodies, bones. This is the kind of thing you see if you sit in the darkness with open eyes, not knowing the future. The ruin you've made."
--Margaret Atwood, Cat's Eye
--Margaret Atwood, Cat's Eye
They just grow up so fast.
Most of these students are our concentrators.
There is nothing stranger than opening the New York Times and seeing a person that you made a fake award for when he graduated because he's such a spaz. And having that person declare that the fake award was even better than a diploma, cause everyone gets a diploma and only he got the special Kate and Valerie Think You are Truly a Piece of Work Award.
There is nothing stranger than opening the New York Times and seeing a person that you made a fake award for when he graduated because he's such a spaz. And having that person declare that the fake award was even better than a diploma, cause everyone gets a diploma and only he got the special Kate and Valerie Think You are Truly a Piece of Work Award.
19 June 2008
Writing Again.
I missed writing. But I had to retire the other blog--it was so intertwined with the bookstore that I decided a fresh start was necessary. My new job definitely doesn't offer as many amusing stories. But today I sent a professor a file about our cum laude students that I later realized was labeled "students--CUM--with honors." So I'm still the same spaz as before.
That should be a comfort to everyone.
That should be a comfort to everyone.
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