The City of Fountains

Boston has quite a few fountains. For reals. It seems like everywhere I go, I find one! I mean, there were the ones at the Public Gardens. Then there was one in the Prudential Mall and another in the courtyard of the mall. Plus the one in the courtyard of the First Church of Christ the Scientist, and the courtyard of the library... They're everywhere!

It's awesome that I've had time to continue my explorations, which have now basically become fountain hunting missions. I've had a couple of good walks around, and I love it here! Last night I went for a wander with another of the RC's just to explore, and we found several interesting sights. First, Berklee!

Then we stumbled into the courtyard of The First Church of Christ the Scientist and, I think, Northeastern University (College?). This site was absolutely beautiful and I loved the view of the city from the reflecting pool.

I then become obsessed with the reflective qualities of the reflecting pool...

And in the background of the first picture, you can see a fountain. When we reached it, there were a bunch of children running around trying to beat the heat by playing in it. It was really beautiful. Had I been more properly dressed, I would have joined them...

After that, we wandered into the mall at "the Pru," which is the Prudential Center. The mall's pretty upscale, from what I gather, but it had a lovely courtyard and fountains both inside (a whole wall!) and outside.

By this point, I had a hankering for an adult beverage, so we stopped on our way back "home" to get one. I had a Rapscallion Honey, which is a Massachusetts beer. It's brewed in Holyoke. It was decent and adult, so I was happy.

Today, my adventure was the library. I went to the studio to sign some paperwork to get paid (I missed that on the first day of orientation) and had to break a rule...

In case you can't read it, that sign above my head says, "Please do not sit here." Awesome.

Anyway, walking back to the T stop to head back to the dorm, there's the public library, a huge, old, beautiful building. It not only houses books, but art as well. Right now, they're doing an exhibition of travel posters from all over the world and it was really cool to see them. I learned that France is the most visited country in the world, which is kind of cool.

I also wandered into the courtyard of the library (courtyards are also a theme here, I'm beginning to realize...) and this fountain was so brilliant it inspired my pose...

That's what I've been up to lately. Sure, I'm working a little bit, but I actually get quite a bit of time to go adventuring and exploring. It's kind of awesome. And the kids are awesome too--my girls seem very sweet, two of them even coming to church with a group of us on Sunday. The kids who don't speak English as a first language crack me up, especially when one of the French ones described his first time driving in Paris as "uh... epic?" I suppose it doesn't translate as well into the written word, but it was hilarious, trust me.

There's a Korean kid here who speaks SO little English it's really a wonder. I spoke with him a little but most of my Korean's gone. We worked out a great system for move in, though, and he bows a little when he sees me. Awww.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow will hold!

Much love.

Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair

Even though the book ends with the song of despair, I don't want to end on that note so I suppose I'll start with my "song of despair," if you'll allow me.

Friday, June 18th, my favorite person on earth departed the earth. My grandfather, "Grumpa" as I called him, had a stroke about 3 1/2 years ago and has slowly been deteriorating ever since. It is one of the greatest sources of sadness in my life that I didn't get to see him one last time before he had the stroke (I was in Korea when it happened), but I do take some solace in the fact that every time I visited him after the stroke he knew who I was, even if he didn't know anyone else. He and I understood each other and, well, he might have been the love of my life. I know he's up in heaven now picking out a husband for me and sending him my way, but that's little consolation for not having him around anymore. I know that my sadness comes from a selfish place--I'm sad that he won't be a part of my life anymore--but at the same time, he will always be with me so I should be happy. I always carried him with me before, even when he was here. I suppose I need to just continue to do that.

I know I'll see him again, which is also comforting, but it's hard when I think about not having him around for Christmas or a weekend visit. Anyway, you can read about my "brave, loyal, and stubborn" hero here.

Grumpa died on a Friday, the day before I was supposed to leave to come to Boston to work for the summer. I called the guy who hired me right away, although maybe I should have waited because I was crying on the phone and I'm sure it was difficult to understand me. He said I could deal with whatever I needed to deal with, and come when I could. I ended up arriving Wednesday around noon after having missed two and a half days of training.

So, this will be my home for the next five weeks, and now begins the twenty love songs.

Shelton Hall on the Charles River Campus of Boston University. It used to be a Sheraton Hotel, apparently, and, according to Wikipedia: "In 1953, playwright Eugene O'Neill died in suite 401 (now the RA's room--417) on the fourth floor. In his honor, the fourth floor was named a specialty housing area called the Writer's Corridor. School folklore holds that the building is haunted by the playwright. Apparently, lights on this floor are dimmer and the elevators would randomly stop at the fourth floor." I haven't been up there as of yet (I'm staying on the second floor) but I will go explore this situation soon.

Everyone I'll be working with seems fun. I was introduced to a big group of them on Wednesday at lunch, when they were playing a crazy game called Quelf. It was certainly an interesting first impression! But everyone has been helpful in helping me catch up on what I missed and we had a staff dinner last night at an Italian place, which was nice. The food was good (I had Pasta Mary Ellen without the shrimp and extra scallops, YUM!) as was the company. Showing up late, although necessary, was a bit awkward but I'm feeling more and more comfortable with everyone as time passes so that's good. I mean, walking to an Italian restaurant in the rain without an umbrella is certainly a bonding experience, I can tell you.

I haven't had much chance to explore the city until today, when I didn't have to be anywhere until 4:00 pm. So I got up, had breakfast, and set out to walk to Boston Common, which, it turns out, is a pretty hefty feat to undertake. I just walked down Commonwealth Street, from number, like, 800 down to, like, 11. The walk was pretty fantastic, though, because a) the doorways here are amazing. So much so that I took pictures of many of them and want to do a photo project with them at some point. And b) between the two sides of the street is a park/median, with benches, trees, grass, and random statues. It's awesome.

Anyway, before you get to Boston Common, you reach the public gardens, which are beautiful. There are several fountains, tons of flowers and trees, and a river with swan boats!


At the entrance there was a giant statue of who I thought was Paul Revere. Turns out, it was actually George Washington...

He was surrounded by lovely flora, namely these hibiscus. :)

There were a few street musicians in the gardens, and the gardens covered quite a large area. I'll have to go back some afternoon for a relaxing spot to read and be in the sun.

Just beyond the gardens is Boston Common, which, come to find out, has like a gazillion dead bodies under it or something. Maybe that's why it smells like yeasty, stale beer. Eewww. To be honest, I wasn't that impressed by it... it was pretty much a vast field of grass with a statue and a carousel. I did find a lovely spot to relax and read, though.

And of course I took a picture of the carousel...

And then I found a band shell, and took a cool photo of the cityscape from inside it.

Meanwhile, we're all ready for the kiddos to show up. I've got my door decorations done, and they're super cute for someone as unartistic as I am. I mean, they have glitter so that's really all that's needed.

The boys are arriving today. Most of them are here on scholarship, so they move in early and then help the girls move their stuff in tomorrow. It's a good gig for the girls, I guess.

Anyway, it's getting exciting here now that kids have begun to show up. It's gonna be a fun summer!

Much love.

Why My Life, Both Literally and Figuratively, Rocks

This blog has been heavy on the concert news lately, and this entry will be no different. One of the many reasons my life rocks is because, well, lately anyway, it has rocked. See, last weekend was awesome.

Friday night was our department party, which was both delicious and fun. I get my tri-annual baked brie fix and I shook things up a little by bringing something other than taco pie. I made those appetizers my mom makes--the little breads with mushrooms, cheese, and crispy onions. They were a hit. :)

Two people in our department are leaving, one retiring and another moving to another school. It's sad to see them go--they're both wonderful people and teachers, and ILS will seem... strange without them. But it already seemed strange without this year's seniors so I suppose I'll have to deal. Schools are like that, I suppose--they have to change and I have to deal with it. But, our two dearly departed members will be missed, and I'll hold memories of our retiree smashing an alarm clock with a ball peen hammer close in my heart...mostly because it was hilarious and brilliant.

Now for the best part--the department party was moved from Saturday to Friday because of me. You see, I campaigned hard to change it so I could go to the James Taylor/Carol King concert on Saturday. I made GOOD choices, as I always encourage my students to do.

I went with my concert buddy Drew, and our seats were the cheap ones, so they were pretty far away. But, the way the stage was set up, they weren't bad. The stage was a circle in the middle that rotated, so everyone in the arena had a good seat at one point. It was pretty awesome.

We got there right as it was starting, and I had to pee during the first song, which was James singing "Something in the Way She Moves." Then Carol sang, "So Far Away" which was in my head for two days after. She sounds and looks better than she ever has, and "So Far Away" basically made me transcend to another plane of existence. It was so beautiful.

The pair sang all the big ones ("Up on a Roof," "Smackwater Jack," "Natural Woman," "Sweet Baby James," ) but had this really weird dynamic of a sad song ("Fire and Rain") followed by an earth shaker ("Steamroller" or "I Feel the Earth Move"). It was an emotional roller coaster! I'm crying about "Fire and Rain" and before my tears are even dry, Carols feelin' the earth move... And homegirl was FULL of energy. It was amazing.

They ended with "You've Got a Friend" like I knew they would. They came back for an encore as well, then outstayed everyone else in the band to do one last song, "You Can Close Your Eyes" which is one of my favorites. It's my lullaby.

It was an amazing night and I'm so happy I went. Drew and I both had an excellent experience just basking in the glory that was JT/CK. *sigh*

Here's the stage, with Carol at the piano and James rockin' some sweet guitar.

And here's the entire set up. I loved the photos in the middle just rotating... it was awesome.

The next day was Sunday, and my church held a service at The Fillmore, (where I saw The Swell Season and New Kids recently), and Jon Secada came for a free little concert. Even though it started 45 minutes late (UNacceptable!), it was a cool evening. The service was good and seeing Jon Secada was pretty cool. He didn't sound quite as good as I remember, but for a free show, it was cool. I can't believe I remembered those songs!

I couldn't manage to get a very good photo, but here it is.

The following "week" at school was fairly uneventful--it was finals week. My schedule worked out perfectly this year--I had the last two exam blocks off, so all my grades were in and done by Wednesday, and I had time to pack up my room and get everything squared away. The faculty lunch on Tuesday came out nice--my last event as part of Student Council. It'll be nice to not have to do it next year, and I won't have time anyway with school, but it'll be so weird to not be a part of some major events at LaSalle. I guess I'll still have to go, though, to get my fix. lol

Our gift this year was a laptop case, since we're all getting lap tops instead of desktops for next year. I kind of wish the school'd just given me $600 to pay for the laptop I already have, but whatever. The case fits mine so all is well.

This weekend was also pretty awesome. Friday night I had a little "going away" party, even though I'm coming back. A group of us went to Hollywood (up north a bit) to a restaurant called Taverna Opa. I've heard quite a bit about the place, including the words "belly dancers" and "dancing on tables." These statements turned out to be the truth.

The place is a Greek restaurant and the hook is that there are women--belly dancers--who dance on the tables, and encourage patrons to do the same. I rarely need encouragement to dance on a table--an invitation's really all it takes--but a little Uzo didn't hurt...

And with that, I climbed up on a table!

The restaurant is right on the water, so our view was beautiful, and the food was absolutely superb. I had roasted lamb that was so good, I asked our waiter if he could legally marry us (the lamb and I, not the waiter). I wanted to eat so much more of it than I did... not to mention the hummus (sooooo good!) and "Flaming cheese" we got as appetizers. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it!

After dinner we headed to the boardwalk to have a stroll and see the beach. I went down to the water for a minute and stuck my feet in, and we sat outside a country bar and watched semi-trashy tourists line dance. Priceless entertainment, my friends.

On our stroll, I found the other love of my life, my new boyfriend...

You can be jealous, I would be too. :)

Saturday my Russian Ballerina friend and I went to the ArtWalk in the Wynwood Art district. It's a pretty cool event, and it's free! You see, on this particular street or area are several art galleries. Every second Saturday of the month, they all open their doors and you just go and walk around them. There are all types of art in the galleries--paintings, sculptures, photographs, and each gallery is different. Some have free food and drinks, others have music or entertainment, and it's really cool and artsy. I even ran into some co-workers!

After the ArtWalk, we headed to a bar called The Electric Pickle to see a band play. The band was pretty good and did a rockin' cover of "Steal My Kisses" which I tried to explain, in Spanish, to a dude sitting near us who was commenting, in Spanish, about how good the band was. It was pretty funny, but I think I got my point across. :)

Well my friends, I'm about to embark on another adventure as I pack for Michigan and then head to Boston on Saturday. I'm looking forward to a summer of new experiences, people, and places. Stay tuned here to see what I get up to!

Much love.

Memorial Day 2010

Last weekend, Memorial Day weekend to be exact, was a lovely, long one for me. We had Thurday-Monday off from school and it was glorious. Granted, we had to go to graduation on Thursday, but that wasn't too bad, especially since the cool kids (really, just anyone who wanted to go, lol) went to CPK (California Pizza Kitchen) afterward for lunch. I think it's becoming tradition. Eating some delicious pizza tends to soften the blow. Graduation was also slightly less painful because a) I sat by awesome people and not the scary creeper I've somehow ended up near every other year and b) I knew most of the kids. Turns out, those two elements help the time pass much more quickly.

Friday, we had some people over for nachos and we played some games, and after that I went out in Brickell with The Russian Ballerina. I'm trying to go to different places instead of the same old ones, so it was a good experience. I had a fun, chill evening, so that was awesome.

Saturday I didn't do much--graded some papers, went to the pool, watched a movie. It was nice to just relax a bit.

Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, The Aussie and I decided to have an adventure to Marco Island, over on the Gulf side of the state by Naples. We got a magical parking space after leaving the only parking lot and coming back to it. Then, we headed to the beach.

We spent a good part of the day on the beach, just sitting in the sun and enjoying a good friend and a lovely location. Plus, we had to make the two hour drive worth our while. I forgot my camera (dumb, I know) so all the photos are thanks to The Aussie. This one in particular is awesome because I have some sort of laser beam coming out of my eye like Cyclops from The X-Men. Basically, if the government finds out I'll be taken for experiments.

The sand was made of shells, which means it's virtually impossible to remove from human flesh, but the water was so nice and warm, I actually went in a few times. Oh, and it has been decided that salt water+my hair=hot beach hair. Win! Anyway, here's a view of the beach where we spent our time...

The Aussie drove us home (I drove us there), but not without a stop for ice cream. We stopped at, I think it was, a 7-11, where we discovered a magical treat called the Twix ice cream bar. Soooooo good...

When we got back to Miami, our friend and co-worker Tanya (the one I went to Ireland with, remember?) made us hamburgers on her brand new grill. And honestly, what's Memorial Day weekend without hamburgers on the grill? The Aussie and I had spent a good portion of the day taunting Tanya about the meal, since we both wanted her to come to the beach with us instead of staying home. The meal was delicious, and the company equally so.

Yeah, it was a good day. :)

Much love.