kasia and ben left this morning after having been here a full week. despite my still having to work, i managed to join them on a whale watch, did a day trip to salem, shopped on newbury and at the pru, walked through the south end, went out on Landsdowne, etc. etc. sitting on our asses chicago 'burbs-style was obviously part of our week as well - we watched Juno (finally) as well as Prom Night. i surprisingly very much enjoyed both of them - Prom night really creeped me out.
our somewhat tearful farewell this morning has made me think about things once again, things being like where i am headed geographically in the next couple of years. this will be my 5th year of living in the Boston area, and I will at a minimum be here for one more year after this. if I get my fulbright i'll be off to andorra in 2009 and then back to Boston to finish my Master's in 2011. but then where...stay in Boston? go back to Chicago? New York? go abroad? ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....
anyway...after being too poor to sign up for real at bsc, then sitting on my ass and getting fat(ter) even though i could afford it, i finally just walked over and joined at the end of last week. i now have a gold membership, and i have no excuses for not going considering it takes me literally 2 minutes to walk there. i tell myself that today my back-to-school eating/exercising plan will go into full swing. i've started with some heart-healthy oatmeal!
thanks to how stupid the loan system works i need to wait until after classes start, September 3rd in order to receive my money. i am fine with tuition, since it has been applied already, but with respect to living expenses i will now have to go into my savings for the time-being. god forbid they take into consideration that bills, etc. are due on the first of the month. i cannot wait to wait in line wednesday morning just to get my fucking check.
i have mixed feelings about starting classes again next week, but i'm mostly excited to have a legitimate routine again. working in the department M-Th 9-1 perhaps would have felt structured had i actually any work to do. i am also soooo excited to have weekends free again come October when i stop with Moogy's. i'm gonna be working one day a weekend in september, it seems, then calling it quits. classes plus one, hopefully 2 jobs during the week will be enough, thanks. i just hope i don't end up feeling like a super senior. i feel like i should wear a t-shirt that assures people i did, in fact, graduate, and am now getting a Master's.
my department job ends on friday. while i have enjoyed sitting and doing nothing and getting paid for it, its really just too tedious. im hoping to get more details on my assistantship soon, then friday morning i'll be applying for a work-study position in Bryan's office since i just LOVE working so much. after this long weekend and Rhode Island its full-speed ahead!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
medio agosto...
i discovered today that the most-watched television program in Catalonia features a young gay plot line and the whole show is in Catalan. 'El Cor de la Ciutat' will shortly become my new obsession.
It also came to my attention that with my miles I can fly to Tokyo round trip for $48 over spring break. Those tickets are normally like $1700, aka id really be getting my money's worth. The only problem is that I'd be a lot more reluctant to travel to Tokyo alone considering I don't know any Japanese, and also since it is so expensive. I would really want to be able to splurge on sick sushi dinners, etc. I'm thinking I'll end up going to Belgium, plus side trips to Luxembourg and Paris.
Kasia and Ben come tomorrow, which is exciting. Hopefully we can do fun things and not blow a ton of money. There is a potential trip to Maine in the works, maybe a whale watch, and certainly plenty of eating.
I am wondering if this is my last week in the department. Demetra is now in daily, so I basically have no reason to be here considering all my "projects" are done. Oh well. I'll continue to show up and log in hours until I hear otherwise. I have no problem with getting paid to do nothing :-)
I have now been 1 week without a normally functioning phone thanks to the incompetence of Verizon. My new fucking battery had best come in today. Last Monday on the walk back to the car from Eastern Standard my phone was knocked out of my hands and subsequently refused to turn on.
15 minutes til I can leave, thank satan. I'm grabbing lunch with Bobo then sitting on my ass until dinner at Tangierno tonight. I'm looking forward to some good Moroccan food!
It also came to my attention that with my miles I can fly to Tokyo round trip for $48 over spring break. Those tickets are normally like $1700, aka id really be getting my money's worth. The only problem is that I'd be a lot more reluctant to travel to Tokyo alone considering I don't know any Japanese, and also since it is so expensive. I would really want to be able to splurge on sick sushi dinners, etc. I'm thinking I'll end up going to Belgium, plus side trips to Luxembourg and Paris.
Kasia and Ben come tomorrow, which is exciting. Hopefully we can do fun things and not blow a ton of money. There is a potential trip to Maine in the works, maybe a whale watch, and certainly plenty of eating.
I am wondering if this is my last week in the department. Demetra is now in daily, so I basically have no reason to be here considering all my "projects" are done. Oh well. I'll continue to show up and log in hours until I hear otherwise. I have no problem with getting paid to do nothing :-)
I have now been 1 week without a normally functioning phone thanks to the incompetence of Verizon. My new fucking battery had best come in today. Last Monday on the walk back to the car from Eastern Standard my phone was knocked out of my hands and subsequently refused to turn on.
15 minutes til I can leave, thank satan. I'm grabbing lunch with Bobo then sitting on my ass until dinner at Tangierno tonight. I'm looking forward to some good Moroccan food!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
back from Chicago
well friends, after a relaxing long weekend at home I am back at BC sitting in the department. today i labeled file folders, delivered some paperwork to McGuinn, and made a pdf document. someday i'll look back and smile upon these days...
i am mad the department for shafting my favorite professor and the Bulgarian program here. intro to bulgarian was cut, as was 'society and national identity in the balkans' in the spring. wtf. everyone wants to learn stupid russian, chinese, and arabic. naturally the languages that interest me, namely Bulgarian and Catalan, are taught almost nowhere in the U.S. even portuguese, one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world, was cut after I took it for one semester here.
anyway, most of my time at home was spent sitting on my ass doing nothing, which was exactly as i had planned. thursday i spend the day at home with the fam before going to dinner with my aunt and uncle (plus my family) to catch up. later that night kasia, ben, and andy came over to hang out, but i only lasted so long seeing as i had been awake close to 24 hours on account of my ridiculously early flight and the time change.
friday was the big trip to the new sonic that opened up in South Bend, IN, a mere two hours drive from the Chicago 'burbs. Considering we usually drive up to 4 and a half hours to get to a Sonic, this was a welcome addition to the Sonic family. there were a few new things on the menu, like 3 different cheeses to slather one's tots in, angus beef burgers, a fried ice cream shake, and a chili frito pie. naturally we tried all of them. technically we should have ordered 10 times each to keep up with tradition (this would have been our 10th cycle), but since last time we were miserable and almost vomiting, we decided it was best to just enjoy sonic without having to eat a certain amount. afterwards i chilled at andy's and watched the opening ceremonies before heading home.
saturday i hit up oakbrook with natalie and andy after lunch at Claimjumper. I had a chicken and brie sandwich, which was quite good. it was nice to have gloria jean's again (the only place to get a mochanut cooler after caribou discontinued it), too. i headed back to andy's where we watched the ashley tisdale movie 'picture this' which much to my surprise had two actresses from degrassi as part of the supporting cast. it was...entertaining.
that night was mexitalasian night, meaning we combined the wonders of mexico, italy, and asia with respect to food and beverage, and only the HIGHEST quality foods were consumed. we got pizza from nino's; crab rangoon, fried rice, and egg rolls from south china sea whatever, and then a bunch of stuff from taco bell. meanwhile we were drinking a mexitalasian cocktail, composed of tequila, limoncello, midori, and sour mix topped with club soda. it was actually really good. we saw andy drunk for the first time ever, which was entertaining. though he was somewhat annoying, i was just happy to see him drinking heavily. after hookah-ing outside a bit, we called it a night.
sunday was my grad party. i had a nice buzz going the whole time thanks to the margarita and pina colada machines we rented. i also had a beer now and then to counteract the acid from the other drinks that was eating away at my throat. christina came, which was great, though weird as expected considering i only know her in the BC context. it'll be great to be able to see her whenever i come home. nato and theresa flaked, but i had a great time with kasia, ben, andy, and everyone else. i ended up making waaaaaay more money than i expected, so now I can comfortably live for the rest of the month and was able to put a few hundred into savings for quebec city and other trips in the fall. per andy's request i need to spend his amex gift card on a splurge clothing item. now i just have to lose the 30 lbs i gained this weekend before i can fit into any reasonable article of clothing. good thing i have money to finally get my bsc membership! i'm just gonna wait til their next promotion.
as for the rest of today, in an hour i have reservations at Eastern Standard for lunch with Chris. since it's restaurant week i pay $20 for a 3-course meal! i suppose i'll have to order a cocktail - the September issue of Details actually talks about ES's 'Jack Rose' in their unusual cocktails article. I suppose i'll have to try it! then who knows. perhaps i'll treat myself to a worldly good of some sort.
i am mad the department for shafting my favorite professor and the Bulgarian program here. intro to bulgarian was cut, as was 'society and national identity in the balkans' in the spring. wtf. everyone wants to learn stupid russian, chinese, and arabic. naturally the languages that interest me, namely Bulgarian and Catalan, are taught almost nowhere in the U.S. even portuguese, one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world, was cut after I took it for one semester here.
anyway, most of my time at home was spent sitting on my ass doing nothing, which was exactly as i had planned. thursday i spend the day at home with the fam before going to dinner with my aunt and uncle (plus my family) to catch up. later that night kasia, ben, and andy came over to hang out, but i only lasted so long seeing as i had been awake close to 24 hours on account of my ridiculously early flight and the time change.
friday was the big trip to the new sonic that opened up in South Bend, IN, a mere two hours drive from the Chicago 'burbs. Considering we usually drive up to 4 and a half hours to get to a Sonic, this was a welcome addition to the Sonic family. there were a few new things on the menu, like 3 different cheeses to slather one's tots in, angus beef burgers, a fried ice cream shake, and a chili frito pie. naturally we tried all of them. technically we should have ordered 10 times each to keep up with tradition (this would have been our 10th cycle), but since last time we were miserable and almost vomiting, we decided it was best to just enjoy sonic without having to eat a certain amount. afterwards i chilled at andy's and watched the opening ceremonies before heading home.
saturday i hit up oakbrook with natalie and andy after lunch at Claimjumper. I had a chicken and brie sandwich, which was quite good. it was nice to have gloria jean's again (the only place to get a mochanut cooler after caribou discontinued it), too. i headed back to andy's where we watched the ashley tisdale movie 'picture this' which much to my surprise had two actresses from degrassi as part of the supporting cast. it was...entertaining.
that night was mexitalasian night, meaning we combined the wonders of mexico, italy, and asia with respect to food and beverage, and only the HIGHEST quality foods were consumed. we got pizza from nino's; crab rangoon, fried rice, and egg rolls from south china sea whatever, and then a bunch of stuff from taco bell. meanwhile we were drinking a mexitalasian cocktail, composed of tequila, limoncello, midori, and sour mix topped with club soda. it was actually really good. we saw andy drunk for the first time ever, which was entertaining. though he was somewhat annoying, i was just happy to see him drinking heavily. after hookah-ing outside a bit, we called it a night.
sunday was my grad party. i had a nice buzz going the whole time thanks to the margarita and pina colada machines we rented. i also had a beer now and then to counteract the acid from the other drinks that was eating away at my throat. christina came, which was great, though weird as expected considering i only know her in the BC context. it'll be great to be able to see her whenever i come home. nato and theresa flaked, but i had a great time with kasia, ben, andy, and everyone else. i ended up making waaaaaay more money than i expected, so now I can comfortably live for the rest of the month and was able to put a few hundred into savings for quebec city and other trips in the fall. per andy's request i need to spend his amex gift card on a splurge clothing item. now i just have to lose the 30 lbs i gained this weekend before i can fit into any reasonable article of clothing. good thing i have money to finally get my bsc membership! i'm just gonna wait til their next promotion.
as for the rest of today, in an hour i have reservations at Eastern Standard for lunch with Chris. since it's restaurant week i pay $20 for a 3-course meal! i suppose i'll have to order a cocktail - the September issue of Details actually talks about ES's 'Jack Rose' in their unusual cocktails article. I suppose i'll have to try it! then who knows. perhaps i'll treat myself to a worldly good of some sort.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
един ден повече!
well thus far my morning has been rather abrasive. i awoke at 7:30, anticipating a leisurely morning before biking to work when I realized it was supposed to rain all day. I vacillated between just walking to work (30-40 minutes), but since it was just drizzling I decided to just bike. of course after about 1 minute on the bike it steadily started to rain harder and harder, and my hoodie was already almost soaked through. i almost turned back and didn't go to work, but i suffered through and here i am. luckily on account of the hoodie my t-shirt is dry. the same can't be said for my sandals, head, and front of my pants, however.
now i just fucked up getting information for some kid in australia that called the department. apparently i didn't take down his email right, because i'm getting an error message. bleeehhhhhh.
meanwhile Professor Thomas is making me feel more and more confident about my Fulbright proposal. she really wants me to push the fact that I have invested time into Catalan, and that my knowledge of the language sociolinguistically and otherwise really should set me apart from other applicants. ara només cal de llegir més i més!
in other news, my replacement hookah base should arrive today - at least according to UPS tracking. i look forward to going home and sitting with my hookah while watching the rain fall outside my window. then once mel gets back its off to Joshua Tree (again) for beer and half-priced burgers! i'm still undecided between the stuffed bacon and bleu and the smokehouse stuffed with bacon and cheddar. decisions decisions. hopefully it stops raining when it is time for me to depart from the department.
tomorrow morning is my 7:50am flight home! yay!
now i just fucked up getting information for some kid in australia that called the department. apparently i didn't take down his email right, because i'm getting an error message. bleeehhhhhh.
meanwhile Professor Thomas is making me feel more and more confident about my Fulbright proposal. she really wants me to push the fact that I have invested time into Catalan, and that my knowledge of the language sociolinguistically and otherwise really should set me apart from other applicants. ara només cal de llegir més i més!
in other news, my replacement hookah base should arrive today - at least according to UPS tracking. i look forward to going home and sitting with my hookah while watching the rain fall outside my window. then once mel gets back its off to Joshua Tree (again) for beer and half-priced burgers! i'm still undecided between the stuffed bacon and bleu and the smokehouse stuffed with bacon and cheddar. decisions decisions. hopefully it stops raining when it is time for me to depart from the department.
tomorrow morning is my 7:50am flight home! yay!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
2 more days...
well i must say i actually had a fun weekend, which was a nice change from the usual humdrum saturday and sunday, even though I still had to work...
Saturday I got stuck at Moogy's for an extra 45 minutes because naturally on the first day I decided to bike to work there was a torrential downpour. Since im a new-again biker, I dared not risk my life on Comm Ave. I would have either wiped out all by myself or been struck my some Masshole. Anywho, I made the best of it and read tabloids with Linda while enjoying a Stella. Since I had made almost $30 in tips that morning (and I typically get about $10 during the summer on a weekend morning), I was pleased to be able to afford a beer. It also instilled in me the desire to go out that evening.
Once Mel got back we decided that it was about time we had eaten at Joshua Tree again. After she had some wine and me some more beer chez nous, we headed next door. We got a pitcher of Coor's and split Spinach & Artichoke Dip and Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins. Since we had a free appetizer coupon, the entire bill came to $18. Amazing. A while later we headed to her friend Emily's house to pregame Whitehorse for a birthday celebration for one of Mel's friends. Jillian and Jonathan eventually joined us there, and it was very fun. I have, however, decided that Miller Chill just really isn't for me.
We were real classy with our Miller High Lifes at White Horse, but amidst good company it was a very pleasant. Mel unfortunately made friends with a sketchy dude and played pool with him the whole night, which eventually resulted in him wanting her to come home with her. Thankfully we convinced her otherwise. She received a presumably drunk text at 2am last night from him in which he told her he wanted to turn her inside out, asking her to call if she wanted a "real man".
Strike two for heterosexuals in bars.
Sunday was Moogy's again, and again I made surprisingly good tips. Christopher picked me up afterwards since he decided to come up for a couple days before his real move-in next Sunday. We decided to make French Onion soup for dinner, so we did that and split a bottle of wine and then a bottle of port before calling it a night. The soup was ok - I really need to ask my Dad for his recipe. Also, he didn't have the right rammekin-esque bowls to melt the gruyere over properly.
Monday I worked, followed by lunch at Aneka Rasa (Malaysian) with Christopher and Bryan. Their $6.95 lunch special was quite a bargain and quite delicious. I will definitely be going there again at some point - perhaps when Kasia and Ben are here and we want some cheap eats. We later got coffee and went to Pier One to look at some things. The rest of the evening was basically just spent lounging around. I watched an awesome Lifetime Original Movie about psychopath manipulative high school cheerleaders, much to Bobo's dismay.
As for today, Christopher left circa 6am, so after he drove me back to 1340 I just stayed up, did laundry, had tea, and enjoyed the morning. I think I shall start doing that more often, that is, waking up with ample time to spare before having to leave for work.
That gets me thinking about the fall, and of my predicament with Moogy's. I have received all of my loan information, and they are giving me more than enough, including work-study status. That being said, I have the possibility of a work-study job PLUS my assistantship in my department. If that ends up being the case, I really can't foresee myself doing Moogy's anymore. Certainly not both weekend days. For as much as the extra money would be great, I'd rather deal with the loans and have some semblance of a weekend.
Thursday I leave for home, and since I have zero commitments aside from eating, drinking, hookah-ing, and relaxing with friends and family, I am fucking excited. It will be just what I need before a whirlwind rest of August and then starting school in the fall.
Saturday I got stuck at Moogy's for an extra 45 minutes because naturally on the first day I decided to bike to work there was a torrential downpour. Since im a new-again biker, I dared not risk my life on Comm Ave. I would have either wiped out all by myself or been struck my some Masshole. Anywho, I made the best of it and read tabloids with Linda while enjoying a Stella. Since I had made almost $30 in tips that morning (and I typically get about $10 during the summer on a weekend morning), I was pleased to be able to afford a beer. It also instilled in me the desire to go out that evening.
Once Mel got back we decided that it was about time we had eaten at Joshua Tree again. After she had some wine and me some more beer chez nous, we headed next door. We got a pitcher of Coor's and split Spinach & Artichoke Dip and Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins. Since we had a free appetizer coupon, the entire bill came to $18. Amazing. A while later we headed to her friend Emily's house to pregame Whitehorse for a birthday celebration for one of Mel's friends. Jillian and Jonathan eventually joined us there, and it was very fun. I have, however, decided that Miller Chill just really isn't for me.
We were real classy with our Miller High Lifes at White Horse, but amidst good company it was a very pleasant. Mel unfortunately made friends with a sketchy dude and played pool with him the whole night, which eventually resulted in him wanting her to come home with her. Thankfully we convinced her otherwise. She received a presumably drunk text at 2am last night from him in which he told her he wanted to turn her inside out, asking her to call if she wanted a "real man".
Strike two for heterosexuals in bars.
Sunday was Moogy's again, and again I made surprisingly good tips. Christopher picked me up afterwards since he decided to come up for a couple days before his real move-in next Sunday. We decided to make French Onion soup for dinner, so we did that and split a bottle of wine and then a bottle of port before calling it a night. The soup was ok - I really need to ask my Dad for his recipe. Also, he didn't have the right rammekin-esque bowls to melt the gruyere over properly.
Monday I worked, followed by lunch at Aneka Rasa (Malaysian) with Christopher and Bryan. Their $6.95 lunch special was quite a bargain and quite delicious. I will definitely be going there again at some point - perhaps when Kasia and Ben are here and we want some cheap eats. We later got coffee and went to Pier One to look at some things. The rest of the evening was basically just spent lounging around. I watched an awesome Lifetime Original Movie about psychopath manipulative high school cheerleaders, much to Bobo's dismay.
As for today, Christopher left circa 6am, so after he drove me back to 1340 I just stayed up, did laundry, had tea, and enjoyed the morning. I think I shall start doing that more often, that is, waking up with ample time to spare before having to leave for work.
That gets me thinking about the fall, and of my predicament with Moogy's. I have received all of my loan information, and they are giving me more than enough, including work-study status. That being said, I have the possibility of a work-study job PLUS my assistantship in my department. If that ends up being the case, I really can't foresee myself doing Moogy's anymore. Certainly not both weekend days. For as much as the extra money would be great, I'd rather deal with the loans and have some semblance of a weekend.
Thursday I leave for home, and since I have zero commitments aside from eating, drinking, hookah-ing, and relaxing with friends and family, I am fucking excited. It will be just what I need before a whirlwind rest of August and then starting school in the fall.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Divendres
I must say I am quite pleased with the success of our food blog, Les Gourmands du South End. In but a couple of weeks we have risen to the #11 position, and, after Adam and I both posted today, we will hopefully make the top 10. If anyone reading this blog hasn't checked it out already, there is a link to the right of this post.
Despite it being my day off I woke up at 8:30 and decided to start the morning. After breaking the fast and updating Les Gourmands, I decided to bike to Peet's to work on Fulbright stuff as well as a final Latin extra-credit assignment. I really enjoy how bright the Coolidge Corner Peet's is during the day, as well as the great people watching on Harvard Street. I finished the second draft of my Project Proposal, and made good progress on the Latin. I soon found myself having to urinate quite badly, and rather than leave my laptop, etc. unattended I thought it best to just head back home.
There was some unpleasantness as I attempted to take the elevator to my floor after locking my bike up in the basement. I was basically yelled at by some man on the elevator moving his shit - apparently it was my fault not having used my x-ray vision to see that although he was on the 5th floor in the elevator, he had not yet pressed the button. Therefore he had to go ALL THE WAY TO THE BASEMENT instead of to the main floor one above it. Fuck you. I'm sorry you have to work as a mover. I went around to the front and took the stairs.
the rest of my day involved being domestic - things like washing dishes, organizing/cleaning the refrigerator, running to CVS, swiffering the kichen. lauren is coming over for dinner tonight, so mel and i will be heading to trader joe's shortly to restock on some things. i'm thinking its going to be a lowkey evening since I dont' really have money to spend.
it's times like i wish i had a small mammal, namely a sugar glider or fennec fox. the next time I am settled somewhere, i.e. not having the possibility of spending a year abroad in the somewhat near future, i am getting one. look how fucking cute they are.
Despite it being my day off I woke up at 8:30 and decided to start the morning. After breaking the fast and updating Les Gourmands, I decided to bike to Peet's to work on Fulbright stuff as well as a final Latin extra-credit assignment. I really enjoy how bright the Coolidge Corner Peet's is during the day, as well as the great people watching on Harvard Street. I finished the second draft of my Project Proposal, and made good progress on the Latin. I soon found myself having to urinate quite badly, and rather than leave my laptop, etc. unattended I thought it best to just head back home.
There was some unpleasantness as I attempted to take the elevator to my floor after locking my bike up in the basement. I was basically yelled at by some man on the elevator moving his shit - apparently it was my fault not having used my x-ray vision to see that although he was on the 5th floor in the elevator, he had not yet pressed the button. Therefore he had to go ALL THE WAY TO THE BASEMENT instead of to the main floor one above it. Fuck you. I'm sorry you have to work as a mover. I went around to the front and took the stairs.
the rest of my day involved being domestic - things like washing dishes, organizing/cleaning the refrigerator, running to CVS, swiffering the kichen. lauren is coming over for dinner tonight, so mel and i will be heading to trader joe's shortly to restock on some things. i'm thinking its going to be a lowkey evening since I dont' really have money to spend.
it's times like i wish i had a small mammal, namely a sugar glider or fennec fox. the next time I am settled somewhere, i.e. not having the possibility of spending a year abroad in the somewhat near future, i am getting one. look how fucking cute they are.
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