i'm not sure whether or not i should be embarrassed listening to david archuleta right now, but i really like his song 'desperate'. i'm uploading my family's christmas cds as well, so hopefully things in boston will feel a bit more christmas-esque. i really want it to effing snow already.
my thanksgiving break has been very nice, though unfortunately i haven't had the opportunity to see any BC chicagoans, i.e. jeff, christina, katie. I am hoping that over christmas break when I have a bit more time I can make that happen. i've seen kasia, ben, and andy quite a bit, which is great. nothing mind-blowing, but highlights have included all-you-can-eat sushi, caribou, flu birds (they fly - you die), and rockband.
today at 4 i am partaking in the annual family "christmasfest", which kicks off the holiday at my aunt's house with pajamas, champagne, holiday movies, games, food, etc. i like to have a good buzz going for it but i really don't know how much champagne i can consume after feeling like i was going to explode/pass out at thanksgiving. props to bc people like vanessa who can pregame with a bottle of andrè - not I said the pig.
i am pleasantly surprised with myself in that i have written 4 out of 5 pages for one of my papers i was supposed to finish over break. i'm hoping to finish it at the airport/on the plane tomorrow. that will just leave my 8-pager for thursday. manageable, methinks. i wish grad school were over...and to think it's only been a semester. VOM. i cannot wait to have a whole month of nothing but holiday cheer, a trip to san francisco, and some work @ GSAS...
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
quickie
it's a humdrum thursday night and i'm alone in the apartment. mel is at class, then watching Grey's with Lauren on campus...Christopher is out with his fellow sociology grad students. i finished my homework for tomorrow, went to the gym, had dinner, and have no motivation to leave this couch. 'the exorcism of emily rose' is on lifetime tonight (lol) - i think i know exactly where my night is headed.
earlier in the week christopher and i went to see 'the boy in the striped pajamas', which is a holocaust tale based on a best-selling book of the same name. in a nutshell, a young german boy moves to the countryside from Berlin after his father is put in charge of a concentration camp. the kid befriends a jewish boy through the electric fence, and so the story goes. the ending was very powerful, and as you might have expected, depressing. i saw a bunch of great previews, too, for Doubt (about catholic priest scandal) and Milk (about the first openly gay Californian politician). wee!
i really should be writing my Structure of English research paper or my book review, but i'd rather sit here and rot, pondering my plans for the weekend. Friday night is up in the air, but Saturday we are going to happy hour downtown and then to the tree lighting in Quincy Market. i am not a huge fan of holiday festivity this early (i.e. prior to thanksgiving), but whatever, it will be fun. my friend Inés joining us, so i look forward to a particularly good time.
earlier in the week christopher and i went to see 'the boy in the striped pajamas', which is a holocaust tale based on a best-selling book of the same name. in a nutshell, a young german boy moves to the countryside from Berlin after his father is put in charge of a concentration camp. the kid befriends a jewish boy through the electric fence, and so the story goes. the ending was very powerful, and as you might have expected, depressing. i saw a bunch of great previews, too, for Doubt (about catholic priest scandal) and Milk (about the first openly gay Californian politician). wee!
i really should be writing my Structure of English research paper or my book review, but i'd rather sit here and rot, pondering my plans for the weekend. Friday night is up in the air, but Saturday we are going to happy hour downtown and then to the tree lighting in Quincy Market. i am not a huge fan of holiday festivity this early (i.e. prior to thanksgiving), but whatever, it will be fun. my friend Inés joining us, so i look forward to a particularly good time.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
приятен уйкенд!
walking into my building this morning it smelled like someone took a huge shit in one of the hallways. how nice. this is after i had to sit amidst a pile of vomit (mostly chicken, with perhaps some beans - i'm guessing they had mexican) on the T last night. oh Boston, you're so classy.
last night christopher and i dined chez fleming-marino for raclette, which i had had a taste for since watching the Switzerland episode of Rick Steve's Europe. this time we added bacon and eggs to the items smothered in cheese, and it was a hit. my favorite combo was perhaps bacon and a cornichon covered in cheese, with ham and onions at a close second. we went through several bottles of wine and had a nice time, though i was tipsy if anything, while meanwhile christopher managed to get tanked. mel gibson is filming a movie in the area, but unfortunately we were redirected by the crew when we tried to cut through it to head back home. the T ride home was fun in that i got to watch christopher pass out over and over on the girl next to him.
i had dunking donuts for the second morning in the row today - oops. thanks to the influences of kasia and ben i now get my iced coffee with cream, though i do still prefer splenda over actual sugar. then we went to the Russian store where i picked up some tasty things for lunch - rye bread, smoked herring, and liver pate. being a Slav is wonderful!
it is very humid today, and can't say i'm planning on exiting my apartment again until later this evening. perhaps i'll curl up to a movie and translate some Old Russian. Joy!
last night christopher and i dined chez fleming-marino for raclette, which i had had a taste for since watching the Switzerland episode of Rick Steve's Europe. this time we added bacon and eggs to the items smothered in cheese, and it was a hit. my favorite combo was perhaps bacon and a cornichon covered in cheese, with ham and onions at a close second. we went through several bottles of wine and had a nice time, though i was tipsy if anything, while meanwhile christopher managed to get tanked. mel gibson is filming a movie in the area, but unfortunately we were redirected by the crew when we tried to cut through it to head back home. the T ride home was fun in that i got to watch christopher pass out over and over on the girl next to him.
i had dunking donuts for the second morning in the row today - oops. thanks to the influences of kasia and ben i now get my iced coffee with cream, though i do still prefer splenda over actual sugar. then we went to the Russian store where i picked up some tasty things for lunch - rye bread, smoked herring, and liver pate. being a Slav is wonderful!
it is very humid today, and can't say i'm planning on exiting my apartment again until later this evening. perhaps i'll curl up to a movie and translate some Old Russian. Joy!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
добар дан
well i've been up since 7:15 on my sleep-in day on account of chris having to wake up at the crack of dawn to teach. unfortunately i hate 2 out of my 3 classes and hence can't motivate myself to do any work. i have a problem set due tomorrow, and then everything else is more project-like, for example a book review and a research paper. BLEH.
seeing as how much i love Early Slavic Linguistics and texts, I got back on a Slavic kick. i've been brushing up on my Bulgarian, studying some Polish, and even was looking at PhD programs for Slavic Linguistics in Chicago. why am i so OCD....? kasia and i were also discussing the possibility of Poland next summer with our respective lovers. this would obviously be amazing. i just wish i had some idea of where the fuck i will be and if i will have a job and/or money to finance it.
last night chris and i went out to kingston station for dinner. its a bistro in downtown crossing, and we were for the most part pleased with everything. my sweet potato gnocchi with scallops was delicious, while chris' chicken milanese left something to be desired. nonetheless the atmosphere was fun and the drinks were good, so I would consider coming back. i just wish i lived downtown...it is always somewhat depressing to have to retreat back to allston or brookline. if only everything weren't so fucking expensive.
on today's agenda all i have is class at 1. i need to go grocery shopping but if i want to be able to purchase christmas gifts, i had best reconsider that. oh this life...
seeing as how much i love Early Slavic Linguistics and texts, I got back on a Slavic kick. i've been brushing up on my Bulgarian, studying some Polish, and even was looking at PhD programs for Slavic Linguistics in Chicago. why am i so OCD....? kasia and i were also discussing the possibility of Poland next summer with our respective lovers. this would obviously be amazing. i just wish i had some idea of where the fuck i will be and if i will have a job and/or money to finance it.
last night chris and i went out to kingston station for dinner. its a bistro in downtown crossing, and we were for the most part pleased with everything. my sweet potato gnocchi with scallops was delicious, while chris' chicken milanese left something to be desired. nonetheless the atmosphere was fun and the drinks were good, so I would consider coming back. i just wish i lived downtown...it is always somewhat depressing to have to retreat back to allston or brookline. if only everything weren't so fucking expensive.
on today's agenda all i have is class at 1. i need to go grocery shopping but if i want to be able to purchase christmas gifts, i had best reconsider that. oh this life...
Sunday, November 9, 2008
pensaments...
So Friday night at Hennessy's ended up being a lot more fun that I had anticipated. We pregamed for a few hours chez moi and around 9:30 Lou finally showed up. The $10 cover was no fun, but I had a nice time with everyone and particularly enjoyed the cover band. 65 dollars later we departed, but for some reason Lou and I ended up walking around for between 1 and 2 hours before getting a cab. I don't know what exactly we did, but we were feeling good and didn't particularly care about getting lost. The only thing that frustrated me was that not even in Chinatown did we find someplace to get food. At 4am we finally got home, made some quesadillas, and called it a night.
The next day we were up pretty early and got breakfast at Bagel Rising before going to Shaw's to get stuff to make spinach and artichoke things for Jonathan's. We spent the afternoon there, and it was nice to see everyone that came in from New York, etc., namely Mary and Christine. We headed to campus 5ish, but ended up just chilling at Jillian's instead of tailgating heavily. It was great catching up and reminiscing. Eventually we did make it to the mods, and at one point while talking to Lisa (who I hadn't seen since graduation) I randomly started to tear up. Awkward.
During the game I hung out on Gerald at Matt's place along with Lou. We played some games, chatted, etc. but I ended up leaving once the game was over to meet up with Jillian and Jonathan. I ended up being the 3rd wheel, which I didn't realize, so after some pizza I walked back to my apartment and waited up for Lou to get back.
Walking back home I became contemplative and analyzed my friend situation in Boston. I was bothered by the fact that after leaving Matt's I really didn't have many options. I know a lot of people here in Boston, but in terms of really close friends, I don't know...it's hard to really "label" or "categorize" my relationships. At this point I don't know how much longer I plan on staying in Boston. Obviously I have to finish my degree, so with the Fulbright/being abroad I am here until the spring of 2011. *sigh*
I need to do homework, but now I'm starving after watching a show about Spanish cuisine and culture. I think I'll plan my next meal...
The next day we were up pretty early and got breakfast at Bagel Rising before going to Shaw's to get stuff to make spinach and artichoke things for Jonathan's. We spent the afternoon there, and it was nice to see everyone that came in from New York, etc., namely Mary and Christine. We headed to campus 5ish, but ended up just chilling at Jillian's instead of tailgating heavily. It was great catching up and reminiscing. Eventually we did make it to the mods, and at one point while talking to Lisa (who I hadn't seen since graduation) I randomly started to tear up. Awkward.
During the game I hung out on Gerald at Matt's place along with Lou. We played some games, chatted, etc. but I ended up leaving once the game was over to meet up with Jillian and Jonathan. I ended up being the 3rd wheel, which I didn't realize, so after some pizza I walked back to my apartment and waited up for Lou to get back.
Walking back home I became contemplative and analyzed my friend situation in Boston. I was bothered by the fact that after leaving Matt's I really didn't have many options. I know a lot of people here in Boston, but in terms of really close friends, I don't know...it's hard to really "label" or "categorize" my relationships. At this point I don't know how much longer I plan on staying in Boston. Obviously I have to finish my degree, so with the Fulbright/being abroad I am here until the spring of 2011. *sigh*
I need to do homework, but now I'm starving after watching a show about Spanish cuisine and culture. I think I'll plan my next meal...
Friday, November 7, 2008
Guten Morgen
It's another dreary morning in Boston - far too muggy for my tastes.
I've done a lot of contemplating about what will happen next year if I don't get the Fulbright, and I've more or less decided that I will be shipping abroad regardless. Best case scenario I find some other means of supporting myself in Andorra. That way I can still carry out my research and hopefully produce a great MA paper on Andorran sociolinguistics. Since starting the application process in June I have envisioned myself gallivanting in Western Europe next year, and this idea has continued, and will continue until I either get the grant or don't. If I am denied, I feel as though next year will be simply miserable, a result of what might be summed up with the cliche "shattered dreams".
This really only has to do with myself, but some might feel as though they are not a good enough reason for me to stay in Boston, etc. False. When it comes down to it, I just have different needs, and my passions in life do not all lie within the Boston, East Coast, or even U.S. bubble. When I was abroad for 8 months each day was an exciting new adventure. I had the opportunity to put all my language skills to the test, and moreover my life skills in a foreign environment. Just because I need that excitement in my life, however, does not mean it is the only excitement, and that I cannot be happy living here with someone I love.
I made a mistake going straight into graduate school and feel somewhat burnt out. It all started with that fucking 5th year MA in higher education, which prevented my applying for a Fulbright senior year, and thus curtailed the change of my being abroad this year. Upon realizing I hated the program it was already too late. *Sigh*. I really do think that a year off will do me wonders and reinvigorate me for the second year of my MA program.
Anywho, this weekend is the BC/ND game on our turf, which should be quite the spectacle. It's estimated that some 10,000 people will be on campus, and that's just how many DON'T have tickets. I'm guessing someone will be stampeded to death in the Mods. Everyone and their mom from my graduating class will be here this weekend, including Lou, so that should be fun. Meanwhile, Christopher will be home in CT this weekend for reasons unknown, so I'll be free to spend more time with people.
That's all for now...I need to finish translating some Old Church Slavonic...
I've done a lot of contemplating about what will happen next year if I don't get the Fulbright, and I've more or less decided that I will be shipping abroad regardless. Best case scenario I find some other means of supporting myself in Andorra. That way I can still carry out my research and hopefully produce a great MA paper on Andorran sociolinguistics. Since starting the application process in June I have envisioned myself gallivanting in Western Europe next year, and this idea has continued, and will continue until I either get the grant or don't. If I am denied, I feel as though next year will be simply miserable, a result of what might be summed up with the cliche "shattered dreams".
This really only has to do with myself, but some might feel as though they are not a good enough reason for me to stay in Boston, etc. False. When it comes down to it, I just have different needs, and my passions in life do not all lie within the Boston, East Coast, or even U.S. bubble. When I was abroad for 8 months each day was an exciting new adventure. I had the opportunity to put all my language skills to the test, and moreover my life skills in a foreign environment. Just because I need that excitement in my life, however, does not mean it is the only excitement, and that I cannot be happy living here with someone I love.
I made a mistake going straight into graduate school and feel somewhat burnt out. It all started with that fucking 5th year MA in higher education, which prevented my applying for a Fulbright senior year, and thus curtailed the change of my being abroad this year. Upon realizing I hated the program it was already too late. *Sigh*. I really do think that a year off will do me wonders and reinvigorate me for the second year of my MA program.
Anywho, this weekend is the BC/ND game on our turf, which should be quite the spectacle. It's estimated that some 10,000 people will be on campus, and that's just how many DON'T have tickets. I'm guessing someone will be stampeded to death in the Mods. Everyone and their mom from my graduating class will be here this weekend, including Lou, so that should be fun. Meanwhile, Christopher will be home in CT this weekend for reasons unknown, so I'll be free to spend more time with people.
That's all for now...I need to finish translating some Old Church Slavonic...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
