stanley

Game 1

Had to follow this game from my phone as I was at a work dinner until around 9:30.  Got home sat in front of my TV.  So depressed.  Stayed up and lost in triple overtime.  This sucks and I have work in the morning.

Game 2

Sike!!  So visiting family in Jersey this weekend didn't want to watch the game there so ended up at Ainsworth Cafe in NYC with my sister, her boyfriend, my parents and my aunt and uncle.  Fun time, cool TVs and absurdly expensive tab.  But the Bruins won!  Score! OT!!!!! Going to bed happy.

Game 3

So with the first two games going into OT I'm questioning whether my heart can handle it in game three.  Never the less, I'm sitting at the bar of Harry's Bar and Grille in Allston pissed that this game is as even as it is.  Not just the score itself, but no-one has dominance.  This *stinks*-  will check in later in the game, second period just started.  Commercial update: Bruins Goal, whole bar cheering!!!  

Goal 2- That's what you get for tripping you f*cking SOB.

End of Game: Funny, now that the game is over and I'm heading home, beyond tired but I'm looking forward to the next game. 

Game 4

So, sitting here debating if I want to go to a bar near TD Garden to watch this game or just go to Harry's.

Note: I plan to continue updating this post for Stanley Cup thoughts.  Go Bruins.

marathon-monday

So on a regular Marathon Monday, its a state holiday.  The Boston colleges celebrate this day, from Wellesley College's scream tunnel to the Drinking and Partying of Boston College and Boston University, its the Boston Marathon. Today was the 117th running of the event, held on Patriots Day every year.  We celebrate it with a day game for the Red Sox every year so that people can leave the game and cheer the runners on as they pass the park.  Not this year, this year a little after 4:00pm, un known persons set off 2 bombs.  You know, its been less than a month.  Feels like a year ago.

I've made my first visit to Copley Square.  It was more unnerving than I thought it would be.  Sure, I know people who ran the marathon and I know people who went when they heard what was going on as EMTs to help, but I didn't have friends at the finish line.  I've purchased the shirt, -- thanks btw to the Emerson kids who set that up -- and I stopped by the food court at the Prudential Center on my way over for flowers.  I got there and the girl putting the flowers together asked me if it a gift, I said no, i was taking it down to Copley.  It got blue and yellow ribbons.  I walked down Boylston, the paint from FBI crime scene workers is gone and the bloods been washed up too but right in front of the Forum restaurant, which is still closed is a tree decorated with paper cranes, dried flowers and a marathon number tag.  The windows all have "Boston Strong" and tons of people are milling about taking pictures.  One woman asked where I had gotten my flowers, clearly, she wanted to do the same thing.

Once you hit Copley it became even more heartfelt.  Copley usually has a few family's, some kids playing on the grass.  But the police have moved all the mini memorials into one memorial at the corner of the square nearest the finish line.  There had to be 75+ people walking through this memorial where people have left flowers, shoes, stuffed animals and notes.  There are even pens with poster board allowing people to write their own messages. It was almost surreal.  the flowers were 2 feet from the wall, more than that in front of the crosses created for the 4 victims of the bombers.  candles and lighters abounded.  my favorite pieces left were the solar powered flowers just knocking back and forth.  is it bad to think like that?  i had never been to a memorial like this, where people leave flowers, I've seen pictures, but it reminded me of the flowers lined up against the gates of Buckingham palace after Diana died.  People walked by them as though in line at a museum, leaving flowers, shoes-- reading peoples notes, writing their own.  

Been back a few times, but it hasn't been the same.

--I wrote the above in April but never posted it, don't ask why, I'm not really sure.  I told my Dad the day of the bombings was the first time I had ever not felt safe at home -- even more so that Friday when the Tsarneav brothers were out and about a mile from my apartment, hijacking cars and killing an MIT officer.  I'm of the hope that the survivor lives, i want him in a 8x12 cell with 1 hour outside of it a day.  Until he dies.

Boston Strong.

sorry-at-least-its-a-vacation

To all my loyal readers.  I'd start this huge sad sob story about why I haven't blogged but i really just didn't get around to it.  I had little bits written that I never finished, added to that I didn't have much to talk about but there is really no excuse.  Lucky my there are no loyal readers so I don't feel as bad as I could.


I have been thinking about what's happened in my life since the last time I wrote. Then I realized that my life stinks and I really didn't have anything but I might as well tell you anyway. A few things to note.

#1. When your guy friend who you all think might be gay anyway tells you he's bi but will end up with a woman because he wants to have biological kids, does he think your going to volunteer for the job? Forget the fact that I'm not attracted to the guy, but really, what do you say to that?

#2. I started watching Arrow. I think I'm in love. It's like Christian Grey all over again but without the kinky sexual dominant. Which I like don't get me wrong but I think Oliver could totally fill those shoes and he doesn't come with a psycho older woman in the way.

#3. I applied and was accepted to Birthright Israel.  If you don't know what that is, then go to the link.  But suffice it to say, I'm going to Israel for 9 days, for free, with my Sister.  I don't know that it gets any better.

#4. I'll finish with my three day, four night trip with my Mom to Florida.  We made the trip to Ft. Myers for a Red Sox spring training game (actually 2).  I've got a number of pictures to share with you.  Please, enjoy them.    So here goes:

Arrival: Wednesday at midnight.  We go to the taxi booth (we were scheduled to get the rental in the morning) but they said it was going to be around $40 to the hotel which seemed high since hotel was near Jet Blue Park and the park was near the airport.  We went to the Enterprise to see if we could get the car early (we could).  Nice car BTW.

So we get in the car and drive and drive and drive.  Turns out the hotel (advertised as .3 miles from the park was 13 miles and 25 minutes away.  So we finally get there, driving by the porn shops, and pawn stores and dilapidated buildings to get to a hotel with a dark parking lot.  Kinda sketchy all around. 

So we go on and check out in the morning with mo place to go and drive back over to the park.  Welcome to Jet Blue Park at Fenway South. Its Thursday morning, we find a new hotel and go on a tour of the park.  We go home, shower and make our way back to the park for dinner and the night game.  Awesome game by the way.  had a total blast although I'll admit, I was kinda cold.

So we slept in the next morning.  Kinda what we do without my Dad to wake us up at some un-godly hour but we did manage to crawl out of bed and we went on an expedition.  First, know that there is really 1 good beach in Fort Myers, and since we weren't staying in a hotel on the water, we needed beach chairs.  Oh, and we didn't have beach towels.  So we head to Wal-Mart to find the cheapest of both we can.  On our way to Wal-Mart we see a K-Mart, they'll have cheaper stuff we think.  So we stop, not cheaper than our Front Desk noted so we leave for Wal-Mart.  We locate what we need and head to the beach.  5 miles.  1 hour in traffic.  SOOOO not going to happen as by this point its about 12:30.  So we head back to Wal-Mart to return our new chairs and towels and we make our way to the hotel.  Miss the best sun of the day, I think not... to the pool we go.

We did end up making it to the beach however.  Once the traffic died down we showered and got back in the car and went to Fort Myers Beach to watch the sun set.  Gorgeous, pretty beach, awesome sun, not too hot, not to cold there were sand-dollars, and some octopus that let its leg fall off when Mom picked it up.  (Mad creepy btw).  I think i switched back and forth between my cameras like 5 different times to take pictures, and see which came out better, at this point though I have no idea which came from where.

We had dinner at this awesome tourist trap that some woman on the beach recommended called Doc Fords.  Great food and a fun atmosphere totally a place I would go back to.

We went home, got a good nights sleep and went to the ball park for a day game on Saturday.  Last game of spring training and we won.  Great day.  I ended up a lobster but it was totally worth it.  I guess I hadn't put enough of the suntan lotion they had around the park on over the course of the game cause man was I in pain.  The suntan lotion purell-like dispensers were pretty awesome though.

We ended up eating at a second place because they had 1 free beer if you had gone to the game that day.  Which we got, but the food was nowhere near the level of Doc Fords. So...  Had a mad early flight the next morning for somone who hates getting up early, the whole be at the airport by 7am thing didnt work to well for me but nothing i could do.  At least we weren't 25 minutes from the airport this time around.

Got back and had a relaxing day.  Now I've seen the Red Sox win their first two and go down to the Yankees in their third and I'm not feeling as sick to my stomach as I did before Spring Training started.

And that was my recent trip.

Oh to follow what I have done in the past the following is a list of the books I've read recently:
Lots of Shelley Laurenston (Magnus Pack and Pride Stories).  I've liked them all.  Totally worth reading if you like paranormal romance novels.  Bit absurd how humans are supposed to be so oblivious about full shifter towns.  And some of the names are just stupid, I mean really, we get that you are trying to make these folks southern hicks, you don't have to name them all Sissy Mae, Bobby Ray, Ronnie Lee and Dee-Ann.  I still like the stories, and the Shaw brothers are just too good.

on-my-own

On my way to watch the Patriots AFC game against the Ravens. I feel super anti-social, but what's the point of watching the game with non-patriots fans you don't know at an apartment where you don't know anyone? If I'd known that's where I'd end up I would have gone home for the weekend and watched it with a bottle of wine, my mom and her best friend.

Since that's not an option, I'm going by myself to Kenmore and watching the game with other Patriots fans. The whole reason I stayed in Boston was to experience the game at a Boston Bar, maybe this will be good for me, I'll meet people that aren't my current friends who thing it's better to stay home. Oh we'll.

Went to a party last night t the friends apt (you know there is a reason I want to go elsewhere). Had fun ended up drinking more than I wanted and staying longer than I wanted and I just wanted to walk home on my own and instead I ran because a friend had been 'brought up to walk a girl home'. Well you know what, I didn't have enough fun, I was annoyed at my roommate because she said we'd leave at 11:00pm and we didn't and some creep that I didn't like wouldn't stop talking to me. Add to that the fast that I'd started and finished a bottle of wine on my own, I was in a bratty, stubborn mood and by midnight I was only there because people wanted me to stay til midnight so by then I was pissed that I was still there and so yeah. I guess I'll have to remember that next time.

Not sure where I'll end up tonight, just going to get off at Kenmore and pick a bar.

Go Patriots.

division-weekend-pre-game

Finished another book! Snowy Night with a Highlander by Julia London was actually kinda cute.  Short and a totally unrealistic amount of time to fall in love but that's neither here nor there.  On top of which it makes a little more sense given the time period you didn't know your spouse all that well but two days, really?

The Patriots are in the playoffs. We didn't play last week so for me this is really the start of the playoffs.  Yesterday, the Ravens beat Peyton Manning.  They beat the rest of the Denver Broncos too but really all I care about is Peyton.  Okay, so I'm not saying that the Ravens are a lesser team than Denver, its that I'd much prefer to be playing Baltimore if the Patriots win today.  In my defense, I wasn't alone. I went tot he bar with my Dad and everyone was rooting for the Ravens.  For some reason, there is a Brady - Peyton rivalry, that's been completely blown out of proportion by the press but that doesn't mean that I'd prefer to play any QB that isn't a Manning Brother.

Well, the Ravens one so it was great.  Some family friends of ours who are huge Baltimore friends told us we were welcome, only because they took out Peyton for us. Well, that's why we were rooting for them :)

On a different note I was going to go to the BTNG gathering at the Pru on Saturday.  Since it was at 6 instead of 3 and I wanted to go home for the weekend and not get there mad late so I'll go next month.

Well, I'm going to go make some food so that I have something to bring next door for the PATRIOTS game.

maybe-not-be-my-baby

I know I was writing what seems like yesterday but in reality it wasn't.  It was two days ago (kinda).  I worked from my apartment today.  It was awesome.  I got so much work done.  Felt great.

Last night - I read a book with no rape in it!  The book was Be My Baby by Susan Andersen. Now I've read and enjoyed her books in the past.  The novel Hot and Bothered is even in my apartment, one of the books which successfully made the move from my parents house.  Mind you the plan is to get as many as I can into apartments but I'm still working on that whole city space thing. For now I have maybe 150 paperbacks in my apartment, which seems like a lot until you consider that there are maybe another 1,500 at my parents house.

Back to the book.  It throws together two interesting characters, Juliet Rose, a wealthy Bostonian who has been groomed all her life by her uptight grandmother to be the perfect lady, and has strove for all her life to be something her father would be proud of and her match not-made-in-heaven Beau.  Beau is the New Orleans cop assigned to protection duty after Juliet receives a 'warning' letter regarding the hotel she is opening in a historical house in New Orleans.  It takes no time at all to learn who the letter sender is, since we see the dislike from the beginning so its a but 'eh' as far as the tension goes and its uber predictable.  Also, without spoiling the book I feel the need to point out that the antagonist is either really just stupid or the protagonist is just plain lucky so it's not as... I want to use the word realistic here, but romance novels are never all that realistic.  I did however enjoy the interaction between the two main characters and I thought Beau was a great leading man.  I've also loved the Kathleen E. Woodiwiss novel The Flame and the Flower.  {{Sidetracking for a moment, this author is like the grandmother of the modern Historical Romance novel and if you haven't read any of her stories and you enjoy the genre, you are seriously missing out.  She only wrote 13 of them so it shouldn't take anyone that long to read.}}

So all in all not a huge you have to buy this book, but if you already bought it, go ahead and read it.  A quick predicable read if your into that.  I also read another Erotic Romance short story that I didn't like at all so i don't see a point in telling you all about it except to say, in a book about training, having a slave freak out in public and basically get everyone around them killed (except of course the Master) is counter productive.

I think maybe I should read a Historical Romance novel next.  I haven't read one in a while since I felt like I was reading the same one over and over (and also because I was getting too many cheap easy erotic ones and re-reading books) but I'm like an addict and I love how they sound on the back cover so I've got like 4-5 sitting 'New' on my nook.

Okay, so I did so well yesterday in going to bed at a reasonable hour and I failed miserably tonight. -oh well-

By the way, you know when you have like a weird pulsing in your eyelid where is feels like a vein is going through it and it keeps beating and your twitching and its uncomfortable and and and and... it sucks??  Yeah, how do you get rid of that?

Night All!

a-week-in

So, how are you doing tonight my friend.  Its 1:13 in the morning here, and I'm not tired.  Pissed about it, but there isn't really anything I can do to counter act it except remember not to do it tomorrow and get back on a normal sleep schedule.  This unfortunately hasn't gone so well for me in the past so wish me luck.

I totally had a great weekend.  It was a sit and do nothing weekend.  Well, not really nothing, but totally a lazy weekend.  I had an Avengers Saturday watching Captain America, Thor and then Avengers since those were the only three films I could get my hands on this weekend.  Watched parts of Finding Neverland because it was on TV.  I love that movie Peter Pan and Johnny Depp all rolled into a package that lets me cry.

So I finished the Shades of Grey novel by Maya Banks last week.  I loved it.  I think that Cole was perfect.  The one thing I didn't like was the title.  While I read the Fifty Shades of Grey series and I liked it, the fact that the title of this is Shades of Grey bothered me.  This book was better written and had so much more substance and all that jazz that the similarity was annoying.  I kept reminding myself that the Billy Joel song came before both of them and that made it a little better.  But back to the book.  I think that you need to know up front that the book is much darker than the other books of the Kelly/KGI series.  The characters are well written and haven't changed, but this is definitely a darker book.  The book summary indicated that an operation goes all wrong and boy was that an understatement.  To give you a bit of background, the antagonist of the book is the leader of a slave trafficking ring, and if you can't stomach rape or the thought of little girls getting caught up in this, then the book is not for you.  Resign yourself to the fact that you will need to find a toned down summary of PJ and Cole's story online and leave the book at the store.  If you think you can handle it, then the book was an absolute fabulous read.  The characters were so well written and you totally understood exactly where they were coming from.

It was interesting to me though that I finished Shades of Grey and felt the need to go back and re-read the book To Command and Collar by Cherise Sinclair.  This book is book 6 of the Shadowlands series, which is phenomenal. A number of steps above the Fifty Shades series as far as the kink goes but just oh so good, the 6th book focuses on Kim and Raoul after she gets rescued by slavers. *sigh* I'm seeing a theme here.  I think the next book i read is going to need to be light and airy.  Historical Romance novels that are still saying 'New' on my Nook because I haven't opened them, which one of you wants to move to the read column?

In other news, I got an email from the head of the alumni group for the sleepover camp I attended in my teens.  She is looking for assistance in getting the remainder of my age group in the alumni database.

If you have lost touch...have a few free moments.... and feel like searching them out on Facebook or the Internet, it would be greatly appreciated.

Okay, I was 14 or 15 the last time I saw or spoke with 90% of the people I went to camp with.  What makes anyone think I want to randomly reach out to them and say, "Hey, go to the webpage and register".  Awkward.  I will say I did look up a few of the people she had listed on FB to see if I could find them and a lot of them are friends with people I am friends with so hopefully someone else reaches out.

But anyway.  I hope you had a great weekend.  Thanks for reading.