Olivia

My mom is my source of Public Media news, as she has her finger on the pulse of the goings-on of that area of the world. Case in point: she broke the news to me of Mr. Rogers dying in college and Carl Kassell retiring a few weeks ago.

When I came into work this morning, she informed me that Alaina Reed-Amini had passed away at age 63 of breast cancer. People roughly my age will remember her as Gordon's sister Olivia on Sesame Street. Definitely loved her on that show... and not gonna lie, if I ever have a child named Olivia in my future she will be about 72% named after this character.

So it's been real, Alaina. Here are some videos for you. The first is her signing Sing with Linda on Sesame Street:



And the second is her singing with David on Sesame Street about... well, singing. So kind of meta.

Don't Let Me Wait Too Long by The Russians with special guests Brian King and Corin Ashley

Last Friday, Ricky and I checked a very good show at TT's that featured The Corin Ashley Quartet, The Russians, and The Figgs. It was a freezing cold night in Boston, and the club brought in a lot of that chill, but the acts were warm and inviting.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I'm a fan of both Corin Ashley and Scott Janovitz, frontman of The Russians. You may also remember him as half of the frontment for The High Holidays, which I raved about last February.

My friend Brian also sat in on both Corin Ashley Quartet and The Russians as their keyboardist and delivered the goods yet again. I know I'm biased, but I really think he'll be a force in the Boston music scene in the years to come, whether as a writer or a performer.

Anyways, one of the many highlights of the night was a cover The Russians and Corin did of George Harrison's Don't Let Me Wait Too Long. Scott channels his inner George for sure, and it's a great song:

Love is you, you and me.

The end of a 7 1/2 year old era?

The Dell and my desk from college, circa 2005. Things that are no longer around in that picture: my printer, that pencil sharpener, that lei, that monitor...


Last night, my poor little Dell computer may or may not have (to use technical terms) shit the bed.

I was watching tv and knitting when I decided to check my email. I got up from the couch to go to the computer and the menu bar was missing. Thinking it was formatting, I restarted the computer. When this happened, and then the following 100 times I tried restarting the computer, I got a scary blue screen with scary error messages. I panicked a lot, texted my technically minded friends, and then went to bed rather teary-eyed.

It's not that I am particularly attached to my Dell. I got it my freshman year of college (2002). It's always had viruses. It's killed not one but two CD drives. It's loud. It's slow. It's heavy.

But it's my computer, and my only one, and I really can't afford to drop $500+ on a new tower. Oh, and did I mention it has all my music and pictures on it from 2002? Yeah, that too.

It's also strange to think that this giant, heavy mess of a thing that I've been carrying around with me might be breathing its final breaths. We've lived in four dorms together, my parents' house, Medford, and two places in Salem. It's seen me through my BA, countless break ups, all-nighters, jam sessions, and bill paying. And now it could just be a heap of useless metal.

Brian is taking a look at it on Thursday (because everyone needs a Brian in their life) and I'm hoping the prognosis is good. Or at least "you can keep using it until July or August when you can afford a new one", but I'm not sure.

Think good thoughts for Lil Dell...

End of November

And that means the end of NaBloPoMo! It's been a good month, and I hope only some of the posts were interesting (I'm sure there were several posts that were boring as hell). It was a neat challenge for me to be a good little blogger for the month, but I think I may take a day or two off so I can rest up and post great things about Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Cape Ann Symphony. Oh, and lots of knitting that I've been working on. Though there is some secret knitting that I won't post for various people. Bwhahaha!

But for now... hot chocolate and knitting call.

Thanksgiving Vacation hangover

I'm finally back from vacation. It was a crazy few days! Let's break it down:

--Thursday I ate food at three different houses, and had roughly 5 desserts.
--Friday Erin and Matt came to visit me in Rockport. Then Ricky met up with us and we went to see Fantastic Mr. Fox. It was quite fantastic.
--Saturday Leo's family came and we ate ham. Then I was pleasantly surprised with tickets to the Cape Ann Symphony, then off to have drinks with old and new friends and many sweet nothings from Ricky.
--Sunday I bought yarn, visited my grandmother, bought more yarn, then went to see Arsenic and Old Lace with my college roommates Erin, Kristen and Meg. Then I ate pasta. Ricky is on his way.

I hope to have a few days off of that much running around and excitement. At least until Christmas.

The (not) mean Reds

Last weekend, Ricky and I went to Reds for breakfast. I was nursing a hangover, and needed bacon. And Ricky... well, Ricky loves me and eggs.

Amazingly enough, it wasn't packed so we got a seat almost instantly. Score! I must say, I was very impressed. It definitely has the taste and feel of a local breakfast establishment. It's in no way fancy pretentious or fancy. But that's why I liked it.

I will say this: DON'T park near Reds. There are maybe three spots out front, and they are always filled. We walked from my apartment, which took away one headache. There's plenty of parking in the area or a few blocks away. I'd use that. Also, I hear lines can be pretty bad, especially on weekends. We didn't run into this, but be mindful and have a Option B in case you run into this.

The menu had pretty standard fare with a few specials posted. I went with French Toast with a side of bacon, and Ricky had Eggs Benedict. We each got coffee.

Portions were quite good. I kind of wish I got eggs instead of French Toast, only because Ricky's meal looked phenomenal. My French Toast was clearly made with regular white bread, but had good egg flavor. Bacon was good, but I feel no restaurant ever cooks it as much as I like it to be. I like my bacon to look and taste like a burn victim. Think English Patient bacon. This was good, but a bit limp.

The Eggs Benedict, however, was quite good. Good sauce and portions, and it comes with home fries. Had I had the stomach for slightly runny eggs, I would have had that instead.

Prices were standard fare for a breakfast place, but keep in mind it's cash only. There is an ATM machine in the restaurant, though, for people who forget this (me).

Furthermore, I hope my meaning won't be lost or misconstrued

A little shout out to a trustee who I may or may not be seeing speak on campus soon...

Happy Thanksgiving All!

May you all have nice holidays with good food, friends, and family.

Thanksgiving-Eve Grumblings

I am currently trying to prep myself to make a coconut cream pie. I think it'll go well and be tasty, but I think I'm a little grumpy pre-holidays.

As I've said before, when your mom and dad get divorced and remarry, every holiday doubles and triples in size. It's both fun and very exhausting, and by Saturday night I want to sit in a room alone and not talk to anyone who is related to me. (I have at least three Thanksgivings this year... and that also includes three times the family, both good and bad) This is why I like holidays like Arbor Day. And Memorial Day. Because no one cares if I see them or not on that day. I've never heard "I see your spending Martin Luther King Jr Day with your mother?" or "are you seeing your father on President's Day?", and I'm okay with that. But I digress...

I'll be writing drafts and publishing them all weekend so I can keep up with NaBloPoMo (home stretch!), since I know it'll be a busy long weekend.

Does anyone know if there's a part for meeeee?

Ricky sent me this video today. I think it's getting a lot of play on the Internet, but I thought it was worth a repost and some commenting on my part.

In the last few years, the Muppets have set their eyes on YouTube to make a series of videos that recreate that spirit of parody, zaniness, cleverness, and weird humor they capture on Sam and Friends in the 50's up through when the Muppet Show was on the air originally. Every few months, it seems, another one is set out. I've been really impressed with them all so far.

Here's what I love about this one:

--It has older Muppets (muhna muhna) to newer ones (Sal and Johnny) all together.
--Dr. Teeth et al doing the musical bridge.
--Kermit at the very end.
--The random fruit and cacti singing (I laughed out loud in my apartment alone at that one).
--All the lighting.


All in all, a pretty great video.

All I can say... is thank GOD he's not retiring from Wait Wait, too!

NPR's Carl Kasell to retire from 'Morning Edition'

(AP) – 8 hours ago

NEW YORK — Carl Kasell will finally get to sleep in. The veteran newscaster is retiring from NPR's "Morning Edition."

The 75-year-old Kasell has done the newcast during NPR's flagship morning program since its inception 30 years ago. NPR says he will give his last broadcast on Dec. 30.

In a memo to National Public Radio staff and stations, managing editor David Sweeney and vice president of programming Margaret Low Smith praised Kasell for raising "more than a generation of listeners with his calm and authoritative newscast."

Kasell will remain the judge and scorekeeper of "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!," NPR's weekly news quiz show.

A spokeswoman for NPR says that no one has been named to succeed Kasell on "Morning Edition."

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

From the phone of Michnya

I worked with Al Pacino once.


I got this text yesterday from Michnya. It mad my day:

So, just discovered that Baron Kelly interviewed for a job here last year, and was regarded as a blowhard ass by the grads on the selection committee.


Sooooo true.

Curses, Anthropologie!

I've been eying these items for weeks at the Anthropologie down the street. And now that I've worked there for two weeks, I can actually say weeks and mean it. Ha!

It's a butter dish!


Measuring cups that look like geese!


And a really pretty and comfy cardigan in teal green.


Willpower, don't fail me now!

More photos when walking to the train

I saw this sign yesterday on my way to the train. Well put.

It's that time again...

When walking to the train this morning, the Common was covered in frost. Not cool, The Common. Not cool.

A good song for a Wednesday

Not a lot of time to post, but wanted to keep up with this month. Here's a song I've been digging for awhile now. Great song and an even better band name:

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin singing their song Oregon Girl:

To the mother of the four-year-old in Target tonight

Blog note:  I originally had a photo of a child crying with this post, but received a comment suggesting I do otherwise.  The point was valid, so I changed it to the Target label itself.

I don't like to rant or tell people how to be a parent, but this has come up too many times. In the sage words of TBTL, Shut it down, America.

Tonight I had to run to Target to pick up a few things and about ten minutes before checking out I heard a kid screaming from across the store. Huge, meltdown screaming. This kid, sight unseen was overtired, having a rough night, and wanted to be home in pajamas and comfortable. Can't say I blamed him.

However, the mom had other plans... as the kid continued to scream and have a meltdown for the next ten minutes and the mom continued to shop. I hoped, for her sake, that she had a full cart of important things, like the last carton of milk on earth and the cure for cancer. I realize it's hard having little kids and trying to run errands, but if there is one thing my mom taught me, it's this: if your kids are having a meltdown, you drop everything and leave the store. My mom did this countless times when the three of us were flipping out. I'm pretty sure if one of us did that now in our mid-20's, she'd still drop everything and leave the store.

Then I found the mom in question as I made my way to the front of the store. She did not, it turns out, have the cure for cancer in her cart... but was instead casually shopping the dollar aisle as her son whipped himself around the cart and screamed. Let me re-state this. Instead of dropping her shopping altogether and getting her kid out of the store, or at least hurrying up the process and getting out of the store as soon as possible, the mom was SLOWLY MEANDERING THROUGH THE DOLLAR AISLE LOOKING AT DECORATIVE BAGS WHILE WE ALL HAD TO HEAR HER CHILD SCREAM.

At this point, I made eye contact with a mom who was finishing her shopping and she said out loud "hello? This kid needs to get home and stop shopping". I agreed with, "This kid is telling you something, and it's that he's done with Target". When buying my tissues and dish soap, the mom was finally buying her purchases. Her son was still freaking out in line and flailing about. She did nothing. The woman in line behind me said "get that kid home and stop shopping". And again, I turned around and agreed.

When I was in the parking lot, I called my mom and relayed the story and she said "if that were you, you'd be home by now. You're not a bad kid, you're a kid who has no business being in a Target looking at Christmas decorations at 7:30 at night on a Tuesday".

I don't get it, people. I know that when I have kids and if this ever happened in a store, I would work as quickly as possible to remedy the situation. I'd tell my kid to stop crying, or get out of the store as quickly as possible. Ignoring the screaming and continuing to browse does nothing but make you look like a bad parent in the age of "Jimmy is a special delicate flower just like everyone else" parenting. No one wants to hear your child scream across the store. No one. So get your head out of your ass and LEAVE THE STORE.

Shut it down, America. Shut it down, big time.

Hmmmm

Not sure what to write today... I think because I am tired and filled with butternut squash soup and garlic bread...

So here's a pretty cake stand I saw today at Crate and Barrel.

Thank goodness for WODS

Erin's boyfriend Matt has been waiting for WODS to switch over to Christmas music for weeks now. I guess they made the move for the season a few days ago. Ricky and I have been enjoying it all weekend when driving around. This morning, when running errands, they played my favorite weird Christmas song.


The Bing Crosby/David Bowie duet. Because WHY OH WHY ARE THESE TWO PEOPLE SINGING TOGETHER AND HANGING OUT? It's awesome, but a bit bizarre. Love it.



Also, as VH1's Pop Video told me years ago, look out for the band aid on Bing Crosby's finger.

My favorite things

It's pouring outside right now. I'm making pumpkin pie for a Practice Thanksgiving at newly engaged Patti and Bob's. I'm wearing comfy yoga pants. Ricky is sitting on my new couch watching a movie called Hannah Takes the Stairs nearby. These are a few of my favorite things...

... as is this song by the band Pampelmoose, a cover of My Favorite Things.





And for good measure (possibly again) their cover of All The Single Ladies.






I love Saturdays like this.

A recipe for a great date night/possibly offending people

This is the Friday Night Ricky and I have planned:

It involves eating Reuben sandwiches made by me


+ drinking a fair amount of gin and tonics


+ watching Fiddler on the Roof on demand



= a night we dubbed Gin and Jews.





Snoop would be proud... or horrified.

I'm in trouble...

There's no such thing as too many throw pillows.


No no, not at work. Everything is great.

No, I'm in trouble... because I now work in an area with shops.

Lots and lots of pricey but beautiful shops.

I've been taking long walks around the area during my lunch break to better familiarize myself with the area. I've also been taking inventory of the shops in the area for when it's time to Christmas shop on said lunch breaks. And I've come to this conclusion: I am screwed.

Why? Let's break it down:

--Anthropologie. Pretty dresses, sweaters, home goods... oh and nothing in that store is until $30. Damn you, comfortable but expensive sweater!
--Crate and Barrel. Marimekko duvet covers. Pretty picture frames. Green throw pillows. Yep.
--Trader Joe's. Alright, it is a super market, but I walked through, and the snack section will be my undoing. Tasty but bad for my waist and wallet.
--The Apple Store. Everyone I know has an Apple product, so hello accessories. This "everyone" also includes me.
--The Prudential... is across the street. This includes Express, Ann Taylor, White House Black Market, Coldstone Creamery, Papyrus, Lord and Taylor, Sephora...


Oh noes.

11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month

"a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day'."
~Woodrow Wilson

Birfday

Do I have something in my nose?


Today is a big ol' shout out to my middle brother Pete, who turns 24. Yaaay Pete!




Oh and Day 2 went well, but I ate more ice cream today. And french fries. I think I will love this job, but at this rate, I also think I may put on about 50 pounds in the process.

When overwhelmed...

One thing Ricky notices about me/finds endearing is that i often have food moods or cravings. Like when I'm stressed or in a mood or whatever. They're usually one of the following: orange juice, potato chips, ice cream, or sandwiches. They usually are fleeting, but necessary.

Well, today was Day 1 at the new job. It consisted of 6 hours of training and trying to retain all sorts of information while traveling to a foreign location where you know no one. Hoping you catch the T on time. Hoping you make a good impression. Blah blah blah. All that new job stuff.

When I got home today, I was pleasantly surprised that Ricky was in Salem eating Thai with a friend of his. I met up with them, had tasty Crispy Pad Thai, talked on the couch with Ricky about my day in great detail, and then treated myself to the craving I had been having due to feeling a little overwhelmed by new information and environments since about 3:30:




Ice cream.


Oh, but I can already tell I will love my job, and that this was a good move for me. In fact, I am very positive about it.

Yep, I've always been this neurotic

The night before starting first grade, I couldn't fall asleep and was stressed beyond max. My mom came to check on me, saw that I was still awake, and asked what was wrong. I said I was worried about going to first grade because...

...I didn't know how to spell the word ingredient.


Keep in mind, I was six years old.


My mom assured me they would teach me how to spell it and that everything would be okay.


I'd like to think that this neurosis and starting something new anxiety would have ended in Mrs. Jabba's classroom... but oh no. No it does not.

(In case you were wondering, I am up later than I wanted to anxious about starting my new job, which is what brought this on)

DeCordova in photos

Coming soon: Decordova pics

Ricky and I spent the morning at the Decordova Museum in Lincoln. We got lots of nice pics. I plan on posting them soon, maybe even tonight. But in the mean time...

Here's a cute bunny.

This is the end...

Today is my last day at my current job.


It's a bittersweet feeling. On the one hand, I've worked here as an intern in 2005, and then fulltime since 2006, and that's a long time to spent 8+ hours a day with people in the same building. So I've made some friendships (some very, very good ones) and good connections. The fear of the unknown is there, too.

But on the other hand, I am so excited for this new chapter in my life, and this new job and opportunity and adventure. I think this change is exactly what I need. I already feel recharged and I haven't even stepped on campus yet.

Today will be interesting, but a good day nonetheless.

Birthday shout out to Mummmmmm

The sea was angry that day, my friends...like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.


A very very happy birthday to my wonderful Mum today! This is one of my favorite pictures of her, since she is so in her element: out on the ocean, on a boat, with her family.

Sunny Day, sweeping the clouds away

I opened Google this morning to be pleasantly surprised by this:



It's the 40th Anniversary of Sesame Street! It's crazy to think about that show being on the air for 40 years. Think of all those kids who have grown up with Sesame Street. I definitely know I am on that list. I mean, I was so excited about Maria's wedding to Luis that Emma and I dressed up and had finger sandwiches while watching it.

Here are some of my favorite sketches through the years:

Muhna Muhna, obviously:



And for my Mum, I Love This Boat:


And Jelly Man Kelly, my introduction to James Taylor:

Song I'm digging these days

This whole blog every day thing is proving harder than I first thought... and it's only the 3rd.

I heard this on the podcast Coverville a few weeks back, and I really like what Keane did with the song. Very beautiful, mellow, and haunting:




Enjoy!

Halloween done right

Ricky decided to do that couple-y thing and have corresponding Halloween costumes.

He was Doc Brown:


And I was Marty McFly:



It went over well.

Let's try this NaBloPoMo thing

So I've read a few blogs over the years that have participated in NaBloPoMo, or National Blogging Month. The challenge is to post every day during the month of November. I've been debating it, and I think it might be a nice challenge, especially with all the things going on in my life right now.

I'm hoping to post a lot about local food and culture, and the transition from working in the rural suburbs to working in Boston again, but I have a feeling there may be some days where I post things like pictures of my dog or songs I like. But I'm hoping for real content more often than not.

So get pumped!

I liked my outfit yesterday

I had a cool outfit yesterday. Maybe I'm channeling the new job early?


Dress - The Gap
Camisole - The Limited
Scarf - I made that bad boy! Noro and Cascade yarn
Jean Jacket - Salvation Army
Tights - Target
Boots - a Christmas gift from my college ex-boyfriend.


Yeah, I'm digging it.

Who loves ya, baby?

My friend Erin's niece and nephew are preparing for their first Halloween (they're 6 months). They have cute costumes picked out, I am sure. This makes me laugh, since what did I first dress up as for Halloween?

Well that would be television detective Kojak.


It would probably make sense for me to say that I didn't grow hair until I was about 3. And I had a lollipop all night, too. Good times.

News

Why hello, Banner. Will I see you at the company picnic?


Today I accepted a dream job at an exciting place. The Berklee College of Music. I just gave my notice. It went well. It's going to be a very crazy two weeks to wrap up my old job.

I will miss my old coworkers, but I am really, really excited.

HELLO BOSTON!

Great texts in Foster history

I didn't know we were posing.


I was cleaning out my cell phone and came across the following Foster gems:

8/29, 6:32pm
There are two teenagers in Richdale mumbling to each other. One is wearing a tie dye shirt. They're buying gatorade and chocolate bars. It's on the up and up.

7/23, 9:38pm
I got Michelle to take me to Not Your Average Joe's, and when the waitress said they have no nachos, I told her that's not very flexible.

7/22, 6:37pm
A fat kid on a bicycle just fell off the sidewalk into the street. After swerving to avoid him, I laughed at the look of embarrassment on his fat face.

"Mother, dear, I'll fulfill your fondest wishes." "Elias, how?"

Hope some of you catch the reference.

Feeling a little blue, so sharing a picture I took a few weekends ago of my friend's old Singer sewing machine. It was very cool.


And here's another one of some of the machinery:

Your Jason Segel Moment of Zen for the day...

Let me just tell you, Terri, picking out an outfit for the second half of a breakup is like the hardest outfit you'll ever pick out in your life. I came out in a blue button-up shirt and khaki pants like I was going to private school.
~From Fresh Air, 10/16/09

Sweets for the Sweet

Kristen's tea and cupcakes, aka lunch.

Old pal/former roommate/fellow lover of Google ads Kristen and I trekked to Harvard Square to try Sweet, the new-ish cupcake shop. It's conveniently next to Tealuxe, so we managed to turn it into a tea and cupcake day.

Sweet just recently opened a new location in Harvard Sq, and there's one in Back Bay. I was a fan of the Harvard Square space, with its retro wallpaper and cleanliness. I was also a fan of the variety of cupcake flavors, and that they were all well-stocked on a busy Saturday afternoon. I was worried that some popular flavors would be out due to the Head of the Charles, but they kept all flavors in the display case.

Sweet has a menu of regulars -- from the classic chocolate and red velvet to the unique cappuccino -- and a seasonal menu feature apple and pumpkin-inspired choices. Kristen and I decided to each get two. Kristen, the chocolate cranberry and pumpkin pie, and I went with s'mores and apple pie. I have a feeling I will be making a trip back for the molasses ginger, caramel apple, and chocolate orange in the near future.

Sweet does not disappoint. I find sometimes cupcake stores tend to produce dry cupcakes (cupcake store in Rockport) or have too much frosting (Kick Ass Cupcakes can sometimes be victim to both of these sins) but Sweet managed to temper both nicely. The dome of frosting on both of my cupcakes was not too sweet, and was sufficient so that each bite of cake had some frosting. The cakes were both flavorful and moist.

Each of my cupcakes had a pleasant surprise of a filling inside. The s'more opens to reveal a base of crushed graham cracker, and the apple pie has a center of apple jam filling. Both were treats. Kristen was also very pleased with her selections, reporting a cranberry filling inside the chocolate cranberry, and a base of crushed graham cracker at the bottom of the pumpkin pie. She even joked that her former cupcake was like Thanksgiving.

Sweet seems to have full-sized cakes, but the decorations appeared clumsy and sophomoric at best, so I would recommend sticking with the cupcakes. There were deals for buying multiples, and options to order ahead for catering.

All in all, Sweet was a pleasant treat on a brisk day, and one that Kristen and I will probably make in the future at either location.

Aaaand Jeff and Nikki got married, too

The fourth and final wedding this fall for me was the wedding of Jeff and Nikki. I've known Jeff since I was a freshman in high school, and Nikki a sophomore. I was also in the play where they met and started dating, so it's been great growing up and watching them grow and develop as a couple. Fun fact: Jeff played Nikki's dad in this play. Scandal!

The wedding was quite nice, at The College Club in Boston. Everyone looked great. And I ate a lot of fantastic apps.

Jeff and Nikki getting their weddin' on!

Eating some delicious cake and kissing.

Aaaaand some dancing.


I'm all wedded out until July '10, when my good pal and former roommate Kristen ties the knot!

Joe and Katie got married last weekend

So that happened last Friday afternoon. I went as friend-date with my friend Damon. Erin and I also got to have some bonding time. This mainly entailed getting ready in the morning together, singing Desperado together in the car, drinking at 3pm at the Woburn Applebees, buying $1 gloves at AC Moore, and possible getting lost in Billerica.

Pretty good wedding, and pretty tasty Applebees drinks: