Holiday Cheer, HC-Style

If you look outside, it doesn't look like December.  It doesn't even really feel like December inside from my apartment.  We have one pine tree candle, and we've purchased stockings to decorate, and we've even made a decent dent in the large canon of Christmas movies out there, but I'm just not in the Christmas spirit yet.  Today, though, I think that may change, as I'm returning to Holy Cross for the afternoon.

Ricky and even my coworkers sometimes tease me about my love for HC.  There's just something about that little academic paradise on a hill that sets my heart pitter patter, and it comes out even stronger in the wintertime.  Much like how Hogwarts always looked prettier at Christmas, Holy Cross feels and looks even prettier under a blanket of snow with greenery and advent wreaths.  Last night, HC hosted its annual tradition of Lessons and Carols.  I didn't steam it, but I'm sure it was merry with the choir singing and candles and greens everywhere.  I went a few times when I was in college, and it's a really nice experience.

This is a stressful time in the life of a Crusader, since classes are wrapping up and finals are going to be underway next week.  It was a lot of not sleeping for me and a lot of cramming to write all my papers and study literary themes or important plays.  We even had all of the student performances during the reading days, so those three days that I could have used as a jump start on papers were spent in the Pit, rehearsing one thing or another.  But it was still very nice, since it signified the end of a semester and visual proof of learning outcomes. 

There was definitely a social aspect to the end of the semester and finals.  Because no one had classes, big lunches used for discussing books and studying happened regularly.  Jess, Karin, Tim, sometimes Erin, and I would also spend hours in Hogan, buying cup after cup of coffee and writing papers on the couches.  At night, we'd all trek to Midnight Breakfast and stay for hours, soaking up all the free coffee they provided while eating egg sandwiches and hash browns.  This was the break we'd need, though often someone would have a book or a paper in hand to edit and hopefully not get coffee or maple syrup on.  It didn't matter what we were doing, we'd make sure we were there every night.  There was also a memorable time when our classmate Ed (now a monk!) was panicking about something and gave himself a bloody nose.

I know I discussed all of this last year, but the feelings of nostalgia came flooding back again.  Why?  My friend Tim has been teaching at HC all semester, and today is the last day of his fall semester.  He's celebrating with pizza (as only one can when you're finishing Milton) and then I am joining him for a later lunch somewhere in the city.  It's been exciting hearing him talk about being back in Worcester and starting on his career path, so spending time with Tim on the last day of classes seems appropriate.  It makes me remember all the winters in Worcester (or while I was in Worcester and he was studying in England) we've spent together.  The midnight breakfast, the coffees in Hogan, the Christmas party where he dressed up like Santa.  All of it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think this trip to Worcester will be the beginning of holiday cheer that I need.  A walk around to look at the greens, see the manger, drink too much coffee with Tim... that'll all bring me to that frame of mind that's ready for Christmas and the holidays in general.  I'm glad that I'm doing it a little older, a lot wiser, a few more grays and a ring on my left hand, and that I don't have to stretch my margins out to get a paragraph onto the 10th page all while trying not to spill in my books so I can try to sell them back to the bookstore.

MFT Day 30: The WFNX of my childhood-end of college

Today marks a sad day in Boston.  Word broke this morning that WFNX has been sold to Clear Channel, likely to be butcher for parts and play Top 40 crap.  With this news, so ends an era of independent and alternative music to Boston.  Unfortunately, I feared this conclusion years ago when WBCN also fell.

I find it fitting and perhaps ironic that I got this news sitting with friends at my work's staff appreciation day.   I was at an event celebrating music and new talents when I heard that a station that championed that for the area has fallen.

I have to admit, I haven't listened to them as much in recent years.  I now travel to work via train, so my time in a car is quite limited.  But today, I'm thinking of the WFNX of my past days.  (the station started the year before I was born, so I've always had WFNX in my life)

--I'm remembering being driven to Beeman and listening to Morning Guy Tai and Henry.  I'm remembering pretty much only listening to this station in the car with my mom.

--I'm remembering names like Julie Kramer, Boy Troy, Neal Robert, which were used as frequently in our house as aunts and uncles.

--I'm remembering driving around with Jess and Christa in high school and being obsessed with not only the station, but the music they championed.  (It makes sense that Jess broke the news to me and I to Christa)

--I'm remembering getting excited to go home on college break to listen to the station, and buying the CDs I heard on break.

--I'm remembering seeing Beck in 2000 and trying to email Julie Kramer to get back stage tickets (we failed at this).

--I'm remembering driving over an hour one way to my first real job out of college, and listening to The Sandbox in the morning and Keith Dakin on the way home.  Those two shows made that year of commuting tolerable.  This station also made commuting to Worcester for a summer tolerable.

--I'm remembering the free shows at the Hatch Shell, like They Might Be Giants and Cake.

--I'm remembering all the music.  If I listed it all, I'd run out of room, so I found a video below.


So I thank you for everything, WFNX.  My music tastes are richer because of you.  I'm sad it all had to end this way, but it did give me an opportunity to look back at a life of music and memories today.

MFT Day 24: Pinterest

I know I know...

Somehow my "I will be diligent and write every day!" mantra derailed last week.  For a weekend with not a lot going on in it other than The Oscars, it was pretty busy and lacked time and motivation to think of my favorite things I want to share with you.  But because I don't want this dragging along all summer (hello, favorite song meme?) I'm going to write something up today and probably tomorrow night.  Saturday is Jess' wedding, and I can guarantee that I will not have enough time to write something.  So this sadly stretches into March, but I'm okay with it.

Today I'm going to talk about Pinterest.  Many months ago my friend Kirsten mentioned that she had gotten an early invite to this new website where you pin your favorite things on boards you create.  I was intrigued, so she passed an invitation along to me.  I am now HOOKED.

I love that I can collect favorite ideas and images in one place and recall them visually.  I have a saved file on my browser for recipes, but I feel like they don't pop as much as when I can see the picture of the meal or dessert.  What's key is that Pinterest saves the link the photo came from, so when I click on the photo of the cake batter milkshake recipes, I automatically am there.  (PS, I will be trying this soon)  I've also been using it for the following uses:

--planning trips.  I used Pinterest last summer to plan my trip to Burlington, by pinning images of stores I wanted to go to and sites I wanted to see.  I'm also planning my return to the Hudson River Valley with Ricky and our trip to Buffalo for Erin's wedding.

--design ideas for future homes.  I've been getting ideas for paint samples and layouts for when Ricky and I eventually move.  I've also found several nice bureaus I want to get soon.

--gifts for people.  Ricky has his own board where if I see an idea for what to get him, I'll save it for a future event.  His 30th birthday is coming up, so right now there are several things on there that he'll probably get.

--pretty things to look at.  Hey, sometimes a girl just wants to look at a board filled completely with puppies and flowers.



Many of my friends are using Pinterest for helping them plan their weddings as well, which is brilliant.  You can see all the great ideas you have for dresses and flowers and decor, receive feedback, and have the original links to the source. 

So in short, I love Pinterest for how easy it is to sort, organize, and display ideas I have.

MFT Day 18: MGMT's Electric Feel

Last night was Jess' bachelorette party, which was a lot of fun.  Great to spend a night out in the city with a bunch of good friends, being silly and dancing.  I wish there were more opportunities to that in life that didn't revolve around someone getting married.

Anyways, I was in charge of making the mix for the room while we were getting ready.  One of the songs I put on there was MGMT's Electric Feel, which I love putting on dancey mixes for friends as a surprise.  It's a great song and fun to dance to, but no one ever thinks to put it on (I feel like Kids or Time to Pretend makes it on there more).  So here it is for you!

I'll be posting something later on tonight, so that I stay on schedule.

MFT Day 9: Navy blue nail polish

I promise that this won't devolve into me plugging products I like. 


Last night, after a long run, I decided that my poor sad wintery feet (read:  dry, cracked, and all around gross) needed some love.  I gave myself an impromptu pedicure while waiting for Ricky to come home from work.  I automatically went for my navy blue nail polish.  I felt better after pampering my poor feet.

For years, I've liked nail polish on my toes but tend to never put it on my hands.  I find it distracting, I often end up chipping it an hour in, and I have short stubby fingers so it never looks good.  I think if I had longer fingers and nails, I'd be more apt to give myself manicures, but alas.

I have a lot of pinks and some crazy colors, but wanted to about a year ago try out a dark color, ideally navy blue.  I went to Sephora and got a great color of navy blue.  I can't remember the name of it, but if you go... it's the shiny navy blue polish.  I may need to get more soon because a year later I've used up about half of the bottle!  There are tons of blue polishes, and they let you try everything out at Sephora (thank God because that shit is not cheap) so definitely try a few colors to see what works best for you.

I may have a blue pedicure for Jess and Erin's wedding, as a secret fun way to tie in some "something blue" for both looks.

MFT Day 5: Old friends

It's like that old saying about make new friends, but keep the old.  One is silver and the other gold.

Today I helped several ladies throw Jess' bridal shower.  I'm a bridesmaid in the wedding, and it's exciting to think that her wedding day is arriving in less than a month.  I've meet a lot of nice friends and family of the couple since they got engaged, so I'm glad I'm becoming closer to Jess and Giacomo's friends and family.

The shower went off well.  It was a very classy and pretty affair in Beverly, perfectly pink with many a cupcake to partake in.  We opted for a Saturday tea with snacks, old family teacups, and lots of pink things.  We also had lots of sweets, since the Jess and Giacomo are high school sweethearts.

I've been friends with Jess since 1993, when we were two awkward 9-year-olds in 4th grade.  It's great that we've managed to remain good friends since those days.  There were many guests where I remember being in elementary and middle school with, and it's nice that we've remained friends through the years. 

MFT Day 4: Harry Nilsson's The Puppy Song

I'm hosting a shower for Jess tomorrow along with the rest of your bridesmaid crew, so I took today off to run errands for it.  While driving around, I got a pang of missing Millie.  I think it was the nice weather and all the dogs going on walks, and also that I passed Modern Millie's Consignment shop.  Anyways, I was feeling a little sad.

Then the CD I was listening to played Harry Nilsson's The Puppy Song.  I've always associated this song in my head to Millie, because it's about having a puppy as your friend, and also because I first heard it about the time we got Millie.  So The Puppy Song has always been (to me) about my puppy Millie.

Instead of making me feel sad, though, the song put a smile to my face and made me think fondly of the Millie girl, as it always has and always will.  So today, I am sharing it here as one of my favorite things.

Posting about something I almost never post about

Shoes.


Winter break seemed consumed with shoes for me, which is odd since I normally don't really care about or purchase shoes.  I seem to have a lot of pairs, but that's in part because I'm terrible about throwing away old shoes (there's still a season left in them!) and I go to a lot of weddings so I have a lot of dressy shoes.  In 2012, I am in two weddings, each with a different wardrobe and requirements.  For Jess' wedding, we need to wear pewter heels (I'm recycling a pair I wore to a different wedding last year), and for Erin, she didn't really care.  The lack of direction was almost harder, because I saw so many different routes to travel down.  And because I am in this wedding, I wanted nice shoes that would be comfortable and look nice when photographed.  Oh, and weren't too expensive.  (Lewis needs to be able to eat at the end of the spring)

I've been hunting for months, and hadn't found anything I truly liked until recently.  My friend Jess (not getting married Jess) and I were browsing shoes when I went to Modcloth.  I haven't purchased much there in the past, but I stumbled across a super adorable pair of shoes that were only $30.  I don't tend to gravitate towards pink, but I liked the soft color.  I also loved the detail on the toe of the shoe.  The bridesmaid dresses are blue, so I thought a deep blue and a light pink would look nice together. 

I got the shoes right before Christmas, and they were a dream.  Just as pretty in person, not too high of a heel, and were pretty comfortable.  Modcloth also threw in a complimentary headband!  So I am prepped and ready for that wedding.

On top of this shoe purchase, I received my Missoni heels from my friend Megin on Christmas Eve.  Even though someone (Ricky) thought they were too busy for a shoe (Ricky), I really wanted a pair of Missoni for Target heels.  I liked the toe detail and that the heel was so thick.  I could see them being more comfortable as a result.  Unfortunately, my Missoni shoe dreams were crushed in the north because it seems every girl with a size 7 1/2 foot in Massachusetts had the exact same dream.  And more disposable income and time to rush to a Target before me.  Shoe FAIL.

Over the summer, I was bemoaning my lack of Missoni shoes with Megin, as she was living in Massachusetts for the summer.  When she returned to Virginia in the fall, where she lives most of the year, she found out that the south did not feel the same way about Missoni heels that I did.  I got a text that her Target was overflowing with the heels.  She purchased a pair for herself and one for me, with the promise of bringing them up for Christmas.  Shoe WIN.

As promised, she brought them up and gave them to me on Christmas Eve.  They are just as great in person as they were grainy and pixelated on her phone.  Super comfortable as well.  I'm planning on wearing them to Jess' shower and/or rehearsal dinner.



And now I'm done talking about shoes for another year or so.

Stash organized!

Thursday afternoon, and here's my to do list, with things done crossed off:

Grown Up Friend Date with Patti.
Clean my closet. 
Clean computer room. 
Get materials for Jess' ring pillows.
Knit something with quince yarn.  
Organize stash. 
Make shepherd's pie for Ricky for dinner.  Update:  make something in crock pot (thanks, Ricky's mom!)
Find shoes for Jess' wedding.
Donate things to good will.
Fix sewing machine tension.
Make ring pillows.
Another secret project for Jess' wedding and also for Erin's wedding

So so far, I'm doing quite well.  I haven't heard from Patti or Jess yet about hanging out or if she still wants ring pillows, respectively, so those may just be on hold.  The computer room is slowly being cleaned, bit by bit each day.  The bags of good will are by the door.  Basically the sewing machine is the only thing that hasn't been attempted.

The clean closet feels great.  It's easy to manage, and I feel better about it.  I was able to throw out a lot.  (note to self:  there's no need to keep the packaging and documents affiliated with a phone you haven't had in over 4 years)

The yarn stash was a bit daunting at first, but once I decided on a process, it went quickly.  I'm glad I emptied it all out in a big pile to sort, but dear lord did my heart skip a beat seeing that huge pile at first.  It's amazing how much yarn you can accrue over the years! 

Before... eeek!

I decided to have all the lace weight and sock yarn in the small tupperware, and then devote one big tupperware to all the yarn I have that I have a lot of (i.e., I could make a sweater out of) and then the other one to all the random one skeins I have that can be for smaller projects.  The basket is still what I had it for originally, which is the ends of skeins that I can use if I want a small amount of yarn for trim or whatever.  2012 is going to be a year of knitting through my stash, so I'm hoping that if I take a photo of these containers in a year, they won't be as stuffed.  I've already knit a hat out of some leftover yarn, so I think I'm on the right track.

After... muuuuch better.

I full acknowledge that this is perhaps the most boring post I've ever written.

Bridesmaids

My reprieve from attending or being involved in weddings has ended.  I just picked up the bridesmaid dress for Jess and Giacomo's wedding in March.  It's now sitting in my closet, where it will probably sit for another 2 months.  Then I'll hand it off to get altered for short ol' me.  Erin should be giving me the dress for her wedding soon. These weddings will be #4 and 5 for weddings I've been in.

While being in two weddings next year will prove to be a busy later winter/late spring for me, I have a strong feeling it'll feel like a cake walk compared to 2011.  Ricky and I attended seven weddings, spanning from Western Mass to CT and all over the North Shore.  Only three weddings, all of which are pretty spread out over 6 months, is a gift.  And one of those weddings will involve driving 9 hours!

 I think in a few years, I want to have a bar crawl or a birthday party where my friends and I don our old bridesmaid dresses and get a little boozy.  This is in no way a creative or new idea, but on this post about bridesmaids it popped into my head.

Day 13 from the 30 Day Song Challenge

Isn't today just beautiful, if you live in Salem? The sun is shining, it's warm out. I spent some time gardening, then went to visit Jess, then Mum and Millie, and back here to surprise Ricky with a special treat for him. Oh, and I bought a lot of yarn and Lewis is running around with one of the skeins in his mouth as if it were his kill. I don't let him have yarn unattended (cats like to eat string and then it gets wrapped up in the intestines and it's bad) but sometimes I forget that I have a ball out when I'm home working on a project and he'll walk around the place as if he killed it. It's adorable.

Enough about me, onto today's music topic, which I actually love.

Day 13: A Song That Is A Guilty Pleasure

This was hard, because there's so many songs I love that I know are horrible. Ace of Base is dreadful, but when I hear It's a Beautiful Life on my iPod when I'm running, I get pumped. Meatloaf is a great power ballad for roadtrips. And so on. But for today, I went with my alltime favorite guilty pleasure.

ABBA.

I fucking love ABBA. They are award-winning*, after all. But they're so great. I've told Ricky if we ever got hitched, ABBA has to play at the reception at least twice. For today, I went with my favorite of their songs, SOS. I love the way the song sounds, but also check out this insane video. The girls are wearing CAT DRESSES. No, I stand corrected. They're T SHIRTS THAT ARE BELTED AND THERE ARE CATS ON THE SHIRTS.



It so embraces how cheesy it is. I love it. I also play this song at work all the time without shame. Loves you, ABBA.



*Eurovision, bitches.

2010's best pics: #1 (it's a tie! Part 2)

Aaaand here's the other #1. See? It's hard to pick a favorite, since one compositionally turned out nicely, but the other is a big event and perhaps my most favorite moment and memory from 2010.

#1 part 2: Amanda's Wedding. Rockport, MA.
2010 brought a lot of people getting engaged and getting married. A lot. I went to two weddings, and at least eight friends getting engaged (there could be more... but I'm having a hard time counting in my head). Lots of huge life changes in my circle of friends.

But the wedding that is the most meaningful of 2010 was that my best friend Amanda, who I have known since preschool (PRESCHOOL) got married to her college sweetheart, Dan. I was in the wedding, and it was a great day. I spent basically a weekend with one of my closest and dearest friends and her wonderful family, and then for the reception was there with my parents and all of my best high school buds dancing and partying well into the night.

While there are a lot of nice reception and ceremony photos, this is my favorite. I feel it sums up Amanda's wedding best. Jess and Amanda are dancing together, and clearly fully committing to it. I love their hair in it, and joked that it was like a shampoo commercial, since it was so glossy and flowy. I love that they're both pretty flushed from so much dancing, that they're so into dancing and having a good time. I also like that no one's looking at me, they're that into dancing.

It's great not technically (like the apple picture) but more for the moment and memory.



And that's it! All my favorite pictures from 2010. This was a nice way to remember the year and gear up for more photos and more events in the year to come.

2010, a revue:

I'm preparing to be busy with the theatre peeps for NYE, so I'm doing my year in review now.

2010 was, I'd say for most people, about 40% good and 60% bad. I feel like I saw so many people having rough times. While a lot of good happened in 2010, so much bad happened, too. A recap:

The Good!
--Ricky and I moved in together, and had a great full calendar year together.
--Two of my good friends had babies! Awesome!
--My cousins got a great little puppy named Murray.
--Coco and Nicky.
--New job continuing to be good.
--Amanda got married!
--Countless friends got engaged.
--Rachel got married.
--I got Alva the fish.

The Bad!
--Midnight died.
--Maggie the dog died.
--Pat died. (too upsetting for me to write about)
--Ricky had some job woes and it was stressful.
--A rat moved into my apartment and wreaked havoc.
--Shitty neighbors.
--Three friends had issues with fertility (I won't mention who for their privacy).
--Buying my car was a dog and pony show.
--Leo switched to being in a wheelchair full time.
--Dramas with my grandparents.
--Too much family crap to write about in one blog between me and Ricky.
--Numerous friends have had job woes.
--Dramas with all dads.

But I know a lot of people have had issues in 2010. So I'm actually kind of glad to be putting this year to bed and move onto 2011. I have strong hopes for next year. A lot of weddings, some babies, two years with Ricky, probably more engagements, and other good things.

Peace out 2010, and bring on 2011!!

Maine!

This is what you get when you google "Retro Maine". It is exactly the image I was hoping for.

I know I'm trying to do NaBloPoMo this month, but unfortunately I'll have to just post twice today, none tomorrow, and call it good. If you're reading this and want the full effect. Only read one post today, and one tomorrow, and it'll be just like I posted all weekend. S'okay?

I'm going to Maine with many of my best pals from high school for "Girl Weekend". It'll be a weekend of hanging out, taking long walks around Maine, shopping the outlets, and delicious food. Despite what Ricky thinks, it will not involve pillow fights.

I'm always very happy the best pals I had in high school (namely Jess and Amanda) are still my best pals today. I've been friends with Jess since 1993. That's 17 years!! I'm sure there'll be stories when I return.

Facebook Friend Mashup is awesome

It's not called that, but it might as well be.

I noticed last week a new feature on FB which is where you can compare two friends of yours and see their friendship: the posts they commented on each others walls, the events you've attended, the shared interests, and the photos they're both tagged in.

What makes it awesome/addictive for me is that they show a photo of the two people. Ricky and I have been paring friends to see what Facebook has deemed THE photo of the friendship. Ricky and I are a photo of my Mad Men Meme, which is funny. Our friend Jon and Megin are the two of them with their daughter, which I found fitting. Me and Erin is one of my fridge where I tagged the two of us as a fridge magnet for when we went to Cleveland, which is odd. Me and Tim are a photo of us in Worcester one summer at a Moe's, which I actually have framed in my house. But my favorite is the photo of my two best friends from high school, Amanda and Jess:


If there was ever a photo that summed up their awesomeness, it'd be this. Happy while dancing at Amanda's wedding, full of joy. Hair a-flowing. It's just so perfect.