"A Heart-Pounding Game..."

Thursday, January 31st

BostonNow, Sports section:

"Super Bowl Sunday: Could it be a new cardiac health hazard?"

Ok, so I don't know about you, but when I think about Super Bowl Sunday I think about pizza, wings, egg rolls, beer, big screens, big men...
I mean what else can you do while watching padded men pound each other into the ground, but eat fatty greasy foods while dodging clenched fists and beer spills..?

So while riding the T to work this morning, I picked up the small, almost tabloid-ish paper, BostonNow. It has mini-articles and sudoku...that's about it. However, this article in particular was warning me about my Sunday plans...because if I'm not careful, I could wind up in the ER with a heart attack! Yikes! :)

Rules on how to avoid a close call on Sunday:

#1. Take meds as prescribed.

(Check. Hair, skin and nails vitamin will be ingested)

#2. Avoid tobacco smoke and fatty meals.

(Hmmm..tobacco? Check. Fatty meals? Are you serious? I'm not going to have any sustenance on Sunday!)

#3. Get plenty of sleep the night before.

(Sleep? What's that??? Boston doesn't sleep! The Puritans didn't sleep, so WE don't sleep!)

#4. Don't over-exert yourself.

(What does that mean exactly, over-exert? Are they talking punching holes in the wall or grunting too hard?)

#5. Limit yourself to one drink for a woman and two for a man.

(Haha! Now that's a silly rule! How can you yell belligerent nonsence to the refs if you're sober?)

#6. Try "not to get too angry with the refs."

(I don't know what the quotations symbolize, yet it must mean something other than what it says...I'm so confused! Haha!)

So there you have it folks! The rules for Super Bowl Sunday! If I end up hearing about any of you in the hospital from over-exertion or fatty meal syndrome...I'll know who you really listen to! And on the other hand, if I hear about any of you in the hospital, I'll cheers to you and say, "Way to go for "referee-focused angriness!" as I slather my lips with wing sauce.

:)

Go Patriots!

#7 Meeting New Relatives

As you know, I moved to Boston not knowing anyone at all, including my recently discovered 3rd cousin Wallace Hayes. My grandfather calls him Wally, as does everyone close to him. Wally, I discovered, has the same grandparents as my mother's father. I know, confusing. But there shouldn't be a lick of worry, because I've got it all straight inside my head. Not even Wally himself understands, but I'll let it go since he's in his 70's.

Anyway, Wally and his sweet southern belle Sandy, agreed to take me under their wings and stay in their custard-colored Massachusetts home in Andover just until I grounded myself and found an apartment and job.

You know when you go to family reunions and every person above the age of 40 comes up to you and says, "Oh wow! You have gotten so big! I remember when you were just this small..." (as they imitate placing their hands on a mini coffee table and wiggling it to and fro) Well, this was absolutely nothing like that.

Imagine driving 3000 miles across the country, pulling up a long cobblestone driveway and rounding out in front of a little cottage-like home with everything you could stuff and therefore own, in a tiny Volkswagen Jetta and walking up the steps to say, "Hi, I'm related to you. Can I come in and stay awhile?"

Fortunately, Sandy opened the door with a friendly face and a welcoming air around her. "Come in, come in!" In an unforgettable southern accent, which is just unheard of around Boston! "Just pull your car up to the back driveway, and you can unload your things there...here's a key, here's a room all made up for you and if you need anything, just holler." I was put in the "west wing" of the house, which is a lot bigger than what this picture shows. I'll just tell you it had been three weeks living there that I found out there was a sauna in the basement. Yes, a sauna.

Although I'll admit that I was terrified about moving in with relative strangers...(Haha, get it? Relative? Sorry, cheesy I know...) I was pleasantly surprised with their hospitality and graciousness. I was fed extremely well by Sandy's unforgettable cooking and although Wally was a bit intimidating at first, you could see the Auburn grad/Harvard professor/toxicologist extraordinaire opening up towards the end of my stay. He was gone most of the time doing work in Germany, but he really is such a sweet man and invited me back anytime, day or night.

I find comfort in having relatives out this far away from home. And, I think my family back in Utah does as well. That stepping stone was imperative in my cross-country journey, and I couldn't be more grateful. I still go out to Andover about once a month to accompany Sandy and Wally to church and get a large portion of southern home cooking and leftovers for the rest of the week. It just reminds me that you can find "home" anywhere, as long as you're willing to keep your eyes open, and keep driving up that long cobblestone driveway...

Welcome Little Green Monster! You're So Cute!

Great news today!

I got A LOT accomplished! I woke up with the dawn when I thought for sure I was going to be sleeping late. All because of a Red Bull and the musical Guys and Dolls that I stayed up so late to finish. I loved the movie though. It has just gotten me even more excited to go to my dance class tonight. Jazz Hands!!!

After a delicious breakfast burrito and a few rounds of Karaoke...yes Karaoke. Side note: we have Karaoke on our TV! How killer is that? Granted, it's only a handful of songs...but I so killed Faith by George Michael and That Don't Impress Me, by Shania Twain. Oh yeah baby. :)

Ok, so after singing my guts out alone in my apartment, I started the cleaning ritual that has become my Wednesdays. Let's just say that our apartment gets really dusty and gritty, really fast. Hardwood floors collect dust like you've never known before! The cleaning must go on!

I finished up the chores, got dressed and then headed out for a few items. Number one? A plant. I was determined to get a plant, a REAL ONE. I've never had a real plant before, and even if I tried I probably would have killed it. But today after endless searching, I found my beautiful and lovely Ziven. That's what I named him, Ziven. Yeah it's weird, but it means strong and vigorous! So I figured he would appreciate that encouragement everyday from me. He's so adorable. Even though I don't know what kind of plant Ziven is, he's still going to be my light every morning! Hooray and welcome my new little addition to my family. Hee hee!

The rest of the stuff is just boring, like cotton balls and what not. So I won't put you through that misery. But I did have a fabulous 32 degree and sunny day today. It's almost six, so I'm likely to go grab a bite to eat out of my kitchen and then I'm headed to my dance class!! Wahoo!

Up next?

#7 on my list and the preparations for this weekend and the SUPERBOWL! Go Patriots! Yeah, I jumped on the Bandwagon, whatcha gonna do about it?

Oh and PS...I got 8 bucks from rounding up ALL my change today, schweeeeet!

#8 The Day I Almost Died: The Matt Wertz/Jon McLaughlin Concert with Special Guest Dave Barnes

Man oh man. I really thought on that semi-cold day in December of 2006 that I was going to pass out from sheer ecstasy. Yes, I had indeed found out that two of my favorite artists were coming to Salt Lake City at the SAME TIME!

I remember the day. Me, Jen, Vegas...much too much screaming.

(side note: Matt's song 5:19 just came on my ipod. How fitting. :)

Anyway, I couldn't believe it. Not only were they great musicians, they weren't too shabby looking either. ;) Of course you have to think that. Here I was acting like a 13-year-old newly budding hormonal mess because of some teenage heartthrobs. Ick! Nonetheless I did not care. I mean, I had seen Matt Wertz 3 times since then, once in Boulder Colorado on a spontaneous road trip with 3 guys when I was yet to be 21. I had never heard of Matt before, and yet to my surprise he was fabulous...especially fabulous with Matt Nathanson who he opened for. Then he did show up to Utah for a small show in which I melted when he said, "Hi, I'm Matt." Gosh, doesn't he know that I know?!

I actually drove to Vegas for the 3 concert that he played. Haha, and I even sneaked my little sis in for all the action. Noelle gave a great performance by driving down to Vegas that same day in an amazing 5.3 hours! I loved it!

So back to my original story, Matt Wertz was coming with Jon McLaughlin. Jon is a swooning pianist who I absolutely love. I was just so sad when I saw him that night, that there was a little metal thing on his left hand. Hmmmpf. Oh well, my tears were soothed when I saw Dave Barnes walk out of the bathroom and jump onto the stage with my boys to do a bit of spontaneous serenading!

That was a great night, and it was great that Jen was there to hold me up when they came out and I could feel the sweat off their faces. Thanks Jen, nothing better to have a friend for. ;)

#9 St. Patrick's Day

Ok, back to the countdown!

We have #9 ready for your enjoyment today. The big 9 has to be St. Patrick's Day. Two reasons: one, who doesn't love themselves a good leprechaun and gold at the end of a rainbow. And two, it's my birthday.

I think I will be surprised if I ever fail to have a fun and happy birthday ever in my life. So I consider myself to be very lucky. Ha ha, lucky...

Yeah so last year for my birthday we went to Port 'O Call, in Salt Lake City. And by 'we' I mean WE, the whole posse! Ok, so maybe I don't really have a 'posse' but I did have some good friends there. Even Jared came down from Wyoming! It was such a surprise to see him and have him see me a 'little tipsy'...I think he was very surprised! It was just because everything was green, that I couldn't tell the Irish Car Bombs from the Seltzer!

Anyway, we did a little dancing. Even Stu and Evan danced! Crazy times I tell ya. The night ended with Jen successfully getting me home safely. Thanks Jen. I miss her, and don't know what I'll do without her this year while I'm in Boston. Yeah Boston. I'm going to die. Haha, well hopefully not, but I'm just waiting to see what it's going to be like. Good thing St. Patty's Day is on a Monday this year..to tone it down a bit. While Jen is off in Rwanda, I'll be swimming in Green Goo, with my very own Leprechaun!

(Sorry Mike, I have to claim you for this year! It's just so perfect!)

Uber Red Neck

Just had to show you...

Honky Tonk Nights

Well well, I'm definitely back in Boston. My welcoming mat?

A "Wicked Nor'Easter!"

Definition: describes a low pressure area whose center of rotation is just off the East Coast and whose leading winds in the left forward quadrant rotate onto land from the northeast.

Thanks Wikipedia.

So I spent this weekend in Music City with a darlin' of a girl, Ashley McCritterLover. Yeah, that's what I'm calling her from now on. Hee hee! Anyway, we started off with some down home good Mexican food. Her favorite hole-in-the-wall, where the sangria flows like the women of Capistrano! Ok, so she didn't really like the sangria. Her face was all twisted, scrunched and contorted like a constipated pug. Haha, ok maybe not that bad...

Let me just say that Nashville is a little smaller than what I imagined. The recording studios and little labels where situated on Music Row, a street with cute little houses slightly resembling Sugar House in Salt Lake City. It was comforting nonetheless. The only BIG studios were, well you know stuff like CMT and GAC. I loved it though, I was living in my Cowboy Wednesday glory!

We hit the streets to check out all the honky tonk bars. Of course there was Coyote Ugly, where a couple of dudes begged and pleaded for us to come inside and dance, offering to buy us drinks and all. We weren't going to fall for it though, we knew the real dancing was going on at the Wild Horse Saloon! It was just too bad there was a big film/reality/talent show being taped there...No dancing on tables for us that night!

We went into some of the mini souvenir shops and record shops. I got some great shots of uber redneck T-shirts, as well as some shot glasses themselves. Tipsy Shooters! I'll have to show you, they are ridiculous and I can only imagine what it would be like when you're tipsy yourself!

After the perusing, we headed to The Stage, where we got some down home country cookin on the guitar. We bumped into this bachelor's party and tricked them into buying us drinks! Wahoo! Ok, we didn't really do much...just made sure they noticed us throwing our empties in the trash and looking real sad about it. Haha, suckers.

We ended the night with Bluegrass from Old Crow and special appearances from Bucky Covington and Joe Nichols. Yee haw! A few beers, pizza and "Love Actually" later, we passed out from sheer southern exhaustion. Man, what a day! We woke up to some great pancakes at the Pancake Pantry, D & D instructional books at the local bookstore, and Opryland. I then flew outta Nashville and took some great memories with me.

So now I'm back. Covered in snow and ready to rock this drawn out winter...just waiting for the first sign of the mini spring that New England supposedly has just before the heat of summer shows up.

#10 New Year's Eve

Since it's the most recent thing in my head and for the fact that I had a great time, I'm choosing New Years Eve to be my #10.

My last NYE was a bit lacking from what I anticipated, so I had major expectations this year. Good thing I was not disappointed. :)

As I already posted, I had the chance to get all gussied up and go to a NYE party on the penthouse floor apartment of Erin's. The view was spectacular and the drinks were flowing! I remember every single moment up until the strike of midnight, where I got a sweet New Year's kiss from a very special person dressed in suspenders and a pink tie. From the stroke of midnight though, I have to admit I'm a bit sketchy on the happenings. Now, just for clarification and also to let all you know that I'm not drinking my life away over here, that has NEVER happened to me before! All I had was a rum and coke, a fruity cocktail, and some champagne! I do remember playing foosball and realized that my hand-eye coordination was definitely not up to par. I think I giggled endlessly and fell asleep.

The morning was great waking up with all your friends and firing up the stove to make pancakes, eggs and BACON!!! Wahoo! Playing board games and watching cartoons on the first day of the new year is probably the best way to start out any year. Try it, you'll see.

And this is why New Year's Eve made my Top Ten Best Memories of 2007.

You can "Cheers" to that!

(Don't worry, that's just my half attempt to be funny and plug in a reference to Boston...Cheers? Get it? Cheers like the TV show...?)

:)

Cowboy Wednesdays turned into Happy Morning Jazz Hands Day!

Before I get started on my "Best Of", I must show off some pictures from today! It was a beautiful 60 degree day in the middle of January and was absolutely fabulous.

After stopping for a picture of little Beacon Hill, I decided to venture into the city to finally step my feet inside the Public Garden, a place I have yet to frequent. Now I've gotten my feet wet, I will make it a point to watch this beautiful and peaceful place in the middle of the city, change with the seasons.

Funny and random note?

I 'happened' upon the original Cheers Bar, and ran inside to get quarters for the meter. I felt like such a 'local'. (Which most people know, makes me smile)

Oh, and I finished off my great day with a little bit of dance...

Yay for JAZZ HANDS!!!

Best Of 2007

Well, since everyone else is doing it...

I've decided to do a little "Best Of" for this past year.

I'm just going to throw down a few ideas for now. I'm sure a final list will surface as I do this. It's hard to remember a whole year!

Let's see, New Year's back here in the East Coast, Sundance, being graduated, working and living in Logan, new roommates for the first time in 3 years, as always my birthday. I'm trying to go in chronological order if you can't tell by now...

Waiting for an answer from Tufts, being OK with things not working out. Summer, Iggy's, UMFA, cultural inspiration, saying goodbyes...

Hawaii! Wendover! (Those aren't even in the same league! But still fun.)

Summer concerts and slushies.

Traveling Pants.

Driving across the country...

Meeting New Relatives!

Finding my way around rotaries and footpaths of old, finding my way within a life, within a city, within myself. Finding good people. :)

Aquariums, Museums, Music, Home.

New Year's...fabulous.

And so much in between.

I Can't Feel My Fingers

So....

Currently: 7 degrees
Feels Like: -6 degrees


What am I? Back in Logan??


The funny thing is that if you "don't like New England weather, wait five minutes and it'll change." Forecast?

Fri: 33
Sat: 39
Sun: 44
Mon: 48
Tues: 49
Wed: 50!!

Wahoo! Man, I can't wait to break out my sandals! ;)

And By The Way...

If you want to ask questions...ask away!

The pictures are of Elizabeth, a Californian who moved to Boston to work and live. Awesome girl! And Kate, who I just got to know this weekend. Also awesome and funny girl. They're both beautiful, and I must say Liz has almost got me on the top end! Haha!

George was whipping me around the dance floor like a madman, but can you tell how much I enjoyed it?!

And see what I mean about Liz? :)

And then George in his half grin, so adorable trying NOT to make his "picture face."

More about "picture faces" later.

The First Day of the New Year!

Ok my loving and fabulous family! I am starting this little blog for all you to check up on me and see what it's like out here on the East Coast!

As they would say, "East Coast, represent!" Haha, along with a Playa tone of voice...

After returning to the land of the Puritans, I quickly put on my walking shoes and got right back on the T (the subway system here) and lugged my bags back to my apartment in Cleveland Circle. I slept like never before and headed to work on a Friday night. It was nice to be back in the city, I must say. Being at the museum at night was a bit different, but I got to see the life bustling through differently as well as the night/weekend staff people. I was invited over to John's for an afterwork get-together, which usually means a few beers and lots of laughing.

Then, BAM! All of a sudden the weekend came and went and New Year's Eve was upon us. I felt really special this year because I got to go to a fancy party! We got all dressed up and headed to a penthouse apartment with a fabulous view. I am really sad I did not get the view on my camera...but I'm sure I'll be back there sometime. The deck was great, and I know there will be summer BBQ's there soon.

All I have to say about Boston at this point, is it gets better each month. I'm learning a lot about myself and about life in general. AND, how to dodge cars when you're a pedestrian as well as dodging pedestrians when you're a driver!!!