Authentic

Tomorrow starts another week of work. I've officially made it two weeks! Working a normal job is exactly the type of "break" I've been craving. I get home in the evenings and have so much free time to do anything I want. I've done all kinds of things, and had to force myself to spend an evening in my apartment today to take it easy and prepare for the week.

Last weekend I went to New Hampshire with P.A. Trick and his friends. It was an extremely ugly day, all rainy and such. But we headed out to a beach in Mass first for some excellent Pizza and to hang out at a sweet arcade.

Then, we continued on to NH. I had some authentic New England Clam Chowder and Fish & Chips at a restaurant on the beach.

We also shot some laser guns at this crazy arcade/place where the lady had apparently worked there for over 20 years.

This week I finally made it to the Boston Hoop Meet up in the Boston Common! It was great. I went with Ashlee, who was a new hooper, and she had a blast. We're recruiting her roommate/best friend Jessica to come with us this week on Tuesday.

We then took the hoops and went looking for a bar downtown to get some dinner. Ashlee went to college with me, and coincidentally moved up to Boston the same week I did! She lives right down the street from me and we've been hanging out a lot. That night was also Game 6 of the NBA finals. People get really into it here.

I also began participating in their "Family" dinners. This week was a very informal pot luck that ended up being a cheese, crackers, and wine ordeal but will hopefully evolve into a more organized dinner gathering. I'm pretty excited about that.

I went to the Farmers Market in Haymarket again this weekend. I actually managed to bring my camera, but no picture can really display the madness that it is, so this picture will have to suffice.

Let me just paint a little picture of this week's farmers market experience. I got up on Saturday morning and made plans to meet Ashlee in Salem, MA that afternoon with Jessica to go exploring. Jessica invited me to go running with her and her roommate, and I obliged - rounding off with a 5 mile walk/jog around Brookline/Brighton. We then decided it might be faster to drive to Haymarket, since we were going to have to bring back our groceries, then get back on the T to get to North Station and jump on the Commuter Rail to get to Salem. Worst.Idea.Ever. First, we got really lost in the car and ended up in Cambridge before fighting 40 minutes of traffic to get to Haymarket. THEN, drove around downtown Boston looking for a meter spot. Let me tell you, EVERYONE in Boston was out enjoying the nice warm day - it took almost 4 hours to make a trip that would have lasted no more than an hour and a half by T. Never doing that again.

Then we FINALLY headed to Salem and visited some really awesome places. One was this amazing antique shop that had a sweet chest, the most old-school space heater ever, and pictures of people we didn't know. And of course, it's Salem - we had to visit some cheesy witchcraft stores too.

Appropriately, I found a crazy bookstore while in Salem too. This place was absolutely intimidating. I was afraid to breathe, for fear of sending the entire store into a domino-like tumble (probably taking down the whole building in its path)

And here are some other pictures from Salem that I'll leave you with, including the place we ate dinner.

Will update again soon!

The Vision and Arrival

It was 9 months ago that I sat on a porch in JP (Jamaica Plain) with old friends from Florida and new ones from Massachusetts, discussing those ambiguous life topics that pair well with a late night of drinking. After having spent approximately 24 hours exploring the city, including Berklee College of Music, Newbury Street, public transportation, and Jamaica Plain, it was settled. I was going to move to Boston after graduation. Now I sit here in my apartment in Brookline, my first night alone in the city.

I'm starting this blog to share my adventures and experiences here in Boston. I expected drastic life changes, which is part of the reason I moved - but there have already been some surprising discoveries. I headed to the local supermarket this evening (and really started to feel like a resident when I registered for my "frequent shopper discount card") in search of the bare essentials. I made my way over to the sandwich meats and was very surprised to discover that my usual turkey breast which runs about $3 in Florida would cost me $4.59, and there were no comparable products that were cheaper! Yes, this will definitely be a change.

Here is a short list of some of the new things I've encountered that people from Florida (I hesitate to call myself a southerner, hailing from the Florida Keys) are not familiar with:

1. Fire Alarms - okay yes, I know that there are fire alarms in Florida, it's a law, etc. What we don't have are random alarms to pull that are on stands on a sidewalk outside. Yes, outside my building, there is a small structure and the only thing it contains is a fire alarm pull. (Picture to come later)

2. Pedestrian Right of Way - There is a crosswalk over there? Who cares, I can cross here! Oh, there is a DON'T walk signal? That's okay, my vision says if I walk fast enough I won't get hit by these cars. What's that, big car? You want to turn here? Too bad, I'm deciding to cross right now, you'll have to wait. Yes, people slow here for pedestrians, and since there are so many on foot, we might even be the majority.

3. Transportation - besides the obvious (which is that there IS public transportation), getting around Boston is a whole new experience. If you want logical roads, this is not the place for you. There is no "grid" of streets; every path is nonsensically winding and confusing. Having a smart phone (for maps) is essential for my wandering curiosity.

In a nutshell - this is going to be a crazy transition! I'm so excited that I made it. I've told everyone I know, or that I've met the past 9 months that I'm going to move to Boston. And here it is: I did it! I left my family and friends, and moved to a city where I know (essentially) no one. I made trips up here for interviews (and landed a job!), and apartment searched by myself. This is it, I'm living my dream!