Fort Point Afternoon

Two weeks ago we went to walk around the Fort Point Open Studios. Saw a lot of interesting art. Didn't buy anything, but now we have a better sense of what we both like. Got a lot of exercise climbing multiple staircases during the day. And managed to take a couple of nice Boston shots, and one that I like on the T platform in South Station (where I was playing with black and white and shutter speed. The people are still, but the train is moving. Cool...)

Franz found. Friends lost.

I forgot that I don't call my Girlfriend "Girlfriend" on this site, but rather Pegg.  So back to that nomenclature...

 

Pegg and I went to see Franz Ferdinand last weekend at the Orpheum theater in Boston.  We did a little pre-partying at home before the show, and had a lot of fun that night.  The show itself was really good.  Even though they have exploded as a band, and the whole hipster scene is already "over" them, we both still like them very much.  And unlike so many acts that we've seen, they seemed to truly enjoy putting on a show.  They played almost entirely from their two released albums, with only two songs during the whole show that we didn't know.  They smiled.  A lot.  They jumped all over the stage, the risers, the drum kit.  The entire feeling was euphoric and infectious - everyone there seemed happy too.  It was a nice change from the jaded, bratty rock stars that seem to turn up more and more at shows we attend.

 

One of the songs they played had to do with losing touch with old friends.  It got me thinking about old friends, and on the way home I had a long talk with Pegg about the topic.  The number of people who have come and gone in my life is staggering.  Thinking back over the years, from neighborhood friends, pre-school through high school, summers, college, work, etc..  I have made and lost a lot of good friends.  At each stage of my life so far there have been people who I enjoyed talking to.  People I trusted.  People I laughed with.  And for some reason or another, as time has passed, and circumstances have changed, many of these friendships have faded.

 

Am I to blame?  Are these friends to blame?  Is this just what happens as you wind your way through life?  In some cases, there is a good explanation.  There was a fight.  There was a fundamental change in philosophy or position.  And geography certainly plays a part.  But there are some people I really miss.  Some friends have slipped away for no good reason.  This really got me down.  How could this be prevented?  Am I destined to lose touch with my current crop of close friends?  Does everything fade?

 

There are some old friends who have popped back into my life.  Re-connection is possible, however rare it might be.  So I got to thinking about the sociology of it all.  Wouldn't it be interesting to draft the Complete List of Lost Friends and then try to contact them all?  Try to discover what caused the friendship to fade.  Try to understand why a friendship was kindled in the first place?  This has the potential to make a great documentary or book.  Too bad I have neither the strength nor the drive.

 

And I wonder why I lose friends.... 

Best. Game. Ever.

The New York Times is good for something after all.  I just learned about a new drinking game.  Edward 40-Hands.  Where was this when I was in college?  I don't know if my 30-year-old body could handle this.  Guess there's only one way to find out!

 

"Edward 40 Hands — named after the movie, Edward Scissorhands where the main character has scissors in place of hands — is a drinking game in which contestants duct tape forties to their hands. The forties can only be removed when the contestant finishes both forties. Having their hands duct taped to the forties forces the contestants to finish their beer before engaging in other activities such as peeing."

 

http://www.smithappens.com/40hands/40hands.html

I remember the sun

Just two weeks ago it was nice enough to go for a long walk outside. We drove over to the JFK Library near UMass Boston. You can walk along the waterfront in either direction from the library for miles, with some great views of dontown Boston along the way.

Trouble...

Uh-oh.  Peanut butter filled pretzels in the snack cabinet at work.  So.  Hard.  To.  Have.  Just.  One...

Mall Music

I work very close to the Cambridge Side Galleria mall.  Given that they have a Dunkin Donuts and a Starbucks, not to mention the food court, we wind up there a lot.  (I also tend to frequent the Best Buy on Tuesdays for new releases, and CVS for personal needs, but that's neither here nor there.)  Lately when I've been in the mall, I've gotten a big kick out of the music that they pipe in.  It hasn't been Muzak, or "Lite Lovesongs", but rather 80s tunes!  Not sure who controls the tune selection over there, or if it is some national corporate thing, but I have to say it has been rather enjoyable.  Some recent selections include:

 

Little Red Corvette - Prince

Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant

Here I Go Again - Whitesnake

I Want A New Drug - Huey Lewis & the News

I Would Do Anything For Love - Meatloaf

Take On Me - a-ha

and so on

 

I'm going to need some fat laces and a pac-man t-shirt to wear on my coffee runs soon.  So rad!

Let's be friends?

Even though he seems to hate white people, I am really enjoying the new Kanye West album.  In a completely different genre, "It Still Moves" by My Morning Jacket is bringing joy to my work day as well.  We saw these guys open for Wilco, and were impressed.

Weekend Washout

Spent most of the weekend indoors.  Here's what went down.

 

Friday night we had tickets to see Stellastarr* at the Paradise.  It was a late show, so Girlfriend and I were planning to meet at home.  In a last-minute move, Brother decided to visit his college roomate in Maine for the weekend, and would be passing through Boston Friday night.  So Brother came over for a little bit.  We had a bite, watched the Red Sox blow it, drank a beer or three, and then said goodbye to Brother.  Girlfriend and I headed over to the show, but shortly after we got there she started to feel ill.  Combination of a cold coming on and a couple of beers is never good.  So we hopped in a cab and headed home.  Catch you next time Stellastarr*

 

Saturday was still pretty rainy, so we decided to hit the movies.  There is a Bed, Bath & Beyond near the theater, and we had some coupons handy, so we decided to have a Frank the Tank day of excitement shopping before the flick.  We grabbed the main things we were after, and were almost ready to check out.  You can use one coupon per item, so we split up the two highest priced items, and went to check out separately.  Before I could check out, I saw something else that I wanted high on a shelf.  I was waiting for someone to get it, when the alarm started sounding.  They evacuated the store.  An hour of BB&B shopping, and I didn't get to check out.  What a waste of time.  So f-ing pissed.  Plus, I was holding most of what we came in for.  Girlfriend at least got to pay, but we didn't walk away with too much of what we were there for.  And then she started giving me shit "You had to have that thing, didn't you?  See what you get?"  Thanks.

 

So, with our more or less useless BB&B purchase in hand, and the stuff we wanted abandoned in the store, we went and saw Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.  Excellent film.  Very well done, and quite entertaining.  (Disclosure - we have been W&G fans for years, and had been looking forward to this film...)  Champy and H-Bomb were in town for a football game, and called to see what we were up to in the evening, but they were with all of their college friends, and we had seen them recently, so we didn't want to bust in on the college fun.  Hopefully they didn't think we were being crappy friends by not making an effort to see them, but we didn't feel right about it.  Perhaps the fact that their Boston friends, who have now become our friends, never mentioned any plans added to our lack of enthusiasm.  Oh well.  We were having a sensitive weekend...  Went home instead and caught up on DVR shows.  SNL with John Heder was mediocre.  I love Napoleon Dynamite.  It's friggin sweet.  But the guy was not so hot on SNL.  If they're thinking about Napoleon sequels then for his sake they better get them out soon.  Otherwise we can look forward to him on Surreal Life XXXXIV.

 

Sunday was a similar day.  Grocery shopping, gym, cooking, DVD.  We made a noodle soup using some udon noodles we had around, some shrimp, some fish balls, spinach, carrots, etc...  Turned out pretty well.  Then we tried to watch Fever Pitch on DVD.  The disc was scratched, though, so we didn't get to see all of it.  Netflix got me again.  Not that there is much of a surprise ending.  Sox win the series, and guy gets girl.  Come to think of it, I'm glad I didn't have to sit through that.  It was more fun watching the Sox lose Friday night than re-living last year's lucky triumph.

 

Ughhh.  This weekend seems long just writing about it.

 

Monday - more of the same.  Ripped some new CDs onto MP3:  new Neil Young album, new Ryan Adams album, a Pharcyde album, the Mitchell Brothers, the Editors, etc...  Organized papers and had fun with the shredder.  Cooked some dinner - poached flounder filets - not bad.  Then watched the Yankees blow it.  Terrible game.  The almost-rally in the 9th was a real tease.  It might have been a different series if A-Rod had actually shown up to play.  Oh well.  Always next year.

4th of July. In Mexico.

Welcome back Blogger

It's been almost a whole year since I've blogged.  A year since I started my new job.  A year in which I have more or less become a Bostonian.  A year in which my brother got married.  A year in which my grandmother passed away.  Basically, it's been a year in which a lot has happened, and I have not documented any of it.  Perhaps this should change.  Let's see if I can get back to regular posting.