Adventures in Gastronomy

Plans to get together with a group of friends at a bar on Friday night fell though. Instead, I got together with Randy and two other friends to play cards. Actually, while fighting this cold of mine that was a better alternative (even though I lost).

On Saturday, the weather was pheomenal (after the morning rains ended). 69 degrees in Boston (at the airport which is on the harbor – inland areas reached into the 70’s…in Boston…in January!!!!!)

Randy and I took advantage of the weather and walked from the Longfellow Bridge (near Beacon Hill) into the Fenway – taking photos, eating and shopping along the way. The skies were amazing: the the east you could see the dark storm clouds heading away, and from the west you could see blue skies. We’ve had the warmest December (and, so far, January) on record and the trees don’t know what to do. We discovered cherry trees starting to blossom!

Saturday night we returned to my place to have dinner and watch a movie. When we arrived, I noticed a note had been slid under my door. It was from the upstairs tenant – notifying me that the landlord had contacted her because of noise complaints and apologizing for any inconvenience she has caused. It started off nice enough, but by the second paragraph she started accusing me of being too loud! Apparently, I cheer and root too loudly when football games are on and my team scores.

Me: The gayest person on earth not only watching football – but getting loud and rowdy when they score. I can’t watch a game for more than 30 seconds even if just to look at the men in tight unifoms. Hell, I can’t even watch the sports segments on the news. This chick is OBVIOUSLY pulling at straws and making stuff up to make me think she hears me. I mean, I am typically home only three nights per week since I’ve been staying at Randy’s so much. Plus, with Thanksgiving on Cape Cod, a week in Japan, Christmas back on Cape Cod again, and then vacation in Montreal, I was only at home at, at the most, 6 nights in the past 6-7 weeks.

Ugh…I was thisclose to thinking she was actually sincerely apologetic…now she’s just lying. And I’m sure she’s lied to the landlord, too, while defending herself.

Oh well. I’m just going to look at these pretty pictures to distract myself now. No sense in letting the tension build again.

January 8th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 4 Comments

That’s me.

So I’ve brought my new laptop home and it works wonderfully. Randy set me up with Wifi at home so when he left my apartment last weekend, I had wireless internet access and life was good.

Then on Tuesday night I decided I should make it a secure connection (versus allowing other people to hitch free wifi off of me). Now I’ve managed to make it EXTREMELY secure…by even preventing me from connecting to the internet.

Everything shows up as a “connected.” Even better, it shows up as a “Very Strong” connection. Yet that matters not since it won’t allow my laptop to use it. I’m damn near ready to give up, but Randy is going to be coming over tomorrow and can hopefully figure things out.

OH! And I’ve got some gossip on my hellish upstairs neighbor! She was obnoxiously loud on Wednesday night (thumping up the hallways stairs and talking loudly, banging around her apartment, moving furniture) well past midnight. Consequently, with my cold and with her constant noise, I wasn’t able to sleep very well.

Groggy, I shot off an email to my landlord (my second one) asking if they had any other units available (preferably top-floor). Then I mentioned the reasons (the ones I mentioned above plus the sex I heard her having last month).

The landlord replied rather promptly and said that she was embarrassed that this was happening and that she’d just heard identical complaints from another tenant, too…including the loud sex! She promised to send somebody up there (her husband?) to warn her that if her rude behavior doesn’t stop, she will be evicted. She’d been warned by the landlord once before, and I complained to my neighbor myself (via letter) back in September.

I personally think she has been extra loud just to spite me as a result of the September correspondence (and the landlords December warning). I never heard the previous tenant – and only rarely heard the guy who lived up there before that. But this new one has gone from walking loudly in the stairway last fall to actually thumping her feet like a spoiled child over the past month. The same goes for the way she walks around her apartment. Even SHE is louder than she was last fall – it has to be intentional.

Or I’ve become a conspiracy theorist.

January 5th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 4 Comments

Miracle of miracles, I was able to change my jury duty! I was originally scheduled for late last summer. But since crime goes up in the summer, I figured i’d be more likely to get stuck on a trial if I served then (plus, I question the courthouse’s air-conditioning quality). I selected a replacement date the Friday before President’s Day (hoping that no trial would begin the day before a holiday weekend).

Well, they didn’t give me the day I requested and then it fell smack dab in the middle of my newly planned trip to Mexico. I called the court yesterday expecting a fight since the paperwork clearly stated that you can’t change it twice. But the woman was incredibly friendly and not only allowed me to move it without any questions, but gave me free reign to pick any future date! I’m impressed!

Now I can go to Mexico and suffer through Montezuma’s Revenge* without worrying that I’m shirking my civic duties!

OK – quick observation here. Did anybody else watch FORMER (I love saying that) governor Mitt Romney’s lone walk from the state house yesterday? He practically snubbed FORMER (still love it) lieutenant governor Kerry Healey with a quick handshake and good bye. Looking back, he also didn’t seem to help her much during her failed run for governor (he was out of state 212 of 365 days last year – mostly promoting himself as the next presidential contender). I sense some tension there.

*This is a serious concern of mine since my belly is of a delicate constitution…I fear even water entering my mouth while taking a shower will get me sick. oy vey.

January 4th, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 4 Comments

I’ve got a pseudo-cold developing and it’s made me cranky. So I’m going to piss and moan today (despite the fact that, overall, life is rather good at the moment).

First, I blogged a few weeks ago about how Randy and I plan on going to Mexico (Puerto Vallarta) in February. He’s already booked the tickets and we’re staying with some friends. But then I re-discovered this week that the jury duty I postponed from last summer was rescheduled for the middle of that week…while I’m supposed to be lounging pool-side. I’d requested the rescheduled date to be the Friday before President’s day (figuring that a judge would be less likely to retain anybody on a holiday weekend) but they re-assigned me to random day.

I’m going to try and see if I can bump it again (despite the fact that the papework clearly states: “under the law you may not change it again”). Since I didn’t get the day I requested, I’m hoping that adds some flexibility. Besides, I get stuck with jury duty like clockwork every three years (and was even picked or a two-week murder trial before) yet my Mom got her FIRST jury duty when she was 70 and I know other people who’ve never had it. Life is unfair.

And now comes by snob moment. Has anybody else read about that trailer park in Florida that doesn’t want to be bought? Apparently, it’s one of a few mobile home parks located between the beach and intra-coastal waterway. Trailers sold in recent years at $150,000. Now a developer is offering over $1,000,000 per trailer to sell.

I repeat…OVER A MILLION DOLLARS for a trailer!!!

And people are saying no!?!?!?

I’m sorry – perhaps I’m a greedy American, but it’s a freaking trailer. Take the offer! For $1M you could get an actual stable (hurricane proof) condo. And don’t go all “but it’s their home” on me because, according to the article, most people had already sold there nostalgic “family” homes and moved there near retirement. Hell, one guy quoted in the article had moved there from New York only two years ago. I can’t imagine he’s developed that much of an affection for his vinyl sided death trap in such short time (especially after the horrible hurriance season in 2005).

The best part was a quote from the local historical society saying that they need to preserve “Floridiana”. This is exactly why I detest Florida. In most other parts of the country, people would be thrilled to have a trailer park removed. In Florida, it’s considered history.

January 3rd, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 6 Comments

How time flies.

December was essentially a joke for me. I started the month off in Japan. Then I worked just shy of two weeks before taking 11 more days off (and venturing up to Montreal). I guess there was no point in purchasing a subway pass last month, huh?

Anyway, I can’t remember where I left off the last time I blogged – except that it was around Christmas. Since then, I got my new laptop (replacing the one that got flooded at Best Buy) and Randy hooked me up with WiFi for my apartment so now I can chat and surf on the loo (not that I would…but I could – and that’s what matters).

Randy and I also trekked up to Montreal for 4 days/3 nights after Christmas. We had a good time, but BRRRRRR – the temperature never passed 19 degrees and the HIGH one day was only 14 degrees (meaning it was much lower for the bulk of the day).

We did manage to see lots of sights (Ste Catherine Street, Viuex Montreal, the Village, Plateau Montreal, Museum of Contemporary Art) and I did loads of bargain shopping. Photos are below.

We returned back to Boston on Saturday, December 30th. Randy’s car has GPS and it directed us to drive 1.5 hours east of Montreal (thru Canada) and then go south on Route 91 to Route 93. It snowed nearly the entire drive back home and it was quite lovely driving through the mountains of Quebec (versus the usual route I’ve taken through flat farmland). However, the roads were a wee bit treacherous as a result of the snow and ice until we reached the Massachusetts border.

On New Year’s Eve we got together with Chris and Pete for dinner, desserts, games and “ball dropping”. However, we weren’t looking at the clock when it struck midnight and missed the event by a minute or two. Conveniently, Pete has Tivo so we turned back time by 2 minutes and relived it again as if it was happening live.

Yesterday (New Year’s Day) Randy and I went to the Museum of Science to see BodyWorld’s….the exhibit where dead bodies are preserved with plastination (sp?) and then exhibited for science. Most were ripped open in bizarre manners to expose organs and bones and nervous systems. It was mildly cool – but I was bit bored by the end. The bodies are actually exposed to the public (not behind glass) so you can walk up to within inches of the real corpses and inspect closely. Still, for $16 I’d hoped for more. And I was hungry when we got there so looking at all of the skinless exposed muscle only made me hungrier. Does that make me a cannibal? Randy’s friend, Sandra, said she was craving beef jerky as we left so I don’t think I was alone.

Anyway, enough about food, here are my shots of Montreal:

Can you believe this is the window display for an optometrist?

And this is the sign for a restaurant

And this is a church (okay, fine, it’s actually a strip club)

…but this is a church (across the street from the strip club)

…and another church

Here we are “enjoying” 11 degrees

…and a better way to enjoy that temperature

It’s like Paris…but cheaper…and colder…and closer!

Horses!

More churches

City Hall at night

Dinner anybody?

January 2nd, 2007
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 5 Comments

My Christmas kicked ass (and, in some ways, is still kicking ass).

It all began on Friday when Mike, Randy and I got together for lunch in the Back Bay (and I picked up one final Christmas gift). We ate at Fire + Ice and then walked back to the North End. That night, Randy and I got together with my friend, Scott, for dinner in great-outer suburbia (Tewksbury). We’d brought Scattegories to play, but the conversation alone kept us entertained the entire evening.

Saturday was a lazy day….Randy and I got up, had some breakfast, watched some TV then exchanged gifts while watching the “fireplace”….a 90 minute fireplace you can watch On-Demand via Comcast Cable. I managed to score pretty well: numerous shirts, a great book of black and white photographs of Paris, an external hard drive for my computer, and a new messenger bag. Randy did pretty well himself: book, DVD, CD’s, stemless wine glasses, seasons lottery ticket (the gift that keeps on giving), and a universal remote.

We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping about the Boston area exchanging gifts before getting together for dinner and games with our* friends Chris and Pete.

On Sunday, we got together with two of Randy’s oldest friends, Ben and Sandy, for brunch in Southie. From there, we drove to the Cape, met up with my parents and practically immediately headed out to a Christmas Party at a family friend’s house. When we got home, it didn’t take long for us to start exchanging gifts. This time around, I got a handsome amount of cash in addition to some gift certificates and little knick-knacks. Both my Mom and Randy won $25 on scratch tickets…damn them…and my Dad and I won smaller amounts. All in all, we won more than we spent on the tickets. Phew.

Christmas Day consisted of lots of music, lots of amazing food (Randy did the bulk of the cooking), and lots of eating junk food. Unexpectedly, we spent an extra night down there and returned to Boston today (Tuesday). Now we’re resting up before heading to Montreal in the morning.

Oh, and I got a new computer! Best Buy FINALLY admitted that my computer was water-damaged from the flood and invited me to come to the store and pick out an “equivalent” computer. Fortunately, Randy went with me and helped me score a better swap (raising there offer by nearly $100). I decided to get myself a laptop computer and paid a little bit extra for the upgrade. They also extended my in-store warranty until the end of 2007. I know nothing about computers, but this one apparently has twice the memory and four times the speed of my previous computer.

Anyway – here are a few photos of my holiday. I should have lots more when I get back from Montreal on Saturday (I don’t plan on bringing my laptop so I won’t be updating for a few more days). ENJOY!

*HMMM – Chris is Randy’s ex…and Peter is his new boyfriend. Obviously, I met them through Randy – but I think it’s safe enough now to consider them “my” friends, too.

December 26th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 3 Comments

Despite some basic knowledge of that song, I must admit that I’ve never seen Sound of Music. In fact, I only know this song from when Selma (Bjork) sings it in Dancer in the Dark…this is at the beginning of the movie before she gets hanged mid-song.

Anyway, life is good today (mostly).

Today is the last day I have to work before the office is closed for holiday recess. I don’t return to work for another 12 days (January 2nd)…and I’m not even having to use a single vacation day! In fact, I’m carrying forward 20 unused vacation days into next year. That on top of the 20 days I get next year (plus 3 personal days) gives me enough time that I could effectively take the whole summer off (but I won’t).

I’m also going to Montreal with Randy for a few days next week (a place I’ve not been to in 4 years or more). It’s such a great week to go up there, what with the favorable exchange rate and after-Christmas sales up and down Ste. Catherine Street.

And last night Randy invited me to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in February! His close friends, Ben and Sandy, have a place down there and invited me to join them for a week! WOO HOO – one more country to add to my list of visited countries….and a warm destination during the coldest months of the year (something I’ve not done in 20 years).

Alas, with the good comes the bad. My sister-in-law is back in the hospital. She has yet another infection: her temperature shot up to 104 degrees and she became dillusional/incoherent. She’s been in the ICU for two days (mostly for better observation) and will likely remain in the hospital until after Christmas (she may be transfered to a Boston hospital – in which case I can visit her).

Finally, I’ve been without a home computer for nearly a month now. On November 30th, my computer was dropped off at Best Buy at the Cambridgeside Galleria since it’s under warranty and it kept crashing. I called them the day after I got back from Japan and the technician said my computer was ready to be picked up. Randy and I planned on going over the next day…but then a water main burst and the store got flooded.

It’s been nearly 10 days and the store is still closed. I’ve called repeatedly to find out what the story is and yesterday I was told that all repairs were shipped to another store (South Bay). I’ve called there and I keep getting the run-around. So far I’ve been told:

• “Yours hasn’t been transfered to the new store yet.”
• “Yours was shipped but we haven’t tested it yet.”
• “Some product was damaged, in which case it will be replaced, but we have no record that yours was damaged. We’re going to test them all in case they were under water.”
• “I don’t know what happened to yours. Damaged products require approval from corporate before we can contact the owner about what we’ll do. You’ll get a phone call in the next week or so”

“So was mine damaged?”, I ask.

• “I don’t know if yours was damaged, but I can’t tell you anything until corporate tells me how to proceed.”

“But if you’re waiting to hear from corporate about my mine, doesn’t that mean it’s damaged?”, I ask.

• “Um, no. Um, we’ll just call you when it’s ready.”

Why don’t I trust them?

December 21st, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 7 Comments

Last night I discovered that my new upstairs neighbor (the loud one) is a screamer during sex. Oh yes, she makes it quite clear to all those around her that she’s climaxing.

I, unfortunately, was around her last night. Well, I was home…and considering the paper thin floor separating us, that essentially puts me in the same room as her and her boyfriend as they make love.

At 7:59PM yesterday I started hearing slight female moans while watching TV. They began so rythmically that I thought it was on TV. But they started getting louder so I muted the TV for a moment and realized the sound was actually coming from upstairs.

I immediately un-muted the TV and increased the volume.

But she, too, got louder.

For the next 5 minutes or so I heard her moan, groan and scream in various manners before hearing him start “uhhh-uhhhh”-ing to what I can only assume was his orgasm. Then it all stopped and the noise went back to her normal loud thudding and banging (presumably from walking and, well, drilling and bowling).

Now I feel all dirty.

December 20th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 9 Comments

Not only is that a great song by the Waitresses, but it’s also what I spent last night doing. I started the process over at Randy’s on Sunday, and finished up at home last night. Now it’s just a matter of opening them all up and destroyed the presentation.

Actually, my wrapping skills don’t compare to that of the Japanese. Apparently, wrapping is an artform there (makes sense with their origami tradition). I bought some traditional Japanese dolls (hand-carved wood dolls) as gifts and the clerk at the shop spent 20 minutes wrapping them to perfection. The strange thing was that these weren’t being wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper. Oh no, it was just some fancy tissue/paper with the shops logo on it. But the precision with which she folded it was amazing. She even stopped halfway through and started over again with a new sheet of paper.

It’s fascinating to watch – they don’t place the item in the center and wrap like we do. They put it on an angle so half of the item hangs over the edge. It’s difficult to explain – but an intriguing skill I’d love to learn.

Speaking of learning things, I learned yesterday that Mary Cheney (lesbian daughter of our vice-president) is going to have a baby with her partner. The president said he’s happy for her and confident that she’ll make a good mother. If that’s the case, why does he keep working to ban same-sex marriage because the healthiest environment for a child is in a home with a mother and a father?

December 19th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 1 Comment

….Like men running down the streets of Boston in Speedos.

I sure had a holiday filled weekend. Friday night was the annual holiday party at Harvard Law School. I dragged Randy along this year and the place was packed. I ended up staying much longer than I have at any previous party (well over two hours). Randy and I then went into Harvard Square to do a bit of Christmas shopping before heading back to his place for games with friends.

On Saturday we overslept and raced to the Back Bay to catch the annual Santa Speedo Run. Unfortunately, the runners started their thing earlier than the 1PM scheduled start time so we got there just as the last few stragglers were returning to Lir (the race begins and ends at a bar). So, no running shots this year…just stills of some of the crowd on the sidewalk.

Finally, on Sunday we went up to New Hampshire for a Yankee Swap* at one of Randy’s friend’s house. Actually, it was this beautiful New England farmhouse with attached barn, wide beam floors and at least 14 rooms (that I saw – I may have missed a few rooms). There were 15 people participating in the swap and I managed to be second from last (which is a good thing). I got to go home with an emormous box (nearly 12″x18″) of Lindt truffles. mmmmmm

And now I’ve got a 4 day work week ahead of me before our holiday recess begins (I won’t have to return to work for 11 days – until January 2nd). Of course, I’ll be blogging throughout that time – even as Randy and I venture up to Montreal for a few days. WOO HOO!

On that note, I’ll sign off for today with some more shots of the Santa Speedo Run. Enjoy!

*OK, so we’re in New England and it’s called a Yankee Swap. Did this practice originate here? Is it called the same thing in other parts of the country/world? Is it even done elsewhere?

December 18th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 7 Comments