Adventures in Gastronomy

I seem to be inflicting unnecessary stress upon myself lately. I’m not seeking sympathy at all because, generally speaking, the stressors are all good things. I just don’t have the ability to handle stress very well so I got overwhelmed quite easily.

Obviously the biggest stressor is the condo search. It’s such a distraction – and we all know how I like routine and simplicity in life. I’m seeing two properties today (one I’ve seen before). It’s the new one I’m seeing that I’m most excited about, though. Aside from the ugly facade/construction style, this unit could be ideal: blocks from underground subway, affordable (by Boston standards), walking distance to work, supermarket around the corner, quiet side street, on-site parking (for guests since I have no car), good local restaurants. Unless a double murder took place and the walls are covered in blood, I’m rather optimistic about this one.

And that stresses me out more because then I have to adjust to using most of my savings as a deposit (I like having that little nest egg there…just in case).

Oh, and adding to the stress (but in a very good way) are potential future travel plans. I’ve been thinking of going to Paris during Christmas break. Mark has offered to let me stay with him again but coordinating the airfare and such has been rough. I shouldn’t be spending the money for the flight if I could potentially be buying a place in the next few months. I really want to go, though…but realistically it might make more sense to go in May/June instead. ARGH

But then, last night, Randy mentioned that he might be going to Tokyo on business in December and that I could come along! I could stay at the hotel with him (for free…his company pays for it) and he said he could also use his frequent flyer miles to fly me there for free (he’s got over 640,000 miles since he travels all the time for work…and his company will pay for his ticket). WOW! Japan! What an adventure that would be!!!!!! And it would be cheaper than Paris (despite having a free place to stay in Paris). And budget is key for me right now. I would just entertain myself during the day while he works…and then he’d tack on a few days at the end for us to sight-see.

Decisions, Decisions….

Oh, and ありがとう (from my heading today) means “thank you” in Japanese. I guess I should start practicing, huh?
 

October 12th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 4 Comments

Walking to work this morning I saw a jeep coming my way (I was at a crosswalk so it’s ok). It had a sticker on the front window that went across the top. It was also upside down so I stared at it a bit trying to decipher what it said. Once I read it, I actually chuckled out loud:

“If you can read this, please flip me back over”

Sometimes, it’s the simple things in life that can make your day.

Nothing new to report. I’m heading back to one of the condos I viewed over the weekend. I want to give it the once over again. HMMM – I guess that means I’m giving it the twice over? Anyway, I also stumbled upon another listing for a place in Somerville…just a few blocks from Porter Square T-station (where I normally commute to from Boston every morning). This place is REALLY cheap ($228,500) and larger than any of the other places I’ve seen…and at a lower price. The bathroom and kitchen were recently remodeled but the rest of the place could use some SERIOUS cosmetic work. As in the first condo Matt and I bought together 5 years ago, this place has green carpet.

The downside is that the exterior of the building is ass-ugly (one of those red brick buildings built between the 50’s and 70’s with no charm at all). The other property I’m looking at for a second time had architectural detail and charm…but over 100 square feet less of living space and $12,000 more in price. Plus, this one is closer to the subway AND includes a parking spot (which I’d use for guests).

Decisions, decisions.

October 11th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 3 Comments

I had a very full weekend, looking back. On Friday night I got together with Randy and he prepared a home-made pizza for dinner and then we watched Party Monster on DVD. Oh! And he DVR’d Ugly Betty which is freakin’ hilarious!

On Saturday, Randy and I went to the storage facility I’ve rented for the trust I manage and cleared it out. We sifted through the contents: some went to Goodwill, some (retro clothes) went to my closet, some went to the trust’s beneficiary and the rest went to the trash.

Randy was taken by two photo frames that were handmade in prison, presumably in the late 70’s or early 80’s. Essentially, pages of porn magazines were folded into little squares (exposing the appropriate anatomy and the occasional face) then woven together to create a patchwork of straight porn. Another frame was more elaborate and included rolled up pages of porn as piping along the perimeter. Later that evening, Randy presenting the frames to a friend who was mesmerized and quite thankful (despite being gay).

Anyway, on Saturday evening I got together with Randy and a bunch of his friends and played a card game called “Hands and Feet.” It’s officially surpassed Flinch as my new favorite card game.

On Sunday, I began my condo search. I met up with the broker late in the morning and finished 5 condos and 4 hours later. I saw two properties in Boston (tiny) and three in Cambridge. If I could take elements of the three in Cambridge and combine them, it’d be perfect. The largest one was in the most inconvenient location – but was quite spacious. The best one was also the smallest, but is in the most ideal location near two subway stops, on a tree-lined residential street and is brand-spanking new (in fact, the unit was still exposed concrete and studs since the walls aren’t up yet). The problem is that it’s on the ground level. Decisions, decisions.

Randy met up with me after my home-hunt and we went to Mount Auburn Cemetery. After taking photos and complaining about them all being over exposed, he gave me a quick camera lesson (I never knew my camera had all of these functions. Here’s some evidence of the improvement (the first being over-exposed and the second having decent detail).

Here are some other photos either taken by me or Randy:

Finally, on Monday I got together with a new friend, Dave, and went up to Newburyport for the day. It was much warmer than expected but we had a great lunch at an old (well, at least old-looking) pub named Rockfish. I got a delicious prosciutto di parma sandwich (prosciutto, vine-ripened tomato, mozzarella, basil, olive oil, chicken on french baguette). YUM.

On our way back to Boston, we decided to pop by Crane Beach. It’s funny, I’ve been there 5 times this summer…and 4 of them have been after Labor Day. And each time I say it’s going to be my last time for the season – but then the weather cooperates and I head back. Anyway, we never intended to go to the beach so we had no swimsuits and no towels (in fact, he was in jeans). We walked to the right quite far and sat down for a while and chatted. We walked back all the way to the parking lot when Dave realized the key had fallen out of his pocket somewhere along the beach.

UGH!

This beach is enormous…and between the time we arrived and the time we’d walked back to the car, a few hours had passed….and the tide had gone out. We went to the parking gate attendant and shared our drama. He offered to have the park ranger drive us out to where we sat…but we’d have to walk ourselves back to the parking area. It was now about 5:40PM and the sun sets/beach closes at 6:13PM (something the ranger made abundantly clear). We had about a half hour to search an entire beach for a key (that was on it’s own…no key ring…just a loose key).

Oh, and as we were waiting for the all-terrain vehicle to pick us up, Dave got stung by a bee. The poor guy. Anyway, we were dropped off in the middle of nowhere and the ranger drove away. We searched for close to a half hour then gave up. I mean, finding a tiny lone key in miles of sandy beach is like finding a needle in a hay stack (as the park ranger told both of us a few times). I called the ranger to request help (tow truck, locksmith, anything). Once I closed my cell phone, Dave turned around, exasperated, and saw something shiny in the sand about 15 feet away (good thing the sun was setting at just the right angle). It was the key. Miracle of miracles, he found the key.

We canceled our distress call, walked the 30 minutes or so back to the car, and drove home – safe and sound.

He emailed me today to say that he fell right to sleep when he got home (which was about 7:30 or 7:45PM) and that his legs were killing from walking in the sand so much. But the bee sting pain went away, he found his key, and life goes on. And I got some great pictures of a cemetery in Newburyport and a fun one from Crane Beach (thanks to Randy’s mad photo-taking lessons):

(I think my shadow makes me look fat in that last one)

October 10th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 4 Comments

I’ve always pissed and moaned about how hyper-sensitive Americans are these days about things compared to when I was a kid. I mean, by today’s standards, I shouldn’t even be alive (no seat belts, mom smoked during pregnancy, rode bike without helmets).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for seatbelts and safety. Despite (or because of) my “reckless” upbringing, I’m actually a very cautious person as an adult.

But, as I blogged about only a few days ago, the litigious society we’ve become is something I find rather boring.

Anyway, here’s the text of the email my parents sent* (it was just one of those emails that people forward). I did delete the last two paragraphs which nonsensically started rambling on about god.

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930’s 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s !! 

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes.   Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets.  As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.  We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.  

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank KoolAid made with sugar, but we weren’t overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING !  We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day and we were O.K. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.  We did not have Playstations, Nintendo’s, X-boxes, no video games at all (well, except Pong), no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD’s, no surround-sound or CD’s, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms…WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!  We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.  We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. 

We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them! Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!  The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.  They actually sided with the law (not that I ever broke any laws, of course)!  

No, I didn’t remove my swimsuit. But according to Dictionary.com, one of the definitions of au naturel is “in the natural state.” Yesterday, I took half of a personal day to take advantage of what could be the last sunny and warm day of the year. Randy was able to get the afternoon off so we hopped in the car and drove to Ipswich (after picking up some yummy sandwiches in Beverly).

And what a great decision that was! The tide was low most of the time, and with the autumn sun descending earlier, we got some spectacular photos. So here I’m posting WAY more than I should:

Oh, and so my blog can show at least a little bit of flesh (it is Half-Naked Thursday, after all) here’s a photo of Randy!

October 5th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 9 Comments

She had some lists the other day, and now it’s my turn to be lazy and copy her…but with my own answers, obviously (if you’re interested in her responses, check out her blog: Vexed in the City).

Seven Songs I love Right Now (meaning, not necessarily my favorite songs of all time…but stuff I can’t get enough of these days):

1. SexyBack, by Justin Timberlake (how can this be? I’m so humiliated…but it’s just so damn catchy)
2. Emerge, by Fischerspooner (another catchy song…this one I’m more proud to admit to)
3. Summertime, by Janis Joplin (this one is definitely on my all time favorites list)
4. John Saw That Number, by Neko Case (I feel like I’m in a rural southern church when I hear this one…not that that’s necessarily a good thing)
5. Paradise by the Dashboard Light, by Meatloaf (I don’t know why, but I’ve been really into this song lately. It’s so funny…yet painfully real. I think any horny teenage boy can relate)
6. Sinnerman, by Extra Fancy (I loved this song back in the 90’s…and thanks to Instinct Magazine, it’s back in my head again…but in a good way)
7. If I Can’t Sell It, by Pussy Tourette (yet another hilarious song – this one about performed by a drag queen…and chock full of sexual innuendo)

Karyn also had another meme. At first I felt too lazy to do it since it had three times the items I would need to list. But it actually wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. So, here goes…

Twenty-one Things I Love (can’t include the songs listed above):

1. Dark chocolate
2. The smell of fresh cut grass
3. sitting by the ocean and listening to the waves
4. sitting by the ocean and watching the waves
5. Paris, France
6. Portable music (such as the iPod…though I’m not necessarily endorsing their product)
7. Family
8. Air-conditioning
9. The internet/technology
10. Voyeurism
11. Public transit
12. Chicken, broccoli and ziti
13. America’s Funniest Home Videos
14. Major storms (blizzards, hurricanes)
15. Weekend getaways
16. Friends
17. Memories
18. Orgasms
19. New England architecture (clapboard, weathered shingles, etc…)
20. The smell of skunk
21. Photos (and their primitive ancestor, photo albums)

Your turn.

October 4th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 7 Comments

I’m back to work today after a long weekend on the Cape. I had such a great time, too (the photo above is the view from our room)! My friend, Bobby, picked me up around 1PM on Friday (1/2 day from work…woo hoo) and we headed straight to the Cape. The rain/drizzle in Boston quickly disappeared so by the time we reached Provincetown, the weather had completely cleared up.

This was Bobby’s first time in Ptown and he immediately fell in love with the place. We found this beautiful old 10 room house (on Commercial Street in the near East End of town overlooking the water).

It’s a total fixer-upper but could/would be a great investment (guest house, condo-conversion, gallery…or a combination thereof). I’m hoping he buys it and rewards me with one of the 10 bedrooms for opening him up to the Ptown experience.

A guy can dream, can’t he?

This was also a great time to be there because all of the shops are having huge sales since the season is over. During the summer, prices are obscenely high. But I managed to buy loads of useful things (t-shirts for only $3.33 each at Don’t Panice) and quirky/fun (a gas mask from Marine Specialties). And the shopkeepers are much more fun and frisky this time of year. Bobby and I were admiring a display case of underwear at one shop and Bobby said “those look really comfortable.” The owner overheard him and said “they are very comfortable. I’m wearing that very pair now.” I jokingly told him to prove it…and he dropped his pants right there on the sales floor. Now THAT’s customer service.

And aside from some rain on Sunday afternoon from 2PM to 7PM, the weather was quite nice – as evidenced by these photos of my early autumn ability to get some sun on our deck.

And here’s Bobby relaxing after breakfast at Cafe Heaven:

And now I’m back in Boston. I won’t likely return to Ptown until next year, although I’m hoping to make it down for the Holly Folly in December. But I just realized yesterday that this upcoming weekend is a holiday weekend: Columbus Day. Two long weekends in a row. This is the life.

October 3rd, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 4 Comments

I forget the rest of the lyrics to that 80’s(?) song? Was it Eric Carmen? Anyway, I’m using a little bit of my vacation/personal time for one last Hurrah weekend on Cape Cod. There’s going to be a bunch of us going down and it appears the weather is going to cooperate, for the most part. The rains of this morning are supposed to disappear by late afternoon so Friday night, all day Saturday, and Sunday day are supposed to be lovely. Rain is expected to return late Sunday afternoon/evening and go into Monday morning.

But I can deal with that. The place I’m staying (with my friend Bobby), is right on the water. The waves literally crash into the base of the building as it juts out into the sand. And we’ll have sliding glass doors onto a private deck over the water. So even if the weather gets bad, it’ll be peaceful just to watch (and hear) the rough waves crashing into the building. I’ve got books and magazines just in case.

So, this long weekend will have me leaving work early today (using a 1/2 personal day) and also another 1/2 or full day on Monday (depending on when I come back). Either way, even after this weekend is over, I’ll still have a minimum of a 1/2 personal day, 22 vacation days and 34 vacation days available to me.

HMM – almost sounds like I work for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

But what I was really getting at was that I most likely won’t be blogging again until Tuesday. But perhaps my adventures in Provincetown will make for some interesting reading and viewing (if I take pictures).

See you in October!

September 29th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 7 Comments

There was an episode of Absolutely Fabulous where Edina Monsoon is representing herself in court after breaking various laws and then goes on a tirade about how the system doesn’t quite work. She eventually defends her stance that stupid people should be taxed because of the expenses they bring onto society.

An article in today’s Metro newspaper reminded me of that.

Apparently, three college students have died in the past 3 months or so by falling from high places. One idiot was drunk and wanted to climb to the roof of his Back Bay apartment building to impress chicks. He fell off and died.

Another brainiac decided to do a handstand on the railing of a bridge. He fell off and died.

The third student, just this week, was climibing onto the roof of his rented apartment in Roxbury. He fell off and died.

The parents of one of these scholars mentioned something about the city and universities doing more to protect students from such accidents. And that infuriates me. Are we in such a litigious society that we think we have to place blame/responsibility on third parties? Why aren’t we held accountable for our own actions? I think it’s fairly logical that you shouldn’t climb onto a roof that does not have an actual roof deck. Period.

And, logic would say, you should probably not attempt to climb onto a roof while intoxicated, while it’s dark, or while your attention is on impressing the woman you brought home from a bar.

These guys are in college. They must have developed some sort of knowledge to have gotten accepted into college in the first place. I mean, what else would you want the city (or the universities) to do when college kids move into town?

Put bars on every window so you can’t fall out?

Use plastic sporks instead of forks in the cafeteria to prevent injury?

September 28th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 14 Comments

My new upstairs neighbor (the one who apparently opened Boston’s most popular bowling alley above my apartment) has motivated me to more actively search for a condo. I’d been holding out because, by Boston standards, I have a pretty good deal on my current place. In addition, the condo market seems to be getting progressively better for the buyer…and I still suspect that prices and availability will drop even further over the next 12 months.

But enough is enough with the noise. Besides, I’ve been renting for nearly two years now and I had only planned to rent for a year or so after starting my life over (I do have the flair for the drama, don’t I?).

I initially applied for an “affordable housing” unit. You see, Boston requires that all new condominium buildings (or apartment-to-condominium conversations) sell at least 10% of the available units at rates affordable to the median income. Even still, the place I applied for was still going to cost $223,500* for a 600 square foot one-bedroom. That said, despite a 10% downpayment, with mortgage, condo fees and taxes, my monthly expenses were still going to be around $1,650.00, excluding utilities (so much for “affordable”).

There were 233 applications submitted for the available “affordable” units. I was ranked 229. That means I was only 4 applications from the bottom of the list. I’m not sure who you have to blow to get closer to the top spot, but I’m suspecting that my eligibility in future affordable housing lotteries will be disappointingly similar.

Consequently, I’m looking at market-rate condominiums. I went and saw my first property yesterday. There’s an apartment building that’s being converted to condos over in the Fenway (not my first choice of neighborhoods for various reasons, but close to my price range). The units in the building are all nearly identical; loft-style living with a front living/kitchen area with windows…a bathroom in the middle and a sleeping area in the back (no windows/no door). There is also what they consider “loft” space above the bathroom that could fit a mattress and nothing else (there is only about 3 feet of headspace before hitting the ceiling).

Yes, they’re being remodeled with hardwood floors, fresh paint and new appliances/cabinets. But the only units I could afford were on the lower floors overlooking a student-filled tenement apartment building. One of the units (the cheapest) was so close to the tenement building that I could literally hang out the window and hold hands with the tenant in the other building. The idential unit on a higher floor (still no view, but at least some sun) was $40,000 more. Did I mention that the units were just under 400 square feet (440 if you include the “usable” space over the bathroom). And a good chunk of the space was a useless hallway leading from living area to sleeping area.

This is depressing. I don’t want to live in the suburbs (yeah, the condo would be cheaper, but then I’d have the added expenses of a car, gas, insurance, tolls, parking). Besides, I work in Cambridge and two hour daily commutes (as I had when living in Salem…only 16 miles north of the city) are not something I want to return to, either.

I don’t think I’m asking for too much. I mean, I earn a decent wage. I’m fiscally responsible. Is it unreasonable to expect to be able to afford a simple 500 square foot space?

*What kills me is that, for shits-n-giggles, I checked out what real estate would cost in Charlotte, NC. A 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom HOUSE (not condo….HOUSE) can be had for $140,000.

September 27th, 2006
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 7 Comments