It's 12:50 a.m. on a Monday morning and I'm eating ice cream and researching for a story about male pregnancy.
I fear I've reached a point in my life where I can't go back. I'm officially a writer.
hahaha. The story can be found here.
Love always,
Joe
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Friday, March 1, 2013
New York!
For the first time, I was in New York City. The school went as a day trip. Just for funnies.
Since the predeparture meeting started at 5:45 a.m, I decided to wake up at 4:30. And I did, it's just that I ended up spending 20 minutes on my hair. So I left my apartment at 5:40. haha, I got to Marsh at 5:50 and I was quickly filled in and directed to my bus. haha. It wasn't that bad actually because there were a couple of other students running late.
We ended up leaving Marsh at 6:30/6:45 instead of 6:00. But it was alright. I was sitting in the second row so I was close to a TV. We watched "That's My Boy" which was very much an Adam Sandler film. Our bus driver was very cool. There were a number of times when I thought we were going to get in an accident, but he managed to avoid it. Driving in New York seems crazy!
When we reached the city, we were free to just explore. Only rule was not to get arrested and to show up at the pick-up location at 6:30. Since I had tickets to see "Silence! The Musical!" at 2, I had about two hours to explore before the show started. I ended upstumbling upon this park with free ice skating and all these statues dedicated to famous writers – including one for Gertrude Stein, the “mother of the modern short storytelling” and an important figure in gay history in America. Two things that are really important to me, so it was refreshing to just find that.Not exactly fate, but like finding 20 dollars in a pocket. It was nice and felt very New York-y.
After the park I got hungry so I headed towards the theatre “Silence!” was taking place and I found this restaurant that was morgue themed – which appealed to my love of allthings macabre. I ended up ordering a burger with chicken fingers called “Severed Hand,” with the burger being the palm and the chicken as the fingers.It was deadly delicious.
Then it was time for the musical, which was beyond amazing. It was wicked funny, messing aroundwith the story. The plot stayed the same as the movie, but the jokes were outrageous and extreme or just plain silly. Like, having the only African-American cast member be the maid and having her character say “why I gotta be the maid?” Or the song about the Senator’s kidnapped daughter just being her name sung over and over again. I actually bought the soundtrack because I needed it on my iPod. Haha.
But! What may be even more exciting was I met (and took a photo with) an Internet celebrity before the musical started. On the bus trip to NYC, some of us were joking about how we were going to meet up with Jay-Z and Beyonce, and while that ideais ridiculous, it’s New York, there are famous people there. It was just surprising to see Sketch Comedienne Jenny Jaffe in the audience. She was so nice and humble; it just made the trip even better. I feel that most of the trip has an “once-in-a-lifetime” feel to it.
After the musical, I went to the National Photography Museum which had an exhibit on apartheid in South Africa. It was ironic that the National Photography Museum doesn't allow photographs, but it makes sense. The actual images and videos that were on display were really emotional and awe-inspiring. There were the expected So-In-So at the Signing of Something, but there were magazine covers dedicated to South Africans who were overcoming the laws in order to achieve their dreams, photos of shootings at schools, videos of police beating protestors. It was an intense experience, but I loved the photography aspect.
Then I went to the NYC library because it's me and yes I'm going to the library. They were having an exhibit on Dickens characters, but when I got there, they were closing. So since it was almost time to head back to the pick-up location, I headed towards a bar. Cause, I'm in NYC, of course I'm drinking. It was actually kind of uneventful and awkward. I ended up leaving the bar without finishing my drink. hahaha
The ride back home feature us stopping in CT and me begging my classmates not to leave me at the rest stop cause I was going to lay down on a bench. haha. I'm really glad I got to go and it was a great trip.
Love always,
Joe
Since the predeparture meeting started at 5:45 a.m, I decided to wake up at 4:30. And I did, it's just that I ended up spending 20 minutes on my hair. So I left my apartment at 5:40. haha, I got to Marsh at 5:50 and I was quickly filled in and directed to my bus. haha. It wasn't that bad actually because there were a couple of other students running late.
We ended up leaving Marsh at 6:30/6:45 instead of 6:00. But it was alright. I was sitting in the second row so I was close to a TV. We watched "That's My Boy" which was very much an Adam Sandler film. Our bus driver was very cool. There were a number of times when I thought we were going to get in an accident, but he managed to avoid it. Driving in New York seems crazy!
When we reached the city, we were free to just explore. Only rule was not to get arrested and to show up at the pick-up location at 6:30. Since I had tickets to see "Silence! The Musical!" at 2, I had about two hours to explore before the show started. I ended upstumbling upon this park with free ice skating and all these statues dedicated to famous writers – including one for Gertrude Stein, the “mother of the modern short storytelling” and an important figure in gay history in America. Two things that are really important to me, so it was refreshing to just find that.Not exactly fate, but like finding 20 dollars in a pocket. It was nice and felt very New York-y.
After the park I got hungry so I headed towards the theatre “Silence!” was taking place and I found this restaurant that was morgue themed – which appealed to my love of allthings macabre. I ended up ordering a burger with chicken fingers called “Severed Hand,” with the burger being the palm and the chicken as the fingers.It was deadly delicious.
Then it was time for the musical, which was beyond amazing. It was wicked funny, messing aroundwith the story. The plot stayed the same as the movie, but the jokes were outrageous and extreme or just plain silly. Like, having the only African-American cast member be the maid and having her character say “why I gotta be the maid?” Or the song about the Senator’s kidnapped daughter just being her name sung over and over again. I actually bought the soundtrack because I needed it on my iPod. Haha.
But! What may be even more exciting was I met (and took a photo with) an Internet celebrity before the musical started. On the bus trip to NYC, some of us were joking about how we were going to meet up with Jay-Z and Beyonce, and while that ideais ridiculous, it’s New York, there are famous people there. It was just surprising to see Sketch Comedienne Jenny Jaffe in the audience. She was so nice and humble; it just made the trip even better. I feel that most of the trip has an “once-in-a-lifetime” feel to it.
After the musical, I went to the National Photography Museum which had an exhibit on apartheid in South Africa. It was ironic that the National Photography Museum doesn't allow photographs, but it makes sense. The actual images and videos that were on display were really emotional and awe-inspiring. There were the expected So-In-So at the Signing of Something, but there were magazine covers dedicated to South Africans who were overcoming the laws in order to achieve their dreams, photos of shootings at schools, videos of police beating protestors. It was an intense experience, but I loved the photography aspect.
Then I went to the NYC library because it's me and yes I'm going to the library. They were having an exhibit on Dickens characters, but when I got there, they were closing. So since it was almost time to head back to the pick-up location, I headed towards a bar. Cause, I'm in NYC, of course I'm drinking. It was actually kind of uneventful and awkward. I ended up leaving the bar without finishing my drink. hahaha
The ride back home feature us stopping in CT and me begging my classmates not to leave me at the rest stop cause I was going to lay down on a bench. haha. I'm really glad I got to go and it was a great trip.
Love always,
Joe
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Concerts
When writing my "Best of 2012" post I said that I had been to 15 concerts. But now that I'm thinking about it, I might have been to more. Part of me thinks that's kind of crazy, but another part knows that I've been going to as many concerts as I can because concerts are awesome. So I've decided to try and list the ones I've been to, and hopefully in chronologically order and links to songs!
1. Shinedown - Aug 2010. With sister, her then boyfriend, Cousin Seth, his fiancee, BFF Chris in Westfield. I don't remember much from this show, just that the people in front of us were really smelly and that whenever the lead singer tried to tell a story, people would shout for him to "just sing" - which is really rude and fucked up.
2. Miranda Lambert - Oct 2, 2010. Saw her at the Big E with my sister and a cousin. I'm not a big fan of country, but she has some good songs and despite the rain, I enjoyed myself. Plus, we made a day of it and I finally got to explore the rides and sights of the Big E.
3. Ellie Goulding - Mar 23, 2011. With BFF Chris in Boston. Ellie got lost in Boston so she was three late to the show. It was crazy, but we got to meet her and take a photo. She was really entertaining and I love to see her again.
4. Airborne Toxic Event - May 11, 2011. Again with BFF Chris in Boston. This show was amazing! My first time in the House of Blues, a guy proposed to his girlfriend (she said yes!), and it's where I discovered an indie band (I have their CD somewhere...). Again, I'd recommend seeing them live.
5. Maroon 5 - Aug 13, 2011. Alone, Comcast Center. My friend bailed at the last minute, but since Maroon 5 is one of my all-time favorite bands, I loved the show. Train also preformed, but I had to be leave before they took the stage. Still, it was a great show and I loved seeing them.
6. Sara Bareilles - Aug 30, 2011. Sister and Karaa from High School, Boston. OMG, Sara has a mouth worse than a sailor! Within the first couple of songs she was dropping f-bombs and I'm pretty sure she said cunt at least three times! But she's amazing and knows how to play to a crowd and she's wicked funny. I actually starting following her on Twitter because of this show.
7. Mixfest! - Sept 17, 2011. BFF Chris, Boston. A local radio show hosted a free concert in the park, featuring Bareilles, Michelle Branch, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, and a couple more. Sitting on the grass in a park, listening to music was so college student, that it was perfect. The show was free, so I won't complain about anything.
8. Reba McEntire - Oct 1, 2011. With my sister, her friend and her friend's sister at the Big E. One of the most famous singers of my lifetime and definitely someone who brings in a crowd, Reba was a delight to see. She sang her more famous and more recent songs in full, and then did a melody combining her other songs. It was a great show.
9. Grace Kelly Quintet - Oct 3, 2011. Alone. WOW! Grace is a saxophone prodigy and that surprises no one after hearing her perform. I got to meet her and see signed my playbook. She's definitely small-time right now, but give her a little more time and all she needs is one large stream media to grab her and she's be famous.
10. Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra - Nov 19, 2011. With my sister, friend was in the show. OK, this one might not really count, but it does. I wanted to support my friend who plays violin, but I also wanted to enjoy the music. I'm a classy bitch.
11. Kelly Clarkson - Jan 26, 2012. With sister and BFF Chris. What's funny about this show is the week before Chris asked if I wanted to see her, I was hearing Clarkson everywhere - radio stations, stores, just on TV. What's awesome was we were in the last row, aisle seats and two were together and there's a barrier or sorts for the other one. It was super silly. But the show itself was great. Clarkson is definitely a cultural figure and she has the power to reach the balcony seats. I would love to see her again, just with much better seats.
12. Gym Class Heroes - April 19, 2012. Alone, Salem State University. I got to see them free! By being press, I was invite to see the show for free and I took my photographer too. haha. I had to work so hard to make sure I was the reporter who got to cover this. Multiple interviews, tracking people down and two articles, but it was worth it. GCH is a fun band, and it was nice to feel like a journalist because of this.
13. Ingrid Michaelson - May 15, 2012. With my cousin Amy,in Boston. I've been a fan of Ingrid for years and seeing her live was great. She tells stories and jokes about her career and her voice is deeper, but in a more heartfelt way live. She was funny and sweet and it was such a relaxed night. Ingrid is definitely someone I'd like to see again.
14. Marina and the Diamonds and Coldplay - July 30, 2012. With my girls, BRL and GD. After GD had converted me to a Marina fan, I knew we had to see her. We were at the Garden and sit almost directly behind the stage, but she was great. The opener was Emeli Sande and both women were able to project despite the Garden's crappy sound system. We only stayed for the first few songs of Coldplay, cause none of us really like them. But Coldplay knows how to play to a crowd, with glowing bracelets of varying colors.
15. Florence + The Machine - Sept 14, 2012. With GD, sister, cousin Amy and her friend Mick. It's Florence live. Of course this show was breathe-taking. The drive there was crazy fun as well. hahaha. But with her soulful sound and her latest album only being a few months old, Florence was great. She played to the crowd amazingly, and she even left the stage to run around in the hall, barefoot because she is a wild woman. One hell of a night, and worth every minute.
16. Me Vs. Gravity - Dec 9, 2012. With my mom and in Cambridge. That band and 3 others, but we left early because Mum didn't like the music. hahaha. Also, it was super-hipster and in the back of a breakfast joint. If you looked up on the dance floor, you could see pipes held together with duct tape. So totally hipster, not even a real show. But the day was amazing because after the show we did a whole explore Boston thing. It was so much fun.
I know I'm missing at least two shows, maybe more. But I'll make sure to come back to this in the future.
1. Shinedown - Aug 2010. With sister, her then boyfriend, Cousin Seth, his fiancee, BFF Chris in Westfield. I don't remember much from this show, just that the people in front of us were really smelly and that whenever the lead singer tried to tell a story, people would shout for him to "just sing" - which is really rude and fucked up.
2. Miranda Lambert - Oct 2, 2010. Saw her at the Big E with my sister and a cousin. I'm not a big fan of country, but she has some good songs and despite the rain, I enjoyed myself. Plus, we made a day of it and I finally got to explore the rides and sights of the Big E.
3. Ellie Goulding - Mar 23, 2011. With BFF Chris in Boston. Ellie got lost in Boston so she was three late to the show. It was crazy, but we got to meet her and take a photo. She was really entertaining and I love to see her again.
4. Airborne Toxic Event - May 11, 2011. Again with BFF Chris in Boston. This show was amazing! My first time in the House of Blues, a guy proposed to his girlfriend (she said yes!), and it's where I discovered an indie band (I have their CD somewhere...). Again, I'd recommend seeing them live.
5. Maroon 5 - Aug 13, 2011. Alone, Comcast Center. My friend bailed at the last minute, but since Maroon 5 is one of my all-time favorite bands, I loved the show. Train also preformed, but I had to be leave before they took the stage. Still, it was a great show and I loved seeing them.
6. Sara Bareilles - Aug 30, 2011. Sister and Karaa from High School, Boston. OMG, Sara has a mouth worse than a sailor! Within the first couple of songs she was dropping f-bombs and I'm pretty sure she said cunt at least three times! But she's amazing and knows how to play to a crowd and she's wicked funny. I actually starting following her on Twitter because of this show.
7. Mixfest! - Sept 17, 2011. BFF Chris, Boston. A local radio show hosted a free concert in the park, featuring Bareilles, Michelle Branch, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, and a couple more. Sitting on the grass in a park, listening to music was so college student, that it was perfect. The show was free, so I won't complain about anything.
8. Reba McEntire - Oct 1, 2011. With my sister, her friend and her friend's sister at the Big E. One of the most famous singers of my lifetime and definitely someone who brings in a crowd, Reba was a delight to see. She sang her more famous and more recent songs in full, and then did a melody combining her other songs. It was a great show.
9. Grace Kelly Quintet - Oct 3, 2011. Alone. WOW! Grace is a saxophone prodigy and that surprises no one after hearing her perform. I got to meet her and see signed my playbook. She's definitely small-time right now, but give her a little more time and all she needs is one large stream media to grab her and she's be famous.
10. Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra - Nov 19, 2011. With my sister, friend was in the show. OK, this one might not really count, but it does. I wanted to support my friend who plays violin, but I also wanted to enjoy the music. I'm a classy bitch.
11. Kelly Clarkson - Jan 26, 2012. With sister and BFF Chris. What's funny about this show is the week before Chris asked if I wanted to see her, I was hearing Clarkson everywhere - radio stations, stores, just on TV. What's awesome was we were in the last row, aisle seats and two were together and there's a barrier or sorts for the other one. It was super silly. But the show itself was great. Clarkson is definitely a cultural figure and she has the power to reach the balcony seats. I would love to see her again, just with much better seats.
12. Gym Class Heroes - April 19, 2012. Alone, Salem State University. I got to see them free! By being press, I was invite to see the show for free and I took my photographer too. haha. I had to work so hard to make sure I was the reporter who got to cover this. Multiple interviews, tracking people down and two articles, but it was worth it. GCH is a fun band, and it was nice to feel like a journalist because of this.
13. Ingrid Michaelson - May 15, 2012. With my cousin Amy,in Boston. I've been a fan of Ingrid for years and seeing her live was great. She tells stories and jokes about her career and her voice is deeper, but in a more heartfelt way live. She was funny and sweet and it was such a relaxed night. Ingrid is definitely someone I'd like to see again.
14. Marina and the Diamonds and Coldplay - July 30, 2012. With my girls, BRL and GD. After GD had converted me to a Marina fan, I knew we had to see her. We were at the Garden and sit almost directly behind the stage, but she was great. The opener was Emeli Sande and both women were able to project despite the Garden's crappy sound system. We only stayed for the first few songs of Coldplay, cause none of us really like them. But Coldplay knows how to play to a crowd, with glowing bracelets of varying colors.
15. Florence + The Machine - Sept 14, 2012. With GD, sister, cousin Amy and her friend Mick. It's Florence live. Of course this show was breathe-taking. The drive there was crazy fun as well. hahaha. But with her soulful sound and her latest album only being a few months old, Florence was great. She played to the crowd amazingly, and she even left the stage to run around in the hall, barefoot because she is a wild woman. One hell of a night, and worth every minute.
16. Me Vs. Gravity - Dec 9, 2012. With my mom and in Cambridge. That band and 3 others, but we left early because Mum didn't like the music. hahaha. Also, it was super-hipster and in the back of a breakfast joint. If you looked up on the dance floor, you could see pipes held together with duct tape. So totally hipster, not even a real show. But the day was amazing because after the show we did a whole explore Boston thing. It was so much fun.
I know I'm missing at least two shows, maybe more. But I'll make sure to come back to this in the future.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
my baby
Ok, so Global just tried to climb up the cage using the table, but he's so fat he could barely fit.
He had to slide-climb-cling to the sides. it was adorable!
I love my kitties, all of them, but global is definitely my loveliest one. He's my chunks and I'll always love that about him.
He had to slide-climb-cling to the sides. it was adorable!
I love my kitties, all of them, but global is definitely my loveliest one. He's my chunks and I'll always love that about him.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Following In Boston
A friend and I have play a weird game whenever we go into Boston. Simply, we stalk strangers.
If we haven't planned anything, we'll walk around and once we find someone interesting looking, we'll follow them.
The rules are simple: follow them until they enter a building or the T (or if we lose them in a crowd - it happens lol!).
If we haven't planned anything, we'll walk around and once we find someone interesting looking, we'll follow them.
The rules are simple: follow them until they enter a building or the T (or if we lose them in a crowd - it happens lol!).
We found these people at Saint James street and followed them past a couple churches until losing them when we got distracted by this squirrel:
near Charles street by The Boston Commons. The walk was actually kind of nice, even though it made us circle around the green line haha.
After losing the ladies, we saw this guy:
At first I thought he was a stray and I wanted to give him a wide berth but an owner came into view and motioned the dog to cross the street with her.
We ran across the street and followed the pair down Charles until Owner went into a Starbucks on the corner of Pinckney street.
With that Follow done, we decided to get food. Stalking strangers is trying after all!
We ate at a little restaurant with candle lighting. When we entered, a man seated us, but it was a while before the wait staff came to take our order. Long enough that we had to ask the man if everything was ok. lol
However, during the wait we were able to talk and reconnect - which was great!
After absorbing the clam chowder, we shared a piece of chocolate cake. The dinner was a wonderful way to end the day - which is what Following is all about. Discovering new places and seeing a side of Boston that only locals know.
Until next time,
I might be right behind you ;)
And the not-so beautiful
I've been pretty bold recently.
Last Saturday, I went to downtown Salem and rode carnival rides. I love going fast - speed has always been a friend to me, so I absolutely loved it. We went on the Spaceship and The Arctic Trip - which speeds forward then backward really fast. I loved it. It was so spiny. Haha.
But after that, we walked around downtown. Halloween in Salem is crazy by definition, but with it being a weekend and unusual warm weather, everyone was out. There were so many awesome costumes. I def need a better camera, my little point and shoot is dying :(
After walking around for a while, we got hungry so we went into a bar. It was pretty good, reasonable prices and I got wasted so there's that. I had two Long Island Ice Teas and there was a dance floor, so you know I was getting my groove on. When we were dancing, there was this guy checking us out. So my friend, being the genius that she is, smoothly danced away from but still stayed close. And he kept looking at me!
As the night continued, I got drunker, but he kept checking me out. I caught him a couple times, even smiled and tried to encourage him to talk to me. Only, I don't really know how to do that and worse, he never made a move. So at 11, when the bar's entertainment license ended (?), and we were about to leave I wrote my name and number on a napkin, walked straight up to him and pushed it into his shirt's front pocket!
I've never been that bold with a man before. I'm usually super shy around guys - cause of the whole lack of self-worth thing. It's been a week and he hasn't called, so I'm guessing that's another romantic dead-end. Tough break for this lonely heart.
Then on Monday was The Hurricane. It wasn't too bad here - nothing like N.Y. or N.J. Thank God. But during the beginning stages of the storm, a friend and I went to a local park that bleeds into a beach to see the waves and face the beast head on. It was crazy - trees had fallen. The waves were crashing against the pier. As we were leaving, you could see nails that were pushed up and some of the planks had popped up. It was crazy, but super exciting. Definitely not something I'm used to doing, but I loved it.
Last Saturday, I went to downtown Salem and rode carnival rides. I love going fast - speed has always been a friend to me, so I absolutely loved it. We went on the Spaceship and The Arctic Trip - which speeds forward then backward really fast. I loved it. It was so spiny. Haha.
But after that, we walked around downtown. Halloween in Salem is crazy by definition, but with it being a weekend and unusual warm weather, everyone was out. There were so many awesome costumes. I def need a better camera, my little point and shoot is dying :(
After walking around for a while, we got hungry so we went into a bar. It was pretty good, reasonable prices and I got wasted so there's that. I had two Long Island Ice Teas and there was a dance floor, so you know I was getting my groove on. When we were dancing, there was this guy checking us out. So my friend, being the genius that she is, smoothly danced away from but still stayed close. And he kept looking at me!
As the night continued, I got drunker, but he kept checking me out. I caught him a couple times, even smiled and tried to encourage him to talk to me. Only, I don't really know how to do that and worse, he never made a move. So at 11, when the bar's entertainment license ended (?), and we were about to leave I wrote my name and number on a napkin, walked straight up to him and pushed it into his shirt's front pocket!
I've never been that bold with a man before. I'm usually super shy around guys - cause of the whole lack of self-worth thing. It's been a week and he hasn't called, so I'm guessing that's another romantic dead-end. Tough break for this lonely heart.
Then on Monday was The Hurricane. It wasn't too bad here - nothing like N.Y. or N.J. Thank God. But during the beginning stages of the storm, a friend and I went to a local park that bleeds into a beach to see the waves and face the beast head on. It was crazy - trees had fallen. The waves were crashing against the pier. As we were leaving, you could see nails that were pushed up and some of the planks had popped up. It was crazy, but super exciting. Definitely not something I'm used to doing, but I loved it.
 |
| See how high the waves were getting?! |
 |
| The tree that had fallen |
 |
| Just one of the nails that was pushed up. |
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