Boston me encanta

Week two was another good one for walking around Boston, though it got me thinking about a couple of fliers on the office bulletin board.

On the left, encouragement to "start walking for 30 minutes today." In fact, with commute walking and lunch walking, I'm walking 60 minutes a day!


And on the right, "Your body has a story to tell. How well are you listening?" Well, in response to the first item, the second is, "It's saying ow, and it's tired." Cause, meet effect.

Still, I can't regret the lunchtime walking, which is voluntary and which I much enjoy in spite of soreness after. The weather's been good overall, and I get to see things like the back of this ice cream truck, a lovely tribute to Make Way For Ducklings:


At the time, I didn't even notice the plate, but it's a perfect touch.

Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang...

The buildings all upstanding, the tree leaning wildly away.

Endless juxtapositions of the Hancock building.

Neighbors but not twins.

Glimpse of a swan boat through the trees.

I ate lunch in the Public Garden one day this week. I'd been there a few minutes when I glanced to the right and saw this squirrel. He was oddly flat, and I wondered if he was all right. I was sure he hadn't been there when I sat down, though, so he couldn't be too hurt.

I watched him, and after a bit he moved forward, leapt lightly across the path, and as soon as he came to the grass, sank down again.

Perhaps he was practicing his undercover moves?

Shortly he bounced off in a more typical squirrel way.

This tree fascinated me.

Ah, a camperdown elm. Of course.

Now this is a rooftop garden.

I love the detail everywhere!

And the Hancock again. It's a handy landmark as I wander.

Finally, I may have posted this one before, but can it be seen too often? His mama and his grandmama think not.


Mum, this is kind of what he was doing today when we were on the phone. Asleep in the dive position.


He slept on my lap for an hour today. It was divine. May we all have such moments.

Flowers in Boston

How can I be this tired?

Don't answer that. Look at the pretty flowers I've seen in Boston this week, while I count my blessings that they already announced they're letting us leave work at 2 tomorrow. Early start to the holiday weekend! Must keep eyes on prize. And go to bed.

The MBTA owes me an hour of my life

Yes, the honeymoon with taking public transit, such as it was, is over. They had "switching problems" on the Orange Line tonight, they messed with my commute and my head, I missed not one bus but two, and thus I was an hour late getting home.

And by messed with my head, this is what I mean: the subway train leaves Community College, but stops before Sullivan. They announce that there's a problem and we'll have to stop until released. They announce it again. Then they announce we're going back to the last stop (leaving the question of then what unanswered for the moment).

Back at Community, they announce after a few minutes that they're sending the train back into town, so everyone off unless you want to go to North Station. We all get off; the train was pretty full. The train leaves, after a few false starts.

Some minutes later, another train pulls in, announced as the next train going our way. We all pile on, making it one crowded train. There's some of the usual clear-the-doors announcing, before they admit that actually, this train too will be going back, so everyone off again (unless you want to go to North Station).

There are now twice as many of us waiting. When another very full train comes along, only a small portion can fit on, though they say another car is right behind them. The train does actually depart in the right direction, but the next one doesn't come for another 5-10 minutes. It's also really full, and again only some people make it on.

By the time the third (or fifth) train comes along, everyone remaining is able to get on, though it is very crowded. And hot (80s today). And not pleasantly scented, shall we say. But the train does move, eventually, slowly, with stops between stations, and finally gets to the end 5 minutes after that second bus left. Which meant a 25-minute wait for the next one.

It sucked, basically. I could have written just that, but you know you have to get the splinter out or the wound will fester. If you're still reading, thank you. I'll try to be entertaining tomorrow (though there are no guarantees here!).

Let's have a better tomorrow, shall we?

Random Enough For You?

With reluctance, I have switched to an earlier bus. The one I was taking got me to work on time (though breathless and sweaty), but only just, and only if everything else went well. By taking an earlier bus, I arrive before time, in better shape mentally and physically, and if the bus is late or a train pulls out just as I get to the subway, I'm not screwed.

It all makes great sense, but the painful part is that the bus goes half an hour before the one I was taking. This is not a major bus line, and this is rush-hour frequency for it. I really only need another ten minutes for comfort, 15 would be fine, but 30, ow. Was it hard to get out of bed this morning!

Today I also learned to cut back on my lunchtime walking when it's over 80 degrees. I actually thought I had cut back, but by the time I got back to my desk I was seriously hot. I do love not being cold, don't get me wrong, but it was hard to settle back down to work.

**********
The Flyers made it into the Stanley Cup Finals, which start Saturday. Along with other Bruins, Devils, and Canadiens fans, I will be rooting for Chicago. They did me the favor of sweeping the always-under-motivated Jumbo Joe and the Sharks out of the playoffs, here's hoping they can do it one more round. (Sorry, Kate. Your happiness in the outcome will be my only silver lining should it come to that.)

**********
Let's call this "I Did Not Need To Know This."



Seriously. Want. But want to lose weight just a tiny bit more.

Oh, the weekend goes so much too fast

I just checked the 10-day weather forecast to see if I'd be eating lunch outside every day, and boy does this week look weird. They're forecasting high temperatures, Monday through Saturday, thusly:

77, 91, 71, 78, 85, 67

That's just odd. Up, down, up, down.

This weekend was a mix of pleasant and get-it-done. The weather was really nice, which I was grateful for. And driving my car after taking public transit all week was kind of funny. Not having an opportunity to run errands on the way home after work is going to take getting used to, though, and I went out yesterday and made about eight stops. At least it was a nice day for it. And I got the car inspected before the eleventh hour, so cross that off the list. (I didn't get to the laundry, though. It's always something.)

I arranged the damn car insurance (stupid Progressive and their 27% rate hike, I'm going to be bitter toward them for a long time), and sent off the payment for my health insurance through COBRA, and tried to grab Miri to trim her claws only to be foiled by her super-feline grab-resistant strength. She looks like a powder puff, but the power of her desperation is impressive. I'll have to try again, but I'm not up to it tonight. Anyway, I think tranquilizer darts would have a better chance of succeeding.

The pumpkin says Meow.


And so do I. Good-night!

The First of Many Working-in-Boston Photos

I know I haven't being doing it long, and that there are worse times of year, but so far at least I have been enjoying being in Boston during the week. There's something quite pleasant about eating lunch here:


This was Thursday, in Copley Square. As you can see in the first photo, the central area there was empty (except for a guy practicing his moves with a soccer ball). Yesterday, the fountain was on, and it was full of water instead.


I also enjoy walking around Boston and checking out the architecture. I think I've said it here before: if you come to Boston, don't forget to look up. Some of the details are astounding.


And such a mixture of styles.


Even the fire escapes can be attractive.


I also like the little alleys that run between the major streets. It's fun to see behind the facades.


And in the unlikely event that I am ever the subject of a statue, I want one like this. Sitting down...


...with books under the chair.


On the other hand, the thought that there are people in that window-washing rig gives me the shivers.


I saw a lot of these around. Ooh, movie parking!


The Globe was able to tell me that it was for filming a movie I never heard of, featuring an actress and several actors I never heard of. Not quite so exciting. Oh well.


That's life. And so is this, but in a better way. At the farmer's market on Friday, I was unable to resist the lure of the expensive, organic, first-of-the-season strawberries.


And I'm glad I didn't resist. They were as good as they looked.


And of course eating them while admiring Trinity was very pleasant.


I wonder if the glow will wear off. I think not. We'll see!

Friday Night: the short and tired edition

I realized that part of the reason I am so tired is that I essentially started a new job and an exercise regimen the same week. Genius! I think the extra walking will be good for me in the long run, but in the short run, well, no running for me, my feet hurt.

Anyway, I decided that really, surviving this week called for pizza tonight, whether or not I should spend the money or the calories. Domino's has been advertising the hell out of everything I've watched on TV lately, so I went online and found I could order that way and everything, how 21st century is that? (I can't help it, I have a 20th century brain. I'm continually startled by the things that are possible these days.)

I "built" my pizzas (2 mediums for $5.99 each, deal), and once I placed the order I didn't close that tab, just went to read e-mail. I looked back at it a few minutes later, and look at this:

Can you read that? Apparently Edmund put my order in the oven at 6:01.

Do you think that's for real?

I just looked again, and it says, "Edmund double-checked your order for perfection at 6:08."

Do you think Edmund will deliver the pizza himself? I feel like I ought to thank him in person.

P.S. He didn't, but the woman who brought it was very nice, too. And the pizza was good, and ... pizza-like. Ahhh, Friday night.

Not Friday Yet? Really?

Boy, am I tired. It hasn't been bad as starting new jobs go, but it's still taking more energy than I have to get through this week. And tonight it isn't helping that someone has the random meows, and is wandering around meowing and meowing and meowing. Jeez. He's driven me to eating chocolate chips straight out of the bag.

So here's a reminder of a night when he wasn't driving me nuts. This is Carlos, lover of shoelaces.



It kind of peters out, but trust me, we pull this out almost every day.

Boston photos to come. Just not tonight. Here's to the coming Friday!

Day Three: was also fine

But it was rainy and chilly and I can't wait for tomorrow when They Have Promised Me Heat. And there will be hell to pay* if they are wrong, for the eleventy-millionth time.

*In the form of vicious amounts of whining here, sorry about that

But now! I cooked some chicken, and I'm off to make chicken salad. Which will be a challenge, what with the crossed fingers (please let tomorrow be warm, please let tomorrow be warm), but I think I can do it.

Let the sun shine! Please...

Day Two: Able to Summon a Few More Words

Only two weeks between jobs, and I am finding the return to working life extremely tiring. Note to self: for the love of Pete, remember to buy a lottery ticket! It will lend an air of verisimilitude to your oft-voiced desire to win the lottery.

Now, on to an early-days version of What I've Learned:

• The work I'm doing is pretty much the same as the last time I was a proofreader. I have to get used to new products and a new style guide, but it's very comforting to know what to do, and it makes the strain of a new job somewhat less.
• The number of times I will bash my knee on something that is unexpectedly (and inexplicably) under my desk is: two. Under my desk on one side is the computer tower, and another tower and monitor. No, I don't know why the second computer is there. All I know is, I had a laptop at work for the last 18 months, and before that I had an iMac, which has no tower. My knee was not expecting anything to be there. Ow. (The second smash broke the skin, for heaven's sake!) I believe I cursed under my breath, but it wasn't very much under.
  
• I have monitor envy. At first I was pleased with mine, because hey after a laptop it's huge. But it seems like everyone else's is even bigger...
  
• Also I hate the mouse on the work computer. It barely moves, so I have to move it (scrape it, really) over and over to get it where I need it. (Not having a mouse pad probably doesn't help.) Then when I get home, I send the mouse flying everywhere because whoa! it moves so fast!
  
• So far, the people in my group seem nice, but not in a seek-me-out-and-make-me-feel-welcome way. Which isn't the end of the world. All I mean is that everyone's nice to talk to, but no one asked me what I was going to do for lunch. Yesterday morning, my boss introduced me to the people who were at their desks at the time, and she had someone take me to security to get my badge which resulted in a slight tour, but that's it. Not that I expect hand-holding, it's just ... I had to ask someone where the ladies room was, because no one thought to tell me. Maybe it's because it's a really big company, and I've been working for smaller ones. Not bad, just different.
• There was a farmer's market at Copley Square today. Turns out that they're there every Tuesday and Friday, score! Not too much produce yet, but lots of bakery temptations and I had to restrain myself from buying a pot of basil just to keep on my desk. I'll be happy to go back to that this summer.
  
• Today I ate lunch on a bench in Copley Square, and people-watched, and though it was a little chilly it was still fun. Tomorrow is supposed to be much the same, with rain, but after that some 70s are on the way, which will be excellent lunch weather. Tomorrow perhaps I'll try out the "winter garden" area inside the building. And sometime I should look into the cafeteria, though if I'm buying lunch there are a million options in the area.
  
• Speaking of the area, I love the architecture of the Back Bay. Love it! You will probably see a lot of pictures this summer.
  
• I can take an hour lunch, so I've been taking my lunch to eat outside, then walking around the rest of the time. I'm hoping this will help provide some of the exercise my life's been lacking.
• So far (all two days) I've ignored the temptation to shop, though there is much nearby. I may have to go into the BPL some days, though. Or maybe I'll go after work, and keep walking at lunch ... we'll see.
  
• Even the five-minute walks from the house to the bus and the T to the office add up. That's 20 minutes more exercise a day than I was getting before! Plus, seriously, standing up on a bus or subway and trying not to fall over from the jerky motion has to count as exercise. That is a workout.

Well, I don't think there's much coherence to this, but at least I managed some content before my brain started to turn to mush. I need to take chicken out of the freezer, and think about what to wear tomorrow (work clothes! and shoes! deserve their own post after a year and a half of jeans), and pet the kitty. And so to bed.

Day One: Survived

The first day of the new job was fine. No major angst (once things started; I was still a wreck beforehand), no heart-stopping moments, it seems fine and good.

And oh mah gah, am I tired!

Yeah, that's all I've got tonight. Sorry. Thanks for all the good wishes!

Nervous, Yes

Boy, there's something about starting a new job, isn't there? No amount of rational thinking disperses the butterflies.

I'm finding that trying not to think about it is the best things, today. And somehow I'm balancing "not thinking about it" with "preparing for it", mostly.

Can't wait for the first day to be over!

So Much for the Bruins

Well, that takes care of that.

It was a strangely balanced series.

The Bruins won the first three games, Philly the next three.

In game seven, the Bruins scored the first three goals, Philly the next three.

And by scoring the seventh goal, Philly won the seventh game.

And then there's the fact that in rooting against Philly in the next round, I'm rooting for Montreal. What kind of revolting development is that for a god-fearing Boston fan? It's like asking a Red Sox fan to root for the Yankees.

I guess I'm down to an unenthusiastic Go Chicago.

Math is Everywhere! Unfortunately

I was certain, all those years ago in math class when we started word problems, that I would never, never need any skills contained in such a form. "A train leaves the station at..." drove me nuts, perverting my lovely friendly words into math problems in disguise.

Today, however, I spent a deal of time and brain cells computing how best to get into Boston to the new job. Driving is nothing I considered, both the traffic and the cost of parking being frankly ridiculous. But even leaving out the bus factor, there are multiple train and T* options, and fares and parking fees to consider, and the savings on monthly passes but for half of May is it worth...? Ow.

*what we call the subway around here

I eventually determined that no, it isn't a savings to get a pass for half the month. It looks like for May, it's cheaper* to pay for parking and take the T. For a full month, the T-and-train pass will be cheaper than paying for parking would be. But it took me a lot of work to get there.

*not cheap, but cheaper

Then there are the new socks, in the Van Dyke sock pattern. I finished the toe and got ready to start the patterning, and hit a snag. It's a charted pattern, not written out, and I don't have a lot of experience with charts, but it's only a small chart and I copied it bigger and color-coded it to be sure I knew what to do.

It was only when I started knitting the first row that I saw the problem: you can't decrease by two and increase by one in a row without screwing up your count. Checked Ravelry and sure enough, erratum for row 1, stitch 7. I do feel wicked smart to have stopped and checked instead of blundering on in hopes that it would work out. There's trusting the pattern and there's that's just wrong, and it seems I'm learning the difference. Slowly.

Hockey note: holy crow, the Bruins are trying to drive me nuts. Win three in a row, lose three in a row? Maybe at last they will play as if they have something to lose, now that they do. If you need me tomorrow night, I'll be the one biting my nails and not watching the TV.

Quick Note Between Periods

Which Bruins team will show up tonight?

The new job should be starting Monday, though that's to be confirmed later this week; they have to get the computer and all set up, which can be fast and can be slow.

It's funny: two weeks between jobs seems like nothing, like a long vacation. I slept late and read books and cuddled Carlos. What was hard about this time? Yet of course I've been looking for a job for months, struggling and searching and it hasn't been easy. Or quick.

I suppose the truth lies somewhere in between. As is true of so many things in life.

Meanwhile, today I went in search of fun, and I found it.


A traveling exhibit landed in Lexington, not too far, and was it fun! Sadly, no photos were allowed inside (which I understand, but I felt cramped by nonetheless). Seeing one of the actual Kermits, Ernie and Bert, Rowlf, was very touching. They seemed literally larger than life. There were original sketches, and video of early commercials and talk show appearances, and I really enjoyed it. If it comes near you, and you have any interest in Jim Henson's work, I highly recommend.

Time to get back to the game. Go Bruins!

An Ups and Downs Day

The oddest thing happened today. I picked up my cell phone to retrieve a voice-mail message, and I could not remember my password. I have had this phone and phone number for, oh, seven years? And out of the blue, mental block on those four digits. All my brain was giving me was the PIN for my ATM card (which I know is not the same number, but I tried it anyway and no dice). Two hours later, I tried again to think of it and drew a complete blank.

Once I started writing about it, fortunately, the number popped back into my head. The human brain is so odd, don't you think?

Anyway! That has nothing to do with anything, but I'm glad I decided to share so that the elusive 4 digits resurfaced. That's not really an Up or a Down, though. Maybe a down-then-up. But onward.

Down: the Bruins last night. Oh, oh, oy. What happened to my team? Did I ask for the inept-most-of-the-season Bruins to come back? No! I wanted the end-of-the-season, first-nine-playoff-games Bruins to stick around, and instead they vanished and the players seem just as puzzled as I am. Not good, people, not good. The only Up to last night was that I had a good book to read* when I didn't feel like watching the game. Which was ... most of the game. I kept it on to the bitter end, but oh, dear. Bitter indeed.

*The second in the Sharing Knife series by Lois McMaster Bujold. I only picked up one of hers for the first time last week, but I like her touch with fantasy. Looking forward to exploring more of her worlds.

Then there was my low-key but pleasant day yesterday, which was all Up (until the puck dropped). I got a rebate in the mail Saturday for my contact lenses. Most years it's been a $50 rebate, which is nothing to sneeze at, but this time they had a half-off deal, so I got $120 back, in the form of a Visa debit card. Nice!

I decided that since it is essentially "found" money, I could splurge on non-essentials, not to the totally frivolous level but beyond the "do I really need that now?" that I've been operating on recently. I did buy some cat food, which the furries consider essential, but I also bought shampoo, even though I wasn't out, and eye drops ditto, and razor blade refills when the old (old, old) blade still worked, and some OTC meds, and calcium chews and trash bags which are both kind of needs? I guess? (I mean, what would one do with one's trash sans bag? I can just see myself putting every scrap into the newspaper delivery bags, and putting them out twice a day.) In a first-world way, these things are needs.

Then I totally splurged on lunch out, at KFC, and got an ice cream on the way home. Now that's living! Up all the way. It wasn't warm enough for my preference, but at least the sun was shining, and it was a pleasant day.

For that matter, it isn't warm enough today, either. Honestly, 54? What is with this weather? The forecast for the rest of the week gives temps from 54-67. Mid-May! I disapprove. Definite Down.

Today I had some fun plans, but I wasn't organized to get out of the house before I got a phone call, which is just as well because it was a big Up. It was the woman I interviewed with last week, to find out if I was still interested in the position, because if so they'd like to offer it to me. Eeee!

Now, there are drawbacks to this job. For one thing, it's a temporary position, expected to go to October. (It gets my foot in the door, though...) The salary isn't as high as I would like it to be (though it's near the center of the range for proofreaders in Boston, according to salary.com). I got benefit details from the agency who would be my actual employer, which are about as expected (better than nothing). (Medical is a lot cheaper than carrying my old insurance through COBRA, but it doesn't cover very much. Dental is only slightly cheaper than the COBRA. My head hurts from trying to compare the benefits and limits of coverage.)

It's in Boston, and I haven't actually worked in the city before. Will I like it? Only one way to find out. I'm not sorry to try it, though. Public transit equals time to knit or read, after all. Less wear and tear on the car, too. Considering the cost of gas alone, the T pass isn't much of an expenditure. And maybe this will make my car insurance cheaper?

Most important? It's a proofreading position. It's what I want to do, in a good place to do it. In fact, it's very similar to what I did when I was a proofreader before, which gives me confidence in a situation full of new, change, and all that other stuff that upsets my stomach.

Up, all right. To be confirmed tomorrow.

P.S. I went out this afternoon, and around the corner from my house found myself behind a few cars that had stopped for something I couldn't see at first. A minute later, I saw Mrs. Mallard crossing with six minute balls of fluff behind her. She stepped up onto the curb, and boing-boing-boing they followed. So cute!

P.P.S. I saw a car with the license plate FILNDR. What do you think it stands for? (It can't be "philander", can it?)

Happy Mother's Day

Though I'd always prefer to spend Mother's Day with my mother, it isn't always possible. Having brunch with the family friends who are my local family is always a pleasant choice! There was good company, good food, lovely flowers:



And I loved this card, front:


And inside:


It's too bad the weather was 50s and very windy, but you can't have everything (I guess). (Although a frost advisory for tonight seems particularly unnecessary.) But the rest of my day has been pleasant as well. Cat cuddle time, some reading, some TV (Bobby Orr Scores on NESN whiled away a nice hour), and some knitting.

I sat down in front of the computer to figure out Judy's Magic Cast-On, and after some arguing with that and with the pattern (memo to pattern writers: don't assume!), I got going on the next socks, which I'm calling Rainbow Sherbet:


Here's hoping I can get them done in less than nine months!

Have to Share

Via Boing Boing, and from elsewhere, this is amazing. The original Star Wars trilogy, summarized in 2 minutes, in Legos. People are cool sometimes, you know?

A Walk in the Woods

I went for a walk today, and it was just beautiful, mostly sunny, temps in the 70s, and breezy. In fact, by the pond it was downright windy, as you can see by this little movie I made of the swans riding the waves:



Further along, there was a bird just singing its heart out, celebrating the day:



It was just gorgeous. The leaves were almost unbelievably green against the sunny sky.


If you have to get exercise, it's a good way to do it.


I saw some expected sights, like flowers in purple:


And in yellow:


And some new and unexpected sights.


You can measure how high you can jump? Is this something a lot of people want to check?

And what is this, chin-up bars? Makes me very curious.


It was a nice excursion. I also did a few things around the house today (changed the sheets, washed dishes), and am gearing up for the Bruins game tonight. I'm wearing my new shirt--go Bruins!

Thought Nuggets for the Day

• No news. Retain crossed fingers, please.

• How about those Bruins? I can not figure out where this team was all year, but boy are they ever peaking at the right time. Philly didn't play badly, but just about everything they tried, the Bruins were in the way. Just amazing. What will happen tomorrow? Will the loss of David Krejci (our second big player out for the season this series, ow) be a major problem for the team, or just a personal disappointment for him?
  

• I woke up early this morning, 6:45. Well, it's early when I don't have to be up! I thought I wasn't going to fall back asleep, but I did, and had an intense dream where I was part of a group of people arguing with these alien intelligences about how we should behave in order to survive. (I was pointing out that their suggestions might be prudent, but that isn't something humans are very often.) Out of the blue, one of the aliens asked what the difference is between Minneapolis and St. Paul. I couldn't answer, but someone else said that it was nice to have a place so close by to get away to. And I woke up. Riddle me that one.

• This one's a little gross; finish what you're eating before you read on. Carlos was eating breakfast this morning when he got the urps, as cats sometimes do. He then threw up into the food bowl. Part of me wanted to throw up too, but honestly, that was the easiest ever to clean up.

• I noticed these lilacs today, and saw that though most of the bush is white-edged purple, one branch is white.
  

See? Isn't that weird?

Caught Carlos allowing Miri close to him today.

This is going on the blog, isn't it?