Shipping off to Boston...

In the midst of preparing for the exam of my future, I shipped off to Boston to visit Jenn for a few days. For those unfortunate enough to not know who Jenn is, she is a dear friend whom I met while in DC. We realized towards the end of my time there how much we had in common and vowed to see each other again. She moved to Boston, I moved to South Carolina, and so I found myself on an airplane headed north to see her.

My plane landed before Jenn was finished with class. So the plan was for me to drop my bags off at Tom’s (her husband) office and proceed to Quincy Market to hang out until she met me. She sent me a very detailed e-mail with all the instructions on how to do just that. One of the things I love about Jenn is she’s a very detail oriented person. So am I. This works well for us.

Upon the first reading of the e-mail, I panicked. There were a lot of steps to take and it made me nervous. Then I gave myself a proverbial slap in the face. I made it from Geneva to Adelboden by myself with a 50+ lb. suitcase and no knowledge of the German language whatsoever just fine. I could handle Boston. Boston was small potatoes as far as I was concerned. People speak English and that is half the battle won already.

So I land, I drop off, and I journey to Quincy Market. No problems. And Quincy Market is your typical tourist shopping landmark. Cool historic buildings plus a few unique shops in between your usual commercialized novelty shops and clothing stores. But the energy was exciting and there were tons of things to gaze upon while waiting on Jenn.

Wait I did, buying a Red Sox cap for me and a t-shirt for Joe, and then Jenn arrived. And we immediately headed to the closest destination for burgers and beer. My favorite meal. And they had the Samuel Adams Summer Ale, which is one of my favorite beers. And we talked. Then we journeyed to another pub, ordered another ale, and we talked. An hour or so later, we went to another pub, ordered another ale, and we talked. We talked a lot and about a lot of things. The topics covered were vast and I was definitely getting a feel for Boston.

One moment to note, while in our final pub, which had a more night club atmosphere than Irish pub, Jenn and I were chatting when I heard the first notes of a distinct redneck anthem. Yes ladies and gentlemen, good ole Hank Williams came over the speaker. And people were singing along. Loudly. As in how they do down in the back road bars of South Carolina. It was odd at first but its familiarity soon led to relaxation and Jenn and I fell back into conversation. Then, it was Johnny Cash and then the chicken fried song that plays on the radio all the damn time. These Bostonians were rocking out to all the country favorites. And you haven’t heard anything until you have heard Johnny Cash sung with a thick Boston accent. But I digress.

Jenn and I hopped the train and journeyed to South Boston where we were to find her lovely home and very sick husband. The flu. Potentially the swine flu. And the doctor asked him to wear a mask. Ha! Ha ha!

But we didn’t know that the first night. We just knew he was puny.

The following day was Red Sox and doctor visit day. Jenn got us tickets to see the Sox play that night, but we had many tasks to do before that. She had a doctor’s appointment and I wanted to see the new exhibit at the Boston Fine Arts museum. I had seen some info about it while at Quincy Market and my interest was peaked. It was Mexican artists – printmakers and photographers. The prints were somewhat interesting, but the photographs are what I enjoyed most. Edward Weston was the photographer and I was impressed. I even made Jenn come in and see them after she got done with her appointment.

On a side note, I have come to realize that I am past the “gotta see everything” type of touring. I think to really get to know a place is through food and just strolling around and enjoying yourself. Most of the tourist stops are the equivalent of just looking it up online. I’d rather just eat the natives' food. Yes, the food is first. And luckily, Jenn’s a good eater just like me. And so, eat we did. And every meal I had was excellent. I got to hand it to Boston, they have some of the most kick ass restaurants I have seen. Talk about variety and uniqueness. Lots of personality.

But back to the art museum. It was standard, but I really enjoyed the photographs. And they have a musical instrument exhibit there that’s cool too. It’s one of the few art museums I actually enjoyed. Granted I did get to skip to only the things I wanted to see. But why waste your time looking at paintings you think suck right?



After the art museum, we made our way to the stadium via the Fens. They are the public gardens in Boston. People can rent out a little fenced in patch of land in this parkand use it for gardening. Some had vegetables, some had flowers, some had flowers, veggies, and fountains, and some just had weeds.

The coolest part was the really tall reeds along the river.

Then off to Fenway! We were meeting her sister-in-law so to pass some time, we stopped in one of the many bars around the stadium for a beer. I realized one of the reasons I was enjoying Boston so much was the sheer absence of pretention I had encountered so far. Everyone was blue-jean-t-shirt people. In DC it’s all about image. You never know who you’re sharing a train with or who’s behind you at the dinner table. But in Boston, people are just living. And it’s refreshing. Then off to Fenway for real! We met up with Jenn’s sister-in-law Liz and a couple of her friends. But not before realizing that I was in need of something. And so begins the epic tail of the Search for a Tampon!

I figured there would either be a machine in the bathroom or supplies at first aid, so no worries. But we thought it best to go ahead and get one given the fact that once we get seated and good and tanked up, it would be the last thing on our minds. So we checked the bathroom – machine, but empty. And a large sign above it saying to see fan service for feminine products. Ok, let’s find fan service. No signs directing us there, but there’s a cop. He’ll know. “Excuse me do you know where fan service is.” “No, but what exactly do you need. Maybe I can help.” Nosey bastard. “Um first aid?” I’m not telling you shit! “Oh that’s just down there.” “Ok thanks.” And we were off. We found the sign and then the big metal door it pointed to. But no sign saying, use this door or knock first. I looked at Jenn, she looked at me, I took a deep breath, and opened the door. Thank goodness for that first beer. Because I walked in to a room full of men. And it was the back door. I was standing in a room full of medical equipment and stretchers, and a poor guy on a stretcher being tested for a concussion. Luckily I looked to my left and found a female in a red shirt. “Hey, I’m looking for fan service.” Maybe I can ease her into conversation before just shouting tampon! “Oh?” “I need feminine products.” Damnit. “Oh.” “We have those,” says the guy behind her. As he walks to the cabinet to retrieve them, I realize that the girl I had been talking to is actually with the guy on the stretcher. She doesn’t work there. Geez. So now that I’ve embarrassed myself on several counts, the guy retrieving my products decides all of a sudden to be discrete. Everyone in the room heard me, and everyone knows what he’s getting, but he tucks it under his arm anyway. Crosses the room and hands them to me. “I just need your name.” … … “What?” “Yea we have to take a record of everyone who comes in here.” Fenway Park will have an official record that I picked up two tampons for the rest of its existence. “Ok? Jena Chambers.” Then I abruptly turn around, fling the door open, and bolt. Jenn laughs when I recount the happenings behind the metal door and we make a b-line to the beer counter.
It was a great night. We laughed and joked, and Fenway is a great ball park. Everyone’s there for the game. Not to play video games in some arcade under the seats or to sit in a club house and watch the game on the tv that’s happening just outside the door. And getting good and tanked only improved the whole experience. I couldn’t have asked for better weather, better company, and better tampon retrieval service. The Sox won by the way.

The

The next day our goal was to tour the Samual Adams Brewery and take it easy. We had a lazy morning. It was rainy and neither she nor I wanted to trek out in it sooner than needed. We eventually headed out for the tour, having no lunch ahead of time, umbrellas in tow. We found the brewery no problem. And I do have to give Jenn and I kudos for our umbrella maneuvering. There were a lot of branches, fences, and fellow umbrella’ed pedestrians to maneuver around.

The brewery is tucked back into this small quaint neighborhood that’s borderline creepy and borderline charming and endearing. The brewery tour is free and then there’s a complimentary sampling afterwards. So we got our “first come first serve” beer label/tour ticket and awaited the magic moment – the beginning of the tour. It began and it was . . . boring. We did get to finger some barley and hops. But Jenn and I quickly lost interest when we moved to the small cramped area between the giant tanks. There were two stops on the tour. One platform area to finger the ingredients and then one small space between these fancy tanks.

So Jenn and I were quickly herded to the back of the group once we moved to the second stop in between the fancy tanks. We quickly began shooting pictures and not paying attention to our lovely hyper tour guide.

As she was closing her long speech, I heard a noise behind me. I slowly turned and saw a glowing light and two wooden doors swinging open. Jenn and I, who had been so unlucky with our beer karma, were to be the first two to go into the sampling room. The beer gods opened their arms and embraced us. We got our complimentary souvenir sampling glass and took a seat. And proceeded to learn how to taste test beer. And we practiced a lot. And remember me mentioning us going on an empty stomach? Well…we really enjoyed the taste test.

And then we headed to Doyles, a small pub that Jenn – one of our fellow ballparkers – recommended. She said it had been featured in several films, been visited by many a famous person, and had an excellent menu and dive atmosphere. The last detail is what sold me on it. So we journeyed to Doyles in the rain and a little giddy from our sampling. We definitely didn’t mind the rain as much on this leg of the trip. Once there, I quickly fell in love with the place. It had a warm divey atmosphere, with regular folks working there and great food. Jenn and I pigged out and had a great time.

After Doyles, we waddled to the train stop, hopped on, and headed back to South Boston to visit the beach near Jenn’s house and to grab some seafood for dinner. We trekked to the beach and walked a good bit checking it all out. It was rainy and we were a bit lethargic, but I was glad to have seen it. Then we went to the Fish Market, grabbed some grub, and headed back to Jenn’s to watch a movie and zone out on the couch. We watched Wall E. For those who haven’t seen it – see it. It was wonderful. Although Jenn boohooing over robot loved disturbed me a little, but only a little.

The next day we went to see the USS Constitution. It one of the oldest war ships still intact. I heard it looked like a pirate ship, that’s why I went. But first we hit up Galleria Umberto.

It's a local italian lunch counter. They open at 11 or so and stay open until all the food is sold out. And sell out they do. It's cheap, delicious, and served in large quantities. And it appears shady on the outside, but once inside, you know you're in for a treat. We started chatting with a nice Bostonian in front of us and got his opinion on what to have as Galleria Umberto Virgins. We ordered 4 things and pigged out once again. It was heavenly.
Then with our bellies very full, we headed to the USS Constitution. In the rain. Across a big bridge. And we got there to see a tarp covered vessel that you had to wait in a long line to even get on the ship. And you could only get on the ship via the guided tour. Bummer. Lame.
So we went to the USS Constitution museum instead and took pictures and I bought some awesome pirate tattoos. And we called it a day.
I flew out later that afternoon. I was very tired, but very content. We made a run by Mike’s Pastry on the way to the Lame Pirate Ship, and I had successfully apprehended a Boston Crème Puff. The perfect snack to bide my time with in the airport.

I can’t remember the last time I had such a relaxing time in a city. But Jenn made it happen. Thanks Jenn!

Snow in South Carolina

First off....

Ok, now back to business.

It's snowing. And it is quite an event when it snows in South Carolina let me tell you. My grandma has been talking about the possibility of snow for three days now. So I was plenty prepared. Ya know, you can't survive snow without the typical supplies, bread and milk. Mom and I had ham, mac n' cheese, sweet potatoes, and beans for lunch. In this wintry weather. I'm not sure what meal you'd make with the bread and milk. But I think my mom has the better idea.

I'm just amazed at how Switzerland has desensitized me to the fascination that is South Carolina snow. You'd think the pope was in town by the excitement it generates. And I use to be right there with them. But after seeing people react to it as an everyday event, it is just not the same. And I can't decide if I like it or not. I've always thought the simple pleasures were the best - like having one eye on the snow falling and another on the ticker at the bottom of the tv screen watching for school closings. I feel a little jipped now. But really, what right do I have? I mean I went to freakin Switzerland for goodness sake. Who feels jipped by that!?!

Drew came by earlier while I was in the shower and wanted to know if I wanted to play in the snow or something. Or something? I wonder what that entailed. There's no telling with Drew. I'm sure it would involve an excessive amount of energy though. Which I do not have. But I hope it will stick around for him to have a snow day tomorrow. There's not much better than waking up to the reality that is school closing. I wish that for him.

Louise sent me pictures of her "winter." Her winter involves snow so thick that you have to have cross country skis to make any headway over long distances. It's beautiful to look at and I'm sure it's wonderful to spend the day in, but I think I'll take my South Carolina snow. Us southerners can't handle too much excitement over a long period of time. We like it in episodes and then things to turn back to normal. Well as normal as it gets here on Painter Road. I mean after all we do have a neighborhood prostitute with AIDs roaming the street looking for rides at 5am. But that's about it.

Slipknot

"You wanna go with me to see Slipknot?"

"Will I enjoy it if I don't know their music?"

"It's really heavy. Check them out on the internet and then decide."

....

"I'll go with you."

So I went with Matt to see Slipknot. For those of you who aren't familiar with the band, they're heavy metal. HEAVY metal.

I borrowed a CD from Brandy to do some research first. To kind of get use to the music and get to know some songs. I listened to it once and could not do it again. It was so much to take in, and it made me drive like a maniac.

So I just went hoping that I'd enjoy myself. I love new experiences, I love concerts, and I love music. Of course I'd have a great time.

And I did.

The opening bands were Coheed & Cambria and Trivium. Matt told me they'd ease me into the music and I'd be ready for Slipknot. Sort of like a stretching/warm up session.

Coheed and Cambria came on and I tried to enjoy it. I smiled and bopped my head and glanced around to see if anyone else was into it. They were. So I started to worry. After they finished, I looked at Matt, and he said, "They sucked."

Whew! This was a promising sign.

Then Trivium came out. They were only a little better, but the lead singer was great to watch. He looked like Hagrid and Cousin It's love child who had been taught dance moves by Tickle Me Elmo. He was not a small guy either. He was very cartoonish and I could not take him seriously. So the combination of two $7 beers and a screaming Hagrid made for a very good time.

The tragedy of the evening happened next. I was 3/4 of the way through my beer and had to pee. I thought it was the opportune time. I could go before Slipknot came on and could return to a little refreshment and the opening notes of what was to be an excellent first experience. So I peed. And I returned. And my beer was . . . GONE!

I sat down and looked at Matt.

"What?"

"Where's my beer?"

"What beer?"

"The one that was in the cup holder." (The one that had $1.75 worth of beer left in it!)

"I don't know."

And then I looked to my right. A group of snot nosed teenagers. All of whom were underage, but one somehow managed to procure an ID bracelet. And they'd been sharing beers all night. Did they? Could they? They did!!!

Oh well. No worries. They got a thrill, and I didn't need the last bit filled with backwash anyway.

So surrounded by teenagers and drunk tools, we proceeded to the main event.

And it was great. Matt was right, by that time, I was warmed up to the music. And the guys were so full of energy on stage that it was fun to watch.

I will honestly say, I'm glad I don't scare easy and that I'm open to new and different. Given that, I had a great time and am really glad I went.

Here we go again

I am starting this blog because if I don't do it now, I never will. There won't always be pictures, but I promise to post only interesting things. So when there aren't pictures, you won't piss and moan about reading some boring ass story.


I've been in a lull lately. But I think things are going to pick up.


I have a job now. Well I'll start Wednesday. I'll be working at the Fashion Shack. It's a consignment store in Greenville. I'll be a sales associate and oversee some of the buying. So barring any bad behavior on Wednesday, I'll be gainfully employeed yet again. And perhaps feel like a human being with purpose. Perhaps.


Friday night I went to see Zoso - The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience. It was the first time going to The Handlebar - a venue referred to as a "listening room." It's more like a garage with a stage. And it's great. Perfect for watching concerts, especially rock concerts. And so Zoso was a great experience. Tiffany, Brandy, and I got there early to scope out a spot. The band started - three young guys, the guitar players in plaid shirts. Led Zeppelin tribute band!?!


The lead singer sounded great, but I definitely did not recognize the song. And I thought I knew Led Zeppelin really well. But I pretended I knew what was going on and bopped along with the beat. Then they introduced themselves. Not Zoso.


So after the opening band - not Zoso - and an hour wait, Zoso finally came out. And they ROCKED.


I think it was a great time mostly because the crowd was great. I'm a seasoned concert goer (thanks Dad!), and I know how to strategically place myself so that the people around me are to my benefit. You get a few older men who automatically feel protective and will watch out for you, you get a few women who will dance along so that when you dance, you don't bump into them and if they are older your dance moves will automatically look better because your skin is a little tighter and your rhythm a big more accurate. And you get behind people of similar heights to you, but only if you can't get to the edge of the stage. You don't want some tall jerk with big hair ruining your experience.


We chose a spot and I soon befriended a man with fishing lures on his shirt. I knew he was a keeper. He would hold our spot when we went to pee, and might also purchase us a beer or two. Before the night had finished, we managed to meet lots of great people and each receive a free beer. And it was good.

I hadn't been to a concert in a very long time. And I missed it. Zoso was a great reminder of why. I mean where else can you watch a bunch of guys imitate - very well by the way - one of rock's greatest bands, while standing next to a guy with fishing lures on his shirt, and having another delivering you free beers. All the while, being circled by a bunch of rich yuppy kids doing Mick Jagger impressions and hoping that staring at you will cause you to give them your phone numbers. And all the while loving every minute of it because you're surrounded by hundreds of people that you have at least one thing in common with - love of Led Zeppelin. Only music can do that ya know.