The Beginning of the Beginning

This post is going to be a sort of reflection (although I should have used the picture I took yesterday...keyword: reflection). Currently I am sitting on my boyfriends futon in a somewhat empty room. We still have a lot of packing to do, and even more cleaning ahead of us. It's only 10pm and yet it feels like 2am. Tomorrow is September 1st, or what should be nationally known as Moving Day. Everyone across the United States, but most notably in Boston, will be beginning their September 1st leases, just in time for school to start. We get three days to spend unpacking (and in our case, practicing orchestral excerpts for our seating auditions), and then bam! Classes begin. 

I have already moved all my things from Somerville to Boston, and I have already helped my parents move all of our other belongings from Barrington to South Kingstown. Tomorrow I am moving my and my boyfriends things from Fenway to Allston. It's a small move in that we will only be moving about 15 minutes away, however, we still need to bring the truck back to RI tomorrow and take the commuter rail back. 

One year ago I was already comfortably moved in to my apartment in Somerville. I was good friends (and became better friends) with my three other roommates. I would come home from work to find Steve giving me a thumbs up, light streaming from his open bedroom door, simultaneously watching Friends or Doctor Phil, and playing Star Craft. Sometimes Kerry (his now girlfriend) would be in there, or sometimes she would be in her room practicing or hanging out with Bradley (her rabbit). Chris was never home, but when he was it was always pleasant (cue Indiana Jones music). It was sad when they all moved out though, and all three rooms were empty and I was the only one there, knowing how much fun the four of us had just hanging out. 

I was also becoming closer with my coworkers. They are all fantastic people (mostly), funny, entertaining, supportive...especially since we all have to do the same (sometimes thankless) job of being a server. Each and every one of us has dreams and ambitions, and even though I am seriously cutting down my hours there, and possibly leaving, I know that I'll secretly be facebook stalking them every once in a while, keeping one eye on them, and hopefully seeing them live out their ambitions, and seeing them happy. I learned a lot of things on my year off, like how to get student loan companies off my back (for three months at a time), how to do my taxes, how to fill out a FAFSA, and how to make friends with people who are non-musicians...something that even a few months before working there I couldn't (or wouldn't) do. Something about being a pretentious classical musician. However, working through this year, and being a "real adult person" really knocked me down from that pedestal, and gave me a serious reality check. 

That brings me to where I am today. I've also had to face some really difficult realities about myself, and I'm still working on that part. What do I want to learn this year? I want to learn how to really love myself. I want to be able to live life to the fullest and do GOOD things, to grow my own knowledge and understanding of the world, and to help others and be a good person. One year ago today I was growing closer and closer to the love of my life (speaking of good people). Adam and I started our relationship being best friends and grew from there. We've had ups and downs, and ups and downs, more than any roller-coaster I've ever been on, but the ride has been extraordinary. He has shown me so many things, and taught me how to do so many things, and has not only been a wonderful boyfriend, but also a mentor, and also a best friend, and also a beautiful person. There's no other person on this earth like him, and I love him with all my heart. In fact, here he is driving our moving truck: 

And here he is again, getting ready to bring the truck to Boston, by the way, he was a BEAST at driving that thing. 

This is the majority of my belongings, all fitting into the back of our enormous truck. 

Providence is beautiful. I realized I don't have a whole lot of pictures from here, since...well...I live here. Sooo...I took a lot of pictures today and will probably upload them to Facebook and Instagram at some point. 

We had some time to kill before picking up the truck, so we indulged in a little Panera Bread, and I indulged in a little photo editing Instragram:

Providence is really beautiful. I should really spend more time exploring. Maybe that will be one of my challenges...hmmm....

Tomorrow I will be writing part 2 of the moving extravaganza, hopefully after I've showered in my new apartment shower, because even though it will be cooler tomorrow, there will be even more loading, unloading, and cleaning ahead of me. As well as a drive to Rhode Island. 

And as we say at work...

Ticket 1 of 2

Boston Blue Sky

It's the calm before the storm. Tomorrow and Saturday, the streets will be crowded with Uhauls and trucks and cars full of furniture, clothing, and who knows what else. It is the great moving weekend of Boston. I am currently writing on my futon, who made the journey from Somerville to Fenway not more than a month ago. All my clothing and belongings are still in bags, boxes, and suitcases, ready to be loaded into the truck when it arrives tomorrow from Providence, driven by Adam, with me in the passenger seat :) 

Tomorrow will be our last night in Fenway, and we will begin Saturday moving in our new home in Allston. I'm so excited. Have you ever seen a bluer sky? 

Early Morning Writing

Kind of. It's 11:34 AM, and I usually do all my writing before I go to bed, so this post won't have a whole lot of writing. I finally figured out how to post videos, so here is the video that inspired my blog. 

Instagram has given me a way to edit and enhance photos in a really easy way. For those of you who know me, I'm not very tech savvy. I can barely use the scheduling App for work, and I'm okay at cell phone games such as Scramble (with Friends) and Bike Race, but only okay. Not yet at the expert level. So when it comes to editing photos, I'm usually pretty bad and I'm not sure what to do. Instagram lets me do that with easy buttons. What more could a girl ask for? Actually, a really, really great boyfriend. And here we are: (courtesy of Instagram)

My Favorite Picture, taken on Mother's Day in Narragansett 

This picture isn't enhanced, but it IS a Watermelon Beer on tap at Boston Beer Works!

This picture is only enhanced a little bit, mostly to bring out the colors and the lighting. I had my 21st birthday here at Jillian's, but often stop in on the less busy nights where we are guaranteed a pool table. 

Well, I've done enough blogging for one day. Now I'm going to set out in Boston to find some food, and hopefully a new idea on how to spend September. Then do a little practicing. Oh, and then go to work :/

The First of Many Posts About Music

Yesterday I had the honor of playing with the United States Air Force Band of Liberty. It was so much fun, and was truly a great experience. I got to spend some time with great musicians and people alike, and it was so much fun playing marches and band music.

The concert was outside, and sound check was at 5:30, and whilst I was warming up in a field (which reminded me of being at Tanglewood when I was in BUTI) I got a small opportunity to snap some pictures:

A nice sunset through the trees

My baby. 

The venue

This might seem like an advertisement for Altieri, but I liked the contrast between textures here...grass, cloth, wood, and metal.

And last but not least, a great shot of the setting sun through the trees with a nice looking sky.

We got lucky with the weather, but just in case we had to go inside, we were right across the street from the Manchester Community College. It's actually a really nice campus with new buildings, surrounded by grassy lawns and some woods. I got to explore a little bit while foraging for snacks and looking for a respectable restroom. Then I sat outside in the shade, wishing I had brought a book, and had a lovely conversation with the love of my life. 

Speaking of books...I've started yet another series. I've already completed Stag Larsson's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series (as well as the movie in English, and the complete movie series in Swedish), the Hunger Games (and saw the movie along with every person between the ages of 13 and 25 in the world), and Fifty Shades of Gray (which they are supposedly making a movie for, but how they are going to do that without making it X rated, I have no idea). I've started, along with many others, A Song of Ice and Fire...starting with the first book, A Game of Thrones. I've got to admit that fantasy books don't really do it for me, but after reading the first couple chapters, I'm really enjoying it. It's written kind of like As I Lay Dying in that both Faulkner and Martin entitle their chapters with the character's name of the view point it's written from. Does that last sentence even make any sense? 

Back to the band.

It's funny. No matter if it's orchestra, high school band, professional orchestra, professional band, volunteer orchestra or band, festival orchestra or band, all musicians are the same. From high school to professional, there is always some amount of fooling around and joking during rehearsals. There are also many stereotypes for people who play certain instruments. I'll save that for another blog post, but essentially people's personalities tend to match their instruments. People with big egos? Trumpet. Mellow? Low brass. Divas? Flute. Weirdos? Clarinet. Mellow and down to earth, perhaps a little less weird than clarinetist? Saxophone. 

The sad thing is, with all the financial crap going on in the United States, as well as other places, bands and orchestras are shutting down. The Band of Liberty is currently doing their last summer concert series, as they are shutting down within the year. The same has been true, and will be true for more and more military bands, as well as orchestras. Every year, thousands of students graduate from conservatories hoping to win a job, in a job market that keeps getting more and more competitive and impossible.

More on this subject tomorrow. 

I don't want to end on a sad note, however. There's success to be found if you go viral:

The Server Brigade

You'll find us on the subway late at night between the hours of 10pm and 3am. We blend into the background, wearing all black and looking utterly exhausted, usually around the time you are going out or coming home from a night out. You wear stilettos and tiny dresses, while we are dressed in baggy black clothes, smelling of seafood (or the fryer in the kitchen). 

You might even be one of us, exchanging knowing glances across the subway car. Everyone is surrounded by friends, laughing and excited for the night, while we are returning home, our only companions are our ipods and headphones. We are at the end of our ropes, completely drained from giving even the rudest of all customers every ounce of politeness and false sincerity that we have. This is what it feels like at the end of a long day at work. But I digress...

I need to stop eating large meals before I get to work. I eat so that I don't get hungry serving mouth watering baked stuffed lobsters, filets, and shellfish. Sometimes I go a little overboard and eat way too much, resulting in a food coma right before a busy dinner shift. I need to be at the top of my game, but sometimes I just want to take a nap. Today, however, I had a rather nice (and very filling) lunch at Noodle Street, it's not a street, it's a restaurant. I recently made a rule not to eat anything at a restaurant that I could also make at home, and even though I know I could probably find a way to make this at home, it was still really good, and just what I needed. 

Here we have some lo mein, mixed with veggies, with crispy chicken and a sweet thai sauce on the side. 

Adam had some really delicious looking wings, with some rice and a cute little salad on the side. And some fried wonton-pot-sticker-pork-type-things. But we ate those too fast for me to take a picture of. 

Still, I got to work and felt a little sluggish. Not the I-just-drank-a-giant-beer-before-my-shift sluggish, but an I-ate-way-too-much-that-I-have-not-only-a-food-baby-but-I'm-in-a-food-coma-as-well sluggish. Luckily it was pretty slow, and I had a chance to digest a bit before running around retrieving drinks and refills on Shirley Temples. Well, I have one more double and then I have my first real, professional gig! 

Day Off Ramblings

Good evening fellow bloggers...or I guess, good morning. Yet again I'm posting well past 1 in the morning, but thankfully I didn't have to work yet another double today. No, this was my day off! Even though I didn't have to work, I still had to "work". I have a rather big gig coming up...my first real professional gig actually...besides a local orchestra that I sometimes play with. So today I practiced my butt off. My chops couldn't handle a full practice session, so I broke it up and kind of just practiced all day. Then I went in search of concert pants. In the entire city of Boston, I couldn't find any black pants that fit, so I'm just going to go with a black skirt that I already own instead. And no, I'm not going to wear my work pants (I got them in the little boys section of the Burlington Coat Factory). Adam luckily was let out of a very slow lunch, and we were able to make a run to Shaw's and made tuna sandwiches!   

We took tuna chunk (light!), chopped up some onion and pickle, added a little salt and pepper, and made this awesome creation:

(leftovers were stored in a Tupperware container that I was able to munch on later!)

By beverage of choice this afternoon (I say afternoon because my beverage of choice this evening was a pitcher of 'gansett...alcohol enthusiast!) was a lemon tea made by Peace Tea, which looks a lot like the Arizona tea that I always get. There's something about a $.99 tea in a can that's really appealing to me. I've been avoiding the Arizona products because of the high fructose corn syrup (peace tea doesn't have any)...but after a little research, Peace tea has sucralose, which is just an artificial sweetener, and it's non caloric...so it's still bad. I should just make my own iced loose leaf tea, sweetened with honey. But at least the can is really cool:

...and of course, no lunch is complete without Pirate Booty. Although, there was still about half a bag left when Adam went to work. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that by the time he got home, there was no Booty to be had...I just can't be trusted with a bag of Booty. 

It was pretty rainy for most of the day, but the sun did come out on my way home (on the way back from my unsuccessful pant finding mission). This photo is taken on Boylston, and the bridge you can see is Mass Ave, overlooking the Mass pike. 

And this one is taken almost at Berklee, still on Boylston, but I thought the clouds and light placement made it look really nice. 

If you like my blog, please follow me :)

I'm very good at following others, and I'll follow you too! 

On the Subject of YOLO

By the time I'm done writing this, it will be past 1 in the morning. Even though I've always been a bit of a night owl, (and never a morning person), it feels as though I'm running on empty, because of another stressful and exhausting day in the restaurant biz. Doubles aren't fun, but there are things (and people) that make it better. Let me give you a few examples:

1.) It's a slow lunch, and you don't expect to make more than $20. Then that ONE person comes in, and orders a glass of champagne, a shrimp cocktail, a lobster, 2 glasses of the most expensive wine ($15/glass), coffee, and dessert. It still wasn't a miraculous lunch, but it was worth it to a point. 

2.) Whilst picking up my second $15 glass of wine to deliver to the table, the bartender surprised me with a small taste of it...for work and educational matters of course. And I wonder why I then go to a restaurant and spend $40 on myself? Working at a nice restaurant has given me expensive taste, and on a waitressing budget, that just isn't fair. 

3.) Oh right, we're highlighting the good things about work. Coworkers. We stick together. We have each other's backs, we bitch about bad tippers and obnoxious people, but we help each other out in every way possible. Even in the lull between the peak hours, we talk about our lives. Yes, personal information gets spread around the restaurant faster than anything you can imagine, but all the crap aside, coworkers are there when you need them. (And if any of you are reading, thank you!)

4.) One more, and this is the best one. The love of my life just happens to work with me, and we worked the dinner shift together. Work is so much more...enjoyable...when he's there with me. Even if we're on opposite sides of the restaurant he comes over, or I find a reason to go to his section, or we just happen to be in the kitchen at the same time...(is this getting cheesy?). Fact is, I love being where he is, whether it's at home, at work, or anywhere in between. 

This is a HUGE "in between"...when he took me to see my first opera at the Met. 

I just want to finish up on one topic that I find interesting, and that is the subject of "YOLO". For those of you reading this who don't know, it stands for You Only Live Once. Now, there are funny memes  regarding zombies and such, but I found an article and a picture the other day that I would like to share. People have been using YOLO as an excuse to do stupid things. In fact, go to the article I read for more about that by clicking here. And if you didn't go to the article, this quote sums it up:

“YOLO” means being able to look back on your life when you’re 90 and think, “Wow, I really did everything I possibly could with my life.”

And this is what this blog is about. It's about living life to the fullest and trying new things, being well-rounded and educated, and loving every minute of being alive. 

(I couldn't resist)

Sweet Cheeks!

Aaah...Sweet Cheeks BBQ...traditional Texas BBQ, where drinks are served in mason jars and food comes on a tray. Excellent. As you can see, we started off with some beers, naturally :) If you've been following my blog, I know I have quite a few posts recently with pictures of beer and wine...just want to let you know that no, I'm not an alcoholic...just an alcohol enthusiast. Landshark just tastes like summer to me...partly because it's what I tend to drink in the summer, and partly because it has so much to do with Jimmy Buffet. Yes, I'm a parrot head. 

Then we had our dinner. The tray closest to the camera is mine, loaded with pork belly and ribs, with potato salad and BBQ beans. Adams is furthest from the camera, piled high with brisket and ribs. I must say, the flavors were astounding. I'm starting to make a rule when I go out to eat, in that I won't order anything I can't make at home. Well, I don't have meat at home, nor do I have a smoker in which to flavor the meat. Everything was so good, down to the bacon bits on the potato salad (something I have never thought of...hmmm...). In fact, the only complaint I had was that the beans weren't that great...however, I'm comparing them to my family's secret recipe of baked beans (also a summertime favorite), and they don't compare at all. 

My apologies for not blogging yesterday, worked an exhausting double. Hopefully these BBQ pictures make up for it! I should also note that I'm not trying to be a food critic. Yes, I do know a lot about food and the restaurant biz, but that just means that it's easy for me to relate to. I like food way to much to criticize it, but I do enjoy sharing my dining adventures with you! 

Bottega Fiorentina

Much has been said about going out to eat, and buying that $32 rib eye steak (and even though I'm so full from my dinner tonight my mouth still waters at the thought...), sharing that $50 bottle of Sonoma county Chardonnay, and getting appetizers, dessert, and the works - but what about the smaller places that offer really high quality food and wine...without the enormous price tag attached to it? Well, more needs to be said about that. This evening, after returning back to Boston, Adam and I were able to embark on a spontaneous little Italian date. I remembered that there was a place in the heart of Boston's shopping district (as well as the Coolidge corner area), right on Newbury Street, tucked in between an expensive (but also delicious) Tapas bar, and upscale boutiques, called Bottega Fiorentina. We started off with a Bellini and a glass of Italian pinot grigio...

Next came the antipasto...complete with prosciutto, capicola, pecorino cheese, olives, roasted red peppers, and...well...see for yourself:

Then we had pasta. Adam, lover of pesto, got his favorite over spaghetti with some chicken, and I had penne with vodka sauce. Don't worry, I came prepared with my army of lactose enzyme tablets! We passed on dessert, but I would love to go back for a slice of their tiramisu...perhaps on my next shopping expedition :) 

I also thought that tonight would be a good time to introduce you to Thirsty, my cactus. Unlike my armadillo, Thirsty is real, and this picture was taken after his thirst was quenched. He used to be so tiny, and everyone told me that he would never grow...well...he spent a year in Sam's room, which is practically always drenched in sunlight, and he will soon be coming up to Boston to sit in our bay windows when we move in on September 1st...a holiday, celebrated in Boston, where we celebrate by moving. A day in which the streets in Boston are littered with furniture, clothing, and God only knows what else, a day in which there are no Uhauls, moving vans, rental vans, and cargo vans available within a 40 mile radius, and a day in which thousands upon thousands of pounds of sweat will be shed moving furniture, clothing (and in my case, shoes) up flights upon flights of stairs (or elevator...if you're LUCKY) in no air conditioning. I should start running and lifting weights now in preparation. BUT...I'm just focusing on relaxing that evening, with a bottle (or two) of ice cold chardonnay, beer, and maybe a little tequila. :)

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

Today was a very special day in a lot of ways. It was the first time I successfully drove to and from Providence, because I was picking up my boyfriend! It was the first time he visited the new house, and he was so wonderful and helpful while helping my parents set up the house...and we were also able to laugh at their seemingly constant bickering. We had lunch at the Mews Tavern, and we had two very small yet very delicious beers. Mine was pinkish and it was called Ommegang Aphrodite. Very girly beer! Adam had a delicious hefeweizen. They were served in smaller glasses because they're special and rare beers. I love things like that.
Afterwards I took him by Brickley's ice cream and I was able to be a little more patient with the lactose. On the way back, we were really giddy and this is the conversation we had:
Me: hmmm...do you know what street are we on?
Adam: no...but are you going to stop at that stop sign?
Me: *screams* *slams on breaks* *giggles*
Then Adam and my dad moved some more furniture, while my mom and I did our best to watch...but we're girls...and we lacked the upper body strength needed to participate. But we helped with the cushions! And I helped by testing out the firmness and comfiness of the pillows by laying on them...
This post is probably all over the place...because I'm distracted by the closing ceremony of the Olympics.
Although I was working during the opening ceremony, and I missed the USA entrance, I couldn't be happier in this moment, because I'm in the excellent company of Adam and my brothers girlfriend, watching the very colorful and entertaining closing ceremony.
My parents, Adam, and myself finished off our day with a stop at Fat Belly's pub before retuning home, getting comfy, and watching a little tube on Chris's new tube. All in all, it was a relaxing and cheerful day.
One more note about the Olympics...
It's so wonderful too see all the different countries and nationalities cheering each other on, despite all the conflict going on in the world. The Olympics is universal, and I can't help but to remember this one particular experience I had on an orchestra tour in China. American and Chinese students were all mixed in, and even though we didn't speak the same language, we were able to perform together and put on an amazing concert. Sports and music were the specific focus, but it's so much more than that. It's human beings, who inhabit the same earth we do, coming together to accomplish one amazing thing. It's really very moving to witness...especially on our sectional couch that is now in the basement and not the garage thanks to the efforts of Steve and Adam.
I love my parents' new home!

Some of my Favorite (Wakefield) Things

Today was my first day about town on my own. First stop was breakfast at Java Madness. They have a great selection of bagels, breakfast sandwiches, great coffee, tea, lunch, and all sorts of little goodies. This morning (or rather, closer to afternoon since I woke up at 11) they had a girl with a guitar singing out on the patio. It was really lovely...and a nice perk is that this is the view I had, while listening to local musicians, and eating a delicious egg sandwich on an everything bagel (Instagram helped me with this one):  Oh, and it's also about a 30 second drive from my house! 

My next task was to help my parents keep up with the moving in. I cleaned the upstairs bathroom, and discovered the amazing powers of the magic eraser (I have to stock up on those when I move into our new apartment!) I also realized that people who are around 5 feet tall shouldn't be given the task of hanging up a shower curtain, but not to worry-I made good use of my bachelor's degree and figured it out. Then I realized I had only 2 hours to find my brother a birthday present! Oops...really dropped the ball on that one. So I drove into town (a 5 minute drive from my house) and stopped at all the places that I want to take my boyfriend to tomorrow! 

I figured Chris might want to do some exploring with his girlfriend when he has more time to spare, so I got him a few gift certificates so he could have a day on the town. The first place I went to was the Mews, they have 69 beers on tap...and yes, I'm pretty sure they did that on purpose. Then I drove closer to the little town and stopped into Brickley's, whose frozen products I can only enjoy sparingly, since I have no patience for lactose. Then I walked around the corner to a funky little place called Smoothie Booty, which in addition to delicious smoothies, offers birthday cards (score!), jewelry, and other little treats. I can't wait to stop in there tomorrow, to sip on a smoothie and do a little shopping. There are so many cute boutiques and antique shops that line the street. I'll keep you up to date on our adventure day tomorrow night when I blog. 

The birthday boy got to pick where we went out to dinner that night, and I must say, he chose very wisely. If you EVER come to Rhode Island and want the best seafood in an awesome clam shack by the sea, you MUST come to Champlin's!!! As you can see, we had steamers, fish and chips, fish tacos, and coconut shrimp (my personal favorite). So many awesome New England treats, and the steamers were so sweet and tender...the best I've ever had...and I've had a lot (from working around seafood all year).  Basically, it was a pretty successful day. 

And naturally, the last stop today was at *HOME* in our new kitchen. Christian turned 19 today, even though there are only 4 candles on the cake :-P

We sang Happy Birthday, there were presents to be had, and then we ended the night with a rousing game of Pass the Pigs. Just buy it. It's SO. MUCH. FUN. 

Happy Birthday Chris!

The Great Armadillo Hoax

I have a pet armadillo. He is about 5 years old. His name is Captain and my dad brought him back from Arizona for my 16th birthday (he has a friend out there who breeds armadillos on his cactus farm). We keep him in a rabbit cage in our backyard during the summer, and in the winter we bring him inside to our finished basement, but we take him out a lot. We play with him in his pen in our basement, and when it's warm outside we take him for a walk. He has a leash and a harness, but often times he doesn't walk too far and we have to carry him back. He likes to eat rabbit and ferret food, as well as small veggies like baby carrots and little tomatoes. He's a wonderful pet.

Sound believable? I made that whole story up when I was 16 and I've been telling it ever since. It's kind of fun to get people excited and interested in it, and the look on their face is priceless when they realize you're not as cool as they thought. It's mean...I know, but funny how gullible people can be.

It started out as a joke on my friend Caroline (very gullible) because in my backyard we have a fence with an armadillo on it. The picture is included of the armadillo who started it all.

I'm also going to add some pictures of my new house outside...and some nice shots of the Rose of Sharon.

Leaving

Saying good bye is hard when it's to another person...but what about a house? That's what I did today. My house of 13 years and I parted ways today. Well...my family parted ways...houses can't really do that. I took a quick video tour of our empty house, but I already uploaded some pictures yesterday of our empty house. Our old house.

The Internet is up surprisingly fast in our new house, as I'm sitting in our new living room surrounded by misplaced furniture and loads of boxes. I'd like to add some pictures when it starts looking like a home, so I'll put a picture up of the beach we went to today. First time at the beach this season and it was cloudy. Kind of like my mood and mind. At least it took my thoughts away from moving and 13 years of memories and good times.

"home...home again"

I like to be here when I can...

Well today was the big move out day, and I have pictures to make up for the few days that I haven't been blogging.

Not that anyone is following this blog anyways...

It's a sad day :( tonight is my last night in this house.

And at the last minute I remembered I wrote stuff in my closet, it's a secret:)