Boston...at Night

Dear Blog Followers, 

By the time you read this, the president for the next four years will be decided upon! 

Happy Election Day!!

I was unable to update my Facebook status today to "I voted!" because I sent my absentee ballot in weeks ago. 

I am so sorry I haven't posted a blog in a while...a slew of amazing things happen to me, and I am about to share them all with you! Ready, set, go. 

After surviving Super Storm Sandy, carving pumpkins, baking a cake, and making mulled cider, it was time to go OUT! Just in time for Halloween. My plans to be Cat Woman were curbed when I realized the weather was probably going to be terrible...so I never got a costume. But that's okay, because Halloween night was spectacular. 

I've spent plenty of time during the month of October doing touristy things and exploring Boston during the day...but what happens to the city when the sun goes down (pre-daylight savings time)? Remember the reflection pool and the Christian Science Center? I think the reflection pool becomes even more reflective at night, as you can see. The darkness, the quieting down of the city, and the lights being mirrored back are mesmerizing. 

Squrepusher

So what did a twenty something college girl do to celebrate All Hallows' Eve? She spent it with her other short, cute, brown curly haired friend surrounded by lights, sound, and life. We ventured into Royale Boston, an awesome night club where we have previously seen Booka Shade, and Ferry Corsten (if you don't know those names...get 'em up on YouTube pronto!). We saw Squarepusher and out senses were bombarded with rhythm, frequencies, and lights that were an epileptic's worst nightmare. Even though it was all electronic, he eventually busted out a six string bass guitar, and played a wicked chill set of songs. It was an incredible, exhausting, sensory overload of a night. 

Now, most of the tourism happens downtown in the theatre and harbor districts, because that is where the history is. Rarely does anything historic or groundbreaking happen in Allston, and rarely does that happens only three blocks away. 

Well, 1325 Commonwealth Avenue, a mere seven minute walk from my current front door, just became the official home of the band Aerosmith. I was returning back from Rhode Island on a train, and my mom sent me a text asking if I lived near the area, and that the T would be down. Because they were giving a FREE CONCERT. It's not every day you see Steven Tyler and the band Aerosmith drive by in a Duck Boat! The woman who currently lives in their first apartment had her window open and was able to watch the concert from her living room. The band even turned to her asked "Hey...what are you doing in our living room?" Apparently, back in the day, that very same apartment housed six band members, and songs like Walk the Dog and Mama Kin were written in the window of that very same apartment. The building now has a plaque, stating that it's the official home of Aerosmith, and the handprints of the band members are now in the concrete sidewalk, in a very Hollywood-esque fashion. 

Aerosmith in a Duck Boat...how Bostonian. 

The band in the truck that they were performing out of. 

So in one of my last posts, I decided that I was going to combine October and November challenges. I am still going to explore Boston and do all the things I've been craving to do. Things to look forward to are:

-Visiting the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum.

-A tour of South Station, as well as the Copley Library and possibly Fenway (if the season permits)

-A walk along the entire Freedom Trail, complete with Mike's Pastry 

-lunch and/or dinner at Quincy Market

-explorations of the State House, U.S.S. Constitution, and more! 

I am also planning on leading a more mindful existence. This means waking up the first time the alarm goes off -  a problem I faced last month. Well, I think I finally found a solution. Tonight I am going to purchase an app in which you have to solve a simple math problem, or puzzle in order for the ringer to turn off. You can apparently set the difficulty level...and if it's math, then it will have to be very simple. I don't want to have to wake up my boyfriend to ask him what 12 X 17 is, but then again, if the ringer is going off while I'm trying to figure it out, he'll be awake too. 

This challenge is going to force me to make note of how much time I waste, and will hopefully get me into more of a routine of going to the gym, practicing, and getting things done. I also want to be aware of what's going on when I sleep...so I'm going to start keeping track of my dreams...something I used to do, but haven't in a while. I found that when I wrote down my dreams in the past, I could not only haphazardly interpret them, but after a while I was able to control my dreams. That is fun. 

One more thing, and I'll let you be. There is a big reason why I didn't start a huge challenge that required me to do something new. I didn't want to start something that would require lessons, or lots of practice. I can't choose this month to knit, and I can't choose this month to alter anything in my diet. This is because I'm leaving the country. I am going to the Dominican Republic for the last week of November! In a way, this is going to be the main challenge of November, but I wanted to work on being mindful for a long time, and figured I could at least start paying attention to how I spend my days in preparation to getting the absolute most out of the Dominican Republic. 

I am traveling down to the D.R. with fellow students and colleagues to work with the Music Education for Social Development Agency (MESDA). We are going to be coaching, teaching, and performing with the Bi-National Youth Orchestra in Barahona. More on that to come!