My Boston

#52 Boston - Attack of the Dust Particles June 2, 2005

2005-06-02T16:25:00.000-07:00

My friend Lisa Miller got viciously attacked by some filthy dust particles in the New York subway, her shoes melted and apparently I was in a bar fight that I do not remember anything about - I simply woke up with a disfiguring gash on my head. Bottomline: we had fun in the Big Apple!!! One-eyed Lisa eventually recovered from her ocular ailment, while I still sport the laceration on my forehead. What is a trip without battle scars, eh?

NYC welcomed us with spectacular weekend weather, temps in the upper 70s and lower 80s - after three weeks of pretty much constant rain and tenebrous skies in Boston, it was a well-deserved change. New York was, as always, amazing, dazzling, like a shot of adrenaline - jam-packed with tourists, and some folks who actually live there.

I met up with Mrs Miller this past Friday to spend a few nice days in her family's apartment on the Upper East Side (Thanks Roger and Susan!!) - we pretty much wasted no time and immediately zipped down to Rockefeller Plaza (http://www.nyctourist.com/rock_center1.htm), where we decided to take a tour of the NBC studios. I was very impressed with 30 Rock (as the NBC staff calls it) - in particular the set of "Saturday Night Live" (http://www.saturday-night-live.com/). It actually features stadium seating which was given to a cash-strapped Lorne Michaels by none other than George Steinbrenner. Apparently Michaels did not have enough pesos to support "his little show" and Steinbrenner, in a rare fit of munificence, decided to "lend" him a few rows of Yankee stadium seats. Little did he know that the "little show" would go on for more than 30 years!! Of course, the SNL family now considers the seats a good luck charm and they are never replaced (fixed, yes). Gotta keep the good juju!! After pictures were taken of us as NBC newscasters on the set of Dateline NBC, we hightailed it out of there, back to the Upper East Side, to meet up with my German friends Marion and Ulli (both teach in NYC) for a delectable meal at Lentini's, which was quite a treat.

Saturday morning, and every morning thereafter, started out with a trip to the corner-deli-cafe-gourmet-grocery-shop "Agata" - one of the lovely typical New York East Coast deli style places, where everyone who lives in the neighborhood stops in for their morning coffee and probably for their lunch as well. Agata's did welcome us every day with a primo selection of breakfast foods, even if the staff seemed to reside on Planet Spacey at times, and could only handle one coffee order at the time.

We hopped on the subway and were prepared to get into the dreadful lines for TKTS half-price tickets at Times Square (http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/) - generally the wait is at least one hour, and I recommend bringing a folding chair, and a picnic basket, maybe some wine. However, we did discover a secret that I am going to spill now to everyone in the entire universe: you only need to be in the bloody line if you want musical tickets!! (I wished someone would have told me that last year!!!) For plays, you simply go to the cash registers/exits, line up behind the one or two people there at Register 6 (Plays Only) and get your ticket. 5 Minutes, wham, bam - you are done!! Six million thank yous go out to the kind soul in line who told us this!!
This opened up our schedule big time (no kidding), so we trekked toward downtown and my favorite place in New York, the Saturday Union Square Farmers Market - you can buy anything from NY rooftop honey, "mango-on-a-stick", freshly baked pretzels, strange herbs and bad art.

The off-Broadway play "The Paris Letter", performed at the Roundabout Theater on West 46th Street, was impressive - the story of a successful Wall Street power broker, whose life and personal happiness eventually succumbs to the lie he has been living and to the desires he had repressed for decades. Tony award winners Ron Rifkin, John Glover and Michele Frank headed the remarkable cast that also included Daniel Eric Gold and Jason Butler Harner.

On Sunday, we decided to follow a recommendation from my friend Linda and walk across the Brooklyn Bridge (http://www.endex.com/gf/buildings/bbridge/bbridge.html). What a wonderful thing to do!! Opened on May 24, 1883, it is truly a marvel of engineering, with its wooden caissons, a terrific view of the Manhattan Bridge to one side, and Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty to the other. And of course you have to stop by the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory located at the foot of the bridge. Just four flavors (vanilla, vanilla choc chunk, chocolate and chocolate-chocolate chunk) - but the most excellent ice cream!! We stopped for lunch in the artsy-loft district, before heading back over the bridge and then cruised through the entire length of Manhattan.

A walk through Manhattan affords a glimpse -and some stops- in many of the city's engaging neighborhoods - we passed by Tribeca, made a pit stop in trendy Soho (check out Dos Caminos - dynamite Latin food, spectacular Guacamole bar, and Ceviche to die for!!!), looked for the Olsen twins around NYU (absolute gem: Washington Mews between 5th Avenue and University Place in the Village -http://www.forgotten-ny.com/Alleys/GREENWICH%20VILLAGE/green.html - was originally used for stables servicing the expensive homes facing Washington Park; it still retains its original cobble stones, and looks as if it was plucked right out of 19th century Europe), and finally rested our weary feet in Central Park (not before stopping at Trump Tower, and Tiffany's, of course!!). http://www.centralpark.org/

All in all, a most enjoyable weekend, and of course I have to end it with a few little unusual tidbits about New York:

- When you pay for the subway's Metrocard, it asks you to "dip your credit card"
- Street Signs tell you to "curb your dog"
- Winning restaurant names include (our old favorite) "Senor Swanky's" and (new on the list) "Nancy Lee's Pig Heaven" (wonder how the pigs feel about it)
- Favorite New York Moment: Dinner at Empire Wok on Second Avenue, with a table facing the street, and within five minutes we had a sailor throwing us a rose, a dog performing tricks on command and a pretty hammered drunk trying to do the same. Gotta love it.

Back in Boston - after some more joyless weather, spring has finally forced itself onto us, and I was able to have my first nice-weather jog along the Charles River.

On the social front, I was invited to another movie preview screening, this time an absolutely phenomenal flick called "Capote" with Philip Seymour Hoffman portraying Truman Capote so vividly and to the point, that he should get two Oscars! The audience (myself included) was so absorbed by the movie that there was total silence afterward, and the discussion with director Bennett Miller went on for quite some time. The movie will come out sometime this year, so stay tuned.

OK, folks, gotta go! It is nice out, and I want to get a little walk in before it gets dark. Tomorrow is my 1-year anniversary in Boston - a year ago this Friday, I arrived at Logan airport, tired, with three monstrous suitcases and a frightened little bird.

All my love to you - miss you, please keep in touch.

pet:)

#51 Boston - A Week of Culture and The Great Outdoors - May 26, 2005

2005-05-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a week! A culture wave of sorts - a play, a musical, a concert, an Indie film screening, documentaries on Netflix on the cultural side, supplemented by a wonderful hike in New Hampshire to explore the Great Outdoors.

The weather here in New England has made every effort to keep us inside - it has been raining non-stop, and I mean, NON-STOP! Contributing also has been an extremely vicious wind, so any attempt to open your umbrella is pretty much useless. Might as well just get drenched. I admit to a certain level of insanity when it comes to my refusal to take the subway as opposed to getting in a nice long walk to and from the theater, but when I arrived at my apartment last night, soaked as can be, I myself had to question how far the psychosis has progressed.

The hike this past Sunday led up north to New Hampshire, Pawtuckaway State Park in particular, just east of Manchester (http://www.nhstateparks.org/ParksPages/Pawtuckaway/Pawtuckaway.html). The trail drifted through lusciously green and unspoiled woodlands, past hoards of impressive granite boulders ("glacial erratics" for the geologists among us) and mysterious caves at Devils' Den, to a most rewarding view on the North Mountain. The beaver ponds (again) revealed no beavers, and we encountered only a few souls on this gray, but perfect hiking day. Having done mostly local hikes on flat territory all winter, I definitely rediscovered some muscles, who had been in hiding all this time - pleasantly sore as they say, with a smile though, remembering a lovely day.

The cultural divertissements started off on Friday evening with the play "Shakespeare in Hollywood" at the Lyric Stage Company (http://www.lyricstage.com/). The company is a most charming venue right in the heart of Boston, and this play by Ken Ludwig, a farce featuring a Jewish movie producer who escapes to Hollywood from World War II Europe, captivated, enthralled and tickled a very hopped up audience with its wisecracking and drollery. Said producer is trying to bring a little "cultscha" to Tinseltown, and picks "A Midsummer Night's Dream" as his play of choice, only to have the real Oberon and Puck appear in some sort of time-travel trickery and all kinds of flimflam starts to happen.

Saturday, in a complete change of pace, the cultural locale was the Avalon, according to citysearch.com "the closest thing to a big-time New York Club you'll find in Boston". Excellent concerts there, not too overpriced and even pretty decent beer. The group performing this evening was "Snow Patrol" (MY NEW FAVORITE BAND!!!!!) http://www.snowpatrol.net/ . Their website describes their style as a "heart-crushing mix of distorted British pedal rock and US alternative guitar pop" - absolutely fun music, great band, terrific tunes! Check them out if they come your way!! (You can listen to "Spitting Games", "Run" and "Chocolate" on the web!)

Tuesday night, it was time for the next ushering job/ culture fix, this time at the Huntington Theatre Company for a musical called "Falsettos". Set in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the story centers around a family whose father, Marvin, leaves his wife for a guy named Whizzer and has the lofty goal of keeping everyone "one big happy Jewish family". Again, the Huntington affirmed its reputation for great stage display and original choice of playwright. Energetic performances by a stellar cast, in particular 12-year old Jacob Brandt, who plays Marvin's son Jason and whose vocal performance was quite impressive (very clearly, puberty has not hit this young man yet....).

Rounding out this week of fun, was yesterday's screening of a new movie called "Friends with Money". As volunteers for the Independent Film Festival, we were invited to this exclusive event, and were not told much about the movie beforehand. "Just be there, 7:30 PM, watch the flick, we would like to know what you think" - kind of event. I certainly enjoyed the movie - fits probably into the category "bitter comedy" - Frances McDormand, Jennifer Anniston and Joan Cusack were among a very absorbing cast of characters. Following the film was a discussion with writer and director Nicole Holofcener ( "Lovely and Amazing" is one of her earlier accomplishments) and feedback from the audience. Cool.

So, quite a week, eh? And a short one too, as I am heading to New York City tomorrow to meet up with my friend Lisa Miller for a fun-filled weekend.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend and stay dry!

pet:)

#50 Boston - What happened in Florida and Other Useless Observations - May 19, 2005

2005-05-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

I am back in town - returned from the Sunshine State, and the city of Boston welcomed us at the airport with a scorching 45 degrees!! Overall it was not that much of an adjustment as I spent most of my time in Orlando in the Orange County Convention Center, which featured about the same temperature. Conferences, in particular this one, are very exhausting, and I basically headed home Tuesday and slept for a day-and-a-half (some of it in bed).

Some observations (most of them useless) from my trip:

You have heard of a hammer toe, right? Well, the guy next to me in the plane (a fellow attendee as it turned out) had a "hammer thumb" - an enormous behemoth of a finger I must say. Freak.

Experienced one of those families we love and cherish on plane rides, in particular the 5-year old son, who delighted his mother and us fellow passengers with a barrage of statements like "Are you sure we are on the right plane?", "Is anyone getting play dough?" (Ain't gonna be me!")

First time I flew into Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington, DC - right over the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. Cool.

Palm trees in Florida were a site for winter-sore eyes, ahh, warmth, feels good, sense memory comes back.

Westgate Lakes Resort - my hotel - aha, this is where families with eight or more children vacation.

Met a 2 1/2-year old alligator in hotel lobby (his mouth was taped shut, which was a good thing). Meanwhile MGH in Boston with all its construction displaces whole colonies of mice.

Playing the name game at the ASCO convention, discover participants named Donald Trump (no kidding), Kim Chi and (very cutting edge) Roger Rodgers.

Love the non-smoking sign at the Convention Center (remember this is a cancer conference):

"Smoking is prohibited"
"Smoking causes cancer"
"Secondhand smoking kills, too"
"Your fellow oncologists and patients appreciate you not smoking"

Lots of business dinners in the evening, highlight is the French Restaurant "Le Coq au Vin", absolutely the best food in Orlando. Ingestion of alcohol leads to indulgence and revelations - who knew the pharma industry rep has a degree in Middle Eastern Studies and used to sell fork lifts?

Cabbie gets completely lost on the way to the restaurant, and gives us the grand tour of Orlando - we pass a church named "Mary, Queen of the Universe" (??)

If you wonder where the bee line (that we take so often) is, I am happy to report that we discovered it in Orlando (Bee Line Parkway, right near the convention center).

Conference turns into reunion with many friends from California - hello all!! It was good to see you.

Highlight of the conference for me is a movie called "Frankl's Choice" which juxtaposes the life and teachings of Victor Frankl, the developer of existential psychology, with interviews of terminally ill patients and cancer survivors (among them my boss Bruce Chabner, who is an oncology physician, and his wife, Davi Ellen Chabner). Here is a quote from his book "Man's Search for Meaning" - "Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible."

Aside from being THE meeting every year where scientific results in oncology get highlighted, this is also the mecca for marketers. The exhibit halls overwhelm with gargantuan booths, high-tech gadgetry, and every tschotschke known to mankind. Lots of cool little items, some of which now reside in my home..... at the end of the day you stagger out of there like a drunken sailor on shore leave and packed like a mule, just like after a sale at Filene's Basement....

Disney is unbelievable - those of you who have ever been to Disneyland in California know, it is in the hood, somewhere in Anaheim, in an uninspired neighborhood - just when you have given up all hope, there is the parking lot! Disney World in Orlando (if you are into that kind of stuff) is mind-boggling. You drive through the lush Florida vegetation, and all of a sudden the freeway signs turn Disney Color, you know just like at Toys R Us. Fake boulders appear out of nowhere, castles line the side of the road and you expect all vehicles to be driven by 6-year olds. 47 Miles of property are occupied by the different parks (Epcot, Disney, MGM, Universal) and all of them charge $65 a pop to get in!! The whole area reminded me of one of the old Star Trek episodes, where Captain Kirk and his crew land on a real pretty and clean planet, where all the people are smiling and have probably been drugged and brainwashed.

Back in Boston, work is insane, immediately following ASCO, organizing a huge meeting, which took place this afternoon, and went very well. Heading home now, exhausted, happy that it is Friday tomorrow.

Ciao for now!

pet:)

#49 Boston - Scuttlebutt and Limeys - May 12, 2005

2005-05-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Sunny Florida, where I landed today - and let me tell you, it is a bit of a surprise that I got here at all. Not the airline's fault, but it can be entirely attributed to my early morning scatteredness. Went to the wrong terminal at Logan for starters, then hiked to the right terminal, found US Air, even though they do their best to hide, sat at the wrong gate for a while (looked at seat # instead of gate #), realized it in time (phew!!). Maybe I should switch away from decaf!

It is my first time in Florida - I am attending the annual meeting of ASCO, the American Society for Clinical Oncology. 30,0000 cancer specialists will descend onto the city of Orlando (www.orlandoinfo.com) over the next few days. The conference is absolutely insane, overwhelming and as I experienced two years ago in Chicago, so huge that it is essential to have a decent, sturdy pair of walking shoes.

I am staying at the Westgate Lakes Resort and Spa, one of six million "resorts" on the outskirts of Orlando. The place is a huge, 1300-room sprawl. I occupy the most lovely studio - the design is definitely "Golden Girls", about the size of my apartment, with a view of Turkey Lake and a Jacuzzi!

As a great segue into my trip, the weather in Boston changed drastically and was nice for once over the past two days (and yes, again, the flip flops came out).

The past weekend was again rainy and drab though, so hiking was definitely not on the agenda. On Saturday, my stir-craziness drove me out of the house in the afternoon and led to a brief, rain-soaked stroll over to the Science Museum. I had wanted to see the Butterfly Garden, their newest exhibit, but since everybody and their cousin were there, the program was sold out. So I headed to the Charles Hayden Planetarium and listened to a presentation on stargazing, which was pretty decent. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the "hands-on" explorer section of the museum, where some six-year olds and I put all the right organs (or so we thought) on a human dummy. The Velcro strips were not so crisp any more and the kidneys kept falling down, but aside from that we did pretty good.

Saturday night, I went out with my Indian friends, Rohini and PJ for a superb dinner at the Silvertone Bar and Grill, definitely one of my new favorite places in the hub. The Silvertone convinces with a hip crowd, spectacular food (best Mac and Cheese ever) and very affordable prices! It was a most educational evening - Rohini is the world's best resource on - well, pretty much anything. Just like Barbra Streisand in "Hello Dolly" - "Just leave everything to me" - she dazzled us with one business card after the other. No matter if you need your eyebrows threaded, your car tires rotated or your neck adjusted - Rohini knows!

On Sunday, it was time to visit the final two stops on the Freedom Trail that I had omitted to visit until now: The USS Constitution and the Bunker Hill Monument, both located in Charlie aka Charlestown.
The USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides" is a spectacular experience. The oldest commissioned warship afloat in the entire world, she is still part of the US Navy and can boast a colorful history. Her name, "Old Ironsides" stems from a historic battle with the HMS Guerriere in 1812. The British 380-gun frigate, famous for terrorizing the US naval fleet, should have flattened the Constitution. The Guerriere started firing like mad, only to see their cannon shots bounce off the sides of the USSC - so one of their sailors shouted "Huzzah, her sides are made from iron!!" - which gave the old girl her famous name. (The strength of the hull is actually due to a triple layer of white oak-live oak (very strong wood)-white oak - no iron whatsoever). After 20 minutes, the British were toast, and the HMS Guerriere was so badly damaged that they had to sink the ship.

The tour of the USS Constitution was equally engrossing, and a very dapper young naval officer gave us a glimpse of what life was like aboard the ship. 500 men were on duty, worked on the gun and spar decks and slept in their berths, always in 4-hour shifts (250 a piece). One of the artifacts on deck was the "scuttlebutt", the ships drinking water supply, which was the only place on the ship where you were allowed to chat (the "water cooler" of yesterday) - hence the word scuttlebutt is used for gossip. The barrel was a "butt barrel" with a scuttle opening. Needless to say the water allocated to every sailor (35 pints a day) was not used for personal hygiene that much, this made the whole 500-man-on-a-boat experience a bit of a smelly affair.
My other favorite amenity on board was the grog tub, which for the US Navy contained whiskey, not rum as one might expect. (The Royal Navy had rum). In order to prevent the all-prevalent scurvy, lemon juice was added, whereas the British added lime juice to their rum, hence the term "limeys".

I then met up with Elaine and we zipped over to the Bunker Hill Monument, a 221-foot obelisk, which marks the site of the first major battle of the American Revolution. "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes" - untrained and ill-equipped to match up against the far superior British forces, the American colonists made up for their shortcomings with fierce determination. The Battle of Bunker Hill, fought in June of 1775 awarded the British of loss of half of their 2200 ground forces and artillery. The colonists did loose eventually, but not without inflicting serious pain and damage on their enemy. You can climb up all 294 steps to the top of the monument, which is a serious workout, but does reward with spectacular views.

Completely exhausted, Elaine and I retreated to her new and extremely comfortable new couch, and spent the afternoon with tea and cake, just as it should be. I also got to meet the newest addition to her family, Nipsy, a little budgie just like my Oscar. He was absolutely adorable, even though he tried to evade his first German lesson by hiding behind the refrigerator.

The weekend ended with a lovely visit by Melanie and Tom from California, which was celebrated by way of a delectable meal at Croma, one of the nice, but not too upscale eateries on Newbury Street. Their chocolate cobbler is definitely worth a visit.

On Monday, I made use of another resource for us rat-poor, cash-drained Bostonians - citystylist.com, where you sign up for a haircut with a student at one of the fancy schmancy hair salons in Boston. $15 dollars - I am now sporting a very snazzy, albeit a bit short do courtesy of Runway Salon.

My friends, it is bed time - all my love to you from Orlando......

pet:)

#48 Boston - Return of the Flip Flop - May 5, 2005

2005-05-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

No, my friends, I am not talking about John Kerry, even though he does hang around here. This is another unsettling phenomenon, closely related to the quilt bag movement I eluded to in one of my earlier updates. The same women who last year, during my first encounters with New England urban culture, carried the flowery Vera Bradley bags (coined "diaper bags" by my friend Ruth) have now - at the first signs of spring and the sweltering 50 degree weather - pulled out their beach wear -flip flops, which go so well with their professional outfits (not!!). I don't know who started this people!! In addition, I have to say something to the guys accompanying these women - no matter how much you love your girlfriend, fiancée, wife, mistress, spousal equivalent - do not, I mean DO NOT carry their hand bags (in particular if it is one of those bedspread bags...). I know you mean well, but - no, no, no - very unbecoming....

Speaking of returning - this Wednesday, the resident Public Garden swans, Romeo and Juliet, have returned to their summer lagoon - they reside at the Franklin Park Zoo all winter. There was a little parade to welcome them back to the hub, led by none other than our own Boston Park Ranger Lt. Reginald Sampson.

At this point, I am pretty much convinced that no more snow is coming to Boston, and the weather has kept steady at temps in the 50s, albeit with not much sunshine, and last weekend was a rain-out, so any attempts at hiking were balked at by Mother Nature. This drencher of a weekend put a major damper on WBOS's Earth Fest, which took place on the Charles River Esplanade, and had actually a pretty nice line-up with The Wallflowers, Carbon Leaf, Five for Fighting as their headliners. I did not attend, but was able to hear some of it, as I was stuck in traffic on Storrow Drive with my friend Renee's mattress crunched right above my head. I was helping her out with moving and there was gridlock everywhere! All went well though, and Renee, Clover (the cat) and Rufus (the dog) are now comfortably settled in Somerville.

Saturday evening I headed toward Emmanuel Church on Newbury Street (http://www.emmanuel-boston.org/) to usher for Boston Cares. The evening featured a performance by the Spectrum Singers (www.spectrumsingers.org), one of the many choral ensembles here in New England, and definitely one of their finest!! They have been around for a quarter century and generally perform pieces from all periods of music history. English baroque composer Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695 )(http://www.baroquemusic.org/bqxpurcell.html) and his opera "Dido and Aeneas" were portrayed that night. Considering that I just saw the play about Dido and Aeneas at the ART, this was a fitting addition to my cultural program, and a spectacular performance by this choir. Bravo!!

I was determined to do some hiking on Sunday, but again - rain, rain and rain. Change of plans, time to hit the museums. For starters I had to visit the one museum in Boston that I had been negligent in visiting - the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. From the outside, you would never guess what a gem this place is - a 15th century Venetian Villa, right in the middle of Boston!! (http://www.gardnermuseum.org/). Isabella, bless her, was an art collector, philanthropist, music enthusiast and designed this marvel to inspire in people a love for the arts. It is one of the finest collections of paintings, tapestries, sculptures, furniture and decorative arts. The courtyard with its amazing display of flowers and, my favorite, the tapestry room, where concerts by the Gardner Chamber Orchestra take place, they just take your breath away. The museum opened in 1903 and has not changed since Isabella's death in 1924. The collection features objects from ancient Rome, medieval Europe, Renaissance Italy, Asia, the Islamic world and 19th century France and America. Titian, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Manet, Degas, Whistler and Sargent are among the artists displayed, and its archives hold thousands of letters from the likes of T.S. Eliot, Sarah Bernhardt and Oliver Wendell Holmes, in addition to original Dante manuscripts. This is a must for every visitor to Boston!

Artist in Residence Dayanita Singh provided an interesting exhibit on chairs - come to think of it, actually a pretty neat idea. Not all chairs are created equal (or seat equally comfortable), as they say!

Well, once I had exhausted myself there, I ambled over to the Museum of Fine Arts to make another attempt at seeing the Ralph Lauren Caaah Exhibit "Speed, Style and Beauty" and this time my quest was successful. (http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/cars/default.html). Quite the car enthusiast he is, our Ralphie! I was not quite sure what to expect, but I have to say, I got swept up in the excitement over the horsepower in that room. Contrary to my expectations, the audience was a pretty mixed bag (not just guys), but definitely different from the "Spring in Bloom" crowd downstairs, which leaned strongly toward the 70+ female demographic. The cars were absolutely cool!! You just wanted to hop into one of those bad boys and go (not that my little Ella is not fun too, but...). Bugattis, Bentleys, Alfa Romeos, Porsches, Jaguars and Mercedes - up-close and personal!! My favorites were the 1937 Bugatti 57SC Gangloff Drophead Coupe, the 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Coupe (with its airplane-type doors) and of course the Porsche Spyder. The McLaren Formula 1 all-carbon was quite stylish in a futuristically sort-of-way (also goes 240 mph). Write-ups on the walls depicted the inventors and designers of these cars - and some interesting tidbits about them. Walter Bentley was part of the "Bentley Boys", a "gaggle of British gentlemen, who drove fast cars and lived fast lives, with dusk-to-dawn parties and escapades all over Europe." (ooh, lala!!). Etore Bugatti apparently was a peculiar bird, he once refused to sell a car to King Carol II of Romania, because he did not like his table manners. And William Lyons, the Jaguar guy, once went to test race one of his cars with a friend. He forgot his glasses and instead of heading back to get them, he simply told the poor passenger to direct him where to drive (we are talking race car speeds here!!).

After that adrenaline-laden experience, I headed for a cozy little exhibit the MFA had on baseball and the Red Sox, the center piece of which was a famous Norman Rockwell painting called "The Rookie". It was the cover page of the Saturday Evening Post on March 2, 1957. (http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/rockwell_baseball.html). A small exhibit, but what a great collection of Memorabilia:
- a picture of the first game ever played in Fenway Park on April 20, 1912 between the Boston Red Sox and New York Highlanders
- Harry Hooper's Sweater (he still holds the Red Sox record for most stolen bases (300) and triples (130))
- Jerseys from Carlton Fisk, Carl Yazstrzemski, Ted Williams and Cy Young (did you know his first name was Cyclone??)
- Score cards from the 1915 World Series
- The famous promissory note to the New York Yankees for the partial payment for Babe Ruth
- Johnny Damon and Curt Schilling's cleats and other paraphernalia from the 2004 World Series
- The diehard Royal Rooters, who used to perform their baseball battle song "Tessie", which is still played at Fenway Park, now in its newest interpretation by the Drop Kick Murphys. (http://www.plyrics.com/lyrics/dropkickmurphys/tessie.html)

At the end of this rainy weekend, I was suddenly attacked by a vicious virus of sorts and since then have been fighting a cold, that has pretty much afflicted everyone here at the hospital and in my circle of friends (not that I stated it!!). Raspy throat, runny nose (call me Rudolf), the whole works. I have been heading home every night this week and pretty much straight to bed, so nothing new to report.

Got my picture in the paper again, sort of - the Boston Courant had snapshots from the Back Bay Road Race, and while my friends Ruth and Eric can be seen quite nicely, Elaine and I are featured partially, but hey - I'm not picky.

Amigos, Happy Cinco de Mayo, I am head home now and will eat a truck load of chicken soup!!

Ciao,

pet:)

#47 Boston - A Weekend at the Movies - April 29, 2005

2005-04-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Week 47 here in Boston, this time littered with movies and some other incidents of random madness.

The cinematic excitement was due to the 3rd Annual Independent Film Festival (http://www.iffboston.org/index.html), which took place in several locations across the hub - at the Somerville, Brattle, Coolidge and MFA movie theaters. I had signed up with IFFB for a couple of long shifts at the Somerville movie theater near Davis Square and it made for a very exhausting weekend. The festival was definitely compelling - only one celebrity sighting for me - famed African-American actor/director/composer Melvin van Peebles (http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/03/van_peebles.html). He was wearing a t-shirt with the words "Original Badasssss" on it, referring to his controversial 1970s movie "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song". On opening night, which I did miss, Indie favorites Steve Buscemi and Casey Affleck were also seen in town attending the premiere of their project "Lonesome Jim."

I did manage to see two stimulating pictures, a Canadian flick called "Childstar" (http://www.iffboston.org/2005/film_childstar.html), which was a funny, but darkly bitter comedy on child actors in the film industry. "Rhythm is It" is a documentary on a project done between the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the conductorship of Sir Simon Rattle (great name for a composer!!), and British choreographer Roylston Maldoom. Roylston took 240 kids and young adults, from elementary school age to about 22 years of age, and taught them to dance accompanying the symphony orchestra's performance of Igor Stravinsky's "Le Sacre du Printemps". What an inspiring project and equally motivating and touching movie!!!! (http://www.iffboston.org/2005/film_rhythm.html)

Somerville is a very nice part of the Boston municipal area - home of my favorite Boston pub, The Burren, all very neighborhoody, great restaurants. The Somerville Theater, in one of its previous lifetimes was originally a Vaudeville-style performance theater with a reputation for excellence.
Spending some time waiting for the subway in Somerville, reminded me that a some of the T stations here feature much appreciated diversions. The Davis Square T for example features poems by Emily Dickinson and other women poets on its brick tiles on the platform floors. At the Kendall Square/ MIT stop local artist Paul Matisse installed three sculpture-instruments - Pythagoras, Kepler and Gallileo. "Pythagoras" is a set of long tube bells tuned in B minor struck by a line of pendulum hammers. When passenger move the handle on the station wall, the hammers swing back and forth, striking the tubes, creating the most wonderful sounds.

The weekend started off on a good note, on Saturday morning, I participated in the first ever Back Bay 5 K (http://www.aviewoncities.com/boston/backbay.htm) along the Charles River Esplanade. Organized by the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay and the Chi Phi Fraternity of MIT, it was a very community-based, low-key event with about 120 runners attending. The Chi Phi frat boys did a commendable job, and the race was definitely enjoyed by all, in particular because we all put up spectacular running times. This was partly due to the fact that the race was not exactly 5K (3.1 Miles), but according to my own calculations about 2.75 Miles. If my math is correct, I can now applaud myself on a new personal best of 8.45 minutes/ mile!!! Yeah! The weather was perfect for running, cool temps in the upper 40s or so, and just a little windy. My running companions included Ruth, Eric and Elaine - for Ruth this was her first official race, and she did spectacularly.

Sunday was a bit of a messy day, as other kinds of madness kicked in. First, after peeling myself out of bed at the ungodly time of 7:15 AM to meet up with an acquaintance to go bird watching at the wonderful Mt. Auburn cemetery (http://www.mountauburn.org/), I got stood up! There I was waiting in the pouring rain, freezing, tired, and no one showed up (at least nobody I knew)! That pretty much set the tone for the day. Being overtired and grumpy do not make a good combination, I have to tell you. During my afternoon shift at the theater, I walked outside to look for one of the coordinators, only to find some 65-year old psychopath freak out on me simply because I "stepped in front of him." Completely lost it, the dude, screaming on the top of his lungs, his eyes bulging, and he did not stop his rapacious tirade until the end of the next block. The whole day was like this - loonies everywhere - and by the time I came home, I went straight to bed. No use in staying up or meeting more crazy people.

The week has been pretty low-key as a result of my extreme tiredness following this past weekend, the evenings were filled with couch time, movies, books, and an acceptable allotment of exercise. The weather has been less than inviting, warm but mostly rainy. The weekend promises mixed weather - plans include a concert, some hiking, maybe a road race (possible spontaneous moment coming up!). Sunday is National Arbor Day (you know, good for the trees, that kind of stuff). As a nice contrast, Germany celebrates Labor Day on May 1st - everyone usually goes on a hike and gets drunk! My friends, have a beer on me and enjoy the weekend!!

pet:)

#46 Boston - In Fine Fettle - April 22, 2005

2005-04-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

Healthy as a Horse, as they say! I returned from a physical check-up with my PCP with a boastable cholesterol level of 182 (not even fasting), and an HDL level of 74 (greater than 40 is optimal). No word on my mental capacity, but you guys all know me! No reason to check any further, eh? I hope this will bode well for my running efforts, in particular for the road race tomorrow morning (the 1st Annual Back Bay 5K), where I hope to improve my running time, and maybe get a wee bit closer to that 9-Minute/Mile mark. I have been practicing diligently, but again learned that I suck when it comes to jogging during warm weather. This past Wednesday, where the erratic spring climate dropped an 87 degree day on us, I put on the most despicable performance ever - it was like running through molasses (considering that it was still 80 degrees out at 5:30 PM). It has cooled down a bit since, and we are hoping for no rain tomorrow. Spring bloom is in full force, and the magnolia trees along Comm Ave and the cherry trees on the Charles River Esplanade are putting on a most splendid display.

The weather has been inviting for hikes and such, so last weekend I hopped in the caah and barreled up to Nashua, Hew Hampshire for a hike with the AMC. Nashua, situated in the Merrimack Valley, is the second largest city in New Hampshire, about 30-some miles from Boston, and has an interesting history (http://www.nashuahistory.com/). It originally started out as the Dunstable Massachusetts Bay Settlement sometime in the 17th century, in 1746 became a bona fide NH town named Dunstable and in 1803 changed to Nashua. Our hike in the granite state took us to Mine Falls Park, a very nice 325-acre area along the Merrimack River, and we were rewarded there with turtles, herons, one lonely swan and a lovely lunch alongside a pretty impressive waterfall. (http://www.bikerag.com/nh_mines_falls_park_pics.htm)

Back in Boston, I lumbered to the Hynes Convention Center where the John Hancock Sports and Fitness Expo was taking place - the city was abuzz with the excitement of the upcoming Boston Marathon (http://www.bostonmarathon.org/), which was to take place on Monday. The city was jam-packed with people, athletes and cheerers-on alike, and the nice weather put them all onto our fine streets. Forget about getting a spot for dinner anywhere.....

Sunday started off with a nice breakfast at the Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown, where on the weekends the lines are out the door - with the size of their flapjacks that is no surprise to anyone. It is one of my favorite breakfast places - their pancakes come in plain, buckwheat and sweet potato, and their tea selection is quite eclectic. Owner Don Levy prides himself on offering what he calls "fine dinering" fare (http://www.ronsaari.com/stockImages/diners/town.php).
Aside from a quick 5-mile run along the Charles River, (where some of the sun-hungry Bostonians attempted to enhance their chances of getting skin cancer) Sunday turned into a lovely lazy day with some chores and lots of R&R.

Monday was Patriots Day which equals Marathon Day - what an excitement!! Many people take the day off to cheer on the 20,000 runners in the race! "Catherine the Great", Catherine Ndereba from Kenya captured her fourth crown in a row, and Hailu Negussie from Ethiopia crossed the finish line as the men's winner - both of them in times barely over two hours!! That is 26 miles, 40 Kilometers!

The week has been good at work, progress in "posterland" (with a mildly scary first presentation today to the executive committee of the cancer center, but it did go well) and lots of social activities, among it two nights of jogging with my friends Ruth and Joanne. The book group met Tuesday night, where we descended on a snazzy desert place called "Finale" (check out their creations - they are pieces of art - http://www.finaledesserts.com/ ). In the sugar rush that followed the consumption of a Manjari Mousse, I was a little out of control, but I was not alone there - fellow book worm Coleen called her father, telling him that I have a fact fetish, and solicited the story of Boston-born Republican statesman Henry Cabot Lodge (he grew up in Nahant, where Coleen resides). She then proceeded to tell me some cockamamie story about Cabot's family making their money by cutting ice in chunks and shipping them out for refrigeration. I have not been able to find anything about this anywhere, so I am just assuming that it was the chocolate talking!

Wednesday night I joined my friend Nesli Basgoz for a little trip out to her neighborhood in Brookline, a rather lovely part of Boston. My favorite part was "Emack and Bolio's" - http://www.emackandbolios.com/icecream.htm, an "ice cream shop with more than a lick of promise". Started in the 1975, it is a Boston ice cream institution and was apparently named after the first two customers that walked in the door.

Last night, it was time to taste the whiskey, this time for the "Johnny Walker Journey of Taste" at the Hotel Commonwealth at Kenmore Square. A rather sloppily and hastily organized event, so aside from tasting some of the whiskeys that go into their blends, it was definitely not worth attending.

My friends, it is time to head into the weekend, I leave you with a couple more local morsels.

Ciao.

pet:)

Morsel 1: Boston has the world's smallest suspension bridge (in the Public Garden - http://www.ebpm.com/bost/regpix/glry_bost_pubgar.html)

Morsel 2: The city of Rockport, MA voted last Tuesday night to allow the sale of alcohol by restaurants (ending 150 years of being a dry town). Only 14 dry towns remain in this lovely state of ours. Let's go get'em!

#45 Boston - Weather Jumble - April 15, 2005

2005-04-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

I know that you might be tired of hearing about the lovely, but unpredictable Massachusetts weather, but this week has been and is definitely noteworthy. The signs of spring are here - absolute fact - and last weekend us New Englanders (actually probably just me) thought we had it nailed. The weather kept getting better and better, and on Sunday we enjoyed a very balmy 68 degrees, everyone was out and about, sandals were freed from the back of closets and the sound of children playing echoed in the streets. Monday morning, I put on my nice new spring blouse, and left the house with just a jacket, when I noticed everyone wearing their fleece and down jackets and a minute later a nice 42 degrees hit me in the face! What in the world?? It stayed cold most of Monday, warmed up a little on Tuesday morning, and when I left the hospital on Tuesday evening, I was greeted by snow flurries (yes, snow!!??!!). It has since warmed up again slowly, and we are expecting a nice warm weekend with temps in the upper 50s and even 70s for Sunday. For next Wednesday a high of 78 degrees is proposed. That folks, is spring in New England!

Aside from this hodgepodge of weather, it has been a good week off work and an operose one at work. The grant is coming back to haunt all of us as we are preparing for the NCI (National Cancer Institute - the folks with the dough) site visit in June. I am in the midst of preparing posters, making friends with many Excel spreadsheets and having flashbacks to February (not the good kind).

This past weekend, on account of the peachy weather, I headed to the most lovely city of Carlisle and Estabrook Woods, which consists of about 1200 acres of woodland, hills, ledges and swampland just a couple of miles north of Concord. The name was given to the forest area by none other than our friend David Henry Thoreau. Carlisle was first settled in the year 1650, is located about 40 minutes outside of Boston (20 Miles NW) and - interesting fact - 25% of the town is protected conservation land. (http://www.carlislehistory.org/history.html). I joined my friends from the Appalachian Mountain Club for a very agreeable hike, slightly muddy on occasion, dotted with gratifying conversations including some solid advice from an investment banker and a slight disagreement with the trip leader about pine trees. He was a bit of an odd duck, got lost a few times, and we backtracked quite a bit, so the 5 miles we hiked might have been a bit of an underestimate.

Upon returning home to Boston, I was not yet satisfied with the amount of physical activity for the day, so I headed out for a 5-mile run along the Charles River Esplanade, which was packed with roller bladers, bicyclists, joggers, dogs, cats, squirrels, you name it.
The snug weather on Sunday invited for a few things, but mostly for lazing and dilly-dallying, catching up on some reading. I spent the afternoon attending my friend Nakia's baby shower, "Little E" (Evan Jr.) is expected by the end of the month and we are all anxious to meet him.

On Tuesday night, I volunteered (sort of - we did not have to do that much....) with Boston Cares at the American Repertory Theater, this time at their Zero Arrow location between Harvard and Central Square (http://www.amrep.org/). The play was "Olly's Prison" by controversial and award-winning English playwright Edward Bond. His first play "Saved" which was produced by the UK's Royal Court Theater Group (1965) depicted the life of disenchanted youths who were driven to monstrous acts generated by the brutal economic conditions they faced. The play stirred up quite a scandal, and eventually led to the abolishment of censorship in theater plays in England. "Olly's Prison" (http://www.amrep.org/olly/) is an interesting play - and having a bit of distance in between now, I would say a very powerful one. The theme for me was that all the characters in the play were looking for some sort of order in their lives or in their minds in the midst of violence and turmoil. The actors were absolutely phenomenal, Bill Camp as Mike the main character, was an astonishing force on the stage, and so was Angela Reed. The performance was quite violent at times, either with its writing and words that were thrown at you with the potency of a whip or with the actual portrayal of violent acts. An amazing and exhausting experience.

On Thursday evening, I headed out to Weston - the site of some of my XC skiing and snowshoeing exploits in winter, which is now a golf course. The Charles River Canoe and Kayak folks had organized a slide show by the Maine Island Trail Association, featuring Maine's 100 public and private islands along the state's coast line. I will have to stock up on Dramamine and sea bands if I want to hop into a kayak and not get queasy, but the striking photographs will leave me no choice. MITA is a very cool organization, as their mission is to make all visitors (kayakers and boaters) "stewards" of these islands. They train visitors on low impact techniques and practices that assure that the fragile ecology of these islands will be preserved. (http://mita.org/index.php).

Hiking season has begun, and this weekend I will attend a couple of short hikes, Nashua, New Hampshire and Middlesex Fells, MA; there is a Sports and Fitness Expo at the Hynes Convention Center (on account of the Boston Marathon on Monday!) and meeting up with some friends, you know, just your average weekend. A little running also, as next week another road race awaits - the 1st Annual Back Bay Road Race! I will also be volunteering for the Boston Independent Film Festival in Somerville, so no shortage of entertainment there!

My friends, I hope you all have a nice weekend too. Be well and enjoy the great outdoors!

pet:)

#44 Boston - Daily Notes, A Shakespeare Sonnet and a Civil Righs Poem - April 8, 2005

2005-04-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 1:
April Fool's Day - No apparent traps anywhere, we'll see when the bank statement comes or if someone delivers a washing machine to my door. Who knows? The week does end on a high note - my first 5-mile test run in the evening (no collapse) - MGH to the Boston University Bridge and back. Christmas pounds and winter weight finally melting away!

Saturday, April 2:
AMC's all-day Bicycle Repair and Information Workshop in Concord. Perfect activity to pick, as it is raining cats and dogs all day. Learned something (what kind of bikes to use for what, how to replace an inner tube (yeah!!), what a derailleur is and that I better not fix it myself - no intention of touching that stuff on my own!). Now I can go out biking in the wilderness and have a flat (again, no intention of doing that either).
Saturday night, first to the gym - then onto Netflix night, I can't believe I am telling you this! I watched "Walking Tall" with "The Rock". 'Nuff said. Note: There was no beer involved!! (As a matter of fact, I had my last beer on March 20th!). Also some TV time at my neighbor Claire's place (feeding the cats and enjoying the big screen TV).

Sunday, April 3:
Lolling around on the couch, followed by successful retail therapy at Filene's Basement. Finally realized in my Sunday stupor that the clock had jumped an hour ahead - bloody daylight savings time... All of a sudden, lolling and dragging did not seem like such a good idea any more. Get crackin!

The Museum of Fine Arts (http://www.mfa.org/) was next - to see the Ralph Lauren car show on "Speed, Style and Beauty" (http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/cars/default.html) - sold out, my friends! As the MFA is always a good bet on any day (rainy or not), I stayed and checked out the Asian Art collection, in particular a photography exhibit by Hiroshi Sugimoto, who became well known in the 1980s through his extremely long exposure photography, in which he was trying to combine the Eastern ideas of the creative process with the Western idea of conceptual art. Stunning photographs, simple in their beauty, in particular his nocturnal seascapes (the view from Mount Tamalpais included) and his somewhat bizarre obsession with theater and outdoor movie screens (including a phenomenal shot of Oakland's Art Deco Paramount Theater). [http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/sugimoto_hiroshi.html] Moved on to a great exhibit on the "Sword of the Samurai" and stunning selection of Japanese wedding kimonos (uchikake) and furisodes (kimono for unmarried women).
As only a fraction of the MFA's permanent collection is on exhibit at any given moment, my attempt to see my beloved Vermeer was for naught, but I did spend a few enjoyable minutes with the impressionists (always reliable).

Sunday evening - more Netflix ("The Day After Tomorrow") and Cat/Big-TV-sitting.

Monday, April 4:
Extended lunch hour, snuck away to Suffolk University Law School for a book reading by famous author Ha Jin - presenting his newest work "War and Trash". Got my copy of his book "Waiting" signed, one of my first ever book group books. http://www.powells.com/authors/jin.html)
Evening - gym activity (remember the Christmas pounds!) - rowing machine for 6 K. More Cat/Big TV-sitting (I am so glad I do not have a cable hook-up at my place - you would not be reading any updates, ever!)

Tuesday, April 5: Same as yesterday (except for no rowing).

Wednesday, April 6: Attended the volunteer orientation for the Boston International Film Festival which will take place later this month (http://www.iffboston.org/index.html). Continued over to the auditorium for the Third Annual Boston Shakespeare Sonnet-thon, where my friend Renee presented Sonnet #141 (http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/):

In faith I do not love thee with mine eyes,
For they in thee a thousand errors note;
But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise,
Who, in despite of view, is pleased to dote.
Nor are mine ears with thy tongue's tune delighted;
Nor tender feeling, to base touches prone,
Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited
To any sensual feast with thee alone:
But my five wits nor my five senses can
Dissuade one foolish heart from serving thee,
Who leaves unswayed the likeness of a man,
Thy proud heart's slave and vassal wretch to be:
Only my plague thus far I count my gain,
That she that makes me sin awards me pain.

Unfortunately I missed her reading, but enjoyed quite a few others along with an extremely giddy and delighted audience. His birthday and day of death are both April 23rd, so every year this poetry marathon is held in the Boston Public Library.

Wednesday, April 6:
Weekly jog with the Running Partners from MGH (Lynda #2 and I)

Thursday, April 7:
Opening Reception at the Panopticon Gallery in Hotel Commonwealth at Kenmore Square - Ernest Withers, famed African-American photographer, who captured many key moments of the civil rights movement (His "I am a Man" portfolio is legendary), and also depicted the music scene in the 1950s and 1960s in Memphis, Tennessee. His exhibit was named "The Color of Baseball" and featured both prints from the Negro Baseball Leagues (in black and white) and modern day baseball (in color). He is an absolute icon and at the tender age of 83 quite spry!
http://www.panopt.com/photogra/withers/galleryew.html
(http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=639&category=artMakers).

"I am a Man"
by Robert Worsham

Don’t look at me with disdain,
For I am not a weakling, I am a man.
I stood when to stand
brought severe reprimand,
I spoke, when to speak
brought denunciation from the weak,
and brutal attacks from those in power,
But to me this was my greatest hour,
With chin thrust out and head up proud,
I stood up straight and I said out loud,
I am a man!
And I shall always defy
the oppression of mankind
until the day I die.

Friday, April 8: Notes to Friends.

#43 Boston - I'm Having a Hot Flash - March 31, 2005

2005-03-31T17:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I am not quite that old, just in case if you wondered. I might go off the deep end once in a blue moon, but that is a whole other story. I actually went to the Stuart Street Playhouse this past weekend to see "Menopause, The Musical". Now, I love musicals to begin with, but this one was absolutely hilarious and so much fun! A platoon of four women (Power Woman, Soap Star, Earth Mother and the Iowa Housewife) danced and sung their way through the funk that attacks us babes a little later in life. Pop songs took on a whole different meaning - Smokey Robinson's "My Guy" turns into "My Thigh", Irving Berlin's "Heat Wave" becomes the "Hot Flash" and "Puff the Magic Dragon" ends up as "Puff, Boy I am Draggin". Girls, go see it and have laugh while you can! Guys, you better check it out, so you can see what's coming your way - start construction on that separate "man room" in the basement right now! (http://www.menopausethemusical.com/)

I hope all of you had a lovely Easter weekend - it certainly was most wonderful here in New England - the weather was picture perfect! I had to put in some work time on Saturday morning (a great "opportunity to excel" over the past two weeks had presented itself - good project, lots to do, with some solid progress being made, so I am padding myself on the shoulder officially - right here, right now!!) - but I made up for it big time.

First I headed to Haymarket - located between Faneuil Hall and the North End, this very popular Friday-and-Saturday outdoor produce market is quite impressive. You can find some excellent bargains there, especially if you show up a little later in the day, where they practically throw the stuff at you. For a few bucks you can come home with pounds and pounds of carrots, potatos, salads, all fruits and veggies imaginable - it is quite the scene. Of course you really want to make sure that you do indeed want to buy ten bell peppers (even if they are only a dollar) or 6 pounds of carrots.

After visiting Bostix, the half-price ticket booth for my musical tickets, I headed out to the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum - it is the official memorial to JFK, who grew up here in Brookline and who was Massachusetts Senator before running for president. (http://www.jfklibrary.org/) I have to say that this has been probably one of my most enjoyable outings here in Boston - after an introductory movie, you head out on a self-guided tour, which leads you through galleries depiciting anything from a mock 1960 Democratic Convention set-up, to 60s street scenes reminiscent of his presidential campaigns, multi-media presentations with the Nixon-Kennedy debates, and complete reconstructions of White House rooms. There are loads of original items from his presidency, including notes, desk accessories, speeches, letters, gifts received from foreign dignitaries - even Jackie's baby sweaters are there. Mixed in are tons of screens with original footage, John Glenn's astronaut suit, and other fascinating memorabilia. Very moving is the section with footage of his assassination in a completely black corridor, with just the words "22 November 1963" written on it, and three TV screens showing the news reporting from this tragic day. The last room contains a quite sizable section of the Berlin Wall and a statement that was made by JFK in June of 1963 : "Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free. When all are free, then we can look forward to that day when this city will be joined as one and this country and this great Continent of Europe in a peaceful and hopeful globe. When that day finally comes, as it will, the people of West Berlin can take sober satisfaction in the fact that they were in the front lines for almost two decades." Once you exit the tour, you end up in the Pavillion, which is stunning - a 115 -foot high atrium, whose walls are made from a scaffolding-like structure and glass - with a stunning view of Boston!

On Sunday, it was time to get moving, so I joined the AMC on a 6-mile hike in Groton, Mass. Thanks to some rather cryptic directions, I got to know the area really well and arrived a bit late, but the group was nice enough to wait. The Groton Town Forest turned out to be a lovely place to hike, there was still snow and ice galore, and Ella got to prove her "all-wheel-driveness" in a pretty slick parking area. The march lead along some abandoned railroad trails and we ended up having a lunch on an old railroad bridge, which was pretty cool. This was not a botanical hike, so no explanations by our trip leader (who was remarkably quiet), but I did make everyone at least sniff at the Wintergreen plants and explained the difference between red and white oaks to a few folks who were interested. Boot would be so proud of me! Once I got home, I decided the weather was too nice to sit inside, so I went for a 4-mile jog along the Esplanade - amazing what a little nice weather can do! Puts a little spring in your step!! I can never get tired of the view you have when jogging along the Charles River on the Cambridge Side looking over at the lovely city of Boston.

The week has been busy with work, work, work and work, and exercise in the evenings. This Tuesday I met up with my friend and neighbor Mike, who is an anaesthesiologist at the hospital and who was showing me pictures from his trip with an MGH crew for Project Hope, which provided medical help in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, to victims of the tsunami. Quite amazing pictures and it was impressive to hear first-hand accounts on the situation down there.

That's the news from the hub for now - Have a great weekend my friends, we are expecting torrential rains (some snow showers maybe), so it might be time to hit up some more museums!!

Toodles,

pet:)

I have to add a little Boston tidbit (of course), from one of my favorite websites, Adam Gaffin's "Boston-Online.com", where he describes the "Great Molasses Flood of 1919" (I know, by now you are saying, what kind of a place is this? - Good thing is, we have not had one since!):
"If you had to choose how to die, drowning in molasses would probably not rank high on your list. On Jan. 15, 1919, 21 people, a dozen horses and at least one cat had no choice. A 58-foot-high, 90-foot-wide cast-iron tank holding 2.2 million gallons of molasses burst, sending a tsunami of the viscous liquid down Commercial at 35 m.p.h., destroying houses, commercial buildings and a part of the elevated railroad. Today, only a small plaque at the entrance to Puopolo Park commemorates the disaster. But climb up the terrace (which looks like a stone medieval rampart), look out over Commercial Street toward the harbor and imagine a three-story wall of molasses flowing past."

#42 Boston - Spring, haltingly.... March 25, 2005

2005-03-25T17:53:00.000-08:00

Dare I hope that spring has arriveth? It looks alarmingly good, even though the threat of snow and cold weather still lingers in the air - for next week the folks at the Weather Channel are hopeful that temperatures will soar into the upper 50s, I even saw a 61 F in there somewhere. This week has been wonderful weather-wise, with a tiny little storm in there and some snowy-looking rain, but New Englanders are hoping that they have finally exhausted Mother Nature and her winter habits.

It has been a week with lots of activity, especially the healthy kind, as an anxious glance at the scale indicated that it is time to get movin' (the scale was supported in its assessment by my "benchmark" jeans, who have requested a bit more air between me and the fabric). My days (and meals) have been filled with salads and vegetables as opposed to the winter-root-carbo-loaded victuals of the months past. The gym has been visited quite often, and thanks to the television sets across from the cardio equipment I am now again up to date on every reality TV show on the planet. Celery combined with celerity is the motto for the upcoming weeks, and with the weather on the mend, I am looking forward to releasing my bicycle from winter prison and get the roller blades going.

The past weekend was most pleasant (except for a little "let's get lost in Brighton episode") - kicked off by a Thai lunch in lovely Brookline with my friends Mona and PJ on Saturday afternoon.
In the evening, I joined my friends Linda (still #1) and Roger first for a beer at Ned Devine's Irish Pub at Quincy hall before heading to Faneuil Hall to hear the Musicians of the Old Post Road. [http://www.oldpostroad.org/] This chamber music ensemble that specializes in period instrument performance of music from the Baroque, Classical and early Romantic periods was founded in 1989 and brings its lovely music to beautiful historic buildings along the original route of the old Boston Post Road, the first passage connecting Boston and NYC in the late 17th century. The first post rider hustled from NY to Boston on January 22nd, 1673 and thus established the first major overland route in the American colonies. It took the poor chap almost three weeks to cover the 250 miles! "Music from Madrid" featured two Italian composers, Gaetano Brunetti (1744-1798), who was a composer for the King Charles IV of Spain, and Luigi Boccherini, who wrote tunes for the King's brother.
I know I have provided you with numerous iterations on how great Faneuil Hall is (you can pronounce it the French way or Boston style, which sounds more like "fennel") - it still never ceases to impress me! http://www.nps.gov/bost/bost_lographics/faneuil.htm Its amazing history and development from marketplace to the "cradle of liberty" is adequately stated in this little poem by Francis Hatch (1958): " Here orators in ages past - Have mounted their attacks - Undaunted by proximity - Of Sausage on the racks." An extra little tidbit about this great building is that the weathervane on top, which prominently features a grasshopper, is the only part of Faneuil Hall that remains totally unmodified from the original 1742 structure and according to the brochure is "a fine example of colonial artistry."

Sunday was entirely devoted to St.Paddy's day celebrations and we started off with (what else) a road race - the Ras na hEireann race in Somerville - 2500 motivated (mostly by the promise of free beer and soda bread afterwards) runners lined up in front of my favorite Irish Pub, "The Burren" and got crackin'. Now, bottom line is, I did well with a time of 9:16 minutes/mile, but I tell you folks, it was not pretty! I was seriously huffing and puffing - thoughts of impending death and immediate collapse were on my mind, and I could see myself sprawled out on some side street in Somerville with 1500 of the remaining runners trampling over my exhausted body. After the race and after receiving a medal (everyone did for finishing), Elaine and I went to The Burren for our free beer (alas, t'was not green), and then I got myself on public transportation and headed over to Southie (aka South Boston) for the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. Considered the heart of Irish Boston (http://boston.about.com/cs/government/a/south_boston.htm), Southie is quite wonderful, and the parade is a very old-fashioned, traditional parade - with lots of firemen, police officers, veterans, marching bands and bagpipe players, and girls twirling batons high up in the air. My favorite group were the Cycling Murrays, Irish flute players on uni-cycles (only in America!!!) and some guy who was running for office who came over personally to shake my hand. Little does he know that I can't vote squat in this country. Main thing I made his day, eh?
I hung out with my friends Barbara and Anita who just recently purchased a condo across from the L Street Bathhouse, just down the street from Fort Independence and Castle Island - one of the Boston Harbor Islands that is really not an island any more (sort of sticks out into the harbor - http://www.nine3.com/MDC/history.html). The two took me on a tour of Southie - and of course, we had to stop at Barbara's brother Michael's house for some tasty corned beef and cabbage.

Aside from the no-nonsense exercise regimen this week, I got a little cultural fix in by volunteering with Boston Cares, this time at the American Repertory Theatre for the play "Dido - Queen of Carthage" (http://www.amrep.org/) - the tragic story of Queen Dido who rules over the very civilized city of Carthage in North Africa. She fatefully (and with the help of some nefarious deities) meets Aeneas, who with his son Ascarius has survived the Trojan war. A very well acted play - full of drama (of course) and humor with some interesting interpretations of some of the characters. Cupid was effeminately gay, Aeneas sounded a bit Irish and Juno, sister of Jupiter was played by a drag queen. That's Cambridge for you!

My friends, with these images in mind, I bid you farewell - may you have a enjoyable weekend!

pet:)

Quote of the Day: "If you cannot convince them, confuse them." (Harry Truman).

#41 - Boston - Bears, Pirates and Chinese Sushi Delivery - Oh My! - March 17, 2005

2005-03-17T13:46:00.000-08:00

I don't even know where to start this time, to be honest. In some ways this week was wonderful, exciting, filled with wonderful adventures and events - the past two days however had "catastrophe" written all over them, and made my colleague Renee call me "Mrs Worst Day Ever". That would have been yesterday, and let's just get this awful stuff right out of the way, so that you can immediately send me an email, saying "oooohh, you poor thing" and I can at least bask a little in a sea of pity and sympathy.

The groundwork for this little "day of doom" was laid on Tuesday evening with the arrival of my new techno toy, the Blackberry. All excited about it, I hooked it up to the computer (as per specifications from our IT department) and "wham!" the computer crashed - really crashed. It made that sound that light bulbs make when they blow up, and I though to myself "This cannot be good". Upon restarting it, that dreaded all-blue screen came up with a mile-long error message. I decided to call it a day at this point, and head off to the book group dinner.

Wednesday morning started out somewhat innocent, but then a sequence of unfortunate events ensued. Ella, the caah, was not showing any signs of life. I had left the overhead light on since Sunday and the battery was d-e-a-d. I got someone to jump start her and was driving Ella around when on the way back home a Chinese sushi delivery truck bumped into me. I was standing at a red traffic light with other cars as well - but apparently the guy did not know where his brakes were. On the positive side, nothing happened to me, and Ella has only sustained the tiniest of nicks (one of those that when I tell you where it is you will see it......), so she is now considered a bona fide Boston city caah with her first war injury. When I returned, slightly frazzled to home base at MGH, the computer techs showed up, took one look at my computer and said "You need a new hard drive." In my quest to do my work, I was then relocated to the receptionist desk, which made the day somewhat interesting. After receiving the new hard drive and the tech actually hooked up the Blackberry, most was copasetic, except for the fact that the BB does not synchronize any of my emails..... And the saga continues....

I am happy to report that my jog with fellow running club mate Joanne yesterday evening was uneventful, and I did not get attacked by any trees or so, and today (Happy St. Patrick's Day!!)has been fairly benign aside from a couple of minor food-related incidents that have not contributed to enhancing today's outfit. A pint of green beer at Kinsale might be in order today to forget about all this.

Now to the good stuff - a weekend, chockful of events and memorable experiences. Friday night I attended a slide show at REI, where author Peter Potterfield presented his new book "Classic Hikes of the World" - phenomenal slides reminding me of all those wonderful places I still need to visit: Denali in Alaska (that is where the bears are...), Patagonia, Himalayas, Sweden's Highlands, King George Island (Antarctica)..... Mileage donations are being accepted!

On Saturday morning, I headed for Lynn Woods, about 11 miles north of Boston, and one of the largest municipal forests in the country. It was raining cats and dogs that morning, so instead of doing work on the trails we decided to do some paintwork in the ranger's house/visitor center. Once the rain turned into snow we headed out onto the trails, removed some toppled trees and went for a hike.

Now Lynn Woods, my friends, has a pretty interesting history
(http://www.flw.org/951.htm). A pirate named Thomas Veal housed there sometime in the 17th century, hiding out in a cave guarding a treasure acquired by him and fellow pirates. Legend has it that during an earthquake in 1658 he got crushed by a huge boulder and that was the end of poor Thomas. Subsequently spiritualist Hiram Marble and his son Edward kept digging tunnels near Dungeon Rock (the boulder that crushed unlucky Tom) to find the treasure, but 30 years of digging did not turn up anything. Under the guidance of Ranger Dan and armed with flash lights we did manage to go down into the Marbles' tunnels, 35 feet under ground. Very cool! Once a year Lynn Woods celebrates Dungeon Rock Day, where you can dress as a pirate and hike through the woods and hunt for a treasure or just stop by at the Hog's Breath Inn for grog and cookies. Lynn Woods is a magnificent place to hike - all 2200 acres of it.

Saturday night, I volunteered (yes, again with Boston Cares) at an event in Cambridge, where Musica Sacra (http://www.musicasacra.org/) performed a "Choral Bestiary" at the First Church Congregational at the Cambridge Common. A very nice and interesting program, flimsy and funny; all of the pieces performed related to animals somehow - among my favorites were McCord's Menagerie ("Let us ponder the condor; biggest thing on the wing, like a kit on a string; a subject not cultural, but very vultural" / "Jaculus jaculus (a gerbil) – Nothing miraculous, rat of a sort, front legs too short, hind legs too long, All rather wrong") and El Bestiari de Pere Quart ("Bacillus - Not a good speck, the Microbe").

On Sunday morning, as promised, I went on my second naturalist hike with Boot Boutwell of the AMC. Again, Boot was a trip leader extraordinaire and did not disappoint. It had snowed the day before, so the Mass Audubon Habitat in Belmont was an absolutely postcard-picture-perfect winter wonderland (http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Habitat/index.php). I was able to apply my knowledge from our last hike, but there were many new lessons in botany to absorb (the spice bush and the striped maple were among my favorites) and interesting New England stories to learn. The plant of the day was the Winged Euonymous (http://www.paflora.org/Euonymus%20alatus.pdf) or Japanese Spindle tree, which is quite unmistakable. The best Story of the Day was under the Headline of "Who ate Roger Williams?"
(http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/RIPROtree.html) - as we pondered the local apple trees, Boot related the story of Rhode Island founder Roger Williams, who was buried on his family farm, and when the Rhode Island Historical Society wanted to exhume him to give him a proper burial (him being the founder of the state and such) poor dead Roger was gone, poof! Apparently the apple tree got to him, the roots into the coffin exactly depicted his body shape.....
Also got to sample maple syrup right from the tree (tastes not like much as it needs to be boiled down first, but we had to try, right?).

Sunday night, again (I should be volunteer of the month!) I assisted with Boston Cares, this time at the Huntington Theater ushering at a play called "36 Views" - great acting, phenomenal stage work, beautiful theater and a pretty nifty topic - art dealers, fraud, Asian antiques, and a love story as well. http://www.huntingtontheatre.org/season/36views/36views_about_the_company.aspx.

The week (aside from the calamities, which in hindsight are not sooo bad) has been filled with seeing friends and on Tuesday night with the book group, who in connection with reading Khaled Hosseini's book "The Kite Runner" went to "The Helmand", an Afghan restaurant right across the river in Cambridge and enjoyed some pretty spectacular food!

The end of this week and weekend will be filled with St. Paddy's day activities, including a road race on Sunday (The Ras na hEireann Race) and the parade in Southie, as well as some solid couch time, and hanging out with friends, new and old.

Slan go foill,

pet:)

I have to add a little morsel that I have been saving up and it really does not fit with anything in here, but is just a fun thing to know.
There is a lake in Massachusetts - Webster Lake in Webster - its Native American name is: Lake Chargoggagoggmanchaugagochaubunagungamaug or Lake
Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, which translates into "you fish on that side, we'll fish on this side and nobody will fish in the middle".

#40 Boston - The Lump - March 10, 2005

2005-03-10T16:22:00.000-08:00

Aaah - yes, that would be me - the lump. Jet lag has turned me into the quintessential sofa spud this week, tired, wrinkled and with the biting temperatures outside the weather has made it easy for me to indulge my body's wish for down time. I have already consumed all my Netlfix movies that awaited me at home, and am now moving on to magazines and books, nothing is safe as long as I don't have to leave the sofa.

I returned to Boston late Sunday where conditions have been muy frio, mis amigos! Tuesday morning I left for work with a balmy 40 degrees, so decided to put on a short skirt, and leave the polar wear at home. When I returned from work at 6 PM, I was welcomed by ... well, what was it? Hard to say, it looked like snow and all was white, but I swear it was raining ice! Cursing and cussing I ran down the street in my little skirt and my little pumps, and was convinced that I would never make the 100-yard dash home without sustaining serious frostbite. Massachusetts weather at its best, yet again (and no, I am not tired of it yet...)! That night, the sky kept dropping rain, sleet, snow, ice and who-knows-what, and combined with crazed gusts of wind, I could observe the most unbelievable display of weather-related turbulences. Needless to say the running group this week has not taken place, and we are hoping that by tomorrow we might be able to make a feeble attempt at jogging outside.

Meanwhile, back in Amsterdam the weather had been equally disconcerting, at least to the Dutch, who had not seen weather like this (8 inches of snow) in 25 years. The city was obviously overwhelmed, side walks were either not cleared at all (which made for some nice icy surfaces to slide around on) or attempted to be cleared with diggers and dredgers that they pulled off the closest construction site. The airport shut down and when my boss arrived a day late, he could not believe that they closed the airport for this imperceptible amount of snow - he was expecting huge snow drifts and blizzard-like conditions New England style.

The conference itself was enjoyable and busy, held at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, a mere 20-minute walk from my hotel. We were all given passes for the trams, but after experiencing one ride, I decided to walk - people were packed in like sardines - scenes reminiscent of the Tokyo subway, where they push people in until they pass out. About 300 people attended, a very small conference by comparison, but it allowed some more in-depth discussions with those who were there.

Friday night, the organizers had come up with a social program - I was a little suspicious at first, since by its name alone I could not - even by stretching my imagination - figure out what it was or supposed to be. "Boom Chicago" (http://www.boomchicago.nl/) is apparently an Amsterdam institution. Most of the conference attendees and yours truly crammed into the 300-seat Leidseplein Theater for dinner and a show. Not only was the dinner top notch, but so was the program! Boom Chicago is an improv troupe - with some scripted skits but most of it improvised - with (in our case) enthusiastic cooperation from the audience. We had a grand old time, folks! Amber Ruffin, Tim Sniffen, Rachel Miller and Rob Andrist entertained us to no end, and even I made it into one of their little parodies ("Where's my little Petra?). A particular crowd favorite was a segment called "Dutch Products We Are not Going to Endorse" which included "Sissy" (soda), "Pipi" (toilet Paper), "Retard" (a cough syrup if I remember correctly) and some other unmentionables.

The Dutch are a friendly, but dangerous kind - as I learned one evening in my hotel, when I headed for the bar for a night cap, and got involved in an interesting discussion with two sailboat sales guys from the Netherlands. I learned that the beer I was drinking was called an "amsterdammetje" and I was educated about a New Year's custom called "Carbidschieten", where it is apparently pretty easy to blow your head off (If you want to experience "Death by Milk", this might be for you - carbide is put into a milk can with some water, which makes explosive acetylene gas and is subsequently set on fire). Apparently people die from getting in the way of these exploding milk cans! These people are insane!

The weekend is coming near, and after vegging out at my house all week, it is time for some action and outdoor activities! I will be attending a slide show at REI on Friday on "Classic Hikes of the World"; will do some trail conservation work with Boston Cares on Saturday up in Lynn Woods (a 2,200-acre municipal forest park north of Boston); and on Sunday, go on a hike with Boot, the AMC naturalist - this time in Belmont at the Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, just six miles northwest of downtown Boston - so look for another botanical lesson coming your way! We are expecting snow again this weekend, so this might be interesting!

I hope this update finds you in good spirits - until then! Goede Avend!

pet:)

#39 Boston - Germany - Amsterdam - March 2nd, 2005

2005-03-02T10:26:00.000-08:00

"Wenn einer eine Reise tut, dann kann er was erzaehlen" - "Those who travel, have tales to tell" - that could certainly be the motto of the little trip I took this time, leading me from my chosen residence of Boston to Germany and then to Amsterdam. Getting to Amsterdam was not that easy as it has been snowing here non-stop since last night. Our plane was delayed for a solid hour-and-a-half, circling above the snowy skies. The cabbie this morning had told me that it was announced on the radio that this has been the biggest snow storm in 20 years, and as of now it has yet to stop. The Netherlands generally don't see a lot of snow, and apparently at the sight of even one snowflake all hell breaks lose here.
The Amsterdamers (-damians?) are as giddy as I have ever seen anyone at the sight of the white stuff, grown-ups are engaged in snow ball fights on the streets out there and on the slanted roof of a subway station near the Rijksmuseum (where they have the Rembrandts and such - http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/index.jsp) kids were zooming down the hill on sleds, garbage bags and cardboard boxes (you can tell they are not prepared).
Apparently throwing snowballs at passing cars is a past-time here as well - scared the bejesus out of me. That and the crazy bike riders - no weather can deter them from riding these deadly weapons. They just put a plastic bag over their bike seat and who cares if the snow storm of the century is taking place. When Noah loaded up the Arc, the only people out there most likely were Dutch bicyclists. Scary -at some point paranoia actually starts to set in, every step you take you are convinced that one of them will get you. They would not even flinch, I swear!
Aside from the constant fear of being run over by a bike, Amsterdam is a beautiful, gorgeous city - and even more stunning in the snow. You can walk along its famous canals, the Grachten, or pay a visit to Vinny's place (The Vincent Van Gogh Museum - http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/bisrd/top-1-1.html - don't even think that it is pronounced "van go" - it sounds as if you just had your windpipe removed and could only croak out some strange, raspy sounds). Van Gogh was a disturbed fellow, mostly in and out of his mind - to use a description I read in a book "his eyes glinted with a light not quite sane" - spent some time in Holland, some time in France, some time in the loony bin, went back and forth between being a evangelist preacher or an artist, cut off his ear at some point, and eventually committed suicide. His art is simply stunning, some of it so cheerful that it is hard to imagine it came from such a troubled mind !!
Also paid a visit to the Anne Frank House (http://www.annefrank.org/content.asp?pid=1&lid=2), which is an absolute must if you are in Amsterdam. A very moving place, fitting tribute to a young woman who had such vivid dreams and hopes in the face of such overwhelming tragedy.

Amsterdam is very hip, very international, everyone speaks at least Dutch, German and English, great food as well! On the way back to my hotel I played my favorite game trying to find interesting names of places and so far we have a few winners here: Shampoo Palace, Cafe van Puffelen and a store whose name I forgot, but which featured head-bobbing Jesuses and kids tees with the words "My Mummy is a Yummy Mummy." They also had card board versions of Van Gogh's ear, but I managed to resist the temptation.

During this past week, Europe has definitely shown itself from its chilly side, temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius in Germany, actually minus 40 degrees in some corners of Bavaria. It snowed my first night in Germany as well, I seemed to have brought the Boston weather with me. Arrived in Germany last Saturday, and after a hide-and-seek game with my brother at Basel Airport (the airport has exits to France, Germany and Switzerland - I waited in Switzerland, my brother was in France), headed home for a power lunch and power nap before the first friends arrived. The coffee and cake event turned into a joint performance between my brother's parrot Carlo and my friend Margit's 4-month old son JT - the two of them riled each other up in a cacophony of sounds which was definitely unmatched and should have been recorded.
Sunday the whole family went out for brunch at my friend Helga's Hotel Anika (www.hotel-anika.de) - we ate and ate and ate.... The brunch at her place had definitely a very different style to it. Food was served sequentially and so we sat there eating for three hours straight. Felt just like Thanksgiving, buttons were popping, people were drinking Jaegermeister to help with the digestion, and everyone was ready for a nice long map. And of course, there is no better place to observe rude behavior than at a buffet table. The food items had barely been placed down when said leeches lined up to fill their plate again and again. In addition, there were some unsatisfactory states of personal hygiene, which did not increase their popularity with the rest of the room.
Sunday night the Schoki Club met again for some mediocre Greek food (not that this was our intention), but some cocktails helped to mediate the situation eventually. Monday I met up with my friends Roland and Ulla, who are celebrating their wedding this Saturday (Congratulations!!!), at a most quaint restaurant, the Klemmbachmuehle (Klemm Creek Mill) - located in the foothills of the Blackforest, very rustic, good hearty food and beautifully situated.

Of course, throughout the whole week, I also have been sick - not the big dreaded lurgy, but maybe a mini-lurgy of sorts, turning my nose into a beacon and my mind into mush.

Other travel observations:

*No one seemed to be bothered that there was a bird flying around the terminal at Washington, Dulles airport.
*What better place for smokers than the smoker's lounge at said airport (miracle that the bird is still alive, but then again, he may not have gone near the smoker's lounge) - one room, completely enclosed, surrounded by other smokers and a thick juicy nicotine fog - must be the ultimate thrill and nicotine rush, eh?
*During the flight from Boston to Dulles, I had the pleasure of sitting right next to the "facilities", and apparently I was the only person on the plane capable of opening the door - even the flight attendants needed my help.

My friends, it is time to go - more news from Amsterdam after my return to Boston. A few kudos to some of you who have become quite the wordsmiths in your updates to me - First place goes to Murriah, whose reaction to the Raspberry Honey Ale was that it sounded "gag-able" and second place to my friend Linda for the use of "harpsichordy"!

Varweel,

pet:)

#38 Boston - Just Another Ordinary Week - February 24, 2005

2005-02-24T12:22:00.000-08:00

Thursday - February 17th:

Hectic at work.

Attend Mass High Tech (an industry publication) "Women to Watch" award at the Ritz Hotel near the Public Garden. Enjoy event, leave with massive inferiority complex. Exit hotel screaming "What have I done with my life??? Nothing!!). Meet some nice folks though - plans for a slumber party with the "cooltime gang" (don't ask) are being hatched.

Remembered to tell you about Commonwealth Avenue, the stateliest (is that a word?) street in Boston. During the winter season the trees are decorated with lights, and you can walk down the grassy middle part to admire various sculpture gardens including the Boston Women's Memorial (http://www.bwht.org/ladieswalk_stop1.html), which honors Abigail Adams, Lucy Stone and Phillis Wheatley. Also impressive is the Vendome Memorial which honors nine firefighters who lost their lives in June of 1972 at the Hotel Vendome, when the fire-damaged hotel's floor unexpectedly collapsed. (http://www.nabbonline.com/statues.htm).

Wondered about email regarding patient confidentiality and celebrities at work, then learned that New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi was at MGH - had suffered a mild stroke. I encounter patients in the hallway pulling their IVs looking for him. Darn Rubberneckers!

Friday - February 18th:

Hectic at work.

Tedy Bruschi leaves hospital.

Meet Josephine at the Tavern near Central Square. Nice pub, everybody and their cousin is in there, horrendously noisy. Good food, excellent beer selection. New favorite:Spanish Peaks Honey Raspberry Ale. Muy bien! Head out in sub-arctic temperatures (0 Fahrenheit or so), return home missing several extremities, frostbite most likely.

Ruth tells me the story of the "smoot" (remember the Harvard Bridge which runs to MIT and is measured in smoots (let's see if you did pay attention!):

He was an MIT undergrad in the 1950s who was a fraternity member at Lambda Chi Alpha on Bay State Road, thus he had to cross the Harvard bridge each day to get to and from campus. Oliver Smoot happened to be the shortest brother in the fraternity at 5' ft 7". One night, his brothers decided to lay him from end-to-end and measure out the bridge in Smoots-lengths. LCA still maintains the Smoot-markings on the bridge, forcing their pledges to re-paint them twice a year....The length of the bridge is officially 364.4 smoots plus one ear.
http://aether.lbl.gov/www/personnel/smoot/smoot-measure.html

Another little tidbit about Harvard Bridge - there is a sign on the Bridge from the Society for American Magicians honoring Harry Houdini, who in late April of 1908 performed one of his famed manacled jumps from Harvard Bridge, followed by an underwater escape in the Charles River. (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/vshtml/vshchrn.html)

Success: Found cheap and good hairdresser, in Boston! (Actually in the hospital salon!)

Saturday - February 19th:

No hectic, no work.

Mid-morning jog along the Charles River Esplanade - what was I thinking?? I can't breathe, too cold, lungs are constricting, fear of having a blood vessel burst in my brain. Make it home without any aneurisms, feeling much better.

Leave Boston proper to head for Stony Brook State Reservation for hike with AMC. I am leaving worried, talked to the trip leader the day before who sounded like he was 200 years old. Could not understand a single word of his directions. To get to Stony Brook you get to drive pretty much through every "so-so" and "not-so" neighborhood in Boston. Upon arriving discovered that trip leader is indeed 200 years old. He wimps out on us after 1 1/2 hours of the 3-hour planned hike. On the way home get lost in Uphams Corner.....

Meet Ruth for late night drinks at the Hill Tavern on Cambridge Street. Good times making fun of the diaper bag ladies (aka the quilt bag brigades).

Sunday - February 20th:

No hectic, no work.

Spend the morning knitting a scarf (no, I am not done yet). Yet another hike with the AMC, this time with very competent trip leader (not 200 years old). Hike is near Concord, MA at the Great Meadows - just 20 miles or so outside of Boston. http://greatmeadows.fws.gov/ - phenomenal place - abundant flora and fauna. Large hiking group with some familiar faces. Trails require fancy footwork on account of ice, in addition it is friggin' cold!! Put on face mask to avoid losing more extremities.

Sunday Night - Netflix Night - Recommendation: "Lonestar"

It is starting to snow.

Monday - February 21st:

Presidents Day Holiday - No hectic.

Laundry. Then off to successful retail therapy at Downtown Crossing. Meet Ruth for Mexican hot cocoa. Still snowing.
Stop by at my neighbor Claire's for Chocolate Martini. Forget about laundry.
Walk across the Longfellow Bridge (also known as the Salt and Pepper Bridge, as its towers look like salt and pepper shakers (http://massroads.com/image.php?subject=longfellow_bridge_charles_3_20040519). Meet Linda (#3) at Kendall Theater to see "The Merchant of Venice" with Al Pacino. Absolutely brilliant movie! Made me believe that Al Pacino is Jewish. Now that's acting! A must-see!

Tuesday - February 22nd:

Work. Slightly hectic.
Snow stopped.
Discovered that my name is mentioned in the Improper Bostonian. Picture did not make it. That good, eh?
Dinner at Antonio's on Cambridge Street.
Snow started.

Wednesday - February 23rd:

Work. Alright.
Snow stopped.

Hosting Running Partners, the running group of the hospital. Again, fancy footwork on account of ice. Start packing for trip to Europe.

THE END

***************************************************************************************************************************
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#37 Boston - Bob and Jerry - February 17, 2005

2005-02-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

No, it is not a new ice cream flava, but rather another installment of "odd couples you meet on the bus". This one was a rather unusual and to a certain extent, very unpleasant combination, in particular as Bob (who was the main annoyance here) communicated over my head with Jerry, the victim of his palaverous assaults, and thoughts of inflicting pain and torture started forming in my mind. Good thing this happened only on the way back from Sunday River, Maine, and other good thing, we had a movie to play, which put and end to Mr Blabbermouth behind me. Now Jerry, said bus driver, was a nice guy- if we were in the 60s you would have described him as a "cool cat"- and he was not amused either by all that meddling, in particular, because Bob started really getting into it, and threw a few insults into the mix. "Hey Jerry, got White Line Fever?" (Let's have Bob try to steer a bus like that in snowy weather, shall we?)

Aside from this episode of Bob's Bus Lectures, the trip to Sunday River, Maine was simply wonderful and of stunning beauty. Winter as it should be! It snowed there the week prior, and the pine tree state presented itself as the queen of New England, with luscious forests, covered in picture perfect snow and a bright blue sky. Ski enthusiasts were out in force, and Sunday River with its eight peaks certainly had the might to handle them. Ruth and I had signed up for the Boston Ski and Sports Club's "Winterfest", which included a whole array of activities that promised to exhaust us by the late afternoon. The morning was spent to cross country ski (away from the thousands of down hill skiers and crazy snow boarders up on the mountain) - perfectly manicured tracks and almost no one around, trees forming an arch over the trails through which the blue sky and the sun occasionally peaked through. We went along some interesting trails such as the Fire Pit, Stone Wall and Turkey Run, but ended up heading down the Wanigan trail, which led us to one of New England's most famous wooden covered bridges (http://www.maine.gov/mdot-stage/covered-bridges/artists.php). Only nine of Maine's originally 120 covered wooden bridges remain. They were originally built to make traversing rivers safe during the harsh and icy winters in the Northeast.

Lunch happened at White Cap, one of the centers of Sunday River, and after some decent carbo-loading we went on to our next adventure, tubing! Basically you zip down the mountain on your stomach on these giant inflated tires, hold on to two handles, and pray to the high heavens that the speed won't take you up over the walls and into the path of some unsuspecting snow boarders. The first couple of times you really get dinged around quite a bit, and might suffer from a slight bout of nausea, but once you figure out how to steer the damn thing, there is no going back. This is as close as I will ever come to experiencing the luge and I was loving it! My hiking boots have not yet forgiven me for the abuse they suffered, as they were seriously required to slow down on the course, but it is a small sacrifice for so much fun. The rest of the day was spent in front of a cozy fire place in the lodge, and some of my bus mates spent maybe a bit too much quality time up at the "Foggy Goggle", the local bar and hangout.

This past Friday, I again volunteered with Boston Cares, this time at Faneuil Hall (http://www.faneuilhall.com/) for a performance of the Boston Classical Orchestra. Certainly an interesting event - the overture to Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro", followed by "Incidental Music to "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Mendelssohn, narrated by local WCRB radio host Ray Brown and topped of by a world premiere of Stephen Halloran's "Concerto for New Orleans". In this last piece the BCO joined a jazz sextet called "Made in the Shade" who brought a unique blend of New Orleans jazz, swing, ethnic and folk music to the table. A very enjoyable evening (only slightly interrupted by some fainting patrons who had to be shipped off by ambulance).

The week has been busy as usual, work is dynamic and interesting. The past few days have featured a good amount of social events, including a book club meeting at my new favorite place to go to (and it is only three blocks from my house): Boston Beer Works (http://www.beerworks.net/) on Canal Street. This definitely is a good hangout for me - great food, really great food, and some stellar brews! My choices for the evening were "You Handsome Devil", a Belgian style ale and the "Bunker Hill Blueberry Ale" which had actual blueberries in it. Yumm, Yumm and Yumm! Yesterday was MGH Running Group, and a social with one of my neighbors who just returned from Germany. Tonight I am heading to the Ritz Carlton for a little affair on "Mass High Tech Women to Watch" - hoping to be one of them one day, I will attend and do some serious networking.

It has been a very nice week here, with a couple of teasers where the weather warmed up to a very balmy 50 degrees, but as of today we are back to cold, cold and cold. The holiday weekend is upon us, and boy, do we need it! I will stay in town for some nice local hikes, lots of reading and some initial packing for my trip next Friday to Europe. Because of my upcoming travels, I will miss the opening reception for the art exhibit here at the hospital where my photograph is displayed, so all my Boston friends can come, look at it, and say whatever they want behind my back!

I have not done this in a while, so here are some final tidbits for you:

*The state bird of Maine is the chickadee! (It is also the state bird for Massachusetts.)
*Aside from Stephen King, other famous Mainers (no, it is not Mainees!) are Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (the poet) and film director John Ford.

* Some more Boston stuff from my friends at redsoxdiehard.com that you should absolutely know:

*There are two State Houses, two City Halls, two courthouses, two Hancock buildings. There's also a Boston Latin School and a Boston Latin Academy.
* Route 128 is also I-95. It is also I-93.
*The Harvard Bridge goes to MIT. It's measured in 'smoots.'
*Johnson never should have hit for Willoughby.
*The subway doesn't run all night. This isn't Noo Yawk.

pet:)

#36 Boston - "Hemlock Willy and the Bristly Locust" - February 10, 2005

2005-02-10T15:31:00.000-08:00

Today, class - we are conducting a lesson in botany - we will discuss New England shrubs and trees until they come out of your ears! "Hemlock Willy" is actually the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, a pest haunting local hemlock trees here (so I don't feel too bad about mutilating its name), and wouldn't you know it, the little sucker has its own website! http://www.fs.fed.us/na/morgantown/fhp/hwa/hwasite.html.

The bristly locust is another one of my new friends that I acquainted with this past weekend. It all started quite innocently with a "local walk" by the Appalachian Mountain Club at the Middlesex Fells, a beautiful nature reserve just a few miles outside of Boston. The weekend weather was picture perfect, snow on the ground and sunshine all around, cross country skiers were out in force. I was a little weary at first, expecting a very touchy-feely new age-y "let's-communicate with-the-plants" kinda walk, which in some ways it was, but I have to tell you - this was one of the best outings I have ever had. A good omen for the walk that our trip leader's first name - I am not making this up - was "Boot"! Following his lead, we trampled into the woods, and it was just amazing to me how often we walk through the woods without noticing much of what is on display there.

We learned the difference between white oaks and red oaks (smooth lobes versus pointy ones) and looked at six million pine trees (did you know that their needles grow in bunches and depending on how many are in a bunch, you can tell what pine tree it is?). Under the motto "If in doubt - smell it" we discovered that you can tell many trees by rubbing off a little bit or bark and take a whiff - black birch for example smells like wintergreen gum! You can distill its leaves and its bark to extract the flavoring. Beer can also be made from black birch, I might have to inquire some more about this. Cherry trees smell like either stale cigars or almond oil, Sassafras smells like lemon verbena - there was no end to it!
All varieties of maple trees were investigated by yours truly, the snake-y looking hickory trees and no marcescent tree was safe from our inquisitive minds. Boot was absolutely phenomenal, he brought goodies with him that were made from some of the plants (Cherry cough drops, Clark's teaberry gum [ttp://home.swipnet.se/roland/teaberry.html], Sassafras candy and he had a story on him for pretty much everything and everyone we saw that day. The group ended up singing the 1959 Lonnie Donegan song "Does the Chewing Gum Lose its Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight" (If your mother says don't chew it, do you swallow it in spite? Can you catch it on your tonsils, can you heave it left & right?). Sassafras has also some interesting stories associated with it - apparently it has not only carcinogenic but also hallucinogenic capabilities, but you have to eat enough of it to kill a horse, so don't get too excited yet my friends. When the British discovered that the Native Americans used it for medicinal purposes, they brought it with them to Europe in hope it would cure syphilis and other contemporary ailments, alas, it did not cure anything for that matter. I found one Web site stating that "a teaspoonful of the oil produced vomiting, dilated pupils, stupor and collapse in a young man". In Louisiana, the leaves are used as a condiment in sauces and for thickening soups; while the young shoots are used in Virginia for making a kind of beer. Mixed with milk and sugar, Sassafras Tea, under the name of 'Saloop,' could, until a few years ago, be bought at London streetcorners in the early mornings. The award of the day and my personal favorite though went to catbriar, a shrub with thorns and tendrils, that seemed to have provided inspiration for the invention of barbed wire!

Boot, the naturalist, also red poems to us - fitting to each occasion. My favorite from Ogden Nash quoted in front of a juniper tree (The berries are used for the production a volatile oil which is a prime ingredient in Geneva or Hollands Gin) called "A Drink with Something in it".

"There is something about a Martini, A tingle remarkably pleasant; A yellow, a mellow Martini; I wish I had one at present. There is something about a Martini, Ere the dining and dancing begin, And to tell you the truth, It is not the vermouth -I think that perhaps it's the gin. "

In other events this past week, on Friday night my bad conscience drove me to quickly sign up with Boston Cares and volunteer at the 2nd Annual Helping Hearts Masquerade Ball organized by Bread and Jams, an organization that provides services to the homeless. All decked out in my black ball gown, long opera gloves and a Venetian mask, I headed over to Cambridge to Morss Hall at MIT. The event was rather interesting, and we could actually enjoy it fully, as they had way too many volunteers - we wined, dined, I actually played along with the Silent Auction, acquired a nice lamp and generally had a great time. I even got my picture taken for the Improper Bostonian!

On Sunday it was time for some exercise, some jogging along the Charles River, which has begun to defrost a wee bit, and some ice skating at Frog Pond with my friend Ruth. I had to get out as I knew that I would be sitting in front of a TV all night watching the SuperBowl! There was a superb event held at my neighbor Claire's with several courses of the most exquisite home-cooked food. While the game was not the prettiest, who cares! WE WON, WE WON, WE WON, WE WON, WE WON, WE WON!!!! Can you spell D-Y-N-A-S-T-Y??? Three SuperBowls in 4 years, not too shabby my friends! Tuesday featured a parade here in downtown Boston, where one million folks crammed into our tiny streets (apparently lots of these folks were at home "with the flu" - right?).

The week has gone by in a jiffy, and a gazillion activities are on my list of things to do. Last night I attended another MIT Euroclub dinner, this time in Cambridge at Jasmine, a Thai restaurant at One Kendall Square. Tomorrow night I am volunteering (through Boston Cares) at the Boston Classical Orchestra in Faneuil Hall (http://www.bostonclassicalorchestra.org/index.html) and on Saturday I am heading (for the first time) to the beautiful state of Maine (http://www.visitmaine.com/home.php). The Boston Ski and Sports Club is having a Winterfest, where we can cross country ski, snow shoe, go skating or tubing up at the Sunday River Resort.

For now, this is it (bet you glad it's over after that botanical assault, eh?).

Lots of love to all of you!

pet:)

#35 Boston - Lymphotropic Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles - Feb 3, 2005

2005-02-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

Aaaahh, the grant is in, and I can again attend scientific lectures and meetings where I do hear about exciting stuff like the lymphotropic superparamagnetic nanoparticles (they are involved in staging techniques for prostate cancer, you know...). Everyone has been recuperating, decompressing, hiding under the biggest rock in the neighborhood, drinking heavily - who knows. Some people have stopped answering their phones, and still get tremors upon hearing the "G" word. My work responsibilities have definitely taken a more interesting turn as the grant has stopped to dominate my every waking minute, some very exciting projects have come off the back burner and work life is exciting, albeit very busy. At some point I will have to face reality and the fact that the NCI (who hands out the grant money) will come in June for a site visit, and that there are loads to prepare for that, but I will live in grant-free la-la land for a while.

My work will take me to Europe again at the end of this month, where I will be attending a conference in Amsterdam (of course with the obligatory detour to Germany to visit the folks); another trip to Orlando, Florida in May is also planned. I am working with a doctor here who is organizing a conference in San Petersburg, Russia, and while I might not get to go, it is a very interesting program to work on.

After finally calming down a bit from the high the snow-related euphoria evoked, I am sad to see the snow melt away little by little - initially we were promised some more snow, but the forecast is austere, with a "wintery mix" and some flurries promised for tonight and tomorrow. Today was an absolute dogged day - with rain, dirty skies and nothing merry to it. We had some sunny days over the past week, cold, but some day light is good, I was told.

As promised, last weekend turned into the quintessential winter sport weekend, and with the blue-sky-powder-snow conditions all around, it was phenomenal. Saturday morning I headed out of town to Weston, about a 15-minute-drive on the pike, to do some snowshoeing with the Boston Ski and Sports Club. Phenomenal, the snow was exceptional and we waltzed all over the place. I headed home in the early afternoon, and then met up with my friends Josephine (hi Jo!) and Nan (Happy Birthday, Nan) at Frog Pond for some ice skating. We ended the day with some good Thai food at "The King and I" on Charles Street.

Then it was off to bed, as Sunday was a day to get up veeeeeeery early, 4 AM to be exact. Ruth and I joined the BSSC on their day trip to Stowe, Vermont. By many considered the best of the ski resorts here in New England, Stowe lived up to its reputation big time (http://www.stowe.com/). Great snow, azure blue skies with not a single cloud in sight - a magnificent day. Stunning Mountainside, too! We arrived there around 9 AM, which in itself was a small miracle as our bus driver, Calamity Joel, experienced some left-right dyslexia and seemed to have other plans than the 45 folks in the bus.

As I am new to this skiing stuff, I first headed up the bunny slope (also known as the "idiot hill" in certain circles) just to get myself warmed up. Now, friends, the part about skiing that I have the most trouble with are the chair lifts. As a seasoned acrophobic I initially thought that it might be better to have some company going up the lift. I made the discovery though (and I could have certainly figured this one out ahead of time), that on the beginner's slope the people sitting next to you are equally challenged when getting off the lift, and might grab onto you in ways that you did not authorize. From then on it was every woman on her own, and off I went. I did try my skills a bit on a green trail in the Spruce area, but somehow did not do too well, and decided to head for lunch.
Ruth and I had agreed to meet up on top of Mt. Mansfield at the Cliff House, a restaurant only accessible by gondola. A bit of a challenge, but the view up top is spectacular and certainly makes up for it. Despite some encouragement from my gondola mates on the way up (who were all black diamond skiers) to ski down the mountain, I did take the gondola back down. Ruth, who is a much more experienced skier, had promised to do some green trails with me and so we headed up one of the lifts to start at the Toll Road trail. The Toll Road was completed in 1870 to accommodate horses and buggies on the mountain. It is an absolutely beautiful trail with very nice wide turns, and ideal for a beginner like myself. We then crossed over via Chapel Lane to the Lullaby Trail and on to Crossover Lane, according to the Stowe Interactive Trail Map on the web the "mack-daddy" of all crossover trails. I did much better, thanks to Ruth's patience and instruction, and really started to get the hang of it a bit better. I am still going down the hill in wedge formation, but my next ski trip will definitely be more lessons where I can hopefully graduate to parallel skiing. All in all, it was a really fun day. Only one of our skiers, Jack, got injured during a pretty good spill and he dislocated his shoulder, but the rest of us all did well. Our trip back was slightly delayed as the rear tires of the bus were frozen solid, and thanks to the innovative efforts of our trip leader Josh, who climbed into a dumpster to hunt for a 2 by 4, we did make it out at a decent time. There was of course the issue of the directionally challenged bus driver, but we all managed to watch him closely, and warn him of upcoming exits a couple of miles ahead.

I was so bloody tired on Monday that I could hardly see straight. Went to bed at an insanely early time and felt like I could sleep for the next hundred years. The week has been quite busy at work, but I did manage to get to the gym on Tuesday for my first ever Power Yoga class. Kind of a strength-based yoga that gets taught in a heated room (http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/styles-of-yoga/power-yoga.asp). Loved it!

I am looking at a somewhat more low-key weekend (well, you know me, but at least no big bus trips) - Tomorrow night I am volunteering through Boston Cares at an event in Cambridge - the 2nd Annual Helping Hearts Masquerade Ball at MIT's renowned Morss Hall at Walker Memorial (http://www.breadandjams.org/ball2.html), a fundraiser for homeless and people in crisis. I have to somehow come up with a mask by tomorrow, which might provide an interesting challenge. Saturday I have signed on with the Appalachian Mountain Club for a local walk in Winchester and the Middlesex Fells, a 2000 acre natural reserve just miles outside of Boston (http://www.fells.org/fells.html). There might be some ice skating on Sunday at MIT, and of course Sunday evening it is Superbowl time! Not to be repetitive, but Go Pats!

Until next time!

pet:)

#34 Boston - Are you happy now? January 27, 2005

2005-01-27T15:56:00.000-08:00

Well, that was the question my friend Linda fired off to me on Monday morning, as apparently Miss Petra Josephine Yee in her ongoing quest for snow single-handedly caused a blizzard that dumped an insane amount of snow on the poor little state of Massachusetts. Let me tell you folks, I am loving it, but have to admit that this was the most impressive weather I have ever seen. We were forewarned, you see, that there would be some heavy snow this weekend - little did I know how this would pan out. My idea of going cross-country skiing on Saturday morning did not crystallize as there was not enough snow at that point. It started snowing more heavily in the afternoon, around 4 PM or so, just as I was taking a stroll along the Charles River Esplanade. The skies started to darken at some point, and I figured that I get my sorry little self home quickly - I did take Ella out first for a quick little trip to the store first, and so that she could have her first experience driving in snow (remember she is a California caah after all.....). There was a certain "let's prepare-for-the-nuclear-accident-that-will-happen-shortly" mentality in the store, which I did not quite understand (still don't) and opted not to participate in. What followed was amazing - I looked out the window at what I thought was a wall of fog, but it was snow, snow and snow. In addition, gale-force winds started blowing -which was an extraordinary sight, in particular along Cape Cod, where they had hurricane wind warnings. The area around Boston got up to three feet of snow - the town of Plymouth, Mass held the record with a whopping 38 inches of snow (about 1 meter), and on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, we added up to another 8 inches. It was a storm for the record books, 13,000 homes lost power, and the National Weather Service said that it was one of the largest snowstorms in the past 100 years for Cape Cod and Southeastern Massachusetts. The next snow is predicted to come next Tuesday, so I think I will be snow-happy for a while.

After the "Blizzard of 2005" (so reported by the "Extreme Team" on one of the local news channels) calmed down a bit on Sunday, Ruth and I headed into the city and let me tell you, it was unbelievably beautiful! There were no cars, people were cross country skiing the streets, snowshoeing, and the slopes of Beacon Hill had kids and adults alike zipping down the neighborhood streets and slopes on sleds, plastic saucers, tubes and toboggans (in some cases cafeteria food trays, but hey - whatever works, right?). I took lots of photos with my camera, and hope that I can even remotely capture how beautiful it was. The Boston Common and the Public Garden were beautiful, someone had graciously dug out the duckling statues (http://www.schon.com/public/ducklings-boston.php) as only Momma Duck's head was sticking out of the snow. "Make Way for Ducklings" is a Boston classic - the story of Mrs Mallard and her eight ducklings looking for a home in the big city. In 1941, Robert McCloskey wrote the famous tale which takes place in the Boston Public Garden. In honor of the story every year on Mothers' Day a parade is held where swarms of children dressed in duck outfits waddle or walk around Beacon Hill, and then get a chance to pose for a picture sitting on the mallard statues in the park. (http://www.boston-online.com/cityviews/ducklings_parade.html).

After a brief pick-me-up at Harvard Gardens which involved an undisclosed amount of Frangelico, it was time to head home to watch the AFC Championship game where our most beloved New England Patriots thrashed the Pittsburgh Steelers (sorry Jimmy!) and advanced to the SuperBowl! Yess! February 6 is SuperBowl Sunday, and plans are being made to have a very fine event at my neighbor Claire's!

Monday it was back to work (at least for me, can't say that the weather would keep me from going to work) and the final painful days of the grant application deadline. Staggering out every night as if I had been drugged, I decided to do fun stuff and totally overcompensate. I bumbled over the the main Boston Public Library at Copley Square (http://www.freefoto.com/preview.jsp?id=1211-14-2&k=The+Boston+Public+Library%2C+Boston%2C+Massachusetts) where it was free Monday night movies - this time silent movies with piano accompaniment. The story featured was "The Patchwork Girl of Oz" (http://www.halcyon.com/piglet/bk12des.htm) - written by Frank Baum, who had made a habit out of writing Oz and other fantasy stories. Watching early silent movies is always a little perplexing - everyone moves too fast as if they were doped up on amphetamines and seem to be suffering from some seizures of sort. There is no such thing as special effects, the "woozy" was apparently made from cardboard and there was some gender confusion going on as well. The piano music adds some dramatic notes, but there were few text screens in between and to be honest, I did not quite get everything that went on in this flick. Entertaining though.

Tuesday night it was back to the Museum of Science's IMAX theater for the movie "Extreme", which featured spectacular images of extreme athletes - wind surfing, rock climbing, extreme skiing and snow boarding. Spectacular and very impressive!(http://www.extreme70mmfilm.com/)

So and here we are, ready for another fun-filled weekend - Saturday morning I am heading out to Weston, where the snow shoeing event from the Boston Ski and Sports Club is finally taking place (we do have enough snow I believe). In the late afternoon, I will meet up with some friends at Frog Pond to do some ice skating and on Sunday, I am heading to Stowe, Vermont for some down hill skiing (http://www.stowe.com/). How's that for a winter weekend?

I was supposed to go out jogging tonight - don't ask - actually, yeah, do ask! The Somerville Striders, another one of the crazy running clubs around here, is featuring some event, where we would all jog in this raw weather and then afterward meet up with a famous Ethiopian marathon runner. I have not convinced myself that I will actually do it, and the thought of my gym, which features heat and TVs, is just more appealing. Don't expect much, my friends! Probably no tales of Ethiopia from this end.

With this I bid you farewell for this week. Stay warm and dry!

Love,

Petra

#33 Boston - Or is it Siberia ? January 21, 2005

2005-01-21T16:10:00.000-08:00

My eye sockets hurt - what else is there to say! Just like eating too much ice cream and getting brain freeze - try that one on your entire head! Today we reached the absolute low point of this week (in more ways than one), 3 degrees Fahrenheit, with a windchill around minus 20 (still Fahrenheit). [For my German friends minus 20 Fahrenheit is about -28 Celsius]. Friggin' cold! Even the balaclava won't help! I have eaten entire chap sticks and the hot water bottle has come out of retirement! We are promised a load of snow sometime tomorrow, and another 4 degree day - good weather for skiing, eh? I will try to head out to Weston for some cross country skiing or snowshoeing with my friend Ruth. There is a luge event out in Wachusett which might also be interesting to see (no, I am not participating! I don't think I fit the aerodynamic requirements - still working on those cookie bumps....)

This will make up for the fact that last weekend started out snowless. Snowshoeing with the Boston Ski and Sports Club got cancelled, so after a brisk morning jogging experience I headed out to visit my friends Linda and Roger in Shrewsbury. After a little walk around the neighborhood, we headed toward West Boylston to the cinema - saw the sleeper hit "Sideways". Pretty funny actually!
Sunday was the big day - my first downhill skiing experience. I had signed on with the Boston Ski and Sports Club (http://www.bssc.com/index.cfm) for a daytrip to Mount Okemo in Ludlow, Vermont (http://www.okemo.com/winterhome/index.html). Down the hill she goes, our Petra - being the graceful person that I am, I had promised to wow the New England skiing community with a stellar performance. My efforts were definitely commendable, and I was among the top students in my two classes. Toward the end of the day I went down the bunny slope without poles and even attempted one of the green trails - I fell only once, and that was coming of the chair lift. T'was a little slippery there, and the minute I got myself vertical again, one of my class mates decided to run me over. Skiing was a wonderful experience, my shins and calves hurt, a nice hematoma has formed and previously unknown muscles have started to appear. Ironically we had to ski on artificial snow (with some lovely layers of ice underneath that made for some interesting skiing maneuvers on our part) only to drive back to Boston where the real stuff was coming down from the sky! It was a very long day - left Boston at 5:30 AM and returned around 8 PM, but so worth it!! My next skiing trip will most likely lead me to Jay Peak in Northeastern Vermont next weekend (http://www.jaypeakresort.com/).

Monday was a holiday, and my friend Elaine and I headed for a most wonderful walk at the Mount Auburn Cemetery at the intersection of Cambridge and Watertown (http://www.mountauburn.org/). It is a most marvelous spot, a beautiful old place - it was America's first landscaped cemetery. In its winter wonderland coat and display of haunting light reflections it was truly magical. But still friggin' cold, so we headed to the Hi Rise Bakery on Concord Avenue for some sugar-infused nourishment and had a nice winter tea at Elaine's home in Charlestown (http://www.charlestownonline.net/visitors.htm). Hi Rise is a great place to visit, very neighborhoodish, down-to-earth place, with a huge wooden table in the middle, where everyone gathers for coffee, hot cocoa and their phenomenally tasting baked goods.

Tuesday, the book group met at Porter's Bar near North Station - another cold night, where the whole group decided to wimp out and take the cab to the bar from my place (it is less than a ten-minute walk). Yes, yes, we caved in....
Thursday night I attended another dinner of the crazy MIT Euroclub, this time at Tommy Doyle's Irish pub near Kendall Square in Cambridge. The pub, a very cozy retreat for a nippy evening like yesterday, is a popular hangout. The owner's name is Finbar Griffin and he seems to love his regular customers - he treats 80 loyal customers to Red Sox games four times a year. The food at "Doyler's" is actually pretty impressive and the MIT Euroclub gang packed an entire section (I believe there were 25 or 30 of us). Not that I have to say it, the beer was not too shabby either.

Work is still insane, the deadline is coming up quickly and other than the fact that everyone involved is lining up to jump off one of Boston's many bridges, things are going well. Not everyone values deadlines and some folks have decided that ignoring them makes them disappear somehow.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, I almost forgot - I have my keys back! If you recollect, during one my more bright and physically well coordinated moments, I had dropped them down the elevator shaft in my building - I finally had them retrieved from the pit and aside from a little corrosion they are looking pretty darn ok.

So my friends in warm places, I am looking forward to the weekend, with some snowshoeing or XC skiing and with our admired New England Patriots facing the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL championship game (we will cream them, Jimmy!). [http://www.patriots.com/]. Go Pats!

And remember, a duck's quack doesn't echo and no one knows why!

All my love,

pet:)

#32- Boston - The Week of a Thousand Years - January 13, 2005

2005-01-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

My friends,

Greetings from Boston, where it currently rains cats and dogs and whatever else, the temperature is in the mid 60s, but the weather reports says that it could drop to 27 and snow later, so who knows? I have seen people jogging in shorts, and looking down at the Charles River Esplanade I notice a group of small lakes and river systems forming on the soccer field. Just looovely!

It has been a taxing week at work, one that I do not care to repeat, if felt like a thousand years crammed into every day, with some egregious behavior on the part of some folks that I don't even work with directly. I have a tough time dealing with unwarranted arrogance and imperviousness directed at me, and I got plenty of it this week. Relief is on the way - a nice three-day weekend with some fun plans and hopefully ample opportunity to forget about this ugly past few days. Tomorrow I signed up for snow shoeing lessons with the Boston Ski and Sports Club (out at the Weston Ski Track) and on Monday I am joining them heading up to Wildcat in New Hampshire (http://www.skiwildcat.com/) for some downhill skiing. My first lesson, this oughta be interesting. Sunday has been noted down to be a day of leisure and relaxation, and maybe a little walk around town.

Last weekend (when we still had snow), I headed out to the Weston Ski Track (http://www.ski-paddle.com/skitrack/skitrack.shtml) for my crosscountry skiing lesson with Charles River Recreation. It was the ne plus ultra of fun!! Victor, our ski instructor was at least 70 years old but in pretty snazzy shape. We learned first how to balance on our skis without poles and then continued on, eventually learning how to go up and down hills. That was my favorite bit of the day - my new friend Cheryl and I kept literally jogging up the hills with our skis and "oooooiiiiii" down we came again. Additional entertainment was provided by two extremely clumsy and bungling women in our group, who spent more time falling all over the place than actually standing up on skis. The ski track itself is great, literally 15 minutes outside of Boston (in summer it is a golf course) and while we were taking our class, it started snowing! It was just so great, winter wonderland! Eventually though the snow turned into nasty, icy rain and we headed to the little clubhouse, where my friend Arlene was already waiting with a cup of hot cocoa in her hands.

My Sunday plans got canceled, and so I improvised - I got my hands on a book called "Victorian Boston Today" that lists 12 walking tours around Boston highlighting Victorian era buildings, authors, landmarks. I decided to do the Black Heritage Trail in Beacon Hill (http://www.afroammuseum.org/trail.htm) - I never get tired of exploring Beacon Hill, and this was a particularly interesting tour. The walking tour leads you through what used to be called the North Slope of Beacon Hill - the site of the first African-American Neighborhood in Boston. Slaves were hiding in underground railroad alleys, and some very prominent leaders of the abolitionist movement lived in this part of town.
Beacon Hill never seizes to amaze and charm me - just when you think you have explored every nook and cranny, you again discover a new little gem. My new favorite spot is a little courtyard-size "park" on Temple Street across from Suffolk University. A few lovely park benches arranged in a semi-circle in a very charming setting - I can see myself sitting there in summer with a good book (and some ice cream of course!).

My friend Deborah from California was in town to see family, so I headed out toward Taunton, Mass in the late afternoon to hook up with her and her family. The drive there took me past the New England Patriots football stadium (http://www.gillettestadium.com/), which is quite an impressive site! It was a very low key and fun evening where we all crammed into her cousin's living room and watched several DVDs of "Will and Grace".

This week, I again went back to the gym, and I am happy to report that the Christmas cookie damages are slowly reversing. On Wednesday I headed to "Fajitas and Ritas" with Stephanie and her husband Dan to celebrate his new job and yesterday night I attended the Appalachian Mountain Club's Winter Soiree. A fun event, and afterward a whole pack of women who I hooked up with galumphed over to the "21st Amendment" (the pub next to the State House). Apparently our governor Mitt Romney had just given the "State of the State" address, so the place was chockful with young crisp Republicans! What an eldritch sight that was! Needless to say it was fun in there, and I think we might have convinced one young Rep to join the AMC. He probably thought that any organization that has that many women in it, can't be that bad!

Alrighty then, this is it - see my little tidbit at the end for some more Boston humor (courtesy of redsoxdiehard.com) - this time about the pronunciation (if you want to come and visit - practice, people! practice!).

pet:)

Boston English - Pronounciation

"We don't speak English. We speak whatever they brought over here from East Anglia in 1630.

The Bawstin accent is basically the broad A and the dropped R, which we add to words ending in A - pahster, Cuber, soder. For the broad A, just open your mouth and say AHHH like the docta says.

So car is cah, park is pahk. If you want to talk like the mayah, repeat after me: My ahnt takes her bahth at hahpast foah. "

#31 Boston - The Concept of Potholes - January 6, 2005

2005-01-06T18:53:00.000-08:00

In this winter wonderland, the city of Boston has re-introduced me to something that I gladly had erased from my memory banks - you drive along and out of nowhere a hole the size of Canada opens up and you swerve around barely avoiding falling into it, car and all! My goodness! I had totally forgotten about potholes! No wonder there is always construction going on here in Boston - these craters are huge and reminiscent of the streets in good old East Germany. This also reminds me of a quote by Bill Bryson from one of my favorite books of his "The Lost Continent -Travels Across Small Town America" - "Boston's freeway system was insane. It was clearly designed by a person who spent his childhood crashing toy trains. Every few hundred yards I would find my lane vanishing beneath me and other lanes merging with it from the right or left or sometimes both. This wasn't a road system. This was mobile hysteria. Everyone looked worried. I had never seen people working so hard to keep from crashing into each other. And this was a Saturday - God knows what it must be like on a weekday."

In addition, we had about a foot of snow coming down the last two days (Petra was very happy), and we are currently in the transition phase to sleet-mush-slush-gunk kinda stuff. Last night a brave contingent of the Running Partners (the hospital's jogging group) braved the icy streets and jogged along the Esplanade narrowly avoiding some nasty spills. Boston looks beautiful with its snowy cover, and I am looking forward to a few snow activities over the course of this month. This Saturday I am taking cross country skiing lessons at the Weston Ski Track, which is just 20 minutes outside of town (http://www.ski paddle.com/skitrack/skitrack.shtml), and Sunday, I might join the AMC for some xcountry skiing in the Blue Hills area around Ponkapoag Pond. The weekend following I already signed up for Snowshoeing 101 with the Boston Ski and Sports Club (also at the Weston Ski Track) and Sunday the 16th I might join the BSCC on a trip to Okemo Ski Resort in Ludlow, Vermont (http://www.okemo.com/winterhome/index.html). There are so many cool activities, I can see myself heading out of town every weekend.

So, let's backtrack a little - as you know I returned from my Christmas vacation in Germany and arrived back here in Boston on the 30th of December. After falsely assuming folks would work on the 31st and being somewhat confused about a pretty much abandoned hospital, I headed home and got ready for the New Year's Eve festivities. As mentioned I bought myself a button for "First Night", which gives you access to six million events that are taking place all at the same time all over Boston. I relied on my friend Linda to create the perfect itinerary and that she did! Linda, Roger, Arlene and I met up early in the evening to join the parade that ambled down Boylston Street. What fun! A real parade! We then headed for the first of our events, at the Berkelee School of Music, where we (definitely) enjoyed "The Revolutionary Snake Ensemble" - their sound is described as "urban funk, mardi gras, bold street brass, with what I would describe as equally bold dress choices by its members (actually Linda and I could not quite figure out the gender of one of the performers for quite some time.... most of them wore dresses from the Dame Edna New Orleans Glitter Collection, and some feathery boas of course). Bloody great band, though! [http://fieldk.home.att.net/rse/] Definitely worth it.
We stayed for the next performance at the Berklee, which featured a group called the Family Jewels (http://jewelsrock.com/) - they describe themselves as a cool new group playing some very hot old music ("honky tonk to doo-wap, blues to jump swing, rockabilly to Chuck Berry, New Orleans Second Line to Rhythm and Blues"). Phenomenal! Very very cool indeed.
We then stomped over to the Hynes Convention Center to check out some Brazilian tunes, with Hector Cuevas and the Boston Latin Band (http://www.thebostonlatinband.com/pages/bio.html) featuring salsa, merengue, danzon, and traditional boleros and there was definitely some hot dancing going on (some also not so hot, but more in the entertaining category - there was something for everyone).
We (our little group and thousands of people we did not invite to go with us) headed toward the waterfront later at night to prepare for the fireworks that were promised to start at Midnight. Compared to last year the temperatures were pretty much tropical, and everyone was out and about. I observed a disturbing trend though - many people of what appeared to be a decent degree of intelligence were armed with plastic trumpets of varying colors that they bought of street vendors as if they were going out of style and maybe they were. I assume that their willingness to purchase these lovely instruments was directly related to the amount of alcohol consumed that night, and I wonder how many of them woke up the next morning and could not figure out why they spend eight dollars for a piece of crap like that. But there you go. The noise created was incessant and not pretty. The fireworks were great, of course, and all in all it was a very nice and enjoyable night.

The weekend following was pretty much low-key, a brunch at my boss' house out in Newton, some walks and lots of lazy time on that great couch of mine. Ella, the caah, is alive and well again, and has a new battery, and is humming along nicely (thanks goodness for warranties). Work is extremely busy for this week and next, then the grant application is in, and we will get a bit of a breather. I have been going to the gym trying to work of all the Christmas cookies I inhaled in Germany, and that's pretty much it.

I hope all of you are well -
until next week.

pet:)

#30 Boston - A Bit Mushy - December 31, 2004

2004-12-31T11:32:00.000-08:00

Hello my friends!

I was welcomed back by the lovely city of Boston with heaps of snow (figures, the minute I leave town the snow comes down in piles) and with the warmer weather today those wonderful accumulations of mush and slush that line the streets. Try to manage that in high heels! The celebrations for First Night are well under way - my only worry being the ice sculptures that could possibly melt before I will be able to admire them. Linda and Roger have picked out for a program for tonight and my new friend Arlene might join us as well. I look forward to a nice celebration tonight and a relaxing weekend to follow.
The elevator company still has not retrieved my keys, and in the next segment of this series of somewhat unfortunate events, the caahh, my beloved Ella, is not showing any signs of life. She will have to be resuscitated on Monday and taken to the car doc in Arlington.
On the good news front, my brother has a new computer keyboard and his comma-less life is over!
I returned last night from Germany, after an absolutely exhausting trip, which involved a 9-hour flight from Zurich to Washington, DC, a delay and a serious jogging experience across Dulles Airport in order to catch the connecting flight to Boston. Nine hours in a plane with movies that I either had seen already last week or that were not even worthy of B movie status was arduous and a serious test of patience.
I had a wonderful Christmas holiday in Germany - for some reason I experience the holiday in my hometown community as gentler and softer - not to say that it is not equally commercialized in Germany. It was wonderful to spend time with my brother, his girlfriend and her family. Being back in Neuenburg is always as if I have stepped into a parallel universe - everything is familiar, memories are everywhere despite the changes in our little town, and despite the fact that I live thousands of miles away. En route to my aunt's place I walk by the house where I was born, I see the cobbler's place, an old, bedraggled hovel of a house that is no longer inhabitable. I remember going in there as a kid, walking up the tiny gnarly staircase, shoes everywhere, and picking up shoes (I still don't know how he ever found them in the mess in there) from the cobbler, who rarely spoke more than a few words.
On Monday this week, we had yet another meeting of the Schoki Club - a group of friends of mine that I have known since kindergarten. (For my English-speaking friends, Schoki is hot chocolate - makes a lot of sense doesn't it?). At some point during the evening we decided to head for the restaurant Salmen, which had recently been remodeled and is now a fairly decent place to eat and have a good conversation. That is true, however you still find some of the more serious addiction dipsomaniacs who stagger past you on their way out. One lesson learned this evening is that those business plans that you start hatching after a drink or two with some friends who are in equally good spirits, might be just a tad more unrealistic once daylight hits. Nevertheless we did have a blast of a time, and I still think about our "novel" idea of having bookstore/coffeshop/eatery (Spaghetti once a week!!).
Another activity I enjoy when I visit home is to watch winter sports on TV. German and Swiss television channels constantly feature ski and winter sport events, and you have seen nothing until you have witnessed a stadium full of 52,000 spectators (flags and all) cheering on a biathlon event! Unbelievable! I myself am totally partial to ski jumping which has been my favorite since I was a kid.

Of course, this past week has been overshadowed by the tragic events in Asia, and we were just beyond belief and beyond comprehension of what has taken place. A family who lived across the street from my dad lost their house in Sri Lanka, but fortunately everyone was safe and they have the comfort of being able to return to a home in Germany. Many people did not have that chance.

My friends, I wanted wish you a great start into this new year! May it bring you lots of adventure and fun, laughter, friendship and most of all, lots of love. Think good thoughts, and let's hope that all this suffering will be followed by many acts of kindness and a small miracle here and there.

Wishing you all the best,

pet:)

#29 Boston - Christmas in Germany without Commas - December 25 2004

2004-12-25T08:21:00.000-08:00

Froehliche Weihnachten! Merry Christmas!

I am sitting here in my home town in Gemany on my brother's somewhat disfunctional computer - the comma is not working so look forward to some interesting ways for me to structure this week's oration. I also could just pretend to be Gabriel Garcia Marquez and write without any punctuation whatsoever. Some folks consider that great literature. Ha!
I arrived here in a pretty languid state - due to my late booking of my flight I had a very interesting itinerary and the pleasure of a six hour layover in Washington DC. I spent this time sprawled out on a few seats in my boarding area reading through three issues of Newsweek and half a book. After an overnight flight and landing in Zurich my brother and I zipped back to Germany (I forgot how fast you can drive here - always a bit scary at first) and after speed-wrapping six dozen gifts I jumped in a car to get my hair colored and cut (at a fraction of the extortionate Boston rates of course). Then it was off to dinner #1 at my aunt's house (Ham and potato salad) to be followed by festivities at my brother's pad a little later. It was quite the culinary feast - and Marion's sister Andrea (who lived up to her role as the best amateur chef of the region) once again delighted us with a "Gourmet Magazine" worthy creation of lemon ice cream tartlets that were just to die for. A germane amount of lovely gifts were traded to the delight of everyone involved - and a good time was had by all. Once I started seriously fading out and threaten to fall asleep sitting up at the table - I was sent to bed and went downstairs for some serious shut eye. Christmas eve is the important evening tradition in German Christmas celebrations - we all enjoyed a harmonious evening and each other's company.

Today is a nice and relaxing day with a pretty disconsolate sky and the promise of really cold weather tomorrow. I was able to get some jogging in though this morning - and of course some more of that healthy Christmas diet involving loads of cookies and such.

Before I left to come here things got busy as you can imagine. The toil and moil at work did get intense - a deadline and Christmas do not seem to make a great combination. Friday last I headed to Copley Place and the Old South Church where a concert of the Chorus Pro Musica took place (http://www.choruspromusica.org/). Considered one of the premier choruses of New England they performed a magnificent selection of French and American Christmas songs titled "Joyeux Noel". The Old South Church (http://www.oldsouth.org/) was established in 1872 in the style of Northern Italian gothic architecture and "is distinguished by its tall bell tower; brown, pink and grey stonework; walls of Roxbury puddingstone; decorative carvings; a roof striped with tiles of red and black slate; and a cupola or lantern of green and russet-colored copper. " A beautiful place to have a concert indeed.

Saturday I spend the day with my friends Linda and Roger - we started off by heading to Deer Island - one of the Boston Harbor Islands. Not the prettiest of them by any means - in particular as it features the very futuristically designed Sewage Treatment Plant for the city of Boston (as my Roger noted "This is where it all ends!"). However it has one of the best views of the city of Boston and the surrounding Massachusetts Bay and its islands. Of course once you take the walk you are exposed to the risk that once in a while the wind shifts unfavorably in your diretion and you get a whiff of something terribly malodorous. In addition a sign alerts you that the irrigation system might go off at any time - with no previous warning! We eventually headed back to the city and after a dinner at my favorite Italian neighborhood restaurant (Antonio's on Cambridge Street) headed over to the Boston Common and watched folks ice skating (more or less skilled) - and then I gave a tour to Linda and Roger of my highlights of Beacon Hill (had to stop by John Kerry's house as usual).
On Sunday I met my friend Christiaan who was in town from Washington DC and had his first visit to the hub. With two of his colleagues we (again - this is becoming a habit) moseyed over to the Boston Common and Frog Pond and did some ice skating. It was Chris' first experience on the ice and he did pretty good. All this physical activity called for some serious sustenance - so we ambled over to the "21st Amendment" for some good sandwiches and beer. All in all a great weekend (maybe except the part where I threw my keys down the elevator shaft....).

It has been chilly over the past week - with the real low point of the week (literally) the night we had minus 5 Fahrenheit with the wind chill. Unfortunately for me I had to go to the drug store - all bundled up I pretty much looked like the Michelin Man trying to rob a bank. It snowed a bit on Monday - aside from that it was just cold! Boston is amazing with its weather patterns - I am now totally obsessed with weather.com and love the fact that there actually is a weather...... I remember during our first snow in November - jogging along the Charles River Esplanade trying to avoid ice and slush when next to me someone was cross country skiing. At the same time sailboats were on the river - how cool is that!

In a somewhat weather-related event - the fifth annual Santa Speedo Run took place in Boston last weekend with men and women in speedos jogging down Newbury Street (enough said - right?) [http://www.santaspeedorun.com/]. It's December for cryin' out loud!!

That's it for today folks - be merry and happy and kind to your friends and family and strangers!

pet:)

My final quote for the day - "Everything is within walking distance - if you have the time" by Steven Wright.

#28 Boston - Jacob Wirth Rules! - December 17, 2004

2004-12-17T13:43:00.000-08:00

Who is this Jacob Wirth you may ask? Well my friends, he is a good man - actually our friend Jacob here, he came from a family of wine growers in Prussia and settled in the good old US of A quite some time ago. In 1868 he opened his restaurant across the street from the current locale. The place consists of a typical old style dining hall, but the highlight are Friday nights at Jake's - Mel Stiller on the piano next to the bar plays his heart out, and guess what, everyone sings along. Every table has song books, and in between the tunes, which most people sing decidedly off key, everyone screams page numbers with their ballad of choice at poor Mel. Mel has the final veto though, and if he thinks it is too early to sing "Obladi Oblada" there ain't nothin' you can do. [http://www.jacobwirth.com/]

My favorite bit of the evening was the MBTA Song, which features the tragic saga of "Charlie", an ill-fated chap who was condemned forever to ride the Boston transit system because he did not have the required exit fare (a nickel). It was performed by the Kingston trio in 1959, but was originally written for the 1948 Boston mayoral race to protest a candidate who wanted to charge an extra nickel to exit the system. [Interestingly enough, the MBTA is currently advocating an automated fare collection system called "The Charlie Card". ]

People, I was singing like you would not believe (really, you would not), and I ended up returning home at 1 AM with almost no voice left! Saturday started out slow, on account of the long night, and it was just great to loll around in my PJ's and read, have a good cupa tea, that kind of stuff.

In the afternoon I headed to volunteer as an usher at the Boston Center for the Arts, which is located in yet another (can you stand it?) quaint part of this wonderful town, the South End [http://www.cityofboston.gov/neighborhoods/neighborhoods.asp?id=18]. Cute brick houses, lanterns, neat stores, lotsa culture..... My "work" assignment took place at the beautiful Calderwood Pavillion (http://www.bcaonline.or) - the performance was "Johnny Guitar" a musical spoof based on the 1954 not-so-spoofy and unamusing movie with Joan Crawford. All I had to do is show a few folks to their seat, make sure they did not fall down the steps or over the railing and I was home free. The performance was fabu, very entertaining, and the audience loved it!

Sunday did not start off so well, my old chronic stomach problem decided to come back to haunt me, and so most of the day was spent on the couch watching movies, reading, and taking a nap here or there. I had signed on for the Jingle Bell Run that evening, and I actually scraped myself off the couch and headed toward Back Bay, where a pretty dappled hoi polloi had congregated - most folks were dressed in Santa Claus outfits, and whatever else inspired them. All runners got little bells for their sneakers, and off we went, jingling and such. Running down Comm Ave with a bunch of Santas was so much fun! I met up with some friends from my running group, who won first price in the costume contest. The Hash House Harriers ("A Drinking Group with a Running Problem") actually pulled a sled!

The week has been pretty busy, and mostly filled with work-related responsibilities. Tuesday night the book group met at my new favorite Japanese place, Ma Soba on Cambridge Street, where we stuffed ourselves with tasty sushi dishes. I then ran home (literally, because it was 15 degrees (Fahrenheit, of course) out there, make that 4 with the wind chill), the homeowners' association in my building had a Christmas feast that I wanted to attend.

Right now I will be heading off to the office Christmas Party, where some chocolate-covered strawberries are waiting for yours truly. Tonight I will be heading over to the Old South Church at Copley Square, where the Chorus Pro Musica will perform a "Joyeux Noel" concert (http://www.choruspromusica.org/) - I believe there is a sing-along component as well, which is right up my alley. Tomorrow I am going for a hike with my friends Linda and Roger, Sunday I will meet up with my friend Christiaan, who is in town from DC, and we are planning on a little ice skating at Frog Pond followed by some good grub in Beacon Hill.

Next week is Christmas, wow, I can't believe it! We had the occasional little dusting with snow here, and it has been freezing this week, temperatures were semi-glacial - those nights, where even when you run out of essentials, you keep thinking of ways to wing it, because you really do not want to go outside. I will be back in town for New Year's where I will be participating in First Night - another great Boston experience - you buy a button for $15 and with this button you can attend events all over town, music, art, comedy, there are also ice sculptures, a parade and fireworks at midnight. I tell you folks, this town is definitely happening!

I want to wish you all a very happy holiday - be safe, and hopefully you will be able to spend some time with family and good friends. I will be in touch next week from Germany.

For a finish today, I am enclosing a little write up from Boston Magazine, under the heading of "Hot Dates" by Andrew Rimas

Merry, merry......

pet:)

Hot Dates:

What is happening this month:

12/1 - The Cheers Pub 35th Birthday. Where nobody knows your name. Because you're a tourist.
12/2-5 - Bay Colony Cluster Dog Show: In the pit bull gallery, Ann Coulter disqualifies herself by foaming at the mouth. Meanwhile governor Mitt Romney edges Barney (Frank) to grab the blue ribbon in the White House lap dog division.
12/5 - Vienna Boy's Choir: Voices of Angels, costumes of Austro-Hungarian sailors
12/7-19 - Tea at Five at the Shubert: Actress Kate Mulgrew portrays Kathryn Hepburn at the beginning and end of her career in this one-woman play. Word is that Imhotep, accursed mummy of the underworlds, was pursued to play Hepburn during her "On Golden Pond" period, but declined, citing conflicts with the filming of "The Mummy 3".
12/21 - Winter begins. Dammit.
12/21-22 - The film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera opens. "The Phaaaantom of the Op-e-ra is theeeere inside your mind." That is, if you left your brain in 1986.
12/31 New Year's Eve. Red Sox Won. World did not end. All in all, things worked out ok.

#27 Boston - Under a Stygian Sky - Dec 10 2004

2004-12-10T14:48:00.000-08:00

Made you look up that word, did I?

Well, compadres, it seems like we have not seen the sky all week, and the rain has been merciless most of the time. The weather forecast alternates between rain, haze, partially cloudy and snow showers, once in a while the sun does make a perfunctory appearance. It gets dark at 4:30 PM, everyone forgets how to drive and we're out of produce!! What kind of a place is this? Kidding, I really love it here! Last Saturday was my 6-month anniversary here in the hub - can you believe it? Despite some of the transition pains, and the one or other unexpected snafu, I am happy, I do enjoy getting to know the area and I have met some wonderful and brilliant people here in Boston.

Notwithstanding the cheerless outdoors my social calendar has continued to run at a thousand miles a minute, with some moments of repose and stillness in between. Last Friday I headed to the very romantically and winterily illuminated Boston Common for a little ice-skating at Frog Pond. Initially I was hesitant to go in - at the exact moment of my arrival a horde of school children ambushed the place - but I decided to suck it up and just do it. Friday night might have not been the best choice of time to go, as there was a bunch of bratty teenagers who thought that they absolutely had to show off their skating skills by narrowly zipping in between folks, but I really did have a good time and the Common looked just magical that evening.

My ski trip to Maine did not happen, as you know - so I decided to go for some retail therapy relating to Christmas with my friend Elaine. We did finish our excursion fairly quickly which enabled us to go for a nice meal at my favorite Mexican place, Fajitas and Ritas! Sunday ended up being just a very, very beautiful day - and I decided to head for the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plains (http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/index.html). The Arboretum was established in 1872, when James Arnold, a whaling merchant from New Bedford, Mass, willed some of his estate to Harvard College. It occupies 265 acres (107 hectares) of land and features an impressive collection of more than 7000 plant species, and a herbarium collection in excess of 5 million specimens. Most of all, it is a great place for a long and relaxing walk.

Fed up with being outside, I headed for the Museum of Fine Arts (http://www.mfa.org/) to finally see the Art Deco exhibit. I had missed it in San Francisco, so here was my chance. Art Deco was such a fun and witty design style - very sleek. The exhibit featured some of the glam master artists of this time period (1910-1939) like Chanel, Lalique and Cartier. It embraced an amazing array of influences, from Greek mythology, Egyptian and Asian art, and it had its most visible manifestation in the 1930s-era skyscrapers such as New York's Empire State Building and Chrysler Building.

I ended this very nice weekend with an early evening stroll around Beacon Hill to admire the Christmas decorations that were put up that day.

This week has been packed with work and social events galore - work has been relentlessly busy, and I realized today that I had not even seen my emails since yesterday morning. I have been cruising from one meeting to another, most of it back and forth across town. Monday night, I attended a free movie showing at the main Boston Public Library at Copley Plaza, which featured Werner Herzog's "Invincible". A quite well done story about a Jewish blacksmith in Poland who has immense physical prowess and who gets discovered for variety shows in Berlin, where he has to perform in front of a mostly Nazi-friendly audience. Introduced originally as "Iron Man Siegfried" he realizes what it is he really wants to do in life. I enjoyed it very much, in particular as one of the producers/actors was around and was able to answer questions about the movie.
Tuesday night was girls night with my friend Stephanie, and we just had to go to the Red Hat for the "Tuesday Night 10 Cents Buffalo Wings" deal. Yesterday night after class, I met my friends Barbara and Anita for a nice beer and pizza at a converted firehouse at Harvard Square called "Cambridge 1". Excellent chow and great ambiance!

No rest for the weary, my friends! I worked hard this week and I will be rewarded. I am now heading for a quick beer tasting at Charles Street Liquors and then meet up with some friends from the Boston Ski and Sports Club at Jacob Wirth, the German restaurant with Karaoke. Tomorrow afternoon I will volunteer as an usher (through Boston Cares) at the Huntington Theater to see "Johnny Guitar", an award winning musical based on the 1954 movie with Joan Crawford. Sunday evening is the Jingle Bell Run (a road race) and in between I have a few movies to watch courtesy of Netflix.

I will chat with you next week, Christmas is approaching quickly and I will be heading for Germany for a week on December 23rd.

Be safe! Happy Holidays!

pet:)

#26 Boston - Whisky A Go-Go - December 3, 2004

2004-12-03T13:42:00.000-08:00

Greetings Fellow Earthlings!

I have returned safe and somewhat sound from my Thanksgiving vacation in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Following the cluster of activities around Turkey Day, the weekend took on a much more relaxed note, however it did not start out that way. On Saturday morning, my friend Ulli introduced me to the wonders of Wall's Bargain Center, which is the ultimate Adrenaline shopping experience! Wall's, my friends, is located in a semi-abandoned shopping mall on the outskirts of Stillwater, and I believe the only open store there. Going to Wall's is a bit like mining, probably 60% of the things they have are what I would label junk, and the other 40% are good, and I mean, gooooood stuff! You would not believe the gems you can find there! A pair of brand-new Bandolino leather boots for $35, Ralph Lauren and Hilfiger Tops, Cashmere sweaters for $20, Art books, you name it. I still get seizures just thinking about it, and my heart skips a beat when I walk past my closets. We made out like Oklahoma bandits and my friend Ulli had to get me out of there quickly before things got really bad. Ulli's daughters have now labeled us as "the crazy shopping ladies", which is probably not too far from the truth. Wall's will do that to you.

Saturday afternoon was spent in the company of a slightly motley crue when Ulli and Gerald hosted an Advent Coffee and Cake event, with German friends, a British opera singer, a cantor from New Jersey (go figure) and an engineer from San Jose. It was quite a lively group and we stuffed ourselves with all kinds of German Christmas specialties, which we had to wash down with some Pizza a tad later. Sunday was the quintessential lazy day, we set up the Christmas tree, my friend Gerald recorded about 50 CDs for me, nothing major! Travel back on Monday to Boston was amazingly smooth, albeit it was a very tough day as we had to get up at 3 AM in Stillwater in order to get the 6 AM flight.

Upon my return I have been dedicating myself to a new vice - yes, my friends, I too have been swallowed by the Netflix wormhole. Movies appear mysteriously in my mailbox to my extreme delight! When I signed on, I just browsed and checked a few movies here and there, and immediately had 50 movies in my queue!
Work has been insane, insane, insane - huge deadline looming, things being put on the back burner that should not be there, and everyone is stressed. My boss has vowed to strangle all of those characters who give me trouble - that helps a bit. He is a saint and surprised Renee and myself this week with specially made Christmas wreaths from Vermont!

On the social front, I attended a whisky tasting this week at the Ritz Hotel. The event was organized through my friends at the Boston Ski and Sports Club. We first piled up in a room where we were served cocktails (Chivas on the rocks, Chivas with Ginger Ale and Chivas Smoked Apple Martinis). After we were sufficiently tanked up, we were moved to a different area where the actual tasting began, hosted by a very entertaining, kilt-wearing Scotsman (www.maninaskirt.com), who was just unbelievable! Side-splittingly funny, keen, quick-witted and we learned something (now if we could only remember it!). I was amazed at the nuances in the taste and I actually favored the peaty malts. We all left with a bottle of Chivas in our hands and in a particularly splendid mood!
I met up at the whisky fest with a group of some BSSC folks that I knew from other events, and we have organized a get-together at a German restaurant here in Boston next Friday (http://www.jacobwirth.com/). Apparently there might be a Karaoke component to the evening, which is not something inherently German, but some of us might be able to carry a tune (it's not gonna be me though, and the minute I start hollering Barry Manilow tunes, I am sure someone will pay for another beer just to shut me up).

Under the headline of "This would not happen in California" I had a rather interesting grocery shopping experience this week. As I made my way into the produce section at Shaws, it looked as if the place had been robbed. A few measly piles of mushrooms, scanty amounts of peppers, nothing - the place was cleaned out. When I asked the clerk on what happened, he said that there was a produce shortage!!! I thought he was pulling my leg, that was a first for me! Enjoy the Berkeley Bowl, people!

The weekend is upon us, and unfortunately my ski trip got canceled, so the ski slopes up in Maine will be safe for now! This leaves me with some time for a hike with my friend Elaine, possibly some tennis with my Swiss friend Sam (if the weather holds up that is) and some Christmas shopping in anticipation of my upcoming trip to Germany later this month. Tonight I will be heading to Frog Pond in the Boston Common for a little ice skating followed by a good dose of sleep.

Happy Weekend everyone, I leave you with another little dollop of Boston humor, this time about the cuisine.

So long.

pet:)

Boston Cuisine

*Boston cream pie is a cake.
*Frappes have ice cream; milk shakes don't.
*Chowdah does not come with tomatoes.
*Soda is club soda. Pop is Dad. If it's fizzy and flavored, it's tonic. When we mean tonic water, we say tonic water.
*Scrod is whatever they tell you it is, usually fish. If you paid more than $6 a pound, you got scrod.
*They're hot dogs. Franks were people who lived in France in the ninth century.

#25 From Boston to Oklahoma and a Thanksgiving with UFOs - November 27, 2004

2004-11-30T06:29:00.000-08:00

Howdy Partners!

Greetings from the Sooner State! I have come here to spend Thanksgiving with my friends Ulli and Gerald, and their two lovely daughters Louise and Siri. This is my annual visit here to the state where the wind blows and so on and the state motto is "Oklahoma is OK", which I have to admit is not terribly exciting. But then again not every state motto can be as dramatic as New Hampshire's which says "Live Free or Die" or as poetic as Massachusetts' "The Spirit of America".
[http://www.ok.gov/]

Still in Boston, last weekend, I went for the first time to the IMAX dome theater at the Boston Museum of Science (http://www.mos.org/) and saw a film called "Forces of Nature" featuring such lovely events as tornadoes, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. I left there with a slight bout of nausea, but recuperated fairly well and quickly - next time a little Dramamine might be in order.
Saturday I actually got back into one of my old habits, and did some baking, before heading out to a housewarming party in Sharon, Massachusetts (http://www.townofsharon.net/) where my friend Glenn and his kids Madison and Noah (aka Mamba Boy as featured in a recent short documentary) celebrated their new digs. It took me a while to get there as I was stuck on 93 South (also known as the distressway), which looked more like a parking lot that day. The party was a lot of fun with tons of nice people and about 20 crock-pots.
Sunday I once again headed for the MA countryside, this time to Ashland, Mass. The town's claim to fame is Henry Warren who invented the synchronous self-starting motor and Telechron Clock - hence the town's football team is named "The Clockers", a name not everyone is apparently happy about (maybe they got clocked one or two times too many). Our aim in Ashland was to drive to my friend Renee's house and retrieve an antique trunk that her parents decided to give to me. Driving home with a trunk sticking two thirds out of my car was interesting and a tad nerve-wracking, but we managed alright - and the trunk is wonderful in my studio and doubles as a comfy, cozy window seat.
Monday night I attend the Boston Ski and Sports Club's Monday Night Football event at a bar called "Porters" which is fortunately only three blocks from my house, and a very nice place. The Zagat Guide in 2001 called it "Upscale for a Bar, Sporty for a Grill". (http://www.portersbar.com/) It was definitely a great event, and everyone had fun watching our beloved New England Patriots (once again) drive home a win. I discovered my current new favorite beer, Harpoon's Winterwarmer Ale - fantastic! (Did I mention that I like beer? I have been to scared so far to attend any of the events from the Beeradvocate group here in Boston, however at some point it might be unavoidable!).
Tuesday night, after a couple of tight and stressful days at work, I headed to Cambridge with my friend Linda dell'Olio (aka Linda #3) to the Cambridge Antique Market, which is a wonderful house, five stories full of antiques and wonderful things to look at! (http://www.marketantique.com/cambridg.htm).

Wednesday started horrendously early - heading to the airport to fly to Oklahoma at 6 AM, unfortunately through Chicago, but I have to say it went pretty smooth this time. Only a 20-minute delay, and even though I had to transfer between terminals everything seemed to go like clockwork. It was a long day, and we unfortunately had something very sad happen on the drive back from the airport when a dog ran into our car. Apparently this is a common occurrence and frequent problem here with stray dogs, which roam the countryside. I have had a hard time with this as you can imagine. Hats off though to my friend Gerald, who handled the situation pretty well.

On Thanksgiving, as a pre-emptive strike for the food that we were to ingest later, I went for a walk and jog in the morning with Ulli and the two girls, and look at a new development in the neighborhood called Berry Creek. It is scary to see what took place there, a gated community with houses in sort of a very gaudy faux French Country Style. It's almost like watching a bad accident, just so bad you have to look. The fun part for the kids was the entrance, where someone put detergent in a little pond on a little manicured piece of lawn with an artificial waterfall, and the good Oklahoma wind blew soap clouds all over the place.
On the way home we enjoyed collecting tons of Pecan nuts fresh off the tree!
Another tradition here is to decorate the house with lights for the upcoming Christmas season, and the whole neighborhood is currently rising to the challenge (of course our house here is the prettiest, no contest!).
Thanksgiving itself was celebrated with the UFOs, the Untenured Faculty Organization of Oklahoma State University, which was loads of fun! A very mixed group of bright adults, cheerful kids and a Boston terrier named Kaelyn who was not afraid to perform dog tricks for bits of turkey and cheesecake. I had some Pumpkin Ale with the meal, all in the spirit of the season.
Today we headed to Oklahoma City to the Museum of Art to see an exhibit called "Millet to Matisse: Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century French Painting from Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow" - a very nice exhibit, with some wonderful paintings by Millet, who was one of the greatest painters of peasant scenes, Jules Breton, who depicted the hardship of the Urban Poor and a new discovery for me, Bastien Lepage. There were of course Monets, Renoirs, Van Goghs, and Seurats! The museum is wonderful (http://www.okcmoa.com/); it has the largest most comprehensive collection of Dale Chihuly's glasswork in the world, in particular his glass tower at the main entrance, which is three stories high. Quite a sight and most amazing!
Afterward it was kid's time and we headed for the Oklahoma Zoo, which was actually a lot of fun, in particular the hippos were my favorite! Driving home and enjoying a beautiful vast Oklahoma sky dipped in reds, yellows and purple was a great end to a very nice day.

I have been enjoying my time here very much, we have been reminiscing of course, back to our student days in Freiburg, watching German comedy on television (for my German friends: Loriot "Ja wo laufen sie denn?, Ja wo laufen sie denn?") and we are enjoying each other's company. Playing a lot of games with the girls (kids' version of Cranium and some treasure hunting.) Tomorrow is a party here in the house, early Christmas type of event, and Sunday we are possibly heading up north to the Woolaroc Native American museum in Bartlesville.

Time to go, hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving, see you back in Boston.

Petra

#24 Boston - First Snow - November 19, 2004

2004-11-19T10:21:00.000-08:00

Immediately for the good news! (No, not the snow, duh! even though I do consider that good news).

One of my black and white photographs got accepted for an exhibit called "Illuminations", which is a quarterly exhibit at the MGH Cancer Center. The artwork will be displayed throughout our brandspankin' new Yawkey Outpatient Building, and my photograph is one of them! Very proud little photographer I am!

Also (and this is a bit related to snow), I booked my first ski trip (with lessons, helmet included) for December 4th, where I will head up to the Sunday River ski area in Maine!
Following that segue, we did have our first snow here in Boston last week! Yesss! It started on Friday morning and snowed solidly for about a day-and-a-half. I was of course utterly delighted, giddy as a schoolgirl, skipping though the streets with a misty-eyed expression on my face. I was looked at by my Boston colleagues with astonishment, and the certainty that by March I surely would be so sick of the snow, that I was ready to move back to California. I ignored it and continued to be thrilled. Looking out the window and seeing people sweep snow off their caahs gave me the wonderful satisfaction that the exorbitant parking fee I do pay was not for naught, and that Ella was snug and warm in her underground garage. I took Oscar to the window for his first ever viewing of snow, and he seemed completely entranced by the snowflakes - that's my boy!

As if it was planned that way the Boston Ski and Sports Club had its "Blizzard of Oz" party to open the ski season Friday evening. The party itself was nothing to write home about, in particular my new slightly slow "friend" Bob, who I had to tell at some point that it was now really time for me to go wash my hair. In a side room though, there was an exhibit hall where all the ski resorts in New England provided information on trails, ski lessons, vacations, etc. That was definitely worth it, and I am really looking forward to my first lesson. There are some ski areas that are actually fairly close to Boston (Wachussett, Nashoba and the Blue Hills), so that should provide ample opportunities for a novice like me.

Saturday it continued to snow, and that reminded me that it was definitely time for some winter wear shopping so my friend Elizabeth and I headed downtown to do some retail therapy. Successful retail therapy I might add, and I did return home with a good loot. I noted a slightly scary trend though, the quilt bag women now seemed to have morphed into the Ugly Christmas Sweater Brigades. If I loose my mind (completely) when I am 80 and wear one of those things, please shoot me! The weather got nicer by the day and Sunday provided me with the chance to go for a beautiful hike in the snow in the Blue Hills just outside of Boston. It was just wonderful! On Sunday I also had my first experience "slush and snow jogging". Some of the snow had melted already and there were patches of ice along the Charles River Esplanade, which made for some interesting foot maneuvering on my part.

The week so far has been quite busy at work, with some serious deadlines in the works, but full of learning, and some "aha" moments to be proud of. Not enough though to keep me from staying indoors at night. On Tuesday I accompanied my new Russian Friend Tatiana to the swanky Harvard Club, where she just became a member. It was a very pleasant evening, with a tour of the facility (http://www.harvardclub.com/site/content/tour/tour.jsp). Wednesday night our planned book group pretty much disintegrated and my colleague Renee and I ended up on a cocktail binge at Deville Lounge [http://kingsbackbay.com/?], a very stylish, chichi kinda place, with cocktails with pretty pretty names like Dead Apple and Cranker. Needless to say we had to sample one or two or three. Most of you know that I do not drink cocktails too often and too much of it (Fredi - not a word, NOT A WORD!) - let's just say it was an entertaining evening. I just returned from my class at Harvard (hated it, bad teacher, bad bad teacher) and now will retire to my couch with Harry Potter. Weekend plans are forming quickly and next Wednesday I will be getting the hell out of Dodge to go to Stillwater, Oklahoma, and spend Thanksgiving with some very good friends of mine. I will hail with my next update from the Sooner State, where the weather forecast promises sunshine over the holiday.

Fully aware of the New England chill that I will experience this winter, I am adding a little bit of weather frivolity at the end. On that note, bundle up, people and be well!

pet:)

NEW ENGLAND TEMPERATURE CONVERSION CHART

60° F: Southern Californians shiver uncontrollably. People in New England sunbathe.

50° F: New Yorkers try to turn on the heat. People in New England plant gardens.

40° F: Italian & English cars won't start. People in New England drive with the windows down.

32° F: Distilled water freezes. Maine's Moose Head Lake's water gets thicker.

20° F: Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats. People in New England throw on a flannel shirt.

15° F: New York landlords finally turn up the heat. People in New England have the last cookout before it gets cold.

0° F: All the people in Miami die. New Englanders close the windows.

-10° F: Californians fly away to Mexico. The Girl Scouts in New England are selling cookies door to door.

-25° F: Hollywood disintegrates. People in New England get out their winter coats.

-40° F: Washington DC runs out of hot air. People in New England let the dogs sleep indoors.

-100° F: Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. New Englanders get frustrated because they can't start their "kahs."

-460° F: All atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvin scale). People in New England start saying, "cold 'nuff for ya?"

-500° F: Hell freezes over. The Red Sox win the World Series.

#23 Boston - Bingo at Symphony Hall - November 11, 2004

2004-11-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

Whasssup, people?

Greetings from Boston, where the weather keeps giving us mixed messages, but nevertheless strong signals that winter is indeed here. After a balmy 65 degree weekend, and today's high of 51, we have also experienced some evenings with temps below 30 degrees, very crisp. A first small batch of snow is due to arrive on Saturday and the weather is supposed to settle in the 30-45 degree range for the next week. It has been sunny nevertheless, and that makes up for the loss of daylight. [Is everyone else this tired? My God!]

The lovely weekend allowed for some great activities and for a good mood overall. I sailed into the weekend on Friday by attending a benefit for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society. The shindig took place at the Institute for Contemporary Art (http://www.icaboston.org/Home) and was called "Chocolate for a Cause" (the title was enough to lure me there). For $25 you got two drinks (chocolate Martini among others, and one of my favorite beers, Magic Hat #9) and all the chocolate you could eat. Excellent chocolatiers from all over the area supplied their truffles, and let me tell you folks, there was some pretty decent sweet stuff there. Boston Restaurant Lumiere absolutely wowed me with their white chocolate ice cream - fab, fab and fab! (http://bostonchefs.com/clients/Lumiere/rest_page/) The ICA featured a photography exhibit by Boris and Vita Mikhailov - his photos document "the height, decline, and fall of the Soviet Union and its disturbing aftermath". According to ICA, Mikhailov became a photographer not by choice, he was an engineer. However the KGB found some nude photos he took of his wife, and that was it for his engineering career. The photography was not something I could relate to much, but it was nevertheless a very enjoyable evening.

Saturday I decided (guilt, guilt and guilt) to finally volunteer again with Boston Cares - this time I helped out at the Boston Living Center, a non-profit that serves people with HIV/AIDS. My job was to help cook and serve lunch, which was a lot of fun. [http://www.bostonlivingcenter.org/aboutus.shtml].

Later that day I went to my first activity with the MIT Euroclub here - what a group! [http://euroclub.mit.edu/] These people are insane - there is something happening constantly! You can join anything from their knitting group to bicycling, badminton, skiing, cultural events.... We all met at a very beautiful Thai restaurant called Bangkok City, had a wonderful and lively dinner with folks from Germany, Russia, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Korea (I know, I know it is NOT in Europe, but we do let other people join us) and then all headed for the Boston Symphony Hall, where we attended a concert. The symphony hall is an absolutely stunning place [http://www.bso.org/symphonyHallHome.jhtml?sh=1&_requestid=226031]! We attended a concert by the Boston Symphony Orchestra with famous conductor James Levine - the BSO is a great orchestra, however the night's selection was not necessarily up my alley. Classical music is tricky for me, there is no grey zone, either I feel compassionately about it or I don't. This was a "don't" kind of evening. The best part was "Symphony Bingo", a game I started to play with my new Russian friend Liz. One of the pieces was the final scene from the Opera Salome, a very difficult part to sing, I must admit, but that did not make it any prettier. It is one of those musical pieces, that If you do not really really really like classical music, you will NOT change your mind. At any moment I was expecting all the neighborhood cats to come in the door and join the auditory fracas going on (not to say that the soprano was bad, she did get a standing ovation.... hmmmh....). The opera was sung in German, and despite our best efforts we could not figure out where in the text listed in the program the performer was at any given moment. Whenever we recognized any word that she was singing, one of us said "Bingo!" Fun was had by all!

Sunday invited for a drive, so my friend Linda #3 and I headed up the Northshore to go antiquing - we centered our search around the area of Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea/ Cape Ann and it was a lovely day to explore new areas. [http://www.cape-ann.com/aboutmanchester.html]. It was definitely relaxing after the Sunday morning I had, which involved some hectic caused by chores and an incident that involved my cell phone and a crockpot. Buster Keaton would have been proud.

Work is very busy these days, we have such a huge deadline coming up and an insurmountable amount of work leading up to it. Lots of late and early meetings, challenges and good learning experiences. We might be expecting some breathing room early next year. Maybe.

Of course I do have to end with a little amusement, so here is a scrap from a website called redsoxdiehard.com:

You might be a Bostonian if...
• You think of Philadelphia as the deep south.
• You think there are only 25 letters in the alphabet (no R).
• You think three straight days of 90+ degrees is a heat wave.
• All your pets are named after Celtics Hall-of-Famers.
• You refer to 6 inches of snow as a dusting.
• Just hearing the words New York puts you in an angry frenzy.
• You know the significance of 1918.
• Your favorite adjective is wicked.
• You think 63 degree ocean water is warm.
• You still can't bear to watch highlights from game 6 of the 1986 World Series.
• You believe using your turn signal is a sign of weakness.
• You don't realize that you talk twice as fast as everyone else.

On that note, cheerio!

pet:)

#22 Boston with a Boo - November 4, 2004

2004-11-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

Hello my disillusioned friends!

I have to admit that I have been nursing the post-election blues a bit, and mixed with a decent measure of feebleness caused by Red Sox sleep deprivation and work hectic, I have spent more time than usual on my beloved couch, catching up on reading and listening to music. As a matter of fact I was so spacey this morning during an early morning jog along the Charles River that I stumbled over a root (damn trees!) and took a nice little spill. Apparently the somewhat sluggish motivation that got me there in the first place did not translate into good brain-leg coordination. It must have been quite a pretty sight!

As to my activities over the past week, as usual there is lots to tell. This past Friday after meeting my friend Glenn for a drink at the swanky Boston Park Plaza Hotel (www.BostonParkPlaza.com), I headed to the Black Cat Bewitching Halloween Ball of the Boston Ski and Sports Club. It was quite a fun affair I have to say, and I hooked up with a group including a male cheerleader from Toronto (via Colombia) and his French wife (Peter Pan), a Hugh Heffner look-alike from Waltham, and a quite interesting couple from New Hampshire - he was a cross between a pimp and a Texas oil magnate and she was a cute little Fraeulein in a very nice black number.

Unfortunately I had to head home early as the next morning another road race beckoned - this time the 7th Annual Halloween Hustle. This race was a benefit for Partners Home Care's Pediatric and Maternal Infant Program (http://www.heartbreakhill.org/race/hhustle.htm) The race took place in the pouring rain, but everyone was in good spirits. I ran of course in my cheerleader outfit, and let's say, it was well received. My time was a little slow on account of the party the night before, but I managed still to put up a decent time of 9:42 minutes/mile.

I headed back into the city fully aware of the fact that I might not be able to reach my home or garage as the parade for the Red Sox was taking place. Due to some fortunate timing and one slightly illegal driving maneuver, I made it home in time before the big hoopla started. After drying off I ran down the street, and voila! There was the parade - just in time. The Red Sox came by on Duck Boats, which for those of you who have not been to Boston, is the thing to do as a tourist around here (http://www.bostonducktours.com/). The boats with the World Series champs then headed for the river, which meant the whole mob headed toward the Esplanade (myself included, even if it meant climbing over a fence at Storrow Drive). It was quite the celebration!

The rest of the day was dedicated to some R&R, house cleaning, reading and general lolling around. I discovered a new favorite sandwich place in my neighborhood - Cafe Podima, a little hole-in-the-wall place on Cambridge Street, absolutely fantastic sandwiches [in particular the Double Decker Sandwiches with interesting names like "Revolution"], and custom-made fro yo, in at least 35 flavors (favorite so far - Orio!).I picked up my pictures from the parade only to discover that they were the worst ever photos I have taken. Most of the time I just held the camera up in the air with the result that I have many pictures of parts of the duck boats, and the backs of people's heads.

Sunday was of course Halloween, and my friends - Beacon Hill absolutely takes the cake! I signed up for a tour by a group called Boston by Foot (http://www.bostonbyfoot.com/) - the tour was called "Beacon Hill with a Boo". A woman dressed as Xena, Warrior Princess, led us through some of the more interesting and hidden areas of Beacon Hill. To say upfront - Beacon Hill goes all out for this holiday! Some streets are closed off, the residents have decked out their houses, backyards are turned into haunted castles and images of ghosts projected on walls! The residents themselves sit on their stairs, drinking wine and champagne, handing out candy and all their houses are illuminated (you can get quite a nice glimpse into some of these absolutely stunning homes). At Senator Kerry's house on Louisburg Square they were handing out candy as well (not that it helped) under the watchful eye of some bodyguards.
Add the quaintness of Beacon Hill, and it was absolutely fantastic and just like fantasy land!

Well, what did I learn on my tour?

*Right next to the State House is the equestrian statue of Joseph Hooker, a war general who liked to be out on the town, and some folks think that the term hooker comes from "Joseph Hooker's girls". [There are actually several explanations for this - another one is from 1859 "Hooker - A resident of Hook, ie, a strumpet, a sailor's trull. So called from the number of houses of ill-fame frequented by sailors at the Hook (ie. Corlear's Hook) a city of New York."] (State House: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/trs/trsbok/trstour.htm)
*Xena took us through an alley called Holmes' Alley, part of the underground railroad where slaves used to hide. Beacon Hill also has a rich African American history (http://www.afroammuseum.org/ ) - you can walk a Black Heritage Trail on the hill. [http://www.americanhistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa061502a.htm]
*We learned about Mary Dyer who was a Quaker and who was sentenced to die for her beliefs (apparently Quakers used to worship in the nude, and that did not go over too well at the time.....) [http://members.aol.com/montaukiowa/marydyer.htm]
[http://www.quakerinfo.com/quakwomn.shtml]
* James Allen, alias George Walton, alias Jonas Pierce, alias James H. York, alias Burley Grove, whose deathbed confession of a "highwayman" was made to the warden of the Massachusetts State prison and the narrative of his tale can be seen in the Athenaeum nearby. Most curious is its binding - it is bound in the skin of its author. [http://www.bostonathenaeum.org/highwayman.html]

*There were quite some interesting stories that took place in Beacon Hill – about murder, intrigue and conspiracy. We learned about The Debutante Murder at 85 Pinckney Street (http://www.bostonfamilyhistory.com/neigh_beac.html), the Parkman Murder (Chestnut Street) [http://www.iboston.org/mcp.php?pid=parkmanMurder], the Enchanted Sleepwalker Murder (dude got off with arson...). And of course, not to forget, the Boston Strangler (http://www.crimelibrary.com/boston/bostonmain.htm)!
*Also on Chestnut Street lived Edwin Booth, brother of John Wilkes Booth, who had to make a quick exit out of town on account of his brother's insanity killing the president and all. Apparently Edwin was quite the accomplished Shakespearean actor at the time (http://search.eb.com/shakespeare/micro/78/51.html) and I am sure was not pleased about his brother's derangement.

Couple of final morsels:

*I discovered a beer called "Old Speckled Hen" and a Web site called Beeradvocate.com
*New cool pub and restaurant names: Last Drop on Mass Avenue in Boston, the Impudent Oyster (Cape Cod).

So, the weekend is upon us, the weathah is getting colder (47 right now, 30s coming up next week), I am planning my first ski trips for early December. Weekend plans include a classical music concert, some kind of chocolate event at the Museum of
Fine Arts and a little trip to the Ipswitch Sanctuary.

Bye bye for now.

pet:)

#21 Boston - Yesssss!!!!! - October 29, 2004

2004-11-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

There are no words, there simply are no words!

What an experience to be in Boston when the beloved Red Sox win the World Series, first time since 1918! Eighty-six years of baseball frustration alleviated!! What an experience for me at the stroke of midnight to stroll into my birthday through downtown Boston with tens of thousands of baseball fans out in the streets, cheering, cars honking, church bells ringing, helicopters flying, smiles on every face, high-fives abound! It was truly magical!
T-shirt vendors are out in force on the streets today, there is just one conversation subject, and the city will celebrate with a big fat parade on Saturday morning. 5 Million people are expected to cram into downtown Boston!!

Functioning on little sleep, fumbling my way to the newspaper box just in order to read everything about the event that I witnessed every second of, it was a wonderful and exciting "day after". Birthday, Baseball, Beautiful Fall Weather. Life is good. Many of us here will use the upcoming weekend to balance out our sleep deficit, pay deserved attention to the New England Patriots, who have been on a 21-game winning streek, and the upcoming elections. The fun never stops!

Last weekend definitely provided some time for R&R and interesting activities. I attended the Head of the Charles Regatta (http://www.hocr.org/index2.html), which started in 1965 for the first time, and features rowing races with participants from all over the world! The weather showed its grumpy-grey-windy side, but I stayed around for a lazy minute or two, grabbed a "wish bag" full of kettle corn and then headed home for the couch. In the evening, I hoofed it over to the Boston Common where an attempt for a Guiness Book of World Records was made by trying to come up with more than 28,952 lit pumpkins. The actual count ended up being 16, 462 jack-o-lanterns, a wee bit short of the record, but I have to say it was a dazzling display, quite spectacular! Pumpkins of all sizes and shapes, with the most amazing artwork carved on them, anything from the symbol for Pi to George Bush and other political statements, the typical Halloween art work such as creepy ghosts, ghastly witches, spiders, monkeys and of course, Red Sox socks and "Go Sox" cheers - all of them lining the trails of the Common and on display on huge scaffolds. Wow!
Sunday I headed to the Museum of Science to (on the last day possible) see the Exhibit of the Lord of the Rings movie paraphernalia, which was definitely a must-see. On display were all the costumes from the movies, the maquette models for some of the buildings and castles, and stations featured swords and armor from the movie set. Each sword had three versions, an original steel sword for the close ups, and aluminum and polyurethane versions of the same for fight and action scenes. Video screens showed how some of the digital art work was done, quite amazing!
The rest of the weekend and this week was filled with some R&R and rainy weather laziness, tons of baseball excitement, heaps of work (big deadline coming up) and of course, the frenzy of Wednesday night, where I sat with my friends Renee, Alyssa and Vanessa, watching Game 4 of the World Series and hoping that the dream would come true! Yesterday's birthday was spent with new and old friends, lunches, dinners and other general merriment.
Tonight I am heading for my first-ever Halloween party/ball - the Black Cat Bewitching Ball at the Park Plaza Hotel. In order to not be a complete dud and attend the ball as such, I headed for a vintage clothing store in Cambridge called "The Garment District" earlier this week and ended up coming home with my first- and last-ever cheerleader outfit, blond pigtail wig and pompons! Give me a B, give me an I, give me an M, give me a B, give me an O!!! Gooooooooo ....! I will have to stuff myself into said garment tonight and hope to look as ridiculous as possible (isn't that the purpose?).
Tomorrow AM I will unfortunately miss the Red Sox parade and a chance to hang out with five million of my closest friends, as I am heading to Waltham for a race (5K) called "The Halloween Shuffle", where I will once again don the aforementioned airhead outfit. Other plans for the weekend include some serious couch time, possibly a drive to Providence to see the water fire (http://www.waterfire.com/photos/index.html) on the Woonasquatucket, Mosshasuck and Providence Rivers. Sunday night of course is Halloween, and I learned that Beacon Hill is quite the place to be, so I will be loitering with some friends and give that cheerleader outfit some more mileage.

Comrades - I hope this email finds you all well - have a great weekend, be happy for the city of Boston and make your dentist happy by feeding lots of candy to little children.....

On that sweet note - toodles!

pet:)

#20 Boston - Hell Froze Over - October 22, 2004

2004-10-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

Well, wouldn't you know it!

Hell froze over and pigs did fly! The fat lady has sung! The Red Sox Nation is in a state of blessed delirium - the Sox are in the World Series!!! This was baseball excitement and drama at its finest, and Boston experienced a week of sleep deprivation and diminutive levels of productivity! Even if you did not watch or listen to the game, the carousing and rejoicing at night would wake you up, and once again, you would know, all was good!
The Sox are meeting the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, and for once, there are actually two teams we can cheer for - tomorrow I will be enjoying Game 1 at my friend Elaine's place in Charlestown, she has the beer chilling as we speak! Go Sox!

The Boston Globe today had a city-by-city comparison of St. Louis and Boston which was very interesting, in particular because of the tidbits it provided. I learned that St. Louis is a much roomier place, its residents consume more barbecue sauce per capita than any other city in America, and that a demonic possession incident inspired the book and movie "The Exorcist." Boston counters of course with a multitude of interesting idiosyncrasies: The Boston University Bridge for example is the only place in the world where a boat can sail under a train driving under a car driving under an airplane. Boston is the place that first featured a subway system, the Morse code, street lights, telephones, anesthesia (yessss!), drinkable tap water (again, yesssss!), Polaroid cameras and email. Did you know that the first two names of the now Atlanta Braves were Boston Red Stockings and Beaneaters?

So, aside from baseball mania, life still went on in Boston and I actually managed to get out of town and enjoy some more of the exquisite splendors of autumn in New England. Saturday last, I headed for New Hampshire and the White Mountains with a merry group from the Appalachian Mountain Club - we headed for Mt. Hale (4054 feet) [http://www.netway.com/~theway/hiking/2003/hale.htm]. Our adventure took us up the Hale Brook Trail, continued on the Lend-a-Hand Trail to our lunch spot at the Zealand Hut of the AMC, where we admired Zealand Falls. Mt Hale is located in the Franconia-Pemigewasset Wilderness. We had picked the perfect weekend to experience fall in New Hampshire, the hills were like an impressionist painting, mountains dipped in orange and red colors, it was absolutely spectacular!! I am still blown away on how beautiful it was.
Of course, this being the White Mountains, I took my obligatory spill along the way, landing sideways on a some swampy, mossy patch of forest - no head injury this time, but I got soaked!

Sunday, I headed out to see my friend Linda (#1) and we proceeded on to Wachusett Meadow Sanctuary (http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Wachusett_Meadow/index.php) for a nice fall hike. Once again it was spectacular! No beavers in sight, and I will continue my quest to see any of MA's 65,000 beavers and/or 700 moose (Thanks Roger!), but we met up with two very nice kittens who were staffing the Mass Audubon Society Office. [Visit my blog for pictures from our adventure soon - http://myboston.blogspot.com/] We continued on with some more autumny endeavors and visited Sagatabscot Orchards where we had some fresh hot apple cider, grabbed a whole apple pie and sat outside watching the scenery. Sagatabscot means "Rocky Hill in Alonquin" (I don't know what you are going to do with this bit of information, but there you have it!).

This week immediately went into overdrive, with work being madly busy, and the evenings taken up by baseball (even if it meant being on the stairmaster in the gym watching the Sox while working out ). The book club finally met on Wednesday at Harvard Gardens Restaurant and last night after class at Harvard, my colleague Renee and I headed for my favorite Irish Pub "The Burren" in Somerville, to commence celebration of her birthday. I had my dish-of-choice, the Guinness Beef Stew, my first Black and Tan beer, and learned what PBR is (not that you should in an Irish pub!). Needless to say, I fell asleep on the couch last night with Time Magazine resting comfortably on my face.

Tidbits:
*I went to a bar called the 21st Amendment (which is located right next to the Massachusetts State House) only to discover a place called "Fill-a-Buster" (for my German friends filibuster is a political term = "Verschleppungstaktik"). At the Amendment I had a nice beer from Vermont called "Magic Hat #9". Also definitely some of the best pub grub!
*What I thought was Red Sox insanity on the evening of game 7 was not just that, but I was also informed that there were fireworks on the occasion of the 1-year anniversary of Dunkin Donuts' Introduction of the latte! Any reason to start a firework! Any reason!
*I was rejected today from donating blood at the hospital, not on account of the Black and Tan, but because I lived in Germany for more than 5 years after 1980. Apparently this is because of the Mad Cow Disease scare, and even though my boss is convinced that I am not afflicted, doubts crossed his mind today at lunch when I could not remember the English word for teapot.

It is Friday night, and I wanted to head over to the Museum of Science to see the "Lord of the Rings" exhibit, with features all the props from the movie trilogy. The weekend will hopefully afford some R&R, but you know how it is. Saturday and Sunday is the famous "Head of the Charles" Regatta, now in its 40th year, where top athletes from all cross the US and 15 countries compete against each other rowing on the Charles River all the way up to Brighton. I also wanted to stop by The Boston Common for the Life is Good Pumpkin Festival which will attempt to break the Guinness World Record entry for the most lit jack-o-lanterns in one place. The current world record of 28,952 lit pumpkins. You have to see this!
(Who will do my laundry, I ask?)

As for my final morsel, it is my most recent favorite quote - about the geography of Boston:

"The geographical center of Boston is in Roxbury. Due north of the center we find the South End. This is not to be confused with South Boston, which lies directly east from the South End. North of the South End is East Boston and southwest of East Boston is the North End. Back Bay was filled in years ago. "

And with that I bid you good bye, may the baseball gods continue to smile down on us! Believe!

pet:)

#19 Boston Fall Splendor - October 15, 2004

2004-10-18T14:53:00.000-07:00

My dears!

It has been an exhausting week at work, but thanks to the holiday last Monday a short one, so Friday came mercifully quick. Boston and the New England states have definitely committed to the season of autumn and are putting forth the most magnificent display of colorful foliage.

Last weekend, after using a day to recuperate from my travels and straighten out my apartment, Linda #3 and I decided to head for Walden Pond in Concord, MA – made famous by American naturalist author David Henry Thoreau. (http://nanosft.com/walden/october/index.html) Thoreau moved there in 1845 to live in simplicity and later published his book "Walden" in 1854. I certainly understand his fascination with the area, and visiting New England in the fall is certainly an unbelievable experience - having been in California for sixteen year with only a rainy and a sunny season, I was absolutely stunned by the display of color happening here. The display of oranges, reds and yellows and their radiance - absolutely beautiful. I felt as if I discovered certain colors for the first time, and to look at a stretch of forest who is bright red in color is just sooo worth it. We had a nice walk along the pond, and visited the site of Thoreau's cabin. Right at the site, as a tribute to the writer and philosopher, Mrs. Mary Newbury Adams started a rock cairn, where visitors to the pond began placing rocks, flowers and twigs. People from all over the world have continued this tradition and to this date add to the pile of rocks. Visiting the area definitely puts you in a contemplative mood, and it was nice to remember some of the wonderful words Thoreau wrote. Here is one of my favorites: "Live in each season as it passes, breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit and resign yourself to the influence of each." (For Thoreau's writing see - http://www.thoreau.niu.edu/thoreau_walden.html).

Afterwards (it is tradition whenever you go anywhere near Concord) we had to visit Kimball Farms for a kilo of ice cream (per person). Their frappes are to die for! We ended the day with stocking up on fall supplies (pumpkins, gourds, bittersweet,decor for the house) and going to the movies ("Vanity Fair").

On Monday I absolutely enjoyed the fact that I had the day off, Columbus Day! After lolling around all morning, I decided to go on a bike ride along the Minuteman Bikeway (http://www.minutemanbikeway.org/Pages/intro.html( an 11-mile bike path which leads from Cambridge to Arlington, Lexington all the way out to Bedford, MA). Aside from the fact that it might have not been such a great idea to test out my new bike seat on a long ride, and considering that it took me a while to weasel my way through Cambridge, it was a beautiful day and once again, fall splendor all about. Since not everyone had the day off, the trail was not overly crowded and it was a very pleasant adventure.

Tuesday brought some excitement with it as the series between the Red Sox and the Yankees started up, so I went to one of my hangouts, Harvard Gardens, to watch a bit. So far the baseball gods have not been kind to us (This was supposed to be the year, remember!), and we hope that some divine intervention and a better pitching performance will turn this around for us.

Wednesday my friend Stephanie and I made the best out of a canceled book club night, and headed for the Paramount Restaurant in Beacon Hill on Beautiful Charles Street. Reviewed in the Boston Globe as having "status without being pretentious" it is a very classy dinner spot, which during daytime is a made-to-order cafeteria-style breakfast and lunch place. Good food and nice ambience.

The hospital has been having all kinds of events as well, yesterday was POPS Day, an event from the Police and Security Department, and today is Ether Day (yes, yes,I expected free ether as well - did not happen) - an event that celebrates the fact that at MGH on October 16, 1846 the first ever use of ether as an anesthetic took place. From the MGH Web site: "William T.G. Morton, a Boston dentist, administered the anesthetic to patient Gilbert Abbott. Abbott then was rendered unconscious in the operating theater on the top floor of the Bulfinch Building. MGH co-founder John Collins Warren, MD, surgically removed the vascular tumor from Abbott's jaw in a pain-free procedure and made his famous statement: "Gentlemen, this is no humbug." It is also the day when MGH employees with milestone years of employment get honored and the whole hospital drops by for cheese, fruit and cupcakes. I saw on the list of employees that there were five people who have worked here for 60 years! (Scary, I really do not want to work that long....)

Well, the weekend is upon us, and as usual it is packed! Tonight I am meeting friends at a place called The 21st Amendment, which is an English style bar, located on Beacon Hill near the State House. If features a large copper fireplace, a jukebox and lots of dark wood and brick walls. The original 21st Amendment repealed prohibition and allowed the nation to drink, according to a web site I consulted. My kind of place! I am heading to New Hampshire tomorrow to hike Mt. Zealand with a group from the Appalachian Mountain Club. I will have to leave the house at 5:30 AM! Some tentative plans for Sunday to either head for the Berkshires or somewhere else for a nice hike with Linda #1, and we'll take it from there.

Wishing you all a nice nice nice nice weekend.

LOL,

Pet:)

#18 Boston and the Hypnotizing Dermatologist - October 8, 2004

2004-10-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

Salut mes amis,

I am back in the lovely city of Boston, enjoying the Red Sox- Anaheim Angels on MLB.com on my computer and finishing up my weekly write-up to all of you. Last time I wrote, I was about to head from the beautiful, but pricy city of Geneva to my less expensive hometown of Neuenburg, Germany. I took the train, and in between naps caused by extreme sleep deprivation (jet lag, the conference, you know....) I enjoyed a wonderful ride along Switzerland's amazing landscape.

As soon as I hit home turf, the hectic commenced, starting with a Raclette dinner at our friend Birgit'shome. For those of you who don't know, Raclette along with Fondue is one of the hallmark dishes of the Swiss cuisine. In both of them you melt cheese, but it isdone differently, and with Raclette, you can add a whole bunch of stuff. (http://www.jill.net/recipes/recipes/raclette.html)
It was women's night and we lived it up big time. Entertainment was provided in part by the three parrots who reside in the living room of Birgit's home. As a resultof this feast, I had to start off Saturday with a 4 K jogging run, in order to workoff the pound of cheese that still seemed to reside in my stomach (along with someother unhealthy stuff). Lunch at my aunt and uncle's house featured another favorite "Kalbspastete" where you fill a ragout of veal into puff pastry rounds,very tasty, a staple of every German menu.

And then it happened, I got the cheapest and best haircut ever! Not only did I payonly 16 Euros, the hair dresser comes to your house as well! I was so stunned bythe whole experience that I gave her a 6 Euro tip! I already made an appointment for my visit around Christmas time.

Saturday was also my brother's birthday, and the rest of the day was packed with activities to celebrate, people came in and out of the house all day. After stuffing ourselves with cake in the afternoon, and deciding to better not walk it off, but rather loll around on the couch and pretty much do nothing, we continued immediately with dinner, which featured "Schaeufele" (a pork ham) and potato salad.
We drank the "Neuer Suesser", also called "Federweisser", the new "sweet wine", which is cloudy, and slightly fermented. Very sweet, however you can easily get sloshed by drinking a few glasses too many. It is tradition during this time of the year in Germany to go to "Straussenwirtschaften", make-shift restaurants, that are put up in someone's garage or barn, where you can drink the new wine and eat "Zwiebelkuchen", a type of onion quiche. Needless to say it was a lively evening, which ended with the hard core group staying up late and watching the Red Sox- Baltimore Orioles game at 1 AM.

Sunday as a result was a bit slow, and was spent with family activities and a nice evening with my friends Gitta, Gisela, Romy and Sylvia.

I returned to Boston on Monday, after a three-hour train ride back to Geneva, (with screaming children the whole way, and a car full of Swiss Soldiers on their way to wherever they go (I thought the country was neutral? At least I felt safe just in case if some terrorists decide to blow up a Swiss train.) - all of them with their rifles casually slung across their shoulders. This was followed by a flight from Geneva to Frankfurt and then on to Beantown.
I don't know how I find these people, but I always meet the strangest people at Frankfurt Airport. This time it was a former helicopter pilot -don't know what he does now but he just returned from Lithuania - who (along with a group of other losers) made a new hobby out of taken the airlines' offers to give you a night in a hotel when you get booted off one of their overbooked flights. They were as giddy as children on Christmas morning. I made the mistake though to get into a discussion with him about politics, and taking into account that he considered himself to the right of Attila the Hun, this might have not been the wisest of choices.

The flight to Boston did not go any better. The whole back section of the plane was taken over by a bus load of very unruly Russians, who apparently stocked up on drinking supplies in the Moscow Airport Duty Free Store. Needless to say that did not make the flight attendants too happy, some of them lost their cool and screamed at the crowd "to just sit down, for crying out loud". A couple of them were particularly ornery, with the ringleader being a guy who kind of looked like Nicolas Cage with really bad teeth and his drinking buddy, who in his alcohol-induced erraticness, flung vodka onto one of the passengers heads. Eventually the spastic guy passed out back in the Delirium tremens section of the plane - to the point, that the flight attendants were considering having an ambulance come and meet us at Logan airport. The whole flight had the feel of a crowded railway station to it, no one sat down despite the fact that the seat belt signs were on pretty much the whole time. The crew was pretty relieved when we landed in Boston - that is for sure.

Well, since my return I have been extremely busy at work, including an all-day seminar at the new Merck Research Lab in Boston on Tuesday, and lots of catching up. Jet lag of course knocked me out early in the evenings only to wake me up before I go-goat 4 or 5 AM in the morning.

I am sure that by now you are wondering what is up with the "hypnotizing dermatologist" headline - alright, alright, I am getting to it. Yesterday I had an appointment with a dermatologist to get rid of a wart that I have on one of my fingers. The dermatologist seemed normal at first, and treated the wart with some lotion and liquid nitrogen. Then he proceeded to tell me that the healing process can be sped up by using self-hypnosis and that he was going to teach me how to do it. He made me look over my left shoulder, and put my right hand over my heart as if I was going to pledge allegiance. I was then supposed to close my eyes and imagine the face of the Statue of Liberty (at this point I was ready to say "Am I on Candid Camera?"). He told me then I was already hypnotized (yeah right), and that he was going to make me forget my name. I did remember my name, but not too disappoint the man, I pretended to have forgotten it. He told me then to focus on the wart and that it will heal. (Yeah right). At this point, I did not want to say anything to upset the guy (like "you are a total nut job" for example), but he told me that every time I say the word "Blue Rose" I can put myself into a deeper state of hypnosis, and to get out of it, I will have to say, A, B, C, D.
I have since mumbled "Blue Rose" several times just to ascertain that
I will not start doing stupid things such as clucking like a chicken or steal people's wallets. But I seem to be fine.

Alrighty, folks, I am heading home, the Red Sox are leading Anaheim 6:1, and I am looking forward to a long weekend. Monday is Columbus Day, and I just learned today that I do have the day off!!

Have a great week, until next time.

pet:)

#17 From Boston to Geneva and the Psychedelic Toilet - October 1, 2004

2004-10-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

Curious now, after that headline, eh?

I thought so. Well you have to wait a little, we are starting this week's report in Boston where I spend a busy weekend prior to my departure to Europe. This past Friday I attended, once again, the Beacon Hill vs. Back Bay baseball game at the Boston Common - this time Beacon Hill barely squeezed out a win, with a 1-point difference. I met up with my former Chiron colleague Allen Izu and his daughter Alane, who is attending Harvard, after the game, and we had a nice get-together at the Cheers Bar (http://www.cheersboston.com/).

On Saturday, I headed down to Cape Cod to Yarmouthport to see my cousins who were visiting from upstate New York. I got to meet the newest member of the family, an absolutely cute little guy named William Henry, also known as Liam, and I got to see my favorite dog Stanley - we renewed our friendship with a nice walk around the local cranberry bog (For a nice photo of a bog see this website (http://gonewengland.about.com/library/users/uccranbog.htm). My cousin Barbara and I headed for the Edward Gorey Museum, which celebrates the life and works of American author, illustrator, playwright, set and costume designer Edward Gorey. The man was a truly prodigious and original artist, but also a packrat, which makes for an nice museum (http://www.goreyography.com/west/west.htm). We had to rinse the dust off afterwards by going for a frappe at famous Captain Frosty's. Yumm!!

Sunday morning, I participated yet in another race, this time the Four Seasons Run for Hope, which benefited the Massachusetts Cancer Center Pediatric Unit. Thanks to many of you I raised $500 (exactly my fundraising goal). Merci Bien!! I also put on, as promised, a stunningly stellar performance with a solid 27.4 minutes for 3 Miles. In addition, I also won a lobster dinner from Legal Seafoods at the raffle (they are going to ship some live lobster to me - I generally prefer my food dead, I am not certain how to deal with this.......). And then off I went to Geneva on Sunday. I slept on the plane, wonder why....

What can I say about Geneva - absolutely stunning city! Overlooking a lake, with the Mont Blanc in the background (http://www.geneve-tourisme.ch/), home of the United Nations, very international, everyone speaks English (phew! my French is rather rusty at this point). My hotel is brandnew (actually they had their open house this week - I had to prevent folks from trying to see my room...) and is located two short blocks from the lake front. Very modern, the Swiss love modern designs, and it took me some time to figure out all the conveniences in my little suite. As stunning as the city is, so are its prices - dinners on average run at least 30-35$ a person, and I am not talking about a swanky place. Of course the first thing I had to do is to visit the chocolatiers, and sample the absolutely phenomenal chocolates. After I recovered from the diabetic coma that followed, I decided to explore the old city with its wonderful cobblestone streets, quaint restaurants, galleries, antique shops and the Cathedrale St. Pierre (interestingly enough there is a porn store right next to it). The cathedral was built in 1160, and affords a stunning view of the lake and surrounding mountains (Jean Calvin preached here!)(http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/guide/pictures/geneva-cathedral.html).
I ended up meeting my new friend Matt Leese, a chemist from Bath, UK and fellow conference attendee, on top of the cathedral, and together we did explore the Old Town (http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/guide/pictures/geneva-old-town.html), had some fondue and had a look at the flower clock (http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/guide/pictures/geneva-flower-clock.html), as well as the famous 140-meter-tall "Jet D'Eau" (http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/guide/pictures/geneva-jet.html).

Tuesday I had to show up for the conference at the PalExpo, where 2200 cancer specialist congregated - I quickly made some new friends, and we braved the event together. Generally the conference is well organized, our conference badges allow us to take buses and trains in and around Geneva for free (which is good considering that a cab from my hotel to the conference center would go for about 30$ one way (not because it is far, mind you). The bus ride every day interestingly enough goes by the United Nations with its famous "Broken Chair" - a massive sculpture of a chair that is missing a leg, which is a strangely poignant memorial to the victims of landmines that was erected to mark the banning of those horribly indiscriminate weapons. Interestingly one of my stops along the way is "Vermont". The conference has been great, but exhausting - 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, plus lots of networking.

The weather has been very pleasant and sunny all week - today I ended up having the first roasted chestnuts, fall is in the air here as well!

With a whole set of new friends, among them Rashmi, who has for the first time in her life left India and got on a plane, we have been exploring the city in the evenings. Tuesday night was quite exciting, as the whole conference posse descended on the Old Town to find something to eat. We ended up inviting a group of folks to join us at a place called "Mortimer" - we assumed they were fellow oncologists - only to discover that they were all Canadian diplomats (each one lived in a different EU city) attending a migration conference. They were quite a funny bunch, and it was an unforgettable evening. The best thing though that Mortimer had to offer was the "psychedelic toilet". After several people emerged from the restrooms giggling, I decided to explore the place myself. At first the restroom appeared quite normal, and matched the French feel of the place, however the water tank featured a panel with flashing lights and "options". After I curiously pressed "veuillez rinser" or maybe it was the disinfection button, the toilet got psychedelic on me. I swear, I had only one beer and nothing else, but the toilet began to shift shapes - the seat went from round to oval to round, kept moving around and making noise. I just about fell over laughing - I have never seen anything like it! I was too afraid to push any other buttons fearing the whole thing might do even weirder stuff. If you ever come to Geneva, you have to stop by Mortimer. Their food is not too shabby either.

Well, the conference will end tomorrow, I just got back from a reception at the very futuristically designed Crowne Plaza Hotel next to the Conference Center, had dinner, and now am heading for a few hours of sleep. Tomorrow I will catch a train to Germany to visit my brother, and celebrate his birthday with him on Saturday.
Return to Boston on Monday.

Au revoir mes amis, je vais retourner la prochaine semaine!

Amicalement,

Pet:)

#16 Boston Days With Races - September 24, 2004

2004-10-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

No, not what you guys think, I have not yet succumbed to seeking out shady betting parlors and racetracks for my after-hours and weekend entertainment. Not yet, at least. So far Boston and its surroundings are still offering an amazing medley of ways to self-indulge, let loose, get stimulated and have fun.

Last Wednesday, my friend Deborah, a Boston native, came into town, and I met her and her brother Allan at the S&S Deli Restaurant, a Cambridge favorite near Inman Square, that has been around since 1919. According to one restaurant review "families, couples and hung-over college students flock here for the all-day breakfast and deli food. The lox will cure what ails you." I decided to go for the Matzo Ball Soup in honor of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which was the next day, great choice.
Thursday was race day, again, this time in form of the "Blues Run" - organized by the Somerville Striders Athletic Club. The race was 4.2 miles and went along the Charles River in Cambridge, followed by the "Big Pig BBQ" and tunes by the Cat Sass Band (I know, I know, try to pronounce this one fast a few times, and after a couple of beers). Important things first though, I put on a somewhat stellar performance with an astonishing time of 9:41 Minutes per Mile (this is compared to 11 Minutes per Mile during last week's run - for those of you fast runners, who are laughing at my pitiable efforts). I was so excited about my time! The BBQ was impressive and the band livened up the crowd with some nice tunes. Mosquitoes also enjoyed this muggy night out and after they had me for dinner, I walked around in a Benadryl-induced daze for the next few days (not that that's a bad thing!).
The Striders run every Thursday, and have a nice and relaxed approach to their runs except for when it comes to punctuality maybe: "Every Thursday Night 7:10PM sharp and I mean sharp as a pencil!!")Their Web site is equally carefree and loose - here are some instructions on the races: "How Far - 3.223657890 miles and all flat. Blizzards, locusts, spider invasion, thunder & lightning, power failures, they run out of the Harpooooon, nothing will stop us from running or walking!!! And we have all shapes and sizes - no ability denied here or snickered at!!! The course is primarily flat with a few gentle rolls - one hill up Holland Street - it is reasonably marked but if you get lost we will send out the Massachusetts National Guard to get you - they will bill you for this! The highlights of the course are Powderhouse Blvd and the Minute Man Bike Path both part of the course - it is urban terrain so be ready for traffic - red lights & a few bums in Davis Square trying to squeeze a few bucks off of you."

Friday I visited the Red Hat Cafe on Bowdoin and Cambridge Street to see a little of the Red Sox - Yankees game, which got interrupted by rain several times, and as soon as the Boston players consulted a higher power and delighted audiences with a rain dance, those Yankees were toast! This is how we win ball games, people! Baseball and Boston are traumatically intertwined, and you can't help but get emotional around this time of the year. "Anti-Yankee" garb pops up all over the place, and you better don some Sox outfit or else. The newspapers feature headlines such as "Bring on those Bronx Bums," and "This is where the rubber hits the road!"

The Red Hat is one of my favorite pubs here in Boston, full of history too, the pictures on the walls depict the original Scollay Square (http://www.bambinomusical.com/Scollay/History.htm). The Red Hat is a comfy bar with friendly folks, and it is also easy on the pocket book. Mondays and Tuesdays are best, when the price of chicken wings drops to 10 cents each!

Saturday, once again, brought rain, the effects of yet another hurricane hitting the East Coast, and that was pretty much all there was - rain, rain, rain and rain. Good time to read an entire book I thought, and retired to my couch for the day. In the evening though, I did get stir-crazy and headed out to Charlestown with my friend Elaine to visit the Warren Tavern, not only a place for good beer, but once again, you guessed right, history!! (http://www.warrentavern.com/history.htm). Apparently, after the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775 (http://www.masshist.org/bh/), this was the first place to be rebuilt! Those people had their priorities straight, I say. The Warren Tavern was the place where several historical celebs came for "refreshments", among them Paul Revere and George Washington.

The weather improved drastically for Sunday, and I headed out to Shrewsbury to see Linda #1 and do some hiking. We drove to Callahan State Park near Framingham, Massachusetts (http://www.mass.gov/dem/parks/call.htm), where we enjoyed some very nice and not too crowded trails, met horseback riders, one snake, a grasshopper and some very nice dogs. We ended the day with some retail therapy at the Natick Mall and a delicious dinner at Linda and Roger's house.

This week has been zipping by, Monday and Wednesday night with some running along the Charles River Esplanade, and on Tuesday night, Linda #3 and I went to the Comedy Connection (http://www.comedyconnectionboston.com/). I had a couple of free tickets, and we enjoyed a night of stand-up comedy, most of it pretty funny - Robbie Prinze was the host for the night, and he is an absolute natural! There are some great comedians coming to the Connection in the near future, Dom Irera, Tommy Davidson, Colin Quinn and Kevin Nealon are on the list.

I just returned tonight from my first class at Harvard Extension - I am taking a class on the biology of cancer, and I am now a bona fide student!! The campus is beautiful, of course, and I don't know what possessed me to drive to Cambridge to the class, but I ended up getting a parking spot right in front of the building where my class was (which means that I pahked the caah in Haav'd Yahd!). I am not taking the course for any credits, so I will not have to take exams, which is giving me some free Thursday nights!(http://www.harvard.edu/).

My weekend plans include a softball game (just watching at a safe distance, maybe I will hide under the bleachers) - hoping the Beacon Hill Civic Association can do a three-peat and clobber the Back Bay Team again; a race on Sunday - Run of Hope, a fundraiser for the MGH cancer center (Thanks to those of you who have sponsored me!! - Still can use donations, there is time for those of you who want to donate). Sunday night I am heading to Switzerland for a cancer conference and a couple of days with my family, and will return on October 4th.

I wanted to add a little unconventional sapience, but will abstain from it this time. There are always some funny bits in the Beacon Hill Times provided by "Answer Man" - he does have all the answers and none of the facts. Having no more facts or answers, I am signing off!

Au revoir my friends, I will hail from Geneve!

Pet:)

#15 Boston All About My Head - September 17, 2004

2004-10-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Well, people - it's all about my head. One week it's the expensive hair cut, the next week I am getting dinged by a baseball. Thank you so much for all your concern about my mental stability and well-being - even though those of you who know me well have brought up this issue before and figured there is not much that can and should be done about it. As to the haircut, for my next adventure, I have decided to take this out of the city of Boston, and made an appointment in Germany in early October. I know this sounds drastic, but I need a financial breather from the last expensive endeavor in this regard, and a 30 Euro haircut sounds just fine to me. Aside from some remaining vertigo, my head seems to have recuperated fine - yesterday's five-hour ordeal in MGH's emergency room where they did a CAT scan showed that I was doing ok. On the plus side, I saw the season premiere of "Oprah" and formed some lasting friendships with about 100 people waiting beside me. Still, this was not fun in my book.

So - what happened? Once I got over my jet lag, I switched into high gear again - starting on Friday with a trip to the cinema to see "The Bourne Supremacy". Liked the movie, but then again I would watch Matt Damon read the phone book.

Saturday morning I volunteered with Boston Cares, this time at the St. Mary's Women and Infant Center in Dorchester. Their Bridge Home provides a temporary facility for children that were removed from abusive and violent homes. We did arts and crafts with the kids (those of you who know my craft skills should be scared...) - making totem poles out of poster tubes, and we actually got quite some interesting and slightly disturbing variations on the theme. The kids were great - some of them quite lively, but a good time was had by all.

In the afternoon I headed toward Cambridge where I attended the Cambridgeport Artists Open Studios (CAOS) in the area around Central Square. It was really nice to walk around Cambridge to different artist studios and see some interesting art, meet the artists in person, and at the same token discover Cambridge a little more (in particular get some ice cream at Toscanini's -ohmygod! Their burnt caramel ice cream is to die for! I was particularly intrigued by Amy Senner, who does Polaroid transfers and produces some amazing photos of Boston, in particular of Beacon Hill.

Sunday my running buddy Elaine and I participated in our first ever race, a 5 K run, to benefit the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. This was so cool! I was so excited to run with so many people (the course led all around the U Mass Boston Campus) and I did fairly well. My time was 32 Minutes, and there is nothing like seeing the goal line that makes you speed up for the last quarter of a mile. I was passing people left and right with a huge smile on my face! The cool thing is you get these chips to tie on your shoelaces and they will mail your exact race time to you.

The rest of the weekend was taken up by activities relating to the Beacon Hill Civic Association's Neighborhood Block Party that kicked off with a dog show at the Boston Common, a bit informal, but done with lots of love (this is a volunteer organization). The dogs arrived en masse and in style, featuring accessories like boots and beaded collars, firemen's outfits and most of them were accompanied by an entourage of sorts. The neighborhood block party featured lots of family activities, and in the evening some tunes right in front of the Hill House. In the evening I watched a Robert Altman movie "The Company", which describes the life behind the scenes of the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. Very nice - and definitely very Altman.

This week is proving equally busy, with our Tuesday night book club meeting at "Fajitas and Ritas" for lively discussion and good Mexican food. Tonight I am meeting up with my Bay Area-residing, Boston-native friend Deborah Carvalho, and Thursday night is the "Blues Run" a 4.2 mile race, followed by the Big Pig BBQ with a concert by the Cat Sass Blues Band.

The signs of fall are appearing here in Boston, the air is a little crisper every day, and I am looking forward to experiencing New England in its colorful autumn splendor (right before the big freeze...).

Speaking of other things appearing, according to my house and pet sitters Steph and Dan, I have cable TV, which I did not ask for but which apparently is working. As I have sworn off the tube except for movies, I will not (I swear publicly!) give in to temptation. I have signed on to a class at Harvard Extension on the biology of cancer, and I have no time for such nonsense!

The Improper Bostonian (a free monthly news magazine that tells you what is happening in Boston) had an interesting article on eight simple steps to become a Bostonian - here are a few excerpts:

1. "Drive like no one is watching: You need to drive like Superman - able to go from zero to 60 in a 25 mph zone, with the power to leap small imported hatchbacks in a single bound. For Boston drivers, there is no passing lane, just the driving lane."
2. "Become accustomed to despair - Bostonians know pain like no other. Every spring, hope surges to life again, and in the heart of every real Bostonian there is the undeniable knowledge that this will be The Year. The pain that Bostonians know only too well, though, is caused by an equally powerful certainty, that in fact, this will not be The Year."
3. "Learn the Lingo - There is no R in the Boston Alphabet. Ha, ha very funny. But to become a Bostonian, you have to develop that sophisticated "eah" for that elusive R. "
4. "Develop Selective Amnesia - To become Bostonian, you have be able to complain convincingly and know whom to complain to. For example, when the thermometer drops to 59.9 in mid-September you want to start griping about "this frickin' freezing weather". But only to neighbors and co-workers. To out-of-towners, you'll just chortle gleefully about "owwah chilly New England weather."

As you can see folks, I am enjoying myself. Work is going well also - I am still amazed at the MGH community, its people and opportunities involved. Living next to the hospital makes it seem as if as if MGH is its own city right in the heart of Boston. My work itself is pretty varied, full of learning opportunities, some challenges, but extremely interesting. I will be heading to Geneva, Switzerland on the 26th of September for a conference on molecular targets and cancer therapeutics, add on a couple of days to visit family and friends, and join my brother for his birthday celebration. Return into Boston is October 4th.

Until next week, be kind to each other, watch for out for stray baseballs and keep writing - I am enjoying all your updates and I am happy to hear that you appreciate my musings!

LOL,

Petra

#14 Boston Times Neuenburg Edition - September 10, 2004

2004-10-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you my friends, being hit in the head with a baseball is not as much fun as it seems! It happened in the second inning of the game between the Neuenburg Atomics and the Baltham Boars with my home team leading with a smashing score already, when a hitter from the opposing team did not meet the ball quite right, and said ball in a freak trajectory came at me like a projectile. Thanks to the interceptive action of my bench neighbor the ball struck only the side of my head and I was spared a serious concussion. Ouch - is all I can say, that was pretty painful. I sat there for the rest of the day with a cold coke bottle against the left side of my head, and fortunately I did not have any major headaches or other signs of serious mental damage. My equilibrium is not quite there and I feel somewhat off kilter, but I am doing o.k. now and the stuttering has subsided (just kidding...).

Back in Boston, I can report that I had a nice visit to Germany - I was a courier for the National Bone Marrow Program and had to go to the university clinic in the town of Homburg/ Saar (http://www.cityalbum.de/germany/homburg.htm). Unfortunately I was too tired from an overnight flight and two train rides so that I did not have time to enjoy the city - the train ride was fun nevertheless past some very scenic landscape (I also discovered that German trains are not only super comfortable, but some of them have specific compartments for bike riders, pretty cool!). The train stations in Germany are filled with cafes, and very futuristic rest rooms (50 cents please) that look amazingly like a space pod of sorts. Only had one somewhat unpleasant encounter with a public phone whose receiver was covered in gum!

I flew into Munich airport, which is quite new and modern - interestingly enough when you wait at the gate there is free coffee, tea and newspapers for the passengers. A little excitement was added to the morning when someone discovered an abandoned plastic bag with "stuff" which was immediately surrounded by four very zealous airport cops and we all had to leave the area while they were trying to figure out if they should get the bomb squad. The landing in MUC was the smoothest landing ever with a big plane, however the landing in Frankfurt was not so good, which made the pilot apologize on behalf of his co-pilot, who he said "usually lands the bird as smooth as butter, but we all have our bad days!"

My time in Germany was filled with sleeping, eating (the German anti-Atkins diet which consists of bread, meat, cake and chocolate accompanied by beer) and having a great time with friends and family. Each day during my visit featured hot temperatures in the 90s, BBQs in the evening with some late night feather ball activities and lots of mosquitoes and wasps. The days were also spent having lunch with my relatives, enjoying some German food favorites such as white asparagus, Rouladen, Sauerkraut and Kasseler Ham, and sitting on the balcony watching my aunt's Turkish neighbors, who she is convinced are selling hashish. I managed to visit my friends Frank and Ingrid and their kids, who until last year lived in California, for a champagne breakfast and had a most wonderful evening with my girlfriends Gitta, Mimi, Gisela, Romy and Silvia, all of whom I have known since Kindergarten. I also went on a shopping spree with some other girlfriends, only to discover a grocery store with Siberian specialties right near the Swiss border. I tried to get in some jogging every day in order to counteract the heavy duty food, and that was a first for me (the jogging....).

For some information on the area where I grew up, the Markgraeflerland (also known as the Toscana of Germany) go to: http://www.tourismus-markgraeflerland.de/

It is always quite amazing and interesting for me to go back to Germany, experiencing the changes the country goes through, and seeing myself more and more removed from the culture I grew up in. It is good to re-connect with friends and family, hear what issues they have to grapple with and get an up-to-date picture on what life is like there. The news during my visit was dominated by the very sad and unfortunate development during the Russian hostage crisis.

In another strange encounter at a local train station I had just gotten into an unsolicited conversation with a Sri Lankan representative of the Jehova's Witnesses when a crazy lady started yelling at the both of us, in both English and German. Apparently the kind man from Sri Lanka had offered her something to eat earlier assuming she was in dire need, and to be honest, that conclusion was not that far off. Her hair looked as if a bird couple was nesting in it, and her clothes were torn, barely held together and looked as if they would fall off any moment. She started yelling at him saying that it was the fault of people like him that she was in this condition, and yadayadayada.... I eventually told her to buzz off and that I would get security, which made her keep her distance, but she kept a watchful eye on us for quite some time.

On my return trip to Boston via Frankfurt I stopped in Freiburg, my college town for a brief visit (http://www.freiburg.de/) only to run into an old college roommate of mine that I had not seen or heard from in almost 20 years! Freiburg is just a wonderful city, lots of German history there. At the airport in Frankfurt, I enjoyed the company and some spirited discussion with a young Englishman who lives in Russia, a US soldier on leave from Afghanistan and a tattooed guy from Canada.

Back here in Boston, we are experiencing some rainy days as a result of the recent Florida weather debacle, and I am hoping for improvement. I have been laying low as a consequence of jet lag and the bruise on my head, but this Sunday I will be attending my first race, and I would like to get a little more practice in. Sunday is the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's "Race for the Cure", which I will participate in. Also coming up for the weekend is some volunteering with Boston Cares, Open Art Studios in Cambridge and the Beacon Hill Neighborhood Block Party on Sunday.

Thanks my many friends for replying to my emails, but here is the question - do you read the damn thing or do you use it to line your hamster cages? No one gave me a hard time for writing the "insane humanity" comment in last week's edition.... Just kidding.... Love you all.

Talk to you soon.

Pet:)

#13 Boston Via Germany - September 3, 2004

2004-10-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

Guten Tag meine Freunde!

I am hailing from Germany, where I am trying to adjust to a German keyboard (z and y are in different locations, and it is littered with Umlauts - the only good thing is that Oscar is not here to run around on the keyboard while I type). I arrived here yesterday after a circuitous jouney that involved two airplane rides, several types of trains and taxis. More on that later.

The past week had been extremely busy, Boston experienced a scorcher of a weekend, hot temperatures combined with insane humidity (my guess is around 300 percent). Friday night I met up with my friends for Linda and Roger for a late night drink at the Sheraton Hotel where we were surrounded by a convention contingent of postal workers (ooiiiiee, men in uniform!). On Saturday I hung around Quincy Market, Boston's prime tourist hangout - I attended a movie festival called "Zoink" which featured experimental films, shorts and documentaries. Pretty interesting and strangely weird work, among them a film "Dinner" where the hostess kept inviting men for a meal only to devour them later (not the way you are thinking now - mind out of the gutter please!), and a moody picture called "The Winter People" by John Stimpson, which was a story about a haunted house on Cape Cod. I won two tickets for The Comedy Connection in their raffle - Boston friends if you want to go with me - now is the time to suck up!

I explored Quincy Market some more to hunt for gifts for my relative - it is also featuring every sort of food you can imagine, from a nice cup of Chowda to oysters and any kind of pizza imaginable. Only in the US can you go to a food stand in Boston and eat a Philly Steak from an Algerian guy who speaks fluent German. In a moment of culinary uncertainty (which proved to be fatal) I also tried Bubble Tea - an Asian concoction with giant black Tapioca pearls in them. My particular choice also had Taro root in it. To say it bluntly - the stuff was gross - the Tapioca pearls kept coming up through the straw (too big) and the whole drink just tasted awful. Yowza! I headed home to cool off (not without buying some bottled water from a very business-savvy kid named Max who sits out there every weekend on the corner of Merrimack and New Chardon street).

Saturday evening I met my friends Stephanie and her husband Dan in the North End for yet another Italian feast, this time to honor St. Anthony, who is apparently not only the patron of the poor but also the finder of lost things. This particular feast was begun by Italian immigrants from Montefalcione, Italy in 1919 and has become the largest Italian religious festival in New England. Food booths line the streets in the very Italian North End and the streets are chock full of people. The booths sell great gnocchi and pasta dishes, fried calamari, and another East Coast favorite, Fried Dough, also known as the triple bypass special. You can also buy a t-shirt that says "Kiss me, I am Italian". St. Anthony himself resides in a shrine where you can pin money on him and you receive a button with his picture. I pinned a dollar on him in the hope to find my lost make-up bag, but so far Antonio here has not come through for me. Interestingly enough, if you do not have a dollar, they use the money on the statue to make change. Meanwhile two marching bands and a whole bunch of strapping Italian guys, who have some sort of medal ribbon pinned to their chest, roam the streets, play music and are fronted by a boy dressed in a brown monk robe carrying a miniature St. Anthony statue.

The North End is unbelievable with its great food, very Italian stores, and old ladies sitting in front of their houses chatting, and Saturday night I felt as if I were in a Soprano's episode. An Italian guy standing on a street corner was talking on a cell phone in an agitated fashion, when all of a sudden a car with three other young Italians pulled up, and they opened the trunk, which had about 12 boxes (brand new, unopened) with garbage disposals just as if they "had fallen off the truck" – hmmmmh? We finally escaped from the heat into a pub called "Clarke's" and ended the day on a cool note.

On Sunday I met up with Linda and Roger and we headed toward Quabbin Reservoir (http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/dfw_quabbin.htm), where you drive past Garner, the furniture capital of New England (I knew that would be of interest to all of you) and signs pointing to the Jonny Appleseed trail (most of you know the tale of Jonny Appleseed, whose real name was John Chapman and who is also known as the Apple Tree Man http://www.millville.org/Workshops_f/Dich_FOLKLORE/WACKED/story.html). We hiked along the reservoir, saw a loon in the water and were keeping our eye out for porcupines (did you know that they eat pine needles, even tree bark in winter?). We also met up with a snake and giant ants! Quabbin Reservoir provides the water supply for Boston a large part of Eastern Massachusetts.

We then headed to the quaint and cute college town of Amherst, which has the homestead of poet Emily Dickinson (http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?45442B7C000C07000F)and also features the motto "Amherst, where reality is an option". We stopped at the Amherst brewing company for some grub, and I can highly recommend this place. Their "Uncle John's homemade root beer" is absolutely phenomenal and has a real nice peppery kick at the end - they sell it in a "growler". Their German-style Monster Pretzel really is huge and comes with Massaatuky Brown Ale Mustard. The interior features some interesting decor with wrought-iron arms holding out lamps and some sort of disco equipment.

And now I am here in my hometown of Neuenburg, Germany (www.neuenburg.de), where my brother is firing up the BBQ as we speak. The trip over here was exhausting, but I had nice company on the plane by Barry, a New Hampshire college student who was heading for a semester abroad in Florence. The Lufthansa entertainment program (while high-tech) did not feature the greatest selection of movies (some of them quite old actually, maybe it was 70s week with the airline), so we amused ourselves by doing play-by-play with a Wallace and Gromit-like movie that encouraged people to stretch during flying. In our version, the little man in the movie was definitely on drugs, having seizures and in the end got abducted by an Alien spaceship. Some other movies from a German film school showed documentaries on warthogs - go figure.

More on my Germany experience in next week's update. The BBQ awaits!

Mixed Bag:

While the Bostonians are great with picking restaurant names, the variety does not extend to people's names - as mentioned I have three friends named Linda, two Karas, two Taras, and at work everyone is named Bob. Found some more restaurant names though: The Salty Dog, and the Pushcart Pub in Boston, the Loose Goose in Amherst.

Last week also was Restaurant Week in Boston, where you can go to a selection of absolutely great restaurants and for 30 dollars get a stellar five-course meal (lunch is 20 for 3 courses).

Traffic Signs that say "Squeeze" mean that the road is narrowing, you are not required to squeeze anything while driving by.

New food experience: Pulled Pork.

Contest Announcement: Karli Grigsby wins the big prize! She came closest to guessing the exorbitant fee for my hair-coloring job. Congrats! Gift is on the way!

All my love to you from a nice warm summer night in Southern Germany.

Auf Wiedersehn!

Petra

#12 Boston by the Sea - August 27, 2004

2004-10-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

Oh thank you, makers of Dramamine and anti-emetic wristbands!!! Petra went on a boat and did not get sick!! For those of you who have ever witnessed my motion sickness, you will be able to attest on what an important moment this was! I visited the Boston Harbor Islands this weekend with my (re-discovered) friend Elizabeth and survived the ferry from Boston to the islands, and what is even better, the inter-island shuttles (less sturdy than the main ferry and definitely more on the jalopy side)!! It was a beautiful day here in Massachusetts, just great, and we visited George’s Island and Paddock’s Island, with a quick stop at Lovell’s (http://www.bostonislands.com/default.asp) Every one of the islands has its own unique features, Lovell’s with trails past dunes, woods and the remains of Fort Standish (used during the Spanish American War and WWI – 62 acres), Paddock’s with Fort Andrews, a pond and a salt marsh (188 acres). On the way back to Boston’s Long Wharf you can watch the planes land up close and personal at Logan airport, it is quite a sight!

We had a great time and ended the day at Faneuil Hall, where “Lucky Bob” or “Lucky Dave” (I believe he changes his name every week) again delighted audiences with his riffs and juggling routines. We waved our way through the maze of food stands at Quincy market, and learned that there is a Boston Pretzel – “2 holes, salt on one side, sesame on the other.” Tasty!

Saturday I had Tunisian food for the first time, on a quaint little side street in Cambridge near Central Square, where my colleague Cara and I enjoyed a Cassantina salad with black caraway olive oil, Cherbat (an Algerian lemonade with rose petals and North African spices) and a dish called Lantacharba Coca (a black olive tapenade with anchovies and smoky tomato jam on a flat Bedouin galette (Baraka is the name of the restaurant for the locals - 80 ½ Pearl Street).

Other culinary highlights of the week included Uncle Pete’s Hickory Ribs, which we sometimes get delivered for meetings at the hospital – if you like BBQ, you’ll love this stuff.

It has been an interesting week - I am getting more and more settled, meeting all my new doctors, the new dentist and once again, visiting my hairdresser for a coloring job that costs as much as…… well, let’s see – let’s have a little contest!! Whoever gets the amount right that I paid for coloring this week, will receive a little gift from Boston. What the heck! For all you local folks, it will be a dinner, for the Californians, out-of-staters and Europeans, I’ll think of something nice…. Now remember this is Newbury Street, and all I am saying is “what’s wrong with eating Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches for the rest of the year?”

Maybe the hospital can help – on Monday, I donated blood and got quite a few benefits out of it, a massage, cookies, coupons for the cafeteria….. Then again, they only let you donate every 8 weeks, so that might not be the best money-saving strategy. I had not given blood in a while though (they take a whole freakin’ pint!), and for the next day felt a little light in the head (not that this is a bad thing).

It has been quite a rainy summer here in the hub (I actually got caught in a thunderstorm on Friday with a jogging group), but on the plus side, when the sun shines, it has not been too hot or too humid, so all is good. The rainy days afforded some catching up with watching movies, and the guys at my local video store “Mike’s Movies” on Cambridge Street are certainly glad I moved here. I definitely recommend two of the flicks I saw – “21 Grams” and “Touching the Void.” The latter is a story of two mountain climbers who attempted to scale the west face of the Siula Grande mountain in the Peruvian Andes in 1985, and who overcame unbelievable odds to survive the climb. If you like suspense, you have to see this movie!

The fall will be busy, I am heading to Germany next week as a courier for the National Bone Marrow Program – I will add a couple of days to spend with my family and return on Labor Day. At the end of September I will be heading over to Europe again to go to Geneva for a cancer conference.

This upcoming weekend, plans include another Italian feast in the North End (apparently this is the biggest of them all!), an evening of dancing to big band sounds at the Ritz (on the roof! The event is called “Puttin’ on the Ritz”) and a hike at Mount Holyoke in Western Massachusetts with a visit to Amherst.

As to the more unusual news, the Metro newspaper reports that at the World Lobster Eating Contest in Kennebunk, Maine, a woman from Virginia won by downing 9.76 pounds of lobster meat. I am thinking of heading up there this fall myself, but certainly not for a food experience of that kind.

For all of you (especially my friends in California) who prior to my moving here, kept teasing me with the Phrase “paaakh the caah in Haavad yaaad”, here is a little write-up by Nancy McCollough Weir in the Beacon Hill Times:

“Most people think the phrase “Park the car in Harvard Yard” is a clever way to hear the Boston accent. This is not true. It is an exhortation, meant to mislead and to get your car out of Boston. We don’t want cars in our city because there is no place to put them. (Of course, once you follow this advice and arrive in Cambridge, you will find there is no parking in Harvard Yard either.).”

That’s it folks – until next time (from Germany)!

Pet:)

#11 Boston Do-Si-Do - August 20, 2004

2004-10-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

Alrighty then - I did my civic duty and showed up for contra dancing! Upfront, I had a great time at the event, aside from the nausea caused by being swung around in any which way the gentlemen saw fit to swing me. The crowd was definitely very granola - Berkeley meets Cambridge - with interesting fashion choices and varying degrees of personal hygiene. A more drastic moment occurred when one foul-smelling specimen with a long braided ponytail and a flowery skirt literally pushed me. There was a strong contingent of contra dancers from India, who were very light on their feet, and a congeries of other characters, most of them very friendly and eager to dance to whatever the guy on stage told them to. Good thing I had some solid food in me, my friend Lynda and I (just to clear up, I have three friends named Linda) had gone to Magnolia's near Inman Square earlier that evening for some good Southern Cuisine. After tasting my first "fried green tomatoes" ever and some blackened shrimp and scallops on West Indian Calabaza pumpkin in a maple rum glaze, we were quite the happy campers.

And this is only Thursday! After exhausting myself with a 5.5 mile run on Friday, I went to the Boston Common to once again cheer on Beacon Hill against Back Bay in a softball match. Beacon Hill emerged victorious, again (22:13) and a good time was had by all!!

On Saturday morning, I had scheduled a session with a personal fitness trainer in my gym, where I discovered that I literally am devoid of any stomach muscles. It is a miracle that I can stand up straight, people! My fitness trainer Sandy is promising draconian measures to fix it. I am scared.

That morning I discovered a new part of the Boston area, Belmont, when I was dropping off my bike for a tune up at Wheel Works (http://www.wheelworks.com/). 75AH16 also got a treat when I drove her through a car wash - the dust from being transported across the country was not a pretty sight. I returned home, only to do my best for a Buster Keaton impression by trying to hammer a nail, actually make that several nails, into a concrete wall. Being the pervicacious, thick-headed person that I am, I was not deterred a bit, and did not stop until there was a gaping hole in the wall, white spackle all over my dark blue sofa, and light brown paint on the bathroom tiles. Do me a favor, never ask me to help you with home improvement projects; it might be the end of a friendship.

Saturday evening my friend Elaine from the Partners Running Group and I headed to the North End, the Italian part of town, to check out "the feast". I swear there is one every weekend, always celebrating one saint or another - this time it was the Fisherman's Feast of the Madonna del Soccorso di Sciacca. The Madonna herself was displayed in some kind of a shrine in a garage, where people pinned money on her and got a blessed button of some sort. Right next to her was a very Italian lounge singer, Arturo Coppola (http://www.arturocoppola.com)- "a voice for romance and charm". He was working the crowd like you would not believe. Despite the appeal his performance held for us ladies, we decided to run for the next Italian pastry shop and load up on some good gelato. The North End is just wonderful (http://www.northendboston.com/) - check out the description of the North End on Boston Online's website: http://www.boston-online.com/cityviews/north_end.html.

On Sunday, Hurricane Charley caught up with Massachusetts, and it rained buckets when I got up. This did not bode well for my planned trip to Cape Cod that day, but what the heck! The drive to the Cape was amazing with the sky displaying an array of shades of gray, cloud formations, some whimsy, some cotton balls, zipping by at an incredible speed. I passed the Sagamore bridge (http://www.freefoto.com/preview.jsp?id=1212-16-1) over the Cape Cod Canal, which is the widest sea-level canal in the world. Immediately after, you can find the towns of Sandwich (http://www.sandwichma.org/) and Mashpee. My final destination was Harwichport, a beautiful East Coast beach community, where I met up with my friend Joe, who lives in Cape Town, South Africa, but was in town to see his family. I was welcomed with "Meltaways" from Bonatt’s Bakery - the most gigantic pastry I have ever eaten, and definitely one of the best. Apparently people line up around the block to get their hands on those tasty suckers! We hung out at the beach, and the weather improved drastically, the sun came out and we celebrated by eating pizza (my first ever Hamburger Pizza) and by watching the wildlife (wild rabbits, bees, seagulls). The seagulls were the feistiest animals I have ever seen, landing right on the pizza boxes; the bees definitely gave a demonstration of why parents have used them to explain you-know-what to their kids (or as Joe’s aunt said ... "yeah, pollinating my foot!").
On the way home, the weather changed yet again, and this time to fog - Massachusetts is definitely the Baskin Robbins of weather flavors, or as the locals say "If you don’t like the weather in Massachusetts, wait a minute!"

This week my colleague Linda and I (yes, Linda #3) went to see "The Control Room", a documentary about the Arab news station Al Jazeera and the war in Iraq. A well-made movie - lots of food for thought! We had dinner at a typical American diner, this time in Arlington ("Aahlington") - the owners are Greek, and the menu featured favorites like Moussaka and Souflaki, and in typical diner fashion "bottomless" coffee.

Homestretch:
*Cool bar name: "Joe Sent Me" (http://www.joe-sent-me.com/)
*Learned about a game named "mumblety-peg " - a game in which players throw or flip a jackknife in various ways so that the knife sticks in the ground. (The dictionary said that this is a game enjoyed by children!)
*In a meeting this week, a colleague told us that their office was right below a Dunkin' Donuts, and that they had a problem with coffee leaking down, to which my colleague Jeff replied “Regular or Decaf?”
*Not to misprize the quality of the vegetables here, but when I left my apartment yesterday morning they seemed fine, and when I retuned home later, they all seemed to have imploded. It was not a pretty sight.
*From the Boston Metro Newspaper: "Humpty Dumpty Research - New research on how shell-like structures like satellites and spaceships break up has been carried out using eggs. Ferenc Kun of the University of Debrecen in Hungary and colleagues made small holes in eggs, blew out the contents, and either filled them with hydrogen and exploded them or smashed them on the floor. Studies of the fragment sizes may lead to a better understanding not only of space debris, but also of supernovae." Who woulda thunk? Well, I am definitely in the wrong profession. Even though I might think that after a while smashing eggs might lose its appeal.

On that note, folks, be well. You da man!

Pet:)

#10 Boston Alert - August 13, 2004

2004-10-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

Aloha folks!

What is up? It has been once again an exciting week for yours truly - I love Massachusetts!!! (Did you know that the name stems from Native Americans who referred to themselves as Massachuset = "People of the Great Hills"?) This place is great!

On Thursday of last week I joined the AMC for an evening hike in the Blue Hills near Quincy (http://www.mass.gov/mdc/BLUE.HTM). After struggling on the freeway for 1 1/2 hours to get there, and a self-inflicted detour along a road called Chickatawbut (believe me it is not pronounced the way you think), we started out near Houghton Pond, hiked the Skyline trail and ended up looking down toward Ponkapoag Pond (http://www.mass.gov/mdc/maps/BLUE.GIF). What did I tell you about the names around here? Once the hiking troupe figured out that I was searching for local tidbits and interesting things to tell, there was no stopping them. I learned that a "bubbler" (pronounce: bubbla) is a drinking fountain, and a carriage is a shopping cart. People here eat "stuffed quahogs" which are hard-shelled round clams (pronounced ko-hog). A residential area where you have to reduce your speed, features signs saying "thickly settled."

Saturday morning I once again volunteered through Boston Cares, this time at the Greater Boston Food Bank - sorting groceries destined to go to food programs. That was so much fun! What a great group! Interestingly enough, through the Boston Cares newsletter, I also recently found an old friend from California who has been living in Boston for the past three years. Hi Elizabeth Carpino!

On Sunday, I was once again on the road with the AMC, this time for a bike ride, starting at Wompatuck State Park, and riding along the South Shore through Hingham, Scituate, and Cohasset. All beautiful Massachusetts coastal towns, with beautiful cliffs, beaches and great weather! Scituate featured quite a few historic sites, among them the Lawson Watertower (http://www.scituatehistoricalsociety.org/sites_tower.html). Just outside the town we stopped at the Third Cliff where an inscription read "The first plantations at "Satuit" were laid out by the men of Kent in 1628 on this cliff, which was then more extensive." After lunch in the harbor we headed to the Scituate Lighthouse (http://www.scituatehistoricalsociety.org/sites_lighthouse.html), where the two daughters of light house keeper Simeon Bates, Abigail and Rebecca, rose to fame as the so-called "army of two" - "Noting the approach of two redcoat-filled barges from a British ship of war, the girls snatched fife and drum and hiding behind a thick cluster of cedar trees made such a din that the British mistook them for an entire regiment and made a hasty retreat. "

After riding through the more affluent community of Cohasset (http://www.key-biz.com/ssn/Cohasset/history.html), a section of our group (the sane people) decided to stick to the original 33-mile route, whereas I joined the crazed bike riders and decided to add 15 miles. We biked along the seaside town of Hull and Nantasket Beach. (http://www.nantasketbeach.com/pictures.php/1) The beach used to feature a honky-tonk kind of strip with rides of which only the Paragon Carousel is left. Across the street, on a balmy Sunday night, we saw a jazz band playing at a beachside gazebo with couple dancing.....

We ended up at Fort Revere, a 1775 revolutionary war fort, with a great view of some of the Boston Harbor Islands, in particular the Brewster Islands, named by members of a pilgrim expedition after the Elder William Brewster (http://www.nps.gov/boha/pphtml/nature.html). Just beautiful!

I managed to get back to the parking lot in one piece, even though I felt as if my legs would disassociate from my body at any moment. We ended up riding 50 Miles, and despite some soreness the next day, it was an absolutely wonderful ride.

I have been running still with the hospital's running group (now with new shoes!) - I signed on for my first race, on September 16th, a 4.2-miler called "The Blues Run" followed by the "Big Pig Roast." (With the races, the Bostonians are equally creative in their names - I just discovered a race called "Run for the Woods").

I have been exploring Newbury Street, one of Boston's prime shopping avenues, where pretty much everything is expensive (e.g. my haircut, and the all-white-sparse-design-we-serve-you-Pellegrino-and-show-models-on-TV salon Umi. -http://www.umisite.com/ - they were just voted best hair salon in Boston Magazine). On Tuesday one of my colleagues and I headed for Louis Boston, which is an (expensive of course) Clothing Store and it has a restaurant (also snazzy, the guy ordering the wine, whose name was Brick (I swear) introduced himself and glanced at me suspiciously as I was drinking my beer). [http://www.louisboston.com/] The beers were excellent(Hitachino White, a Japanese wheat beer and a Belgian Duvel).

I also joined the Boston Ski and Sports Club, they have a tremendous amount of activities going on, so don't be surprised if you find me rock climbing or playing kickball.

My favorite topic, as always are the restaurant and bar names:

-Barefoot Bob's in Hull

-Upper Crust (a pizza place in Beacon Hill)

-The Foggy Goggle

The weekend will hopefully allow some nice activities - the weather forecast is not too promising - heading out for a hike on Saturday and a drive down to Cape Cod on Sunday.

Now I am off to go contra dancing in Cambridge! (http://www.neffa.org/Thurs_hist.html).

pet:)

#9 Boston Times - The New York Edition - August 6, 2004

2004-10-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

Friends!

I have emerged from the ghastly state the dreaded lurgy of the past week had put me in and have attacked this past week with somewhat increased pep and oomph. This past Saturday my friend Linda and I decided to take a day trip to New York City. We left on Saturday at an ungodly hour from Worcester, MA and found ourselves in the Big Apple 4 hours later. I am dedicating this trip to the quintessential white trash family that happened to occupy the seats behind us, and needless to say provided entertainment of a special sort with quotes that will stay with me for quite some time. Let us call them the "Dans", as the only identifier we had was the wife, who called on her beloved "Dan" more often than we thought necessary. We will return to them later.

The bus dropped us off at 42nd near Fifth Avenue, and we headed first toward the Upper West Side, where we visited the farmer's market near the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (http://www.lincolncenter.org/index2.asp) and then headed up Columbus Avenue in search of some more food. The Upper West Side has a tremendous amount of restaurants, and you see more locals there than tourists - we opted for Hunan Park, a great Chinese place with fast service and excellent food. We then headed toward Central Park, visited Bethesda Fountain - listed as the "crown jewel" of Central Park (http://www.centralpark2000.com/database/bethesda_fountain.html. Definitely a good place to hang out, see jugglers and musicians, and some dude dressed as the wizard "Dragonlord", but in typical NYC fashion, we enjoyed a 85 degree, 200 percent humidity summer day, and so we headed for the shade. Central Park is just so amazing, we saw every type of musician known to mankind from New Orleans Dixie Jazz, to one man-bands with homemade unidentifiable instruments. (http://www.centralparknyc.org/) We also decided to ride the Central Park Carousel, which was built in 1871 and initially operated by a blind horse and a mule. It features the "largest handcarved figures ever constructed" (http://www.centralparkcarousel.com/). After the nausea from the ride subsided we headed out of the park to explore the city, and visit important landmarks such as Tiffany's, Trump Tower with its glitzy charm, St. Patrick's Cathedral (crashed a wedding in there), and made our way along the entire length of Manhattan, past Union Square (greatest farmer's market ever), through Soho and Chinatown (too many people) past the Brooklyn Bridge and all the way to Ground Zero. (http://groundzero.nyc.ny.us/). Beautifully restored Grand Central Terminal in New York is also a must see - http://www.grandcentralterminal.com/ Our final stop was Bryant Park, where we enjoyed some free jazz and watching people play speed chess, and here we rested our weary feet from the 10 miles we walked all day.

Little tidbits you gotta love about New York (some old, some new):
*Hot dog vendors, pretzels, roasted chestnuts
*Mango on a Stick - the ultimate snack. The mangoes are peeled to look like a blossom and put on a stick. Costs 2 bucks and is my new favorite snack.
*Central Park has 26,000 trees and runs for more than 50 city blocks. The tree trust of the Central Park Conservancy Women's Committee should be thanked.
*New York can't hold a candle to Boston when it comes to restaurant names, but one Mexican restaurant named "Senor Swanky's" will definitely make the list.
*Coming into New York, the bus took the scenic route right through East Harlem and the Bronx - reality check.

Now, let's come back to our new favorite family, the Dans. I will simply let you enjoy a couple of the same wonderful conversations we were privileged to hear:
"Dan, I am sitting here with my knees up in the air." Dan, I can't hear you, I have waxy built up".
"Dan, I am not fat, I am just a big water balloon." (Mrs. Dan was by conservative estimates a mere 100 pounds overweight).
"I am not going on a death ride in one of those yellow cabs."

Meanwhile, back in Boston, we have recuperated from DNC week, Boston's businesses are all disappointed that the Democrats did not shop until they dropped, and the weather has been simply wonderful. Today was Carrot Day at Copley Square, where "The Food Project" was distributing carrots in order to encourage people to eat locally grown food.

I am heading for an AMC hike Thursday evening to the Blue Hills near Quincy and more adventures are planned for the weekend, among them a 33-mile bike ride near Cohassset, MA, along the South Shore in Wompatuck State Park.

As for my closing tidbits -

*The Beacon Hill Times reports that the "Cat Lady", a woman in whose apartment city officials found 60 dead cats, has been putting up leaflets in the neighborhood accusing the police, the prosecution and the judge of misconduct.
*On the baseball front, Nomar Garciaparra was traded to the Cubs (Nomaahh!!) and among other benefits the Red Sox got Doug Mientkiewicz, who played for his old team, the Minnesota Twins one afternoon against the Red Sox, and found himself a Red Sox member the next day playing against the Minnesota Twins. The amazing thing was that he had a Sox uniform with his name stitched on there the next afternoon. As the TV announcer said "Someone in that clubhouse must have been doing some fast stitching."

*Upon researching a cancer medication today I discovered among the side effects "aesthetic dissatisfaction" - let's just say, I don't need medication for that to happen - a look in the mirror will suffice on occasion.

Toodles,

pet:)

#8 Boston Update - July 30, 2004

2004-10-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

News from Boston!

Well, what can I tell you?

Something curious has been happening here in Boston, Massachusetts - I call it the invasion of the quilt bags (no I don't mean the Democrats!). Some clever, but taste-lacking clothing manufacturer out here must have brainwashed thousands of women into believing that these flowery-pattern-quilted bags are actually a fashion statement. You can see them everywhere -my friend Linda thinks that it is all Jessica Simpson's fault, and that those of us with a decent measure of taste have to suffer for it. We do, we do!!

The weekend for me started off with a free jazz concert last Thursday at the Back Bay Fens. The Berklee School of Music and the Fenway Civic Association put on concerts at a place called "Mother's Rest" (even though the playground next to it sounded more like "mothers-this-is-where-your-kids-fall-off-the-monkey-bars"). The event was very low-key, and the sound technicians not up to par, but the featured artist, Russian jazz pianist Mikhail Tarasov, was definitely worth the trip out there. I walked back home along beautiful Marlboro street in Back Bay, one of the most wonderful streets in Boston!

On Friday, yet another inspection for the car - this time the insurance inspection. And as usual, it had to be done in 7 days!! Now I am fully insured, the car has MA license plates and I received my driver's license in the mail. Life is good.

On Saturday, I headed out to visit my friends Linda and Roger in Shrewsbury, about a 45 minute drive outside of Boston. After a brief three-mile stroll around the neighborhood, we head toward Ayer, Massachusetts, to hit the Nashua River Rail Trail (Frank, this one is for you!) - check it out at http://www.mass.gov/dem/parks/nash.htm
The trail is round-trip about 22 miles, is just beautiful, and is built along the site of the former Hollis branch of the Boston and Maine Corp. Railroad. On occasion you could still see some of the old milestones. Another cool fact: when you bike along this trail, you bike from Massachusetts into New Hampshire!! We stopped along the way a few times, to seek out some wildlife - Linda and Roger said that they have seen ospreys, snakes, moose, etc. We waited to see if one of Massachusetts' 65,000 beavers would make an appearance, but no can do. The beavers are also the reason why there are no wooden benches along the trail, but lovely green and yellow plastic ones....

Driving out to the trail was wonderful along scenic Massachusetts towns with their squares, and some interesting histories. The town of Clinton, Mass is where Erastus Brigham Bigelow, a 19th century inventor, created the loom for the weaving of wire cloth - we can thank him for the mosquito screens on our windows. Farm stands along the road advertised "cukes, zukes and squash". After the bike ride, we headed to the O'Hanlon Pub in Ayer, where I ordered a steak called "The Druid" and had Wachusset Blueberry Beer.

On Sunday morning, we headed for breakfast to the Boulevard diner in Worcester (pronounced Wooster) - a National Landmark, a typical railroad-car type breakfast place. It is also known as Worcester Lunch Car #730 -http://www.roadway.com/offroad/diners_11.html . This is a classic - you expect John Belushi going behind the counter: "No coke, no coke, Pepsi, Pepsi, Pepsi. Cheeseburger, cheeseburger." Here are some tidbits from the conversation between the staff: "Toast, No Toast, Toast!" "He's trying to confuse me, I am blond and that's bad" (The waitress about the boss). "Got any sliced bread? I need sliced bread! We have three buckets! Why do we have three buckets?" It was like being on Saturday Night Life. Excellent breakfast too. Roger took us on a quick spin through Worcester, the third largest city in New England. Union Station, built in 1911, is certainly one of the United States' most beautiful train stations. (http://www.worcestermass.org/guide/unionstation.html)

I headed home on Sunday as the pace of the last few weeks finally caught up with me, and I was attacked by some virus of sorts, which demanded that I retreat to my couch and watch all six tapes of Pride and Prejudice. This dreaded lurgy has left me indisposed for most of the week, in a fairly feeble state of body and mind. No running club, no Salsa dancing (as was planned for tonight) - attacking the virus with a combo of good old pharmaceutical hard stuff (yeah, Vicodin!) and grandma's remedies (ah, the pleasures of vinegar wraps - don't ask!) and bed rest. I have to get fit as I am heading for New York City on Saturday for a short day this weekend on a bus tour!

As for this week, Boston is eerily quiet - in expectation of the massive influx of delegates for the DNC, everyone has left town, and there are just a few of us and lots of police. The streets are empty reminiscent of the 1972 oil crisis. The demonstrators are locked up in a cage, so I heard and are disillusioned and are saving up their energy for the next convention in New York, and the MGH HazMat team is bored. Welcome signs are everywhere and the Bostonians are not leaving their houses. Aside from a couple of motorcades and lots of helicopters, I have not been impacted at all. Check out the Boston Globe website: boston.com - people are obsessed with who saw which celebrity where. No sightings on my part, even though my friend Jeannie claims to have seen Maria Shriver.

As to the some other useful or useless morsels:

*Interesting Restaurant Names (again): The Flying Rhino and the Bitch'n Kitch'n, both in Worcester; Moby Dick of Boston (a Persian restaurant - ???); and of course "The Barking Crab" (thanks Karli!)
*For those of you planing to visit - a regular coffee is always with cream and sugar, if you don't want that, you have to order it black.
*Worcester is the birthplace of the space suit, barbed wire, and the monkey wrench. The Worcester Foundation in Shrewsbury is the site of the development of the birth control pill.
*A freelance artist from Worcester named Harvey Ball designed the famous pop culture Smiley Face in 1963.
*The cod is the state fish of Massachusetts, and I learned today that the Boston Terrier is the state dog. The cod has been immortalized in the ever-so-stylish gurgling cod pitcher only available by Shreve, Crump and Low, America's oldest luxury jeweler (1796). It makes a gurgling sound when you poor out water.... hmmmhh. http://www.shrevecrumpandlow.com/giftshop/SCL_GIFT_COD.asp
*The T (subway) station Alewife is named after a fish (Alosa pseudaharengus)
*There are no freeways here- there are highways (which are free) and there are turnpikes (like the Mass Pike - also known as the world's largest parking lot) - where you pay.

Cheers to all,

Petra

#7 Boston Dispatch - July 23, 2004

2004-10-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

Let me start this off by saying that last week I was in a pub called "The Squealing Pig", an Irish bar on Huntington Avenue, a hangout for locals and college kids. The running group went there, and I did not have one single beer, but I thought this place ranks pretty high up there on the list of strange names for pubs and restaurants here in Boston. It is like they are trying to outdo each other. Stay tuned for more.
Thursday I went to "Fajitas and Ritas" - a lively, but very casual Mex
Mex place with tons of Margaritas to chose from. The customers provide the décor by covering the walls with crayon graffiti. The neat thing is that you fill out the order form for the food - that way it's your own darn fault, if you get the wrong stuff... Went to see Fahrenheit 9/11 after that - lots of food for thought.
On Friday, I went rollerblading for the first time along the Charles River, which was just great! After that it was time for "Free Friday Flicks" - WBZ Radio here provides a free movie in summer every Friday eve at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade. We saw the movie "Holes" - definitely targeted toward an adolescent audience, but not a bad flick at all. It was fun to just be outside, watch a movie on a big screen and enjoy a nice warm summer night.

On Saturday, I went on my first hike with the Appalachian Mountain Club, the AMC, to the White Mountains in New Hampshire - Mount Osceola was the target for this "beginners" (yeah right) hike. The main peak has an elevation of 4340 feet - we started out at about 2200 feet, eight of us, and Molly, the dog. I was warned by my friends around here that hiking in the Whites is a bit more rugged compared to the wimpy California hiking I was accustomed to - and they were somewhat right. Rocks, boulders, roots, gaping holes - and that's on the hiking path. Try to go off and use the big green outdoors restroom! We made it up in one piece and apparently in pretty good time. The area is stunningly beautiful and the view on top simply spectacular. Check out some pix here - http://hammer.prohosting.com/~theway/hiking/osceola.htm.
The weather in the White Mountains is quite moody, and we had to bring equipment for all seasons, and I actually had to put on a winter jacket up top. Hiking down took us just about the same time, as the boulders, roots and gaping holes were still there. I managed to stumble into a couple of trees, as it seemed difficult to walk straight and not appear inebriated. Afterward we all cooled off in a local swimming hole, and then drove back to Boston (2 1/2 hr- ride).

I came home, and ran off again, as I was meeting friends for dinner and then we headed to Wally's Cafe Jazz Club (thanks Deb for the recommendation) - they have live music every day of the year! It is a smallish place, but as soon as the band shows up and crams onto the tiny little stage, the place turns into a zoo and is packed to the gills. Two beers later, and exhausted from a long day of hiking, I seemed to drift off into a soporific stupor of sorts, and Linda and Roger carted me home.

Sunday was cleaning-out-moving-boxes-and-re-assemble-furniture-day and now my place seems to resemble a decent living environment, as I was hosting my new book club here on Monday evening.

Monday and Tuesday were most insane days - going to the RMV (Registry of Motor Vehicles) to get a driver's license and my caaahh registered - happened amazingly quickly and you actually leave there with your plates in hand. I am officially a Massachusetts resident now! Going to the eye doctor to get contact lenses - hosting the book club - going for State inspection (smog) with the caahh - needs to be done within 7 days of registration - driving out to my boss' house in Newton - getting lost in Newton and and and.... The caaah, formerly known as 4UGD808, is now affectionately known as 75AH16. It suits her well.
To add to the craziness, I decided to go to The Comedy Connection at Faneuil Hall on Tuesday night to see Jim Breuer, he of Saturday Night Life Fame. What a trip - this guy is like a force of nature, just amazing. Check out his website and watch the bit where he turns the "Hokey Pokey" into an AC/DC song. Very entertaining.
Last night we had running group again, and even though I am still very slow, I managed to do 4 miles!!!
Everyone here in town is getting ready for the invasion of the Democrats next week, most folks are leaving town or the continent, freeways will be closed, the hospital has been running HazMat drills, everyone is having fun. The Boston Courant's headline last week screamed that the prostitutes have arrived for the occasion, so we're all set.

A little more of conventional wisdom on Boston from the Beacon Hill times, of course, this one on baseball:

"Every spring, the day after Opening Day at Fenway, there is sure to be a newspaper headline that reads "Pennant Fever Grips Hub!" This is because every Bostonian is constitutionally sure that someday the Red Sox will win the World Series. This will never happen because every Red Sox player has been genetically programmed to never with the World Series. However, do not mention this to any Sox fans as they are known to become quite violent when this is pointed out to them."

So - back to work! Tonight is free Jazz at the Back Bay Fens, courtesy of Berklee College of Music, and it looks to be a pretty nice and balmy evening.

Have a good one, write soon, write often or call. My home phone 617.263.1408 is taking calls, even from California.

xoxoxoxoxo,

pet:)

#6 Boston Weekly - July 16, 2004

2004-10-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Time for the weekly update from the Right Coast.

To start off with the good news: I have furniture! What's even better - it is my furniture! There were a few small damages (remunerations are on the way!), but all in all, my stuff arrived in decent condition. There must have been some supernal force leading the little truck to my home, and I am happy indeed.

What can I tell you about my last week?

Last weekend you could find me at the Boston Common almost every day - Friday night I first attended the softball game between the Beacon Hill Civic Association's Young Friends and Neighbors and the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay. Beacon Hill came out victorious with a smashing score of 33:7. I then proceeded to another section of the Common, where the Boston Landmark Orchestra performed a free concert: Beethoven's 9th Symphony "Ode to Joy" (my favorite classical piece). It was quite a wonderful night to sit out and listen to great classical music. [http://www.landmarksorchestra.org/index.html]
On Saturday morning, I headed out to Concord, MA - my first volunteer opportunity with Boston Cares was to help out at a place called Gaining Ground, a non-profit farming organization that donates all of their produce to Boston area shelters and food programs. I got a little lost on the way there, but eventually found myself harvesting cucumbers under the watchful eye of some wild turkeys. I also assembled some dried flours and got bitten by mosquitoes. [http://www.gainingground.org/] Gaining Ground's main garden is also the property where David Henry Thoreau was born in 1817.
Saturday evening it was back to the Common, where the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company performed Shakespeare's ludic tale "Much Ado about Nothing" [http://www.freeshakespeare.org/] - it was a wonderful experience (maybe except for the part where the best seats, which were cordoned off, were released - a scene reminiscent of the Oklahoma Land Rush). The performance was beautiful and very entertaining.
Sunday was movie night, "The Terminal" with Tom Hanks, a must-see in my book.
On Tuesday, I met up with a new friend from work, and we went to a great restaurant on Charles Street, called "Figs", a place famous for its inventive pizza creations {home of the "unround" pizza), and its chef, Todd English. [http://www.toddenglish.com/index.html] English has several restaurants and is quite a celebrity around here.
Yesterday I had my first official run with the "Running Partners" and I am very proud of myself. I did 3 1/2 miles!! We ran along Jamaica Park, a park that is part of the so-called Emerald Necklace - a beautiful area to run. It has been rainy most of this week, so the weather was nice and cool for running purposes. [http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/index.cgi?page=jamaicapark].
Tonight I am heading out with some friends to see Fahrenheit 9/11 and for some Mexican food.
And as always, I have to put in a little tidbit from my favorite paper, the Beacon Hill Times:
Under the headline "Hill of Beans" there was a chapter to "explain Boston mores to our visitors": I am copying the section about Boston Driving Rules for you:
"There really aren't any, but there are some suggestions. The yellow light, for instance, is here called "Boston Green." Which means you are to respond to it as you would to a green one. Which is to stomp your accelerator and barrel ahead through the intersection. It is generally preferred that one makes a right hand turn from the far left lane and a left hand one from the far right. (Don't ask, it's just a custom.). And when changing lanes, never, never, never signal your intention with a blinking taillight. This is considered a security leak and is frowned upon as such."

The last two tidbits:
*Gas here is $1.99 (tough luck, California!)
*I am reading "The Life of Pi" and found a slightly disconcerting statement in there that I as a scientist take great offense to: "Scientists are a friendly, atheistic, hard-working, beer-drinking lot whose minds are preoccupied with sex, chess and baseball when they are not pre-occupied with science." Not true, I say. I know nothing about chess.

On that note, have a great weekend, folks.

LOL,

pet:)

#5 Boston 411 - July 9, 2004

2004-10-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
Time for the Boston update! Another week has gone by, and I still do not have any furniture (aside from a conference chair that the homeowners' association lent to me). Apparently my earthly belongings are in a truck in Chicago (the truck is somewhat kaputt and is being fixed). But I do have my car, it arrived in one piece (and not with 7000 new miles on it, as it did in one of my little nightmares).
I am promised that the guy from the moving company will call me now every day, and provide me with progress info and that I will get money back, and that they are so so so sorry..... yada yada yada....
With my car now here, I had my first driving experiences in Boston, and I have to say it was not that bad. With my reputation of being a bit refractory and also because
I was used to being around aggressive drivers in Germany, I fit right in and immediately honked at the electricity company truck who stood between me and my left turn. (Here you actually "bang" a left). I managed to find Trader Joe's in Cambridge, found my way to a shopping mall near the Fenway and when returning from Waltham on Saturday got only slightly lost in South Boston.

My friend Lisa Miller (hi Lisa) came into town on Saturday evening for the holiday weekend, and we certainly lived it up. Now as you know I am no teetotaler, but I might have given the impression that I do not eat any food here and live entirely off beer. So I will try to report on some good restaurants as well. Lisa and I for example went to "The King and I" on Charles Street, a very nice Thai restaurant. It is one of Boston's first Thai restaurants and opened in the early 1980s.

July 4th was quite the event here in Boston, what great place to experience it! Along with six million tourists of course! We started out at 9:00 AM with the raising of the flag and a parade of people in revolution-era garb shooting muskets in the air near the Granary Burying Ground. From there everyone headed to the Old State House, where the Declaration of Independence was being proclaimed from the balcony. Then Lisa and I embarked on the Freedom Trail and we did it almost in its entirety. We ended it in the North End, the Italian part of Boston, where we collapsed and headed for some tasty Italian food at a place called "Saraceno Ristorante"(see I told you I eat...). We then headed home and prepared for the evening on the Charles River Esplanade (along with 500,000 of our closest friends). The Boston Pops gave a concert and featured guests like Toni-winner Jennifer Holliday and –I know this would have been your next guess - David Lee Roth. I actually heard Mr. Roth practice a couple days earlier as I jogged along the Esplanade, and thought "what a good cover band, they sound just like Van Halen."
The subsequent fireworks were absolutely stunning, to say the least, they were coordinated perfectly to the music being played and lasted for quite a long time. We were very impressed (and - what a miracle - no fog!). Afterward our 500,000 friends and the two of us went in search of a bar, and we finally ended up at Harvard Gardens (http://www.harvardgardens.com/?). We celebrated into the 5th of July making new friends and learning about interesting new drinks (Kamikazes, also known as "the lemony things").
Needless to say, Monday was a little slow. It rained on the 5th and we made up for it by going to Filene's Basement and shopped until we dropped. We then headed to Harvard University, Cambridge and Somerville, where we ended up at "The Burren" for their absolutely wonderful Guinness Beef Stew (we might have had a beer or so......). We also went to the Beacon Hill Bistro for a late night desert (http://www.beaconhillhotel.com/bistro.html).

In a non-food related event, I attended a meeting of an organization called Boston Cares (http://www.bostoncares.org/), which is a nonprofit that registers volunteers and sends out a monthly calendar of opportunities. This way you can volunteer when you have time, and also pick different activities every month.

Work at Mass General continues to be fun and amazing, with some wonderful opportunities to learn, interesting people to meet and nice place to meet them at. This morning we attended a retreat at the Harvard Club of Boston (http://www.harvardclub.com/site/content/about/history.jsp)
- it was funded by a group of alumni in 1908.

That's my news for this week folks and I am sticking to it.

LOL to all of you, more next week (and lets all hope I have my furniture by then......).

pet:)

#4 The Boston Bugle - July 2, 2004

2004-10-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

Howdy People!

Another week has gone by and I cannot believe that I have been here for about four weeks! I must be having fun, as time really seems to zip by in a hurry. July 2nd with a holiday weekend ahead and the unpredictable Boston weather is providing an interesting display right now: I am looking at a sunny sky from my office but I can hear the thunderstorm on the other side of the building.
Needless to say, I have been getting to know the city better, and I know you will ask for the most recent pub report, so here it is:
I met my friends Linda and Roger at Sevens Ale House on Charles Street, a quintessential Beacon Hill bar, with many regulars who come to watch the Red Sox and throw darts (the way the Red Sox are playing, people might be inclined to combine these two activities). It is a bit noisy, and some of the regulars certainly exceed their beer limit and lean on you in ways you have never dreamed of. Nice little tidbit about Sevens – a sign does not point you to the restrooms, but to “Public Conveniences.” Another pub nearby, stumbling distance from home, is the Hill Tavern, more of a relaxed nightlife spot with great food. I had some very spirited discussions there with some Philadelphia baseball fans on Saturday night.
My hike to New Hampshire on Saturday got cancelled – yes you guessed right, another thunder storm, so I decided to walk along the Charles River Esplanade (www.http://boston.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=boston&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.state.ma.us%2Fmdc%2Fcharlesr.htm), which is absolutely beautiful. You can walk, jog, bike, roller blade for miles along this grassy, tree-lined park along the beautiful Charles River. You can walk along Boston’s Back Bay, check out the activities of the Community Boating Association, glance over to Cambridge, or ride your bike all 17 miles out to Watertown. In 1929 Arthur Fiedler chose the Esplanade for the site of the Boston Pops' outdoor concerts. The Hatch Memorial Shell was constructed there 10 years later. On July 4th, you can see the Boston Pops play a concert and then watch the fireworks. My friend Lisa Miller (yeah, my first visitor!) and I will be in attendance. Storrow Drive, the intercity freeway parallel to the Esplanade will be closed during the celebrations. http://www.bso.org/armsOfBSO.jhtml?catName=Pops&area=pop
Another attempt on my part to hike this weekend was thwarted when the trip leader who was supposed to pick me up, missed me at the meeting point. After getting over my abandonment issues and the associated serious impacts on my personality development, I headed for the hub.
Sidebar (from Boston Online.com’s Wicked Guide To Boston English) (http://www.boston-online.com/glossary.html) :
Hub = What Boston is. The Hub of the Universe. First coined by writer Oliver Wendell Holmes who actually referred to the State House as the hub of the solar system. Today a plaque on the sidewalk of Filene’s downtown commemorates the exact center of the universe (although they built an outdoor café over it; you might have to move a table aside to see it). Actually the only people who use the word anymore are headline writers looking for a short synonym for Boston as in the apocryphal headline:
“2 Hub Men Die in Blast; New York also destroyed.”
So Sunday, I paid a visit to Faneuil Hall, the “cradle of liberty” - http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/faneuilhall.asp or http://faneuil-hall.visit-boston-massachusetts.com/ In 1742, a wealthy merchant named Peter Faneuil financed the construction of this meeting hall. Town meetings, held here between 1764 and 1774, heard Samuel Adams and others lead cries of protest against the imposition of taxes on the colonies. The building was enlarged in 1806. Frederick Douglass (who bears a striking resemblance to James Brown), William Lloyd Garrison, and Lucy Stone brought their struggles for freedom here in the 19th century. The guide from the National Park Service was the most hilarious speaker I have ever heard (his rendition of what happened during the Boston Tea Party, and the effect of highly caffeinated harbor water on the fish was quite amazing). I went on to Quincy Market, which is dripping with tourists, the equivalent of Pier 39 in San Francisco - so needless to say, my time there was limited. “Lucky Bob” a street performer and master juggler was definitely worth seeing.
Then it was time to go on a walking tour of the North End, the Italian part of Boston, some sections of which are on the Freedom Trail. http://www.northendboston.com/
It is where you see Paul Revere’s house: http://www.paulreverehouse.org/ ; the USS Constitution http://www.ussconstitution.navy.mil/ ; Copps Hill Burying Ground and excellent, excellent Italian Food. The walking tour was conducted by a very nice young woman named Heather, who donned traditional 18th- century garb.
I also discovered Bostix, where similar to TKTS in New York, you can half-price tickets for theater plays and musicals. I decided to go see “Shear Madness”, a very funny “who-dunit” with audience participation. Absolutely hilarious! http://www.shearmadness.com/index.html .
I have been going to the gym, which is right next door to my house and work, and belongs to the hospital (we pay 9$ per week), and has indoor and outdoor pools, and tons of classes.
I also attended my first meeting of “Running Partners”, the running group for the hospital. Most of you know that I am not much of a runner, but the group is fun, and they have other beginners like me, so I thought to give it a whirl. The meeting was, of course, in a pub, this one was “The Red Hat Cafe” on Bowdoin Street, where a disappointed crowd watched the Red Sox loose to the Yankees. (Sore subject here, Yankees are seriously disliked).
Saw Harry Potter this week (the movie, not HP himself), and liked it a lot. The cinematography was great, beautifully made, and I think a bit more targeted toward adolescent and adult audiences. Also saw “Supersize Me” the documentary on the guy who ate McDonalds for a month – makes you want to eat healthy, really quickly.
My caaah is coming tonight, and I got a parking spot for it! I am paying through the nose, but not as much as other folks around here. Still on the waiting list for cheaper hospital parking. My furniture will arrive next Tuesday or Wednesday, and I will be finally living like a decent person. (Hold your commentaries, right there).
Last little tidbit (again, from the Boston Courant Newsletter’s police report – headline: “Know When To Fold Them” about a shoplifter, who neatly folded his clothes while stealing them. Excerpt: “If I didn’t know better, I’d say this gentleman had been trained by my mother. She always extolled the virtues of folding one’s clothes neatly and ferreting out bargains at Filene’s Basement. I don’t think my mom would have approved of shoplifting, however getting a steal at Filene’s is the closest she gets to scandalous behavior.”

Another little note: since the summers here are short, people seem to genuinely enjoy them, everyone is out and about, and happily soak up some sun!

On that note, have a sunny 4th of July, and as my friend Mike says, no dumping of tea in the harbor!

Pet:)

#3 News from Boston - June 24, 2004

2004-10-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Friends –
Here it is – the weekly Boston report. I am exploring the city, learning new things at work and loving it. I am meeting tons of very nice people and I still miss all of you.
As mentioned before, I have been exploring the pub and restaurant scene a bit, so here are some places that we can visit as soon as you come to see me:
Last Friday I went with a friend to the “Enormous Room” at Central Square in Cambridge, which is kind of the ultimate chill lounge. You walk up to a loft-like lounge, with comfy leather sofas, acid jazz playing and some decent Mediterranean and tapas-style foods. Saturday for lunch I explored “Christopher’s” on Massachusetts Avenue near Porter Square, which according to one review does the unthinkable, they try to serve healthy pub grub. They have good beer, of course, as well.
There has to be an Irish pub in there as well, so my landlady Marsha and I went out on Saturday night and checked out “The Burren”, which is very neighborly, and full of interesting characters. The owners are ex-pat Irish musicians who still sit in on daily sessions. The food is absolutely wonderful, like home-cooked Guinness beef stew, fish and chips, and burgers….
It actually happened the other day, I was walking down the street in Cambridge, when someone called my name (took only 2 weeks to accomplish that) – turns out it was a new friend who I met in one of my new favorite hangouts “Spirit” on Mass Avenue. Spirit is a somewhat yuppyish place with Irish owners.
Work is great, I am learning a lot. MGH is a very stimulating place to work, as it is the leading research hospital in the country. Lectures, seminars, education –there is always something interesting happening. This week I had to attend a lecture in the so-called Etherdome, a national historic landmark, designed by legendary architect Charles Bulfinch (he of the Cheers pub fame – for those of you who don’t know the Cheers pub’s original name was “The Bull and Finch Pub” at 84 Beacon Street). Anyway, the “Etherdome” is one of those old-fashioned operation chambers, where the students sat in a very steep auditorium and watched operations being performed. Between 1821 and 1868 more than 8,000 operations were performed in the chamber — one door still bears the words “Operating Room.” Since then, the dome served as a storage area until 1873, a dormitory until 1889, a dining room for nurses until 1892, and most recently as a teaching amphitheater. (http://neurosurgery.mgh.harvard.edu/History/restore.htm)
Last weekend, I walked part of the Freedom Trail – a must for every local and tourist. In 1958, local journalist William Schofield had the idea that Boston's sites could be more accessible to residents and visitors, and conceived the Freedom Trail. The sixteen historic sites between Boston Common and The Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown were connected by a red line, and The Freedom Trail was born. If you come and visit, this is one thing you will have to do. http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/tour.htm My favorite part so far is the Granary Burying Ground. With its massive Egyptian Revival-style gates facing Tremont Street, the Granary Burying Ground is the final resting place of many eminent Revolutionary-era patriots, such as Samuel Adams, Peter Faneuil, Paul Revere, and John Hancock. (Did you know that Boston’s original name was Tremontaine, for the three hills it was built on? Now only Beacon Hill is left ) (http://www.beaconhillonline.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi).
I moved into my apartment next to the hospital on Wednesday, with my three suitcases, Oscar and an aerobed – furniture and car are not here yet, but hopefully by the end of next week, I am all set. It is great to be so close by and have all the great neighborhoods within walking distance.
This week I attended the new members meeting of the Appalachian Mountain Club (also, just down the street) – great hiking and outdoors activities. As a result I am heading out for two hikes this weekend: Saturday to New Hampshire to the Squam Lake Area to do the Morgan-Percival loop: http://www.netway.com/~theway/hiking/2003/mp.htm, and Sunday to the Ipswich River Sanctuary in Massachusetts. http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Ipswich_River/index.php

And now for the tidbits:

*Found a cool mystery bookstore in Cambridge, where a gravestone marks the house number. www.katesmysterybooks.com

*Not only do we have Trader Joe’s here, we also have Peet’s coffee!

*There are some local newsletters such as The Beacon Hill Times and the Boston Courant, who have very funny police reports in them. The Beacon Hill times describes its incidents under the headline of “There are no crimes like these crimes”, and then gives every crime a nice little headline, such as “Feel the Burn” (a fire, you might have guessed), “Catch me if you can”, “Stealing Time”, “A different kind of art walk”, “Red-handed at the Red Wagon” (The Red Wagon is a children's store). The Boston Courant does the same thing with “Knit Pick” and “In the Doghouse” – always worth a read.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

pet:)

#2 Boston Report - June 17, 2004

2004-10-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hi All, Reporting back from Boston is yours truly.
I have been enjoying myself here – still miss all of you terribly though!
Last weekend we enjoyed wonderful weather with temps in the high 80s - perfect for all the activities I had planned. The Gay Parade on Saturday was very interesting, a bit more sedate of course than its San Francisco counterpart, but nevertheless an exciting event, in particular in light of the recent gay marriage law changes here in Massachusetts. Lots of local and state politicians marched along with the floats and groups.
Sunday, I went with some friends to sit near the Harvard campus and watch the 25th Annual Dragonboat Race on the Charles River, which was very nice as well (except for the sunburn I got.....).
Lots of shopping as well - checking out the Boston hot spots, Filene's Basement (which is a must, but a bit of a zoo), and Lord and Taylor (less of a zoo, but also a must).
Of course, I had to check out some local bars already - "Spirit" on Mass Avenue near my current residence, is a very nice place to hang out and watch a Red Sox game. After some beers and a couple new acquaintances, I was drinking a cocktail called "blowjob", which apparently every single one of my friends knows about (I need to get out more). For those of you who don't, it is Butterscotch with Bailey's Irish Cream and Whipped Cream on top. Tasty little things.
Also checked out the Davis Square area in Somerville, with its nice restaurants and stores, very neighborhoodish; went to a place called "Joshua Tree", where we had some good beers (Pete's Wicked Strawberry Blonde and Pete's Newport Blue) enjoyed a balmy Saturday evening.

People have been extremely nice and forthcoming here, so much kindness coming my way.

Work has been slowly gearing up and I see some busy times coming my way. I am slowly learning the names of my immediate colleagues, but there are still so many people to meet. The cancer center collaborative group has a huge infrastructure, and I meet folks from the other hospitals involved as well. I still shuttle almost daily between MGH and the Dana Farber Cancer Center, today I am actually at the DFCI all day in a little office of my own on the 16th floor. The shuttle ride every day is quite an experience, the drivers are all slightly insane and I would not call the buses comfortable. But I am able to read during the trip, and the one nice thing is that every day the ride goes by Fenway Park. Working at the hospital is fun, we have lots of perks (cheap movie tickets, and discounts everywhere), and I am still eating at the cafeteria with no major foodpoisoning episodes to tell.

A couple more tidbits:

Best store name so far: Finagle a Bagle
Best new discovery: "Munchkins", the donut holes you can buy at Dunkin'Donuts (tasty).
Interesting fact: The public alleys in Boston are numbered, not named - Public Alley#436 for example.
That's all folks - for this week.

More to come.

Petra

#1 Boston Confidential - June 10, 2004

2004-10-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Greetings from the East Coast where the weather yields daily, if not hourly surprises. As I was warned before, the weather here changes on a dime, and I don’t know how many weather patterns we have experienced during this first week here in Boston. Yesterday we had a very balmy 92 degrees and the day ended with a thunderstorm at night and a slight temperature drop to 61.
Everyone is very welcoming here – Oscar and I have settled into our temporary space in the People’s Republic of Cambridge. We are renting a room in a condo on Mass Ave with a short walk to the T and a four-stop commute on the subway. Some interesting stores along the way, of course, including the Culinary Academy of Cambridge, a few beer bars (very nice ones – will check them out shortly), a spirituality book store, Power Yoga and several obscure foreign language schools.
On June 21st we will move to Boston proper into our apartment in the Charles River Park Towers, adjacent to the hospital (in the so-called West End). This is the shortest commute ever, with one of the commute options being a 10-second sprint on a rainy day. I have signed up for the gym next door (oh no, 100 yards walking distance) and am still trying to find a cheaper parking alternative than my building (on average a whopping $250 per month to park your vehicle – at least the bicycle room is free). I have checked out the apartment in person now, and am very happy with my choice. It is very sunny, good size and it is well maintained. Everything is within walking distance, downtown, the North End, Beacon Hill, the Boston Common and Public Garden, and good shopping. Public transportation is excellent here, and you can be anywhere fairly shortly.

Last weekend I went hiking with friends at Minute Man Historic National Park (http://www.nps.gov/mima/) - where you can hike along the battle road trail of the American Revolution, see where Paul Revere was captured by the British and where the minute men fought fiercely. We got caught in the rain a bit, but rewarded ourselves for sticking it out for 7 miles by going to Kimball Farms (http://www.kimballfarm.com/) in Westford, MA – where you can have Fentons-size ice cream and Frappes on a roadside stand.
Coming up for this weekend is the Gay Pride Parade on Saturday and on Sunday the 25th annual dragon boat race in Boston (http://www.bostondragonboat.org/). Today I will try to head over to the Scooper Bowl (http://www.jimmyfund.org/eve/event/scooper_default.asp) an all-you-can-eat-ice-cream-festival that benefits cancer research.
Work is starting slowly, my boss is returning tomorrow from a big cancer conference. I am meeting lots of nice colleagues, and have trouble remembering their names. There is lots of walking between buildings and going across town to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute via shuttle. The hospital is huge and has 17,000 employees. We have a fairly decent cafeteria, so far no signs of food poisoning.

More updates to come.

Petra