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This is one of my all time favorite scenes from any television show. Ever.
I have just returned from the gym. I quit. And I feel pretty lame about it.
It’s just that….well…..it was awful. And expensive. And not me. I’ve always been in some type of activity: Ballet, Running, Taekwondo. I certainly am happier, healthier and more energetic when I have intense physical activity (so I’m told). But this gym thing is just not clicking with me, I hate it. I have no clue what I’m doing, so I pay to meet with a trainer. I’m supposed to be inspired and then go do things on my own, but I don’t. I just run home to hang out with Lottie. This is all Lottie’s fault, damnit!
I thought this particular gym would be great. It’s female-only, there’s all that fancy equipment, and people being healthy jumping around in classes. But getting there was beyond painful (other side of town, most congested part of the city, I have to drive there, parking was a nightmare on a good day…..)Well, I took advantage of none of it. Let’s do the math, just to rub it in:
Sign-up Fee: $150
6 wasted months: $480
Trainer: $190
GRAND TOTAL: $820
So, that’s $820 I wasted on this little experiment (I’m fairly certain that would pay for a new sewing machine). What on earth was I thinking? I don’t know about you, but that’s a lot of money to me. I guess I’m clear on the fact that a gym, even a fancy one, is not for me. But boy do I feel like a loser. I need to either do something at home (ha!) or figure something out pronto. All advice is welcome.
A little dress I made for Biscuit last summer.
August in Chicago.
Found another picture of the crib set- it gives a better idea of the design. The quilt I later made used the the leftover print scraps I had on hand (because by the time I made the quilt, this fabric was long gone) and I filled it in with solid, complementary colors.
This photo is from my sister, how she manages to capture these moments is beyond me. Fin made the Biscuit this little crown (very fitting for the family princess) and is clearly pleased with her response.
Bostonians have established quite a little reputation as bad drivers in the U.S. (They don’t call us Massholes for nothing). And I have to say, it’s not that bad. I mean, it is bad. But it’s not like Mexico City or anything. I’ve driven all over in this country and others, and yet I have to say, nothing keeps me as perplexed and fascinated as driving in my adopted home town. I feel like you could sum up driving in some other major cities with one, over-arching theme. But Boston is a little more complex. So, I’m going to give some very real, though completely unscientific, guidelines for anyone who is thinking about driving here.
The first point I want to make is that Boston is a city. It is not a big city or a major city (outside of New England) but it is among the densest of American cities (outside of NYC). That being said, you have to go into Boston knowing you are in an urban environment and driving in any city is fraught with aggression and stress. This list is not intended as a primer on city driving techniques, it’s intended to give the peculiarities of driving in Boston.
A little background: Boston is a city of transients. The number of universities and colleges is somewhere upwards of 50. The student body ranges from all over the U.S. and in the case of the big schools, the world. Cambridge/Somerville (with Harvard and MIT) in particular has a tremendous transient population with most people investing in the area for an average of 3 years. So you consistently have people from all over the place, who have different driving backgrounds and the result is sometimes anarchy. Once you understand that driving in Boston only differs by a “few” very vernacular rules, you’ll be fine.
Rule #1: No signage. I have no idea what is going on, but the lack of any street signs is shocking. Accept it. When we first moved here, we realized our map was pretty much useless because you can not tell where you need to go if you don’t know where you are. When you stop to ask directions, it goes something like this: “just go through 4 lights and then take a right at the big brick warehouse and a left at the second stop sign. If you get to the shell station you’ve gone too far….” They give directions here based on landmarks! I’m from the land of the GRID people. North, South, East, West….. And now, almost 6 years later, I give directions with landmarks to the poor lost souls orbiting Harvard Square.
Rule #2: Banging a Left. This is personally my least favorite, and I am waging a 1-woman battle. If you are sitting at a light, and the light turns green, it is almost a 100% certainty that the person in the on-coming left turn lane will turn in front of you (sometimes more than 1 car will take advantage of this). Forget the entire concept of “left turn yields to oncoming traffic” – that is for fools. What I personally do to combat this is the very millisecond the light turns green, I go. A challenge, if you will. But, I don’t recommend this because based on the reaction of my non-Boston passengers, this comes off as a game of chicken. If you are intimidated by this, then just let it happen. And expect a chorus of horns aimed at you.
Rule #3: Test of Wills. This one is unnerving for the uninitiated. Bostonians hate waiting. They have no time to wait for an opening in traffic with which to merge. So, what they do it they just “pretend” to pull out in front of you. Don’t fall for it. Bostonians are impatient, but they aren’t stupid. They do this to make you hit your brakes, the second you hit your brakes, you’ve made an opening for them. See how that works?
Rule #4: Horns. Bostonians LOVE horns. They use them defensively (hey, can you see me?) they use them offensively (Go!). Their favorite use, and I am now completely on board with this, is within .3 milliseconds of the light turning green you better be on it. If you do not hit the gas within that .3 millisecond, prepare for horns. (See. Rule #2).
Rule #5: Locking the Box. The concept of NOT locking the box (the box is the square created by major intersections) is foreign to Bostonians. In most major cities (NYC and Chicago come to mind) it could be a $200 fine for locking the box, as it creates grid-lock. If all of the traffic on the other side of the intersection is completely stopped, and yet the light is green, Bostonians take this as a sign that they should still proceed through the light. Who cares that they are now blocking the perpendicular traffic? And if you DON’T lock the box and instead choose to hold back the masses from blocking said intersection? See Rule #4 above.
Rule #6: Verbal Insults and/or Hand Gestures are Taken Personally. So try not to use the offensive ones. I don’t know what it is, but if you flip someone the bird, they will lose their mind. I’ve taken to giving a “thumbs up” gesture, after two altercations with very angry men in Harvard Square.
Rule #7: Pedestrians Have Right-of-Way…. at all times. This rule is a blessing and a curse. Boston is a walking city, so I love this rule. I have nothing but disdain for any car that does not stop at a cross walk. But, Boston drivers and Boston pedestrians take it to another level. People walk out between cars and Boston drivers will slam on their brakes to let them cross regardless of what the on coming traffic is doing. They will also stop on a green light if someone is standing on the corner, just to be safe. So, the point of this rule is to let you know that you must stop at cross walks, but you also need to be ready to stop if there is a pedestrian anywhere in sight.
Rule #8: Disdain for Traffic Signals. Bostonians take them as ‘recommendations’ only. (See Rules #2, 4, 5 above).
Rule #9: Passing on the Right. I don’t know why they do it. It’s maddening. But I would say that Boston drivers pass on the RIGHT, instead of the left, 80% of the time. So, if you are on a highway, and your exit is coming up, make sure you check the right lane 47 times because most likely someone is flying up behind you. One bright point: Bostonians do not drive fast, thankfully.
Rule #10: Driving on the Shoulder. I don’t understand this one and I’m not going to respond to it. Just know that it happens on certain highways and you should try not to ever drive on those highways.
Rule #11: Yield/Stop before you get on the highway. Most major American roadways have these little things called “on ramps” where you speed up and merge with traffic already cruising along at 70 mph. Boston, in their defense, does not have a lot of land to work with, so true on ramps are a luxury. You typically have about 18 feet to git’ goin. And at the end of those 18 feet? A Yield or better yet, STOP SIGN. So, you will need to come to an almost- complete stop and then hope that some nice person lets you on. (Reminder, Rule #10 above about people passing in the right lane).
Rule #12: Do not signal. If you signal, you are vulnerable. Other drivers will know you need something from them (like, to get into their lane). Instead, just creep over and act like it’s their fault for not reading your mind. (Note: I always signal. Because I think it’s pathetically lazy if you don’t).
Rule #13: Lanes are optional. Not only is staying in your lane an option, Bostonian traffic engineers have no problem changing the assignment of your lane – without warning (see rule #1). You think you are safely riding in the right lane, minding your own business? Wrong – that lane ends. Good luck getting out of that. Think you are in a middle lane that is going straight? Wrong, the guy in front of you has decided to make it a left turn lane. It goes on and on….and it’s best to just let it all happen. Or, use your horn (see Rule #4).
Rule #14: Rotaries. They are everywhere in Boston. Though none of them compare to the Reforma, they are a little intimidating. Just remember, anyone who is already in the rotary has the right of way.
Rule #15: No turn on Red. Ok, this one is a real law. And just assume that every single intersection posts this law. And also assume that a cop is sitting there waiting for you.
Ok, now. Commit these 15 little rules to memory, and then realize they need to all coordinate with each other at any given moment and you’ll be fine. Trust me!
Mansfield Park.
Lottie hates her newest bed. We call it her ‘little boat’ because the sides come up high and she looks….well, like she is in a little boat. It’s technically a cat bed, so maybe that’s why. I dunno. What I do know is that she is required to be in that bed at all times while we are eating. And since she hates her bed, there has been an entire month’s worth of spectacular, dramatic disobedience. It’s literally as if we are asking her to get into a vat of hot, burning oil instead of a plush, cozy little bed. So, last night I made a new bed because we can’t take the mutiny any longer. There’s no sides to contain her, thank you.
I used 2 squares of NuFoam and glued them together to make a 4″ pad. Then, I used some IKEA canvas that I love. A black zipper, mitered corners….and done!
Sorry the photos are crummy. I did this at 10:00 last night…..no light to be had.
Last fall MP, Me, Lottie and a friend went to the DeCordova museum. While there, MP picked up a little Christmas treat for me. Apparently he forgot about it, because I found it tonight while putting laundry away. So – Merry Christmas to me!
It’s a Melissa Borrell pop-out pendant, in stainless steel. I bought the pop-out earrings for my sister (in red).
