Chicken Pocket

Travels around town

2008-07-01T14:42:00.003-04:00

A while back I was walking through Copley while one of those early summer heat waves was going on. It was a welcome change from the raw rainy weather we'd been having, but I was really sweaty, exhausted, and ready to collapse from all the walking I'd done. And who should appear before me but a lady carrying a bunch of watermelon/feta/and something else appetizers. I was hesitant to take one at first since I was so single-minded about getting to the T and getting home to flop down on my sofa and watch whatever happened to be on Comedy Central. But it did sound interesting, so I took a chance and had a bite. And it was delicious! And refreshing! Cheese and watermelon! Maybe something others are familiar with, but I've never tried it. At any rate, it left such an impression on me that I thought I'd let I'd let people know about the restaurant - it's called Vlora, and they serve mediterranean cuisine, as well as your typical American breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and all that. I still haven't eaten there, but it looks like a nice addition to Copley Square, even though it's difficult to locate, as it's in that downstairs space near Finagle-a-Bagel. Here's a link to their site (warning - it has audio, so you may want to turn down your volume):

http://www.vloraboston.com

This past weekend I was in Union Square for the Handcraft Festival, and I looked through all of the stuff, and a lot of it was good. The stuff I really liked was way too expensive, but fortunately there was not too much of the too cutesy stuff going on. Generally, I don't buy many things at craft fairs, but as soon as I got to the Vintage by Crystal booth - there's no way I could leave without buying one of her adorable (yet edgy - and affordable!) figurines which she makes for any holiday, or any custom occassion you might think of. So I bought a pair of 4th of July figurines to get into the spirit of independence. Rather than try to describe the terrific things she creates, you should go check out her website. Seriously awesome stuff!!

http://www.vintagebycrystal.com

Mulch

2008-04-02T15:00:00.002-04:00

Mulch is in the air. Finally, it's spring!

Published!

2008-03-31T11:47:00.002-04:00

I got a message from a company called Schmap a little while ago, requesting one of my photos on Flickr for use in their online travel guides. I was a little wary of it, but after looking around online it seemed like it was a fine thing to do (a blog written by a copyright lawyer that addressed the issue was the clincher). So now a photo I snapped at the Wolfsonian Museum in Miami Beach can be seen on the Schmap Florida website, located a click away from the following widget (and they probably love the free advertising they're getting here):

It is a strange smell, but they taste pretty good

2008-01-31T09:53:00.000-05:00

Starbucks, herald of the coming recession:

"The coffee chain, whose shares dropped about 2 percent after the news, also said it was pulling much-hyped hot breakfast sandwiches from stores, despite the cost of reducing sales, because customers complained that the smell was overwhelming the aroma of coffee."

I thought about complaining, but I got so used to the smell that it became the "Starbucks smell," and somehow it didn't seem as bad. They were the best quickie breakfast sandwiches in town, but I won't really miss that smell.

Picture of the day

2008-01-21T12:57:00.000-05:00

Recession looms!

Boston: land of the famous

2007-11-17T15:59:00.000-05:00

Over the course of the past 24 hours I've seen Eve Plumb (a.k.a "Jan Brady") at an art opening at the Mills Gallery in the South End (she's an artist herself), and Cameron Diaz at the BPL filming a movie called "The Box". The BPL is, according to a reference librarian, acting as a stand-in for a library in Virginia. The place was swarming with the film crew, and at least half of the library was closed to the public. This is really too much excitement for one day.

Walking really is (almost) faster

2007-11-15T17:02:00.000-05:00

I've often thought that it makes more sense to get off the Green Line at Park Street and walk to Aquarium on my way home to Eastie. Not only is it a scenic city walk by day or by night, but it always seemed to me that it may actually be a quicker way to get to Aquarium (along with the added bonus of exercise). So the other night I left Park Street Station and walked at a comfortable pace until I was halfway down State Street. On my way I saw a historic plaque, and of course I had to read it...so I stopped for a couple of minutes to try to make out what it said, but could only see that it had something to do with John Winthrop and the first house in Boston, but it was too dark to read the details. On my merry way again, I soon bumped into a guy looking for directions, and giving them to him took a minute or two. Eventually I made it to the Aquarium platform a couple of minutes before the train arrived, and who should pass me by as he's leaving the train but one of the people who was on my Green Line train at Park Street Station. It goes to show you - if you can, you might as well just walk. You can even stop along the way and still make as good time as the T.

Who reads the Weekly Dig?

2007-11-08T15:52:00.000-05:00

That's the question I asked myself after reading their 2007 Dig This Issue. The category that caught my attention was "Hamburger". For most locals, best hamburger is usually a choice between Mr. & Mrs. Bartley's and R.F. O'Sullivan's (I'm partial to R.F.'s, the most amazing burgers ever to grace the Earth). NEITHER of them were among the winner or the runners-up. Unbelieveable! The winner was a place called Uburger somewhere near BU (which according to the description specializes in tasty burgers for people on the go), so I can only assume that a huge chunk of the readership is BU students. I used to love the Dig, but it hasn't been even mediocre since they ditched the border and went glossy and all topical on the covers. After reading the new Dig This results I'm hating the rag even more. I'm practically out of reasons to take the effort to read it, but they do still have Savage Love, and that's a big plus.

Dan Grabauskas: silenced!

2007-11-08T10:22:00.000-05:00

Have any of you T commuters out there noticed anthing missing from your commutes? An ever-present voice that used to tell you to say something when you see something? Ever since the death of T-Radio, I've noticed that the voice of Dan Grabauskas no longer wafts through every T station. I can only assume that Dan finally realized that publicly associating himself with the MBTA would make him possibly the least popular person in the metro-Boston area. Certainly, now I don't say "Damn that Dan Grabauskas" as much as I used to. It's a good move on Dan's part to create an MBTA that is a faceless bureaucracy; drawing so much ire from the commuting masses couldn't have been too good for his self-esteem.

Update: No such luck - I heard the "see something, say something" message at Harvard Station last night. Wishful thinking!

Eating like a champion

2007-11-07T09:08:00.000-05:00

Last night I was at the Texas Roadhouse in Everett for L.'s birthday, and one of the folks there paid with an official Red Sox credit card. The waiter returned to the table with the credit cards asking who paid with the Sox card (I was thinking, "Uh oh, it's been declined...") - because Sox pitcher Manny Delcarmen was eating with a crowd at the table next to us, and the waiter offered to ask him to autograph the front of the card! Sure enough, I look over and there's Manny Delcarmen, whooping it up with his folks. So the waiter brings back the signed card, and we're all like, "Wow, Manny Delcarmen! Wow! How about that!" On my way out I wanted to tell him congratulations on the World Series, but he was pretty caught up chatting with his peeps. It's pretty cool that he signed the card. Go Sox!

Sleater-Kinney - The Hot Rock

2007-11-04T07:45:00.000-05:00

I bought Sleater-Kinney's LP "The Hot Rock" many months ago, and am listening to it as I write this for the first time. It's really terrific stuff - so 90's! I bet they put on an awesome live show - will have to remember to buy tickets for their reunion tour (which I imagine will happen at some point, right?). Next on my list of Neglected Vinyl Due For a Listen, Syl Sylvain and the Teardrops.

Update: The first side of SS & the T's is total dreck, but the 2nd side is total awesome wicked dancey fun, well worth the $5.99.

Jeveli's Lounge - Terminal J

2007-11-04T07:24:00.000-05:00

Last night I went with S. to Jeveli's over in Day Square, where I've never been to despite living in Eastie for 2+ years (wow, has it really been that long?). It took us a while to figure out whether to go to the Dining Room or the Lounge, and settled on the Lounge. It's a very comfortable, familiar-feeling place. Very friendly, too. There were a few TV's around, but they weren't very distracting, and the noise level was low - very easy to carry on a conversation during dinner. I ordered the Penne Rigate with Sausages, and the waitress had no idea what I was talking about. After saying it a few times I pointed to it and she said "Oh, you mean Ziti with Sausages. I always call it ziti." We all got a good laugh out of that, and within a couple of minutes our salads were served, which were composed mostly of iceberg lettuce and lots of dressing. Mainly I tasted the dressing, but that was fine since the dressing (peppercorn) was really tasty. The bread we got was pretty standard, and handily soaked up my fine glass of merlot. The main dish was good, and the sausages were plentiful. It's hard for me to describe standard Italian pasta dishes, because generally they're pretty standand no matter where you go, even in the North End (for non-standard Italian dishes, I highly recommend Pomodoro on Hanover St. in the North End. For amazing standard Italian pasta dishes I highly recommend Vinny's at Night on Broadway in East Somerville). And this is no different - but the convivial atmosphere at Jeveli's is really what makes it special, and the fact that they call it "Terminal J" is cool (there are pictures of planes lining the panel above the bar). If you're looking for decent but standard Italian food and a great place to to hang and chat, get over to Jeveli's Lounge today!

Bitching, moaning

2007-11-02T09:02:00.000-04:00

It's been months since I've posted here, though not for lack of things to write about. There have been a couple of things over the past week that need mentioning, though:

I went to a concert at Jordan Hall at NEC the other night, for the first time in nearly 6 months. Soon after sitting in my seat it was clear that something was different about the hall...NEC was advertising itself on stage! Yes, in their obsession with "branding" (which I know of firsthand), NEC created a wood/metal(?) sign and that reads "New England Conservatory," and place it smack dab in the middle of the back wall of the stage. The wood on the sign almost matches the wood of the hall, but it's noticeably different. The font, though (which can be seen in the logo on their website), doesn't match the style of the hall at all, which makes the words even more of a distraction. Does the BSO have a sign in the back of Symphony Hall? Does Sanders have a "Harvard University" sign in the middle of Sanders Theater? It's obvious that NEC wants to remind people that they're not just in Jordan Hall, but also at NEC. But it's also obvious that putting the words "New England Conservatory" in plain sight on the stage really takes away from the concert-going experience - you want to be focussing on the music and the beautiful hall, not on words on the stage (which I found difficult to ignore). It's too bad NEC chose to detract from the Jordan Hall Experience.

Another disconcerting change in the area is to the Harvest Coop in Central Square. I saw a while back that they were renovating, and now the renovations are complete. The store is still called "Harvest," but they renamed the front portion of the place...get ready..."The Clear Conscience Cafe." A while back I was getting annoyed at a hybrid commercial that indicated that a great reason to buy a hybrid is so that you can lord it over your littering, polluting brethren. Now this mentality is seeping into cafe culture! Will I have people with Clear Conscience Coffee Cups giving me knowing looks of their superiority I walk down the street with my cup of 7-Eleven joe? Oh, the disgrace I will feel! Sheesh.

The cleaning out process

2007-06-01T12:34:00.001-04:00

This is the first time ever that I've had to "move out" of a cubicle. After taking down all of the framed things on the walls and the pictures, etc., off of my bulletin board, it's feeling very strange and empty here. I have a little ways to go in taking everything of mine back home, but I can probably fit it all into two bags at this point. It's at times like this that I realize how an office is really like a second home, with many roommates.

Thoughts on NYC, part 2

2007-06-01T12:03:00.001-04:00

Although it's been a little while since my half-day jaunt in NYC, I'm going to try and recollect. Here goes.

The United Nations! Kind of a fun thing to say you've seen, but overall not a great group of buildings. Across the way from the UN there's a stairway leading up to Tudor City Place, with some poetic inscriptions in the stone wall (called the Isiah Wall):

Casting the shadow is "Peace Form One," a cool looking obelisk structure of which I have no photo (also, this photo is not mine, as my camera crapped out on me).

And from there it was onward to some bar, at which I had a Hawaiian pint. It was really good, sort of fiery like a volcano. And then for the second time since arriving in NYC I had to reveal myself as a Bostonian, as the Sox-Yanks game was on and the bar tender of course started making conversation about the game. We wished each other luck in the season and I was on my merry way to the Brooklyn Bridge.

On the way, I saw this really cool Armenian church, St. Vartans. This photo doesn't really do it justice, but it's what I've got.

After passing this place by, my next stop was the Brooklyn Bridge itself, which was just phenomenal and amazing. If you haven't walked across it yet, I highly recommend that you do!

And then there's Maude

2007-06-01T11:00:00.000-04:00

Finally!

Eastie Book Watch

2007-05-07T11:16:00.000-04:00

I'll bet at least some of this new book by Stephen Puleo (author of Dark Tide) will be concerned with Eastie.

The Boston Italians

Thoughts on NYC

2007-04-30T11:22:00.000-04:00

Bryant Park! My half day NYC journey began when I emerged from the Bryant Park subway station. What a remarkable park! So green, so relaxing, immediately next to the NYPL, and surrounded by a few wonderful buildings.

One of those buildings is the Bryant Park Hotel. Wow! Its charcoal exterior with the golden accents is absolutely remarkable. Very striking against the sky.

You can also see both the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building from around the park, making this one of my new fave NYC spots.

Another bulding just surrounding the park is the W.R. Grace building. It's really a wonder to look at, with its curved lower levels.

So it's on to the United Nations along 42nd street, where the are a few buildings of note, the first of which is the Chrysler Building. I'd seen it before from afar, but never from so near. Amazing! A couple of other buildings really stood out to me: the Channin Building (which I can't find a photo of - none of these photos are mine, my camera crapped out on me), and the News Building.

It's awesomeness is difficult to capture in a photo, but this was the only one I found that captures some of that, albeit blurry.

Further along there's a stairway, leading to Tudor City Place.

This is what most of the buildings in the area look like, and it's a very cool, isolated spot overlooking the UN. There were plans to develop the area in the late 80s - early 90s, but the area was preserved, and now there's a gorgeous small park that could possibly be the most peaceful place to be in Manhattan.

Coming up: Part 2, the United Nations...and beyond.

Another area closing

2007-04-24T10:07:00.000-04:00

A more familiar sight than the JUC just closed up shop, according to the Metro this morning - Harvard Square's Greenhouse officially closed yesterday (without prior warning, I think). The owner died, and I guess that spells the end of the place. I was never a regular, but I went occassionally with friends to drink copious amounts of coffee, and to eat cake and greasy food. It was a great spot, and a familiar Harvard Square sight. The property manager says that there are a few "exciting options" for the space...I recall that the same thing was said about the Virgin Records spot, and now we have the impending arrival of Best Buy. I'll reserve judgement, though, you never know.

Also, the Fresh Pond "99" is closing. What's next, Ma Magoo's?

Jesuit Urban Center to close

2007-04-16T16:29:00.000-04:00

Years and years ago I went to a Christmas mass at this place with my parents. It's a beautiful church, and I'm a big fan of the Jesuits, so it's tough for me to see that it has to be sold. I hope the parishioners can find an alternative decent church to go to, and that whoever buys the place keeps it in good shape.

Jesuits Say They'll Close Boston Urban Center, Boston Globe, April 16

Somewhat exciting accidental discovery!

2007-03-12T11:25:00.000-04:00

Allergies, allegeries, oh how I hate allergies. I used to have none, and now I have tons, and I think I've managed to isolate what one of them is, and I have Sam Adams and my sinus infection to thank for it.

What with the antibiotics I've been taking, my sinuses have been all snotted out, and they're pretty much clear, but every time I have a beer, my sinuses have been getting tingly and the snots build up again. What's the deal? Am I allergic to barley? That didn't make sense because I'm fine with scotch.

So the other night I'm at my friend's place, and her husband has a selection of Sam Adams beers. I'm thinking that it'll just mess up my sinuses again, but, whatever, I choose the Sam Adams Lambic. And it's good, and my sinuses are not tingly. Hooray, I'm not allergic to beer.

But then I had a Sam Winter, and what do you know! I feel the tingle, and I'm thinking, why am I fine with the lambic, but not with the winter ale? I'm no beer expert, so this morning I do some google searching and...

The most probable explanation is that I'm allergic to hops! Lambic does contain hops, but apparently they're old and stale and so ineffectual that they won't trigger an allergic reaction. I'm so happy to have figured this out. It's a banner day for my sinuses!

So I do have some beer or beer-like options...
lambic
gruit ales
perhaps Hefeweizen (low hops)
hard cider, etc.? Are there any hops in the "hard" fruit brews?

But I guess I'm done with hoppy brews. It's kind of sad, but I think I'd be sadder with perpetually irritated sinuses.

UPDATE! I had some lambic and hard cider last night, and my sinuses still got irritated (and the drinks weren't that satisfying, either). Even the wine I had the other day messed up my sinuses some. Is there something in all fermented drinks that affects my sinuses? Not that I'm going to try and figure that out, but if it's true, it's really, really annoying.

January is National Get Organized Month (as if I care)

2006-12-21T12:05:00.000-05:00

Reading articles like this one make me feel not so bad about my disorganized, pig-sty manner of living. Thanks, New York Times!

Decent television

2006-12-15T10:46:00.000-05:00

Now that I have cable, I've been watching TV a little bit more. There's a lot of crap on, but occassionally there's something cool enough that warrants mentioning - like History Detectives, which I saw last night one of PBS's cable stations (217 on Comcast). In the episode I saw last night, the detectives determined:

that a Gilbert Stuart portrait drawing of George Washington was a forgery, and reunited the abandoned son of the forger with said forgery, along with the collected files of the forger's criminal history
that a cannon being kept at the Charlestown Navy Yard was stolen from the British by the American rebels, an action which brought the British to Concord to retrieve it, which, of course led to the beginning of the Revolutionary War
that a letter found under a bunch of old books in a box in Oregon was written by a Revolutionary War privateer while he was a POW at the Old Mill Prison in England

The lengths they went to to figure out this things were pretty extensive, and the hosts of the show are cool, except for one of them, Elyse Luray, who's either playing dumb or really is dumb, it's hard to tell. But aside from that, this is a really cool investigative show that often takes you down surprising historical roads. And it's theme song is "Watching the Detectives," not very surprising, but a fun tune, nonetheless.

For the free jazz lover

2006-12-13T15:32:00.000-05:00

Two albums that you should listen to if you're into free jazz, or if you'd like to hear what it's about:

Where Is Brooklyn? - Don Cherry

Streams (live in Montreux) - Sam Rivers

Streams isn't available on CD, but I've seen it in the record bins. It screams. I listened to them both last night (Streams for the first time, WIB? for the 2nd), and it was an awesome refresher.

The Menino Legacy

2006-12-13T13:12:00.000-05:00

With nothing much to crow about under his belt for his mayoral tenure, Hizzoner Tom Menino has sandwiched his year with two pronouncements no one was prepared for - the first being a solicitation to build a 1,000 ft. skyscraper just outside the Financial District, and the second a radical idea that will undoubtedly change the landscape of the city of Boston: selling Boston City Hall and the Plaza, and relocating the central government of the city to Drydock Four, near Southie (I used to call this area Southie, but I've been advised otherwise by J.O.). Whether this change is for good or bad remains to be seen. Boston City Hall and the Plaza have been the butt of jokes and the target of critics' wrath since it was built in 1969. Certainly it's a product of the era and has not withstood the test of time very well, but I've come to enjoy the building. A piece in the Globe this morning says it well:

"Those who admire the building sometimes argue that architecture doesn't have to be beautiful to be great. For them, City Hall is an ugly, wonderful, powerful, unforgettable building."

I agree with pchippy when he says that mostly what needs to be added to the plaza to make it more hospitable is an abundance of trees and benches, and that City Hall would look much better and more alive if its exterior walls were crawling with ivy. The original plans for a basement (or even ground floor) beerhall could be brought back to life and people would have a reason for being on the plaza that didn't have to do with paying their parking tickets or changing their place of residence with the Elections Office.

Aside from the fact that Menino has staked a lot of political capital on making the land south of Fort Point Channel into a bustling metropolis, it doesn't make much practical or aesthetic sense to move City Hall over to that neighborhood. Being centrally located is what makes City Hall so accessible to the public, and that's what a city hall should be about. It's easier for people to get their business done in the city, and it gives the impression that the mayor would like to hear from his constituents. His idea to move to a spot on the fringe of the city tells me on of two things:

1. Menino doesn't want to hear from his constituents.
2. Menino doesn't have any idea how ill-equipped the Silver Line is to take the heralded hordes to Drydock Four, and how long that trip will be for most people in our fair city (or if he does know this, please see #1).

Before I go on, I need to say that I'm going to create what I think is a new abbreviation...in the spirit of SoWa and NoHa, I'll be calling this new, bustling part of town...SoFoPo (for South of Fort Point). Not that I like these abbreviations (I don't), but it makes it easier to type. And it's not Southie, after all. Please, let the flames fly for my transgression!

Now that the new ICA has opened (and it's fantastic, you should all go see it, experience it, see the water views, etc. - totally phenomenal), the doorways have publicly opened for more rapid development of SoFoPo. And Menino claims that the city workers and constituents drawn to City Hall will be a huge boon to the activity in the area, and a whole new world in Boston will be open to everyone. I disagree. Maybe the Mayor has never heard of the Financial District? It's a beautiful part of town, with some gorgeous skyscrapers and undoubtedly majestic residences, but it's dead after 6 pm or so. I don't think it's far-fetched to say that the same thing could occur in SoFoPo, only it would be much less reachable by your average T passenger. Which I guess is what it all comes down to: it's insane to move City Hall to such a remote place in the city that, unless you have a car, bike, or enjoy walking a lot, would only be directly reachable by a bus. The only conclusion I can come to from Menino's Radical Plan is that he wants to be secluded from your average Bostonian, have a water view, and take a look at the ICA during his lunch breaks. Ultimately, it would be shameful for the city to undertake this project, and I hope it meets a timely death.

Mayor Says He'll Build Waterfront City Hall (Boston Globe, 12/13/06)

Opportunity In Two Prime Urban Centers (Boston Globe, 12/13/06)

Sadness!

2006-12-08T16:49:00.000-05:00

It was horrible to read this on the MBTA website today:

"Mattapan Trolley Suspended for One Year; Replaced with Shuttle Buses
Temporary shuttle bus service has replaced the Mattapan Trolley due to the reconstruction of Ashmont Station."

I was just telling someone last night how cool the high-speed trolley is! One can only hope that this will only be temporary, and that they will return the trolley to its former glory. The website doesn't say when the year begins, or give a date for this news item. But when it returns, I encourage everyone to use it, it's a real trip!

Dead Presidents

2006-12-08T10:07:00.000-05:00

Last night I was in the basement of the United First Parish Church in Quincy doing some work for the Prison Book Program, and discovered something really cool. We'd been working mere feet away from the bodies of two dead Presidents! Yes, John Adams and his son John Q. Adams are entombed in granite in the basement of the UFPC, alongside their wives, Abigail and Louisa, respectively. Who knew? The PBP lady, also named Chris, surprised us with this bit of information, and was nice enough to give us a short but sweet tour of the Adams Family catacomb. An awesome and interesting evening!

What will they do at Maverick?

2006-12-06T14:26:00.000-05:00

The T has sold its last token. Congratulations to Ms. Velez! East Boston gets put on the map again!

But that leaves me wondering, what about the turnstiles at Maverick? Of course the new Charlie Card gates will be put in eventually, but it's really very amazing how slow they've been doing that at Maverick considering that now it's the last Blue Line station to get those gates. I'm going to miss the big dude with the headphone in his ear waving people through. Maybe he'll stick around and be be a wandering customer representative.

In other news, be on the lookout for C-Dubs, Voice of the People, in an upcoming issue of the Globe. I got a voicemail message today saying that they're considering printing my letter to the editor. I'll give you only one guess as to its topic.

UPDATE! According to pchippy, the Charlie Card gates are set up, but are obscured by the white dividers at Maverick. When the time is right, I guess they're going to unveil them.

2nd UPDATE! My letter to the editor made it into the Globe today! (12/7/06) It's riveting reading.

3rd UPDATE! Here's where you'll find my letter. Oh, I'll just cut and paste it here:

"THE ONLY thing that creating Silver Line service between South Station and Logan Airport accomplished was to allow airline passengers to avoid riding on the Blue Line with its diverse clientele. The MBTA is kidding itself if it thinks that this bus service does anything for the people of East Boston, Revere, Winthrop, and Lynn. I'm glad to hear that the T is now bound to at least design a connector between the Blue and Red lines; I'll be ecstatic if the agency follows through with construction."

A great day for Blue Line riders!

2006-11-30T09:13:00.000-05:00

The Conservation Law Foundation's lawsuit against the MBTA has been settled! And the settlement includes connecting the Blue Line to the Red Line! Hooray!!

Update! I was so excited about this story that I bought a Glob to read more about it. And my excitement has waned somewhat! As the headline says: State agrees to design link between Red and Blue lines. So they've made no promise to build anything, only to design something. And this design is scheduled to be completed by...2011?!?!?!! Which I guess is OK, I'll probably still be living in Eastie at that point. Also:

"Under the settlement, if any project is delayed, the state is required to come up with an alternative that produces more improvements in air quality than the promised project. Also, substitute projects must be built in the same towns and cities where the original projects were proposed."

That's good news!

About the connector:

"State officials have said that the 0.4 mile-mile project - linking East Boston, Revere, Winthrop, and Lynn with the MBTA's central subway line - was too costly and unnecessary with the completion of the Silver Line bus service from South Station to Logan International Airport."

MY ASS it's unnecessary! MAYBE if the Silver Line actually stopped at the Airport Blue Line station rather than going to the airport terminals it would be somewhat less necessary. Clearly the MBTA are a bunch of haters, and despise everyone who lives in East Boston and beyond. OK, maybe not, but they clearly love airline passengers more than they love us if they think that creating bus service to the airport is going to allay the needs of the people of Eastie and beyond!

Anyway, planning the connector and saving Bowdoin Station from its unwanted orphan status is a start. Progress!

RFK

2006-11-28T10:47:00.000-05:00

Last night there was a piece on Bobby Kennedy on channel 2 - for their series "The American Experience." It was very good, for trying to squeeze his whole life into two hours. Occassionally the choice of soundtrack was a little funny - when they showed him tour the slums, they'd be playing some kind of generic disco-funk that I guess was meant to set the stage for what it's supposed to be like to walk through the slums. There was a creepy moment that had him in a motorcade in San Fran, when suddenly you hear about 5 pops that sound like gunfire, and you see RFK flinch a little, before he realizes that it's not gunfire, just some firecrackers. His story is a very interesting one - it's not often that such a widely known, powerful figure goes from well-heeled trust-fund baby to civil rights and economic justice crusader over the course of his career in the public eye. His assassination was really, truly the end of an era. Who knows if any of his ideas would have made it through Congress (maybe his presidency would have been similar to Clinton's?), or if he would have actually been able to end the Vietnam War earlier, but it's still just amazing that someone so crazily idealistic almost became president. There's been no one like him since. But I have a good feeling about Barack Obama, really good. I think he can pull it off, but he HAS to run in '08. It's going to be Romney v. Obama, and it's going to be a close one, again.

"Bobby" was an OK movie, but it should have been an HBO television event.

If you want to read a fantastic RFK biography, check out Robert Kennedy: His Life, by Evan Thomas.

We live in strange times

2006-11-28T09:17:00.000-05:00

Since when is it OK for the pope to wear a suit? This is really the first time I've seen any pope in anything other than the traditional papal garb. Is this the future of the Catholic church? White suits?

Lame ass media

2006-11-17T15:35:00.000-05:00

I've seen a lot of articles over the past couple of days about how Nancy Pelosi has totally lost control, and is already causing so many rifts in the Democratic Party, and how she'll clearly continue to be a divisive figure...our media, you've got to love it.

Here's a fine commentary on the Pelosi commentaries.

One of the better Herald headlines that I've seen

2006-11-17T13:46:00.000-05:00

It should win a tabloid award.

Depressing thing of the day

2006-11-17T11:55:00.000-05:00

It's good to keep things upbeat here in Blogistan, but sometimes you have to break the bad news:

Best Buy is moving into Ye Olde Virgin Megastore. Gamers, Electronics Geeks, and Value Appliance Shoppers of Boston rejoice. Blech.

They did the dance

2006-11-17T09:58:00.000-05:00

Last night I was at Avalon with J. to see Scamper, the Cinematics, and ok go for the Boston Phoenix's 40th anniversary party. And what a party it was! Trendy kids, college kids, fancy pants businessmen and -women (at least I presume they were there, I don't remember seeing any), jackass fratboys, and just people like myself and J. who were looking for something to do on a Thursday night that was free.

We arrived there with tickets in hand, only to find that we really didn't need tickets. ANYONE could get in. My excitement over winning these "tickets" having evaporated, I was intent on having a good time, anyway. As we walked in there were a number of older, balding, white-haired people with suits looking like they were having a jolly time, and next to them kids who hardly even looked 21. What the hell would this show be like?

As we walked into the music hall, Scamper's music filtered through the doorway, and I was treated to my second dose of the band this year. Fortunately, they go down better the second time. I wasn't so impressed with them at the BCN rumble (in fact, I hated them), but they've come a long way since then. Not that they're anything great now, but they just seemed much more into what they were doing and not posing so much as they once did. Scamper was a more than halfway enjoyable act! But the joy was not to last. I can pinpoint when the fun ended - the band broke into a rousing cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," and if they had ended it there, the show would have been a success. The bassist pulled off a surprisingly great lead vocal for the tune, and everyone was loving it. Then they started with the posing again, and they became the Rockstars that perhaps they truly are. I think I rolled my eyes several times during the half of their act, it was truly uninspiring.

But not nearly as uninspiring as the next band, the Cinematics. All they really had going for them was an ultracute guitarist who played pretty effortlessly and marvelously. I don't know what was with the singer. He was trying to convey his pain, sorrow, anger, etc. about god knows what, and it was just offensive. Obscene? Maybe. It's one of the worst shows I've ever seen/heard in my life, completely unenjoyable. Every tune was a cheesy arena rocker with no substance whatsoever. On one of the tunes the singer sang "reach out and touch me" repeatedly, and I was like, OK, we know you're cribbing from Depeche Mode, you're really not that cool for doing it. He announced that one of their tunes was titled "Rise and Fall," and in the spirit of the band's relentless mimicking of 80s faux-emotion all I could think of was the Fixx tune "Stand or Fall," which is the greatest song in the world compared to anything the Cinematics could ever conjure up.

At this point, I mentioned to J. that popular rock music must once again reinvent itself because everyone's using the same musical cliches over and over again, and nothing is really fresh anymore. Unfortunately, it only takes a couple of years for the pop rock to go stale...and I think it's at that point now - it was fresh again with the Strokes, and ran its course with the arrival of Franz Ferdinand. The underground music scene is of course much different, and I dip into that on occassion, but most of my life I've been a (fringe?) mainstream rock kind of guy, and I gauge the music of the day generally by the quality of the more poppy stuff that the kids are listening to these days.

At any rate...next up was the band I was there to see, ok go. They breezed through a few songs, which were pretty good, there were a couple I recognized from "oh no." Nothing that knocked my socks off, though, and I considered calling it a night. I was upset that the the cute bass player was not actually the lead singer - from the videos that's what I thought. They fooled me! But he was still his cute bass-playing self, with a lot of energy, jumping around, etc. The lead singer had a camera on his mic, and they showed the video of his huge, really attractive face up on the screen, which was sort of surreal and very fun. Fortunately, we could not see very far up his nose, and he had a really sweet smile. He had good stage banter. They're a pretty hot looking band, as bands go these days, if I were a 14-year-old girl, I'd probably be the president of their fan club. But still, I almost left - there was a lack of energy, and they were going through the motions...that is, until they went for the gimmick - taking acoustic guitars in hand and heading for the middle of the dance floor to perform on a riser with the whole audience surrounding them. I rolled my eyes at first - it seemed for sure that this was going to be some lame thing...but it turned out to be terrific. They played "A Million Ways," which was phenomenally good, and some other tune that I didn't recognize. It was extremely cool how the audience was right up to the risers, as if the band was growing out of the people in the crowd. The band was lit up with powerful flashlights, which gave the whole scene a really cool feel. I've seen footage of the Beatles playing in a similar fashion, in the middle of a swarm of people, and this was a funky reminder of that. So anyway, this part of the show, though the quietest, rocked the most and was wicked impressive. The show kicked into higher gear when they took the stage again, they did a cover of a Damned tune, and were much more into things than previously. Definitely the best band of the evening and worth waiting for. And, yes, they did the dance at the end of their encore, and it was really, really cute and awesome, I think just about everyone in the hall was smiling by that point.

Postal Service

2006-11-15T15:14:00.000-05:00

It's a shame they only did one album. Maybe they're too passe by now. How long do alternaindipop music trends last now, a week? A month? Forget it. Like Jethro Tull, I'm living in the past! Except for the OK GO show tomorrow night. After that, it's only previously released music for me.

'Tis the season

2006-11-15T15:00:00.000-05:00

A few days ago Starbucks rolled out its Christmas Blend, and the inside of the cafe is all green and red...damn, the Xmas season gets earlier and earlier every year. But I have to say, it's working. I'm already thinking about gifts and whistling Xmas carols with still a week to go until the turkey gets basted.

Let the Music Play

2006-11-14T13:23:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've actively listened to music, but I'm getting back into it now that I can relax on my futon and listen to some tunes. Here's what I've heard since getting back into it:

Urgh! A Music War: the soundtrack - so far have only listened to the first LP, and I like it. Some good performances, and fun stuff that I've never heard before (Athletico Spizz '80? WTF?). The recording quality is a shame, though. Even though the performances are live, they sound sort of canned and not very vibrant. I expected a little more. It's kind of neat that it's sort of a time capsule of what was going on a year before MTV made its debut.

Altar (Boris and Sun O))) ) - cool, droney, guitary stuff. Like a funeral dirge with teeth. Thumbs up.

On!Air!Library! - Some "found sound" music, along with some great female vocals. Very moody, maybe shoegazer music, I'm not even sure what that is. But I could see myself listening to this music while inspecting my shoes. Thick and spacy music with many keyboards. I love it.

ok go - oh no - poppy dancey catchy has a great beat and I love it. Seeing them on Thursday, which is the only reason I bought the album (although it helped that a DVD of their videos came with it...love that dancing!).

Grizzly Bear - Horn of Plenty - I think now that the wolf has run its course in popular music, it's time for the bear. And what a time it is! I've only listened to half the tracks, but this is a beautiful album (thanks to J.N. for the heads up on it), lovely harmonies, spare instrumentation...it's like floating in space. Wheeeee....

Meyerbeer - the Prophet - I've only gotten through half of the first act of this opera, but it totally rocks. A great way to start the morning.

Rush - Counterparts and Permanent Waves - these albums aren't new to me, but I hadn't listened to them in a while, so I took 'em for a spin, and they were more enjoyable than ever.

Also listened last night to Shannon's follow up to "Let the Music Play." And let me tell you, it doesn't even come close...

Halloween has come and gone

2006-11-01T10:56:00.000-05:00

I didn't participate in any of the holiday festivities, but I did carve this:

(photo captured by J. O'Grady)

But my niece, Emma, made the most of the evening:

(Photo captured by T. & R. Webb)

Truly the best?

2006-10-26T15:03:00.000-04:00

I'm a sucker for "best of" and "greatest ever" lists, even though they're pretty lame, not very comprehensive, and extremely subjective. I thought the Phoenix's Greatest Rock Shows in Boston History would be kind of cool, but as it turns out they should have added "put on by bands that ended up being world famous." I guess it would be kind of tough to sift through all of the Boston rock shows in history, but it would still be nice to hear about terrific performances by lesser know bands.

Long-neglected album reconsidered

2006-10-25T10:25:00.000-04:00

Four years ago I bought an album by Glifted that I listened to about twice, and decided I didn't like it too much. I was, and still am, a big fan of the band Hum, and this was a side project of that band's guitarist, Tim Lash. After years of meaning to give it another listen, and Jeff giving the album major props on several occassions, I dusted the album off this morning and it's currently in its fourth (fifth?) spin on my computer CD player this morning. It's a very dark, thick, moody, crunchy, spacey, riffy album. Is this what they call shoegazer? I remember hating the vocals on the album back in the day, but now they sound great. At any rate, it's a lot better than I remember it being, and it's excellent to listen to with a morning cup of coffee. At first I didn't think the tracks flowed together very well, but it gets better with each listen. It's kind of post-grunge with keyboards, or something. It's a great album for the Halloween season - that's probably one of the reasons I'm loving it right now - it's ripe for the fall!

Music I'd normally think was bad that I just can't shake

2006-10-25T09:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday evening I wandered into Newbury Comics, and came across The Cars: Unlocked. I don't know what it is about the Cars, but I have this huge soft spot for them. Their music sounds inane, simple, and just plain dumb sometimes, but it's so darn catchy and memorable that I always find myself going back to their stuff and loving it. The CD+DVD set was new and on sale, and so, what the hell, I bought it. So far I've only listened to the CD, but I totally love it! The funny thing about the Cars, and much other music of that era (I'm talking Flock of Seagulls, Duran Duran, etc.), is that their live shows don't vary much from what's on record. The popular music of the time didn't exactly lend itself to blazing guitar solos or inventive jams. But still, there's something nice about listening to the Cars play live (except for one tune, "Double Trouble," which is just a train wreck), even if most of the tracks sound awfully close to what they played in the studio. "Hello Again" shows that the band ought to maybe have broken up a little earlier than they did; It's an even worse track than I rememeber it being. But the remainder of the tracks are very cool and still a great pleasure to listen to. I kept on wanting to turn my CD player off and go to bed last night, but I couldn't, I was somehow drawn further into tunes like "Moving in Stereo" (one of the best tracks on the album) and "Just What I Needed." It's the music of my youth and I love it. If you love the Cars, then you'll love this album. I haven't watched the DVD yet, hopefully sometime in the next week. If anyone wants to join me for a good laugh, I mean, a viewing of the DVD of the Cars (Live!) lemme know.

Movies to see

2006-10-25T09:24:00.000-04:00

I haven't been seeing many movies lately, but fortunately the only two I've seen in recent memory have been standouts. One of them, Shortbus, I was skeptical of because its selling point seemed to me to be that there was actual, explicit sex going on in the movie! Even though I'd enjoyed John Cameron Mitchell's other movie,"Hedwig and the Angry Inch," I was wondering what the point of this porn with a pedigree would be. Even after Matt Savage wrote approvingly of the movie in his column I didn't think much of it. But then I read a few snippets of reviews of the movie, and I suddenly it sounded like the type of movie I'd dig. And what do you know, I thought it was pretty fantastic. The sex wasn't superfluous, it actually fit nicely into the plot, and augmented to story, even. Overall, it's a very touching movie, about freaks and the sexual and non-sexual relationships they have with all sorts of people. And within this, these people just trying to find a place in the world that they're comfortable with. I give it my seal of approval.

I also saw Little Children last week, and it's one of those movies that's really very good, but difficult to recommend because it's disturbing in a lot of ways. If, like me, you're into movies that focus on the dark underbelly of the suburbs - the promises, fantasies, and ultimately the dashed hopes of living in the land of manicured lawns and 2.5 kids - then this movie is for you. It's another movie who's focus is freaks - though freaks of another kind, freaks who've subjected themselves to the suburban life but who've found it difficult living in a place that has pretty much drained the livelihood and passion of their everyday lives. Throw in a convicted sex offender who's relocated to this Boston suburb of Wyndam (!?!?!?), and this ensemble cast pulls off a winner. Totally worth seeing, though disturbing.

Things changing in Eastie

2006-10-25T09:14:00.000-04:00

Someone has finally bought Victor's restaurant on Marion and Bennington! There's a sign that reads "Opening Soon" in the window (and indeed, I looked into the darkened restaurant and saw what was probably the owner sitting down for a breakfast sandwich), but it's tough to determine these days when things will open in the East of Boston. You have "The Melting Pot" over on Sumner, the supposed "Rosticeria" on Meridian...places which have been vacant for some time and which occassionally have some action going on but don't seem on the verge of being ready for customers. It will be interesting to see what sort of food the new Victor's will offer...will it be a Latino eatery? Will it continue to serve Italian cuisine? I'm just happy someone bought it.

"Pizza Shuttle" has changed its sign. It's no longer the kitschy, retro sign probably made in the 80s, now it's flashy blue with other colors I can't remember, but it's mainly blue. Not very attractive, but it does stand out, which I guess is what matters. The menu on the wall inside has the same electric blue motif, but whoever printed it left out a few letters. Hopefully they will fix that.

Speaking of things changing in Eastie - I was walking down Maverick Street a while back, near an auto body shop, and I heard these two elderly men talking, and one said to the other, "Hey, remember when that [the auto body shop] was the horse stables, and everyone used to come here to see the horses? Man, that was great."

LATE UPDATE: The new Pizza Shuttle sign does not even show a space shuttle...it shows an AIRPLANE shuttle. (Thanks to P. Chipman for this observation) How lame. The times are a-changing. Despite the new sign, I will always think of the Pizza Shuttle as arriving from outer space, not from New York City.

Ariel Dorfman on NPR

2006-09-25T15:08:00.000-04:00

I was just listening to Ariel Dorfman (who wrote an excellent opinion piece in the Washington Post today) on NPR, talking about the outrage of U.S.-sanctioned torture in this day and age. The host continued to ask him why he is opposed to torture, and Mr. Dorfman, exasperated, said he truly cannot believe that this is a topic that's being seriously debated in the U.S. I'm with him. I find it extremely sad that the host was hinting that there might be some sort of merit to the pro-torture argument. I cannot believe we're in the business of torture.

Excerpt of the opinion piece:

It is a story that our species has listened to with mounting revulsion, a horror that has led almost every nation to sign treaties over the past decades declaring these abominations as crimes against humanity, transgressions interdicted all across the earth. That is the wisdom, national and international, that has taken us thousands of years of tribulation and shame to achieve. That is the wisdom we are being asked to throw away when we formulate the question -- Does torture work? -- when we allow ourselves to ask whether we can afford to outlaw torture if we want to defeat terrorism.

I will leave others to claim that torture, in fact, does not work, that confessions obtained under duress -- such as that extracted from the heaving body of that poor Argentine braggart in some Santiago cesspool in 1973 -- are useless. Or to contend that the United States had better not do that to anyone in our custody lest someday another nation or entity or group decides to treat our prisoners the same way.

I find these arguments -- and there are many more -- to be irrefutable. But I cannot bring myself to use them, for fear of honoring the debate by participating in it.

You know times are tough when...

2006-09-25T12:44:00.000-04:00

...Obstructed, Broken Road Signs Frustrate Drivers. I'm amazed that it's taken this long for this to become a story. The parks department is so underfunded, but when times are tough it's one of the first departments to get the weed whacker treatment. It's a shame. They're probably doing as good a job as they can do, given the dire financial straits they're in.

Is this not an extremely embarrassing statement?

2006-09-25T12:29:00.000-04:00

"After the initial, total ban, we have learned enough from the UK investigation to say with confidence that small, travel size liquids are safe to bring through security checkpoints in limited numbers," said Assistant TSA Secretary Kip Hawley.

With all of the supposed resources we have devoted to the combatting of terrorism and gathering of intelligence here in These United States, you would think we would have been able to determine long ago how much of a liquid is safe to bring on board an airplane. Total assiness.

In Which the Reality Meets the Fantasy

2006-09-25T10:07:00.001-04:00

Since US presence in the Middle East is such a positive thing for all Americans, I guess it's time for us suck it up and pony up.

On days like today, it's impossible to restrain the snark.

Dumb Senatorial Comment of the Day

2006-09-25T09:41:00.001-04:00

”I think it’s obvious that the difficulties we’ve experienced in Iraq have certainly emboldened" terrorist groups, Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, said on the CBS News program “Face the Nation.”

“But I would also argue that these people didn’t need any motivation to attack us on Sept. 11,” he said.

OK, so our continued presence in Iraq and bumbling of everything imaginable in the Middle East are emboldening the terrorists (oh, and you forgot to mention these things are breeding more terrorists...but I guess that's straying a bit too far from the line, eh?), but that doesn't really matter because they'll just attack the US for absolutely no reason. It's good that we're there to prevent a completely unprovoked attack from ever happening again - of course! Now I see it.

Sting Rays 1, Humans 10

2006-09-12T16:37:00.000-04:00

This is like something out of The Onion. Unbelievable. What are these people thinking????

"Stingrays Multilated After 'Croc Hunter' Death"

This story, on the other hand, did not surprise me:

WHATEVER! The story goes on to say that veterans of the Gulf War have much higher levels of illnesses in general than other veterans. Doesn't this tell them something? Just because there isn't a specific pattern of symptoms in all of these veterans doesn't mean the syndrome doesn't exist. Hopefully someday we will find out this syndrome's cause.

I rode the dragon's wing!

2006-09-08T10:47:00.000-04:00

Asia played at Avalon last night, and totally rocked, a bunch of progrock fogeys having a terrific time. Here's my review:

Walking past Avalon on my way to meet my friend Blake, I notice that there's a growing line of older, balding, fat, geeky looking men (and a middle-aged woman) streaming out of the club door. Oh my god, I think to myself, this could end up being an absolutely horrific experience. At the very least, though, it will be interesting!Arriving at Avalon laer on with Blake, we see that the male/female ratio at the show is something like 4 to 1. The over-30/under-30 ratio is probably like 9 to1, with the 1 being a Berklee guitar student who wants to take a gander at Legendary Guitar God Steve Howe. Finding myself among a crowd as different from me as when I saw Helmet at Axis, I giggle a little and start wondering if this is going to be disastrous show.

Prog-pomp classical music belts out of the speakers. Literally, seeing as how the tune is "Pomp and Circumstance" by Elgar. It's good to see these guys have a sense of humor (it's generally true that the older prog musicians get, the more they understand how pompous a lot of their music is. But they still revel in it). The band gets on stage to cheers and applause - Steve Howe as rail thin and ugly as ever, sporting a very 70s flowery shirt, John Wetton fat and drunk looking, Carl Palmer in amazingly good shape for his age (I guess that probably goes with drumming), and Geoff Downes looking like he never left the 80s. John Wetton wore a shirt that read "ALEA JACTA EST," which upon investigation I found to mean "the die is cast," as said by Julius Caesar at some point in his career.

The first song begins - I'd been guessing with Blake what would be the opener, we were both wrong - and I can't remember what it is, but it sounds familiar. It turns out that it's one of my favorite tunes from their first album that I've totally forgotten about, "Time and Time Again." The mix is really bass and drum heavy, the guitars get a bit louder, but the keys are lost in the mix unless it's a solo (the mix was fixed later on, not perfectly, but good enough). They were all rocking, and it was pretty fantastic. John Wetton played like a bass ace who'd had one drink too many. Carl Palmer was crazy on the drums. Steve Howe made his funny faces during his guitar solos. They were all a bit rusty and having a good time of it.

They played every single song off of their debut (and to my shock I remember most of the music, lyrics, and guitar solos), and just a couple from their second album. During "Sole Survivor," John Wetton kept on raising his index finger in the air as if to indicate, "Just one, single, sole survivor," in case we were confused about that. It was pretty funny. One of the tunes they played, "Cutting It Fine," I had again totally forgotten about, and it totally rocked. So many arpeggios and riffs to fit into a 4 to 5 minute tune!

And then there were the non-Asia tunes they played. "Roundabout" was a predictable choice, and they did an OK job with it. Steve Howe got 2 old tunes to play, as he did "The Clap," also, which of course everyone clapped along to. Carl Palmer's tune was "Fanfare for the Common Man," which made for a surprisingly entertaining prog-jam. It really rocked. John Wetton's bass shook the place. In a strange move, they played "In the Court of the Crimson King," which is a huge mystery since Wetton didn't even play on that; Greg Lake did. Who knows? The 80s Moment of Zen came when the band played "Video Killed the Radio Star," which was a surprise, though I guess it shouldn't have been. It was one of those audience bonding moments. Good Times. John Wetton sang through a megaphone, and Geoff Downes brought out his Synthaxe. Brought the house down. They hadn't had this good a time since 1982.

Not surprisingly, they ended with "Heat of the Moment," which the crowd of course went totally nuts for. The concert was well worth the money, and my only regret is that I wasn't able to meet up with John Wetton for a pint after the show. He seemed half in the bag already.

Good news for Polish Bostonians!

2006-09-06T16:58:00.000-04:00

It's a nice statue - and it's a rare occasion when I can compliment the T on doing something right.

Bald convention

2006-08-23T14:05:00.000-04:00

What a horrible time for me no have no picture space available on my camera phone...this morning across the way from the East Boston Courthouse. There were at least 50 guys with their heads shaved, dressed rather nicely with ties and shoes and everything, all pretty young, in their mid-twenties. They were just milling about, chatting, whatever. Then shortly after I walked by an officer escorted them all across the street and into the courthouse. Could they have been law school students who in preparation for their tour of a city courthouse decided to simultaneously shave all of their heads? Where they a group of skinheads going on trial? I have no idea, but it was a pretty funny sight - you don't often se so many shaved-headed men all in the same place at the same time. It's too bad I have no photo!

I got my laptop today, and now I'm not sure what to do with it. It looks like I probably will not be taking a class (though I haven't totally decided on this), so I'm left with prospect of finding a use out of something I haven't needed for something like the past god-knows-how-many-years. I'm trying to convince myself that it'll be great to be able to use a computer out of the office, but I'm not a very good saleman on that point. It will come in handy, no doubt, but for what I'm not sure of yet.

Bandwagon jumping

2006-08-18T12:45:00.000-04:00

So in my clothes-buying frenzy the other day I picked up a Red Sox shirt (a Manny Ramirez shirt), something I never thought I'd do. It's a practically new shirt, though, and it's pretty nice, so I figured why the hell not, who cares if Manny is one of my least favorite Sox because you can hardly ever count on him to hit in the clutch (at least that's been true in my minimal Sox viewing experience during his tenure with the team)! Wish I were wearing it today to watch the game...but it will be equally as good tomorrow at the bbq, so I can totally going to get into some sports talk. Not that I know much about local sports these days, but it's fun to wade in those waters sometimes.

Contribute to the Deval Patrick campaign!

2006-08-18T11:22:00.000-04:00

If you'd like to contribute to the Deval Patrick campaign, please follow the link below. And if you know nothing about him, there's some campaign info on the page. He's great! Check him out!

Deval Patrick Campaign Contributions Central!

I've lost my edge to the cool kids

2006-08-14T10:15:00.000-04:00

Can't a guy sweep in peace? I guess this is what celebrity is all about. I wonder if he'll have a mob with him all day long.

I'm finding that the older I get, the more I appreciate Starbucks coffeehouses. I think I've lost my edge. My moment of zen for the day was sitting in one of their comfy chairs, listening to the Smiths tune ("William...") they were playing off of their 80s comp. I am their target demographic, and they've got me.

Although I didn't buy anything big this weekend for the Tax-Free Extravaganza, I did manage to get to Goodwill to do my fall shopping. Yes, I've had it with summer, I say bring on the crackling leaves underfoot, cool breezes, and crackling fireplaces. This fall's theme: flannel! And that will be the winter theme, as well. Over the next week I'll be divesting myself of my many, many unneeded clothes. I should just have a sidewalk sale, but it's easier to take my junk to Goodwill

Belle Isle Marsh was nice yesterday, though I'm wondering if there are interesting birds besides egrets that reside there. Mainly what I see are starlings (at least I think they're starlings) and egrets, and I'm sure there must be other species of bird hiding in the tall grass.

My garden is growing like mad, and the only flowers which have shown no signs of blossoming are the Monks Hood and the Mullein Rose Campion. I've had several harvests, and there are at least a couple more squashes, and tons more beans...but still no broccoli. I wonder what's up with the broccoli?

Today's Supreme Court

2006-06-29T11:04:00.000-04:00

Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a strongly worded dissent, saying the court's decision would "sorely hamper the president's ability to confront and defeat a new and deadly enemy."
The court's willingness, Thomas said, "to second-guess the determination of the political branches that these conspirators must be brought to justice is both unprecedented and dangerous."

I'd expect these words from a member of Congress, but a Supreme Court Justice? I'll have to read Thomas' dissent to see what legal standpont he's coming from, but this type of totally politically charged language from a Supreme Court Justice makes me want to hurl. Even with Roberts weighing in, the decision would have been the same (5-4, other than 5-3). It's good to see that the Supremes haven't totally gone off the ledge.

Here's more on this.

Goin' South

2006-06-02T10:35:00.000-04:00

You Are Austin

A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll.You're totally weird and very proud of it.Artistic and freaky, you still seem to fit in... in your own strange way.
Famous Austin residents: Lance Armstrong, Sandra Bullock, Andy Roddick

What American City Are You?

Garden update!

2006-05-31T10:41:00.000-04:00

The Helen's Flower is beginning to bloom. I wish they'd turn the damn water on! It's getting tedious to fill up empty Gatorade bottles with water and lugging them down to the garden. Sadly, someone stole the gate lock to the garden the other day. But then I look at my flowers, and everythings OK!

What, you want more birds?

2006-05-31T10:05:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I saw a gray catbird in the Fens by the MFA. It looked like this:

Weekend birding!

2006-05-30T10:08:00.000-04:00

This weekend I was in Mattapoisett visiting my dad, and we ended up going to the finish line of the Rochester Memorial Day Boat Race at the M'sett herring weir. It was great to see all the people out for the race, and it's pretty impressive that these folks made these boats to race down the M'sett River. One interesting thing I saw were geese that looked like this:

I'm by no means an avid birder, but I do love cool looking birds, and if I'd seen these before I would have realized it. When I went to check out what they were in my dad's bird book, I found that they were Greater White-Fronted Geese, which are usually found in midwestern and western U.S., and rarely in Atlantic states. Score! They were hanging out in the cove at the finish line, probably bewildered by the approaching boaters. When they ventured out into path of the race, one of them (the male, I presume?) let out a ferocious "squawk!", and then they went about their merry way. It was fun to see such a different kind of goose in the area. I'm glad that the marshy river cove provides them with a suitable habitat - it's great to see non-native birds making New England their home!

Later on in the backyard at the house I saw a Common Grackle:

And a walk to Ned's Point was a great treat! Truly one of the most beautiful oceanside locations in New England that I have been to.

Addendum! Upon further investigation, what I saw may have been Greylag Geese! I will look into this further. Developing...

Further Addendum! Apparently there are two greater white-fronted geese that make the Buzzards Bay area their home. And according to this article, the Buzzards Bay region is sort of an anomaly as Massachusetts bird dwellings go. So I'm sticking with my initial interpretation of the birds, and maybe I'll see them again to confirm this without a doubt.

One more thing! I would like to add that I'm fairly certain that these geese (which traveled alone as a pair) did have the whiteness above their orange bills, which the greylags do not have.

6/13 update - I was totally mistaken! The geese in question are greylag geese, and I have the photos to prove it. They're a fun sight, anyway, since you don't see them every day. Damn greater white-fronted goose doppelgangers!!

Mine disasters - where's the public outrage?

2006-05-23T13:59:00.000-04:00

I've been reading the latest about the miners who were killed in the Kentucky mine accident with great dismay. Not only does this come shortly after the Sago mine accident, but it involves the exact same model of breathing device. On the heels of Sago, the Kentucky legislature passed measures to beef up their mine safety - new regulations that would go into effect in July. Why the wait? Why not as soon as possible? And why is this story not getting as much attention as the Sago story? Could it be because the media didn't declare the miners alive before it found out they were dead? I'd say so. With Sago, the media thought they had a winner of a story that would probably be made into a movie. If the story of the miners "surviving" hadn't gotten out, I doubt that Sago would have received the publicity that it got. Weeks later I read about miners in Australia surviving for 2 weeks after a mine accident - and it turned out the breathing devices that they used helped to save their lives, while the devices which failed in both Sago and Kentucky led directly to the deaths of those miners. I'm not an expert on how mine safety differs between countries, but I'd bet that Australia's regulations are more rigid than the US'. And the US regulations are far better than those of China. Now you hear more about mine accidents, though since the media didn't have the "survival" angle on the Kentucky mine it's relegated to the back pages of the paper. Despite the widespread attention, the mining industry is trying to rollback safety procedures for mines, especially ones that have been instituted since Sago. Why? The conclusion I've come to is that sacrificing a given number of mine workers per year is an acceptable loss which is not worth the price of improving mine safety. It's not in their economic interest. Sad.

Make way for Clipper Ship Wharf!

2006-05-22T10:16:00.000-04:00

Progress marches onward in East Boston. Not only are the new residences at the old Maverick Gardens coming along nicely (and the retro-grid layout is SO nice), but it looks like the beginnings of the new Clippership Wharf (which will possibly feature Eastie's first Starbucks) are taking shape. Walking down Sumner Street this morning I found that the abandoned warehouses next to LoPresti Park (where only a short time ago television crews were filming "The Way") have been torn down, and only rubble remains. At least until the luxury condos get built, there will more open harbor space from which you can see the Boston skyline.

The new Tool album is FANTASTIC!

2006-05-03T16:53:00.000-04:00

WOW. I didn't know exactly what to expect (aside from a little nostalgia) from 10,000 Days, but it really blew me away. One of the great things about it is that you have to judge it as a complete album, you can' t necessarily pick it apart by the tracks. Admittedly, I don't pay too much attention to the lyrics...they're pretty depressing. But they come together with the music to make a powerful album. I've never been a huge Tool fan (I bought Lateralus in 2001 and was disappointed), but this album's a winner - it's intense, interesting, and absorbing.

Red Sox Nation goes way back

2006-05-01T13:24:00.000-04:00

As you can tell from these photos of the Governor John Endicott (or Endecott) statue near the MFA, baseball in Boston has very deep roots.

Everything old is new again!

2006-05-01T13:15:00.000-04:00

Spamalot has been thwarted, and the battleship from Fall River reigns again. It's good to see the old billboard in all its glory.

In the window of the Christian Science Reading Room

2006-05-01T13:01:00.000-04:00

Considering the financial troubles that the First Church of Christ, Scientist, finds itself in, it's strange that this is how they'd try to attract prospective worshippers in the window of the Reading Room over near the Mother Church. Click for a larger version, and read the fine print!

Rochester, New York: What Might Have Been...

2006-04-13T13:20:00.000-04:00

Almost 50 years ago the Rochester, NY, subway system was taken out of commission due to suburban sprawl - as city residents fled, the train tracks didn't extend to the places to which they were moving. As workers opted for their cars to take them into the city, the subway (or, rather, the "light rail") became obsolete. Recently some students took a trip through the tunnels (the trains ran mainly above ground, but traveled through a covered and partially below ground abandoned Erie Canal duct which served as the 2-mile center of the system) and brought back some cool photos.

It's a huge shame that the Rochester subway is no longer in service, though there have been minor calls for it to be reinstated, as well as calls for the original tunnel to be filled in with dirt, and other ideas to turn the tunnels into a subterranean park/transportation museum. If city officials had had the forethought to extend the subway into the suburbs, would Rochester have ended up being a city on par with Boston? Maybe not, but the city itself would probably be a much more bustling community than it was when I was there in the mid-nineties (I hear that the bustle has increased some since that time, but it's an overall stagnant city). As can be seen on the map to the right (click for enlargement), the subway went to U of R (my alma mater), and plans were being made to extend into the suburbs. Why they didn't go through with the plans is beyond me, but perhaps the answer can be found in this DVD.

Lawn ornament blogging

2006-04-07T11:35:00.000-04:00

The South End Tramp.

Eastie Christ.

Sumner Tunnel Bunny.

Location, location, location

2006-04-06T10:52:00.000-04:00

I see this billboard every day on my way to Maverick, and always thought it was strange for it to be there. Today I (finally) put 2 and 2 together and realized it's for people entering the Sumner Tunnel! At least that what makes the most sense. Most pedestrians walking up and down Meridian probably aren't interested in seeing Spamalot...but people going from the airport to the city probably are. I miss the Battleship Cove billboard that used to be in this spot - at least it was local!

The neighborhood eyesore is on the market

2006-04-06T10:41:00.000-04:00

The ugliest house I've yet seen in Eastie is up for sale! It's near the corner of Marion and Saratoga, adjacent to the Barnes School. On the inside this place may be a palace, but outwardly it's nasty and pre-fab looking. I can only hope that whoever buys this eyesore will do some serious work to make the exterior less box-like. It would be a good location for a small greenspace. Tear that mofo down!

The rebirth of Maverick Square, ca. 2008

2006-04-05T13:54:00.000-04:00

Maverick Square is going to look fantastic once the new T station is completed. It will be worth the two-year wait! Though in this mock-up there is one thing missing...trash cans. Some things never change, but I hope that's just an oversight on the artist's part. The Blue Line continues to present T stations that rock - Beachmont is still my favorite. Its tower is like a shiny beacon for the tired pedestrian who's wandered away from Belle Isle Marsh to parts unknown (namely, me). Aquarium, too, is a gem.

Hizzoner the Mayor

2006-04-05T12:58:00.000-04:00

Menino will be in Eastie to talk about parks and greenspaces! He'll be at Cuneo Park (at Saratoga and Byron Streets) from 9:30 to 10:30 am on May 9th. Dunkin' Donuts will be served...and fabulous prizes will be won by a lucky few. I'll be interested to see what Menino and my neighbors have to say about things. I, for one, need to get more up to date on how parks in Eastie are developing, so it will be more of an educational event for me. I'd also like to see what it's like to have coffee and donuts with the Mayor of Boston.

The Starbucks rumors may be true

2006-04-05T12:50:00.000-04:00

For all the times I've heard about a Starbucks being in the works for Maverick Square, I have yet to see any work being done for that to be possible. So I did a little digging today and found this nugget in an August 2005 Boston Globe real estate article:

"Starbucks and trendy restaurants are unofficial benchmarks that investors and home buyers often use as evidence that a neighborhood has been 'found,' said Will Montero, a vice president with ERA Boston Real Estate. Now, people may be scrambling to get into emerging neighborhoods like Chelsea and East Boston before the Starbucks opens, he said, but noted the coffee chain has already signed a lease in East Boston near Clippership Wharf."

So we may see a Starbucks yet, though apparently not directly in Maverick. If you build it, they will come, and they will build large luxury apartment complexes. Which is fine with me, as long as they don't obscure the neighborhood's beautiful view of Boston.