Skanking in my Head

I don't think that it is possible to say enough about the positive influence that a little bit of ska can have on the soul. So I am not going to even try. I will just remark that anything that can put a little bit of rhythm in your body when you are operating on way too little sleep and wearing a suit is a very good thing.

Springtime

You know that spring is really here when you can smell the freshly laid mulch.

Out and About

So I had mentioned before I went away that I was planning to attend an event at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It was one of their Third Thursday After Hours at the ISGM, and I would like to encourage all of my fellow Bostonians to attend if they have the opportunity and inclination. It was a young crowd and certainly not a meat market. (Though we speculated that there might have been some first dates going on there. Gentlemen, this is a great first date locale!)

The museum looked beautiful; it was like being at a party at a villa in Venice or Spain. The ambiance was very romantic (in a classic sense), and yet, there was still a cool vibe coming from the jazz combo playing in the courtyard. When I first walked in, I commented to Co-Worker Corey that I felt like I was in The Talented Mr. Ripley in the Matt Damon role ("I always thought it would be better, to be a fake somebody... than a real nobody"), but by the night I ended up feeling ended up feeling really special, like I had been let in on a secret.

We ended up being joined by some of my other friends and enjoyed a delicious meal at the cafe, which had plenty of room available, great service, and wonderful fare. I would certainly go there top eat again, and the prices were very reasonable.

I love the museum itself, mostly because it doesn't feel like a museum. It feels like you are in a European villa, and the owner has given you carte blanche to examine their collection. The coolest thing JR and I discovered, quite by chance, was a scrap of a dress owned by Mary, Queen of Scots, that was hidden under velvet in one of the display cases. We only wished that the hallway was a little bit brighter to help us see more clearly.

Something to keep in mind: finding a parking space at 6:00pm was the most difficult part of the evening. My friends who joined us closer to 7:00pm had a far less difficult time. We did end up in a primo spot on Museum Street, but only after circling for 15 minutes.

Tunes on the Player

Sister B gave me an iPod shuffle for my birthday a couple of weeks ago (I am officially in my mid-30s, which are the new mid-20s, so I am not bothered... much,) and I am totally hooked on this little piece of technology. The purpose for the gift was to help motivate me to go to the gym (which I am doing,) but more importantly, I am working on the world's greatest exercise mix. Unfortunately, the world's greatest exercise mix is more like the world's greatest dance mix, and, instead of making me want to walk on the treadmill, it makes me want to go out dancing. I need to get some folks together to make that happen.

RANDOM DIGRESSION: It seems like lately, I have been listening a lot to Muse and the Viva Blackpool soundtrack. (God, I love import cds.) I need to broaden my musical horizons at present. I usually am listening to a whole bunch of random things at once, but lately, Muse and Viva Blackpool seem to dominate. I am toying with the idea of going to see the lead singer of Pink Martini at the Paradise, but I am concerned that it won't be Pink Martini material. The other idea I was toying with was seeing Amanda Palmer of Dresden Dolls at the Boston Pops. THAT would be interesting, but I don't know if I want to fork over the cash. (I suppose that is what happens when you are used to seeing bands in clubs, and they break into the big time.)

Birds go flying at the speed of sound, to show you how it all began.

I was on vacation last week in Florida, visiting my parents for Easter down in Sarasota. Shortly after 8:30pm on Wednesday night, we were interrupted while watching a movie by a very loud boom. None of us knew what the noise could have been, and my dad went outside to investigate. It sounded like an electrical transformer exploding (which I encountered in college the night the lights went out in Woo) or even a bomb going off! I was concerned about him going outside, but there was nothing to be seen except the neighbors going outside to investigate too. At a loss, he came back in, and we restarted the film. (It was Enchanted, by the way. We all hated it.)

The next day we read in the paper what the noise was: the space shuttle Endeavor broke the sound barrier when it was landing. For a moment, I felt like I belonged in The Right Stuff!

Thursday's Child

Despite how it may look, there is not a uniform policy in the office at work. Diana just happens to idolize my style, that is all. :) I don't think we could have dressed more alike if we had planned it.

Heading with some lovely friends to the Gardner Museum after work to partake of the Third Thursday activities. I hear that it is lots of fun, and the gross old man quotient is at a low. Plus, art and socializing is always good.

My friend Emily gave me a whoopee cushion for my birthday. I don't think that I have ever had one of these before. I think that I might need to make up for lost time. Look out, office mates. I might need to use this on the Protégé. She also gave me a retro penmanship kit which reminds me of the time in the second grade I tried to teach myself cursive from a book and misread it thinking that the capital "J" was actually a capital "I". I ended up writing my mom an interesting letter about how much "J love her."

I wonder if she saved that.

There is going to be tea this afternoon. Tea is always a good thing. I am very much looking forward to the tea.

Note to WBOS 92.9FM: people who are in their early 30s (for at least one more day) seriously do not need you to identify yourself as an "oldies" radio station when you are playing songs like "Heart Shaped Box" by Nirvana or "Back on the Chain Gang" by The Pretenders. You are going to end up giving me a complex.

Under Pressure

I am so out of it/stressed out that yesterday I walked into the shower and took a shower with my glasses on. It was only when they fogged up that I realized that I had forgotten to take them off!!