62. June 25th, 2010 Picture.

On Friday night Ratty and I made plans to grab some dinner and catch a movie.  My cousin Keri was getting married on Saturday, so I wanted a low key night so that I would wake up refreshed and ready to dance my face off.  We decided to go see 'Knight and Day', formerly known as 'Witchita', mostly because it was filmed in Boston AND Bridgewater.  There aren't too many restaurants near the Boston Common movie theater, and we had exhausted most of our favorites, so we decided to hit up P.F. Changs.  Now, I love P.F. Changs, love.  Their Crispy Honey Shrimp with brown rice are so delicious.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it right now.

The plan was to meet at P.F. Changs around 6pm, that way I could park at a meter for 2 hours and not worry about refilling it, since they shut off at 8pm.  I was driving down Boylston Street, when I suddenly saw a handful of bikes by my car while I was stopped at a light.  A bike parked itself right in front of my car, and suddenly I was surrounded by a swarm.  Literally a swarm.  There must have been 300 people riding their bicycles down the street.  Some were playing music from radios strapped on the back of their bikes while others were chanting 'WHO'S STREET?!  OUR STREET!'  Now, I hate bike riders, you're always in my way and you think you are a car.  You aren't a car, FYI.  If you are going to try and follow the rules of the road, then you should wait at a red light like the rest of us.  Do you know how many rogue bikes I've almost hit because they decided that, at that exact moment, they didn't have to stop at a red light and obey the rules?!  A lot.  Ughhhh I cannot stand them.  Anyway, my whole point is that by tieing up traffic for 3 light cycles and having irate drivers honk at you while apparently participating in some sort of bicycle freedom ride, you are making everyone hate you MORE.  You are not helping the cause of bicycling by pissing people off.  A few people said 'thank you for stopping' to me as they rode past, you few, are welcome.  The rest of the 297 riders, I strongly dislike you, a lot.

I finally made it to P.F. Changs at 7pm.  After my bike-pocolyps incident, I circled around the Common and Public Gardens because movie trailers had taken up all the meters.  They are filming 'What's Your Number?' here in Boston, with Chris Evans, sighhhh Chris Evans, and were right downtown that afternoon.  I didn't mind circling the first few times, but after a while I was so tired with driving.  I heard songs repeat on the radio which was a sign that I had been in the car for far too long.  

Once I got to P.F. Changs, I grabbed a seat at the bar next to Ratty and ordered a Mai Tai.  The last time we went there I got a migraine the second I walked through the door, so needless to say we were already better off this time around.  We opted for the 2 person dinner special for $40, which included 2 soups, an appetizer, 2 entrees and 2 desserts.  There.was.so.much.food.  I thought I was going to explode.  We got egg drop soup, fried green beans, which were AMAZING, Mongolian Beef, Crispy Honey Shrimp and red velvet cake and strawberry cheesecake.  I was full up to my eyeballs.  We got to the movie theater and didn't get popcorn OR Milk Duds, which was obviously a sign that I was too full to function.

The movie wasn't awful.  I hate Tom Cruise, but he was semi-charming and funny in this movie.  At times they made fun of other action movies, which made it even more hilarious.  I don't know if they meant to make fun of themselves, but they did.  If they didn't mean for it to poke fun at them, then I feel awkward.  

It was a nice, low key night, and it was a perfect casual Friday.  Minus the bikes.

62. June 24th, 2010 Picture.

I blame NStar.  I think that since my power went out so many times, it screwed up my DVR box.  I had about 40% of my shows saved, nothing too important, except for the 2 hour PBS documentary on Nantucket Whaling where they interview Nathaniel Philbrick, but what can ya do?  I turned it on, after not watching TV for a day or two, and found my memory completely wiped.  It had 0% saved and none of my series recordings on file.  I sighed deeply and started re-programing the entire box, going show by show, channel by channel, making sure not to miss one thing I liked to watch.  A few hours later, I turned on the TV to check out Wipeout, which is an absolutely hilarious show that makes me laugh out loud all the time.  Basically it's just people going through bizarrely funny obstacle courses while trying to avoid falling in water.  The stuff they make them do on this show is hilarious, and people are always slipping and falling and, well, watching people fall is just plain old funny to me.  

So anyway, I go to watch Wipeout and found that the ONE show, which had only been recording for like 18 minutes, had taken up 42% of my box.  I know that's a lie, that must be the total of all the shows I lost PLUS Wipeout.  LAME.  I apparently need to turn my box in and get a new one because at some point or another, it was corrupted.  So weird, but again, I blame all the power outages.

{Like, this doesn't even make sense!}

62. June 23rd, 2010 Picture.

I really love Panera.  I can't say enough nice things about it.  The food is tremendous, employees friendly, fireplace warm, atmosphere inviting, just an all around great lunch place.  A few times a month, I decide I need to get straight out of my office immediately, grab a book and head to Panera in Coolidge Corner.  Depending on the season I try to get a seat on their open patio or next to the warm, cozy fireplace.  I can sit there for over an hour (depending on how my work day looks) sitting in a comfy chair reading a nice book.  I always get the pick two special, where you can pick two things from three options.  Half of a sandwich, bowl of soup or a salad.  I pretty much always get the Chipotle Chicken Sandwich, no tomatoes, and either a salad or soup depending on my mood.  I love the Baked Potato Soup and the Chicken Cobb Salad, along with the Asian Sesame Chicken Salad.  Sometimes I opt for an iced green tea, or frozen lemonade.  All around, it is a fantastic meal and I am not hungry again for hours, which if you know me, is quite the fete.  This past weekend my aunt asked me if I had seen a doctor about my perpetual hunger.  I don't think there is anything wrong with me, I just like food.

On Wednesday, I decided I needed a little mid-afternoon outing, away from my desk, phone and computer, to relax a bit.  Tuesdays can be so stressful.  It was a nice day, so I wanted to sit near an open window, enjoying the fresh air.  I ordered half a Chipotle Chicken Sandwich and a 'small' Asian Sesame Chicken Salad, with a frozen lemonade as a treat.  I brought along my most recent book, a collection of short stories from a variety of Irish authors, and sunk in my chair to enjoy my lunch.  Life is good.

I really like this Panera in particular because on a recent episode of House Hunters, Sandra Rinomato met with her clients in this exact location.   I love HGTV and House Hunters and Sandra Rinomato.  Heck, I'm practically famous just from eating at the same place!

62. June 22nd, 2010 Picture.

NStar had been doing work on my little teeny street for what seemed like an eternity.  They dug up the road going the long way, then they dug up the road going the short way, creating a very nice lattice pattern of holes. They shut down the street almost every day, taking up the entire length of the street from sidewalk to sidewalk.  At one point we couldn't leave the house because they were legitimately digging up the sidewalk directly in front of our stairs.  Our power went out more times than I'd like to count, and was concerned for the safety of our perishables in the fridge.  So much so I wrote a note and taped the door shut.  What?  Salmonella terrifies me.  My roommate Bethany woke up one morning to the forman knocking on our door and needing to go into our basement.  Like, I'm sorry, what?  They jackhammered starting at 6:50am every morning and caused us to call and complain on more than one occasion.

One night, towards the end of all their work, I still have no idea what exactly they were doing and whyy it took so long, I had to navigate through a war torn wasteland of metal slabs holding the sidewalks together.  Most people on my street have flower boxes out in front of their house, brightening up our street, but every single one had been moved DIRECTLY into the walking path.  I had to climb over flower bins, gingerly walk across iron slabs and hold my breath as if that would make me less likely to plummet to my death.  To get to my little staircase, which consists of three brick steps, I had to climb OVER the wrought iron banister to get in my front door.  It was like a mine field, or an awful obstacle course where you lose a limb, whether you win or lose.

Thankfully the construction is all done, after a week of all the workers telling me 'today's our last day, are you gonna miss us?'  Absolutely NOT NStar.  I thought my roommate was going to have a nervous breakdown because her room faces the street and was directly above all the construction.  She was sleeping in our spare room on a futon for days, and I think she was one power outage away from coming unhinged.  

62. June 21st, 2010 Picture.

So, when my wallet was taken I cancelled every credit card I had, which was only 2.  My debit card had been at the bar, so I knew that only my Gamma Phi card and my Old Navy card were in my wallet.  I spent a good 30 minutes on hold with Bank of America, trying to get a real person, only to be transfered to another person.  After I explained my situation to them, for the second time, they were like 'oh you're all set, the card is already cancelled.'  Gee, thanks guys.

Anyway, as I was folding some clothes, getting ready to do laundry, I stuck my hand into the back pocket of the jeans I wore a few days earlier and what do I find?  My credit card.  It wasn't IN my wallet, it was safe in my jeans the entire time.  Whatever good that does me, its already been cancelled.  Whoopsie.

62. June 20th, 2010 Picture.

Sunday was Fathers Day, and before heading home to hang out with my mom for a little bit, I spent the afternoon watching some World Cup Soccer at Ratty's apartment.  We were just relaxing on the couch, watching some soccer (again with the bandwagon) and Ratty pulled out a beer.  I had JUST finished my iced coffee, but since he was having one, I couldn't let him drink alone, now could I?

He had quite the assortment of beers, left over from my Memorial Day BBQ, but once those ran out he make the switch to a nice vodka drink.  We both really like Triple 8 cranberry vodka, which is made by the Cisco Brewery on Nantucket, LOVE, mixed with Sprite.  It's just a light, refreshing drink, perfect for a hot Sunday afternoon.  We watched the Ivory Coast game, I can't remember who they were playing, since I only cared about Ivory Coast.  Wait, they were playing Brazil, since the restaurant across the street from Ratty's apartment went nutso every time Brazil scored, like parading in the streets with drums nutso.  Anyway, I was still rooting for Ivory Coast.  They were so scrappy and fun to watch, definitely my favorite to win.  And since I know so much about soccer, I think that endorsement by me is golden.  Riding the odds to Vegas!  Or not.

Just a quick Happy Fathers Day to my dad, Lenny.  I love and miss him everyday.

62. June 19th, 2010 Picture.

Saturday morning I had my friend Kelly's baby shower in Raynham.  Kelly was my little sister in Gamma Phi and she got married last summer, I was a glowing bridesmaid.  She is about 7 months pregnant with a little girl, to be named Sophia, and is due at the end of August.  I drove down to the Stoneforge Tavern in Raynham and had a lovely time at her baby shower.  She got so many adorable things!  I think shopping for little girls is so much fun, so people definitely went overboard.  We played Bingo while she was opening the gifts, and I won one round.  I'm really competitive, so I'm not really surprised.  At my friend Jenn's shower in March there was an entire table of Gamma Phi's and every single one of us won a gift, so it's not just me.  They also had an amazing cupcake tower that obviously had red velvet cupcakes, so of course I needed to have one:

After the baby shower I headed over to Shelby's to FINALLY see her not-so-new-but-new-to-me house, and her brand new baby Isabelle!  Shelby had Izzie on June 1st and I'd been dying to meet her for far too long.  Shelby and Yuri's house is adorable and I had so much fun hanging out with the family and seeing Emma and Isabelle.  I'm gonna let the pictures do the talking.

{Reading to Miss Emma while Izzie just lays there.  At only 3 weeks old I knew she wasn't going anywhere.  And her mom was sitting right next to us.}

{Emma apparently loves to go through pocketbooks.  She found my sunglasses and kinda refused to take them off.}

{Me and Miss Izz.  So precious.}

{Just loungin' around.}

{Emma and Tato being crazy.}

{As I was leaving I saw little Emma's face in the window.  She was saying goodbye.  How cute is she?!}

I had a fabulous time at Shelbys'.  Her house is so cute, with an address like 21 Sagewood Circle, I just knew it would be downright  adorable, and her family is even cuter.  Although it wasn't planned, I stayed for dinner, so I got to spend a lot of quality time with the Bukhenik's!  Such a nice afternoon.

62. June 18th, 2010 Picture.

On Friday I was still in a blah mood over the whole purse-gate sitch that I didn't feel like doing much.  I had planned on going to the registry to get a new license, but realized that I could renew it online and have it mailed to me.  SO much better than spending 3 hours in line, with people standing way too close to me.  It's called personal space!  I suggest you respect it, please and thank you!  I went home to my mom's to hang out and look for my passport, which was no where to be found, because it was in my apartment in my passport holder, such a smart place for it.

Ratty had asked if I wanted to grab a drink, but since my passport hadn't been found by this point, I asked if we could hang out at his apartment so that I could drink some booze illegally.  He obliged and I headed to the North End that night to hang out.  Not really thinking ahead, I completely forgot that a summer Friday night might be busy, so I circled for about an hour looking for a parking spot.  I finally found one, after stalking a group of 20 somethings from Colorado, and made my way to his apartment.  He had a giant glass of white wine waiting for me, plus some cheese and crackers.  Pretty much all I could have ever wanted at that point in time.  We watched some TV and sipped wine all night.  At one point, I heard a loud bang, which sounded like fireworks.  Being in the North End, Ratty has an amazing view of the city from his roof, and there are always random fireworks going off for various events, so it wasn't completely out of the ordinary to hear them on a random Friday.  I grabbed my cell phone and the two of us went up on his roof.  I was able to grab this shot, quality aside, it's not too bad!  It still counts as my photo a day, although not up to my usual standards.  Thankfully, Ratty had an old camera he didn't use anymore, so now it is my brand spanking new one.  Until I can save up and afford a really nice one, preferably waterproof.

62. June 17th, 2010 Picture.

So I was off on Thursday and decided to head down to Weymouth to spend the day with my brother Eddie and my niece Abby.  I got down there around 12:30pm, which was the EXACT time we had agreed upon, yet Eddie still felt the need to call our mom at 12:20pm saying I was supposed to be there at noon and he thought I was missing or in an accident.  Just what my mother wanted to hear, I'm sure.  I had to call her when I got there to be like 'Hi, I'm alive, Eddie is being dramatic.'  I guess it runs in the family.


We decided that we were going to grill for lunch, so we went to Whole Foods to grab some supplies.  We bought stuff for burgers,hot dogs,  and some salmon, plus an entire pound of steamers for Eddie.  We came back and started to prep and warm up the grill.  I made enough burger patties for Christine and Cassie for when they got home from school, plus two for me because Eddie said they were too small.  I actually think they were perfect, thankyouverymuch.  Eddie also cooked me a hot dog because he said two burgers weren't enough.  Does he know me?  I may be a fat kid, but I can only eat so much in one sitting, that is why I am consistently hungry through the entire day, I eat like a teeny tiny adorable baby bird.  K, maybe not that little, but still two burgers and a hot dog were way too much for me.  Eddie cooked all the steamers on the grill too, which made for a pretty awesome picture:

Now, I spent that afternoon taking the most adorable photos of Miss Cassie and Abigail playing outside, eating Dairy Queen (a trip that was obviously my idea), rolling down the hill in their back yard and playing in the kiddie pool.  Unfortunately, those photos are lost forever because that night at Hennessey's while watching the Celtics crumble and lose the championship to the Lakers, my purse was taken.  It was found in the women's room, completely ransacked, with my wallet emptied, camera taken and Ratty's phone stolen.  I had no idea that my bag was even gone until the manager came up to me asking if I was Amy.  He had found my name written at the top of my planner.  Once, in second grade I got a zero on a test because I didn't write my name on it, ever since then I write my name on EVERYTHING.  Lesson learned Mrs. Mahoney.  


So ya, my wallet was emptied and my camera gone.  Thankfully I didn't have any money or really anything of note in my wallet, except for my library card from when I was 5.  My cute little name was printed in shaky handwriting, and I've been able to hang on to that card for over 20 years.  Well, it's gone and there is nothing I can do about it.  Is it weird to be more upset about a library card than a camera?  If you know me, then you shouldn't be surprised about this.  I hate losing things.  Yes, I know I didn't lose these things, they were taken and there is a difference, but I still don't like it.  It just so happened that my debit card was at the bar, holding my tab and my cell phone was next to my beer, so it definitely could have been a lot worse.  Also, they didn't take the entire bag, so the rest of my stuff was still in there.  Also, I had a Coach watch and Silpada bracelet in the pocket that weren't taken, so it DEFINITELY could have been worse!  After hyperventilating in the bar I ran outside to call my mom, because she is the only one that can talk me off the ledge.  She calmed me down and I called my two credit card companies and cancelled my cards.  Ratty's phone is actually from his work, so he was able to just waltz in and order another one, no problems.  Must be nice, huh?  


The next two days of photos are sub par because of this horrible occurrence.  Eddie also took a picture of the BBQ, so the one from this blog is his.  I also snapped some camera phone pictures to document my unhappiness.  What an AWFUL night!  The bar manager practically begged Ratty to not have me file a police report, because Hennessey's would get cited, and if he had offered to pay my bar tab, I might have thought twice about it, but no.  To add insult to awful injury, I had to watch the Celts lose, have my bag stolen then CASH OUT!   Here Hennessey's, here's $50 for raping my soul.  I walked right into that police station the next morning and had Hennessey's written up.  'That's Hennessey's H-E-N-N-E-S-S-E-Y-S.  25 Union Street, Boston.'  I hope you get a big fine!  (Technically, if you are a bar in Boston that can hold 100+ people, you need to have CCTVs, but Hennessey's didn't have them, and they can hold much more than 100 people, so take that!)

{Sad face.}

{The bag.  I couldn't even look at it.  It's shunned.}

62. June 16th, 2010 Picture.

Because my office has a 'use it or lose it' vacation policy, I have quite a few days off for the month of June.  I don't hate it one bit!  Peace out, PMC!  Anywho, since I've been off, I've been reading non-stop.  I just finished 'Practical Magic' by Alice Hoffman, which inspired one of my favorite movies, I mean who doesn't LOVE Sandy Bullock?!  I read 'Practical Magic' at practically lightening speed and was so engrossed in Hoffman's writing that I wanted to jump on her book bandwagon.  I know that PM was written in 1995, but better late than never I say.  I stopped off at the Southie library to see if they had any of her other books, since I was desperate to read more.  Luckily they had quite a few, almost an entire shelf, so I had my pick.  I am typically drawn in by titles, if it sounds interesting, I'll read it.  I am also intrigued by words; I have a lot of favorite words, so I immediately picked up 'Skylight Confessions' because just the word skylight just sounds nice.  Well, after reading the flap, I realized that I wasn't in the mood for its plot, and put it back.  So much for my theory on special words, huh?  Then I picked up 'The Probable Future' and 'The Third Angel'.  After reading both jackets, I decided that these would be my next two Alice Hoffman books.  As I was stacking some books in the shelf and getting my two ready for check out, I just happened to look straight ahead.  There was a window that I don't think I've ever noticed before.  I go to the Southie library all the time, picking up books and returning them, but never noticed that the entire back wall was one giant window.  Once I did look out this window, this is what I saw:

There is a beautiful patio outside that stretches the entire length of the library, complete with grassy areas, trees, benches and chairs.  It looks meticulously maintained, yet completely unused.  I scanned the wall to see where the doors were, and found one at each end of the library.  I could not believe that this great little yard was smack in the city, behind the library, for anyone to use.  

The wheels started turning and I am now wanting to spend an entire day back there.  I assume that I could bring a blanket and sit under a tree, maybe bring a snack, and a stack of books.  Everyone in the library is so consumed with their own literary searches that no one bothers to look up from the shelves.  I could go completely unnoticed out there for hours.  Heck, the entire SPACE has gone completely unnoticed by me for 4 years.  I didn't even know there were windows in the building, let alone a yard!  

Someday soon I will pack a little bag and camp myself out there for as long as they'll let me stay.  

62. June 15th, 2010 Picture.

Like I mentioned a few posts back, my mom and I went shopping at Derby Street to get me some new summer clothes.  I had bought a really pretty cardigan from The Gap and I was searching online to find a picture of it to show some friends.  It's this pretty orange/gold color and was looking for a picture because someone in my office said I looked like I could light up the side of a highway at night.  I mean really?  And you wonder why I hate people.  Anyway, as I was searching Gap.com for a picture of the cardigan, I noticed that they were now on sale for $2o each.  I had gotten it on sale, but it wasn't $20, so I emailed the link to my mom and was like, now they are $20!  I completely forgot about it until my mom called me at work and said that now the cardigans were $10 each!  $10 for a cardigan, from the GAP is like, unheard of.  So you know what I did?  I bought 5.  I wear cardigans all the time, summer, winter, you name the outfit, I have a cardigan to match.  Actually, I'm wearing one right now.


So, for $50, which is actually the retail price of just 1 cardigan, I got 5.  Now, you may ask 'Amy, what do you need with 5 cardigans?'  Actually, I now have 10, all Gap.  I have a blue, purple, black, pink, heather gray, red, navy, white, another pink, and orange-ish.  I have another grey and black from Old Navy, but let's not count those.  Or the ribbed grey from Gap, or the yellow and white flower print one.  I like cardigans.

62. June 14th, 2010 Picture.

So, this is my closet.  At first glance it appears awesome.  It's a 2 door closet with lots of space, plus a light inside, to help my find all my stuff, of which there is a lot.  I built shelving in this portion, and have a set of wire blocks to hold my numerous pairs of jeans.  I think I maximize the space pretty well, even though it may appear cluttered.  I know where everything is, I think, but outta sight outta mind, am I right?  Sometimes I just shovel things into a corner and forget about them until, well, until it's time for me to move out, which I don't see happening any time soon.  So ya, stuff has been forgotten, that is for sure.  I don't like throwing things out, I believe that my mom and I teeter on the verge of hording when it comes to stuff, not like plastic utensils and trash, but stuff that seems wasteful to throw away.  Who knows, maybe someday I will use that pink gauzy tote that I got as a free swag bag from an event, and when I do, I know where it is.  It's in my closet.  The one that I am currently afraid to go in.

You see, I was hunting for my Red Sox hat to wear to the game and I was rummaging through my stuff.  Usually my hat is in the exact same spot, next to my clean towels, but it wasn't there.  I thought maybe I threw it on top of my sweatshirts, and I started digging and pulling things away, but still couldn't find. it.  I pulled all my shoes out, and pulled all my bags off my shelves, yet still nothing.  I went farther back and started pulling away random bags, like my T-Mobile bag that has my cell phone box and paperwork, you never know when you'll need those!  I pulled aside the bag and I see, what I THINK was a centipede.  I think it was dead, it didn't move, but I also didn't give it a chance to.  I HATE centipedes.  They are the grossest most evilist things on the planet.  Ya, I said planet.  I have had an irrational fear of them since high school.  Our house was flooded at one point and ever since then, we have had rouge centipedes around in the summer.  It typically happens only after it rains, but trust me, once is enough.  I had a few close encounters with them, and those choice moments have left me emotionally scarred.

Anyway, I think I saw one.   Which means that I can never go back in that closet and I will need to burn all my clothes.  Mind you, I've never seen one at my apartment.  We have baby ants, maybe a spider or two, but I have never seen a centipede in this apartment, knock on wood.  How would the one and only centipede in the entire house end up in my closet, under bags?  I wouldn't be completely shocked to see one in the basement, or even on the first floor, but I am on the second, hopefully far far away from all things creepy crawly.  I also have no clue if I really saw one, it could have been a stray ribbon, string or pully thing, that in my freaking out fervor I imagined to be a disgusting bug.  I have no idea if it was a dead one, because I have yet to go back into that closet.  I couldn't even go on that side of the room for 2 days.  I've slowly been able to walk by the door, or grab a shirt out of the closet, but I can't go to the side of the closet that may or may not have a bug in it.  See how irrational I'm being?  I think I saw a bug and have convinced myself that it is in the same spot as where I saw it, A WEEK AGO.  Like, if it was a real bug, it's gone.  God I hope it's not in my bed!  Oh god, my bed.

I asked Ratty to come over and check the area and see if he saw anything.  Unfortunately, he hasn't been over yet, which means that I am STILL avoiding the left half of my closet.  I am too scared to check myself, what if I die of a heart attack?  It is totally possible, those things are disgusting.  Yuck.

Oh P.S. I found my hat.  It fell off my shelf and was on the floor.  Centipede free.  I think.

62. June 13th, 2010 Picture.

Sunday afternoon, Ratty and I made our way to the Red Sox game.  His old boss Bonnie has season tickets and offered us two.  I was excited as this would be the first time I'd be meeting Bonnie, but I had heard lots of stories and knew that we would get along.  She was also bringing her friend Tom, who is the political writer for the Baltimore Sun, which obviously meant Ratty wouldn't be talking to me that afternoon, so I was glad I'd have Bonnie to talk to.  We got ready and took the T down to Kenmore and made our way over to Fenway.  Ratty had talked to Bonnie just before leaving his apartment and it turns out she missed her flight from Kentucky and wouldn't be back in time for the game.  I was totally bummed, since I had been looking forward to meeting her, but was still excited to go to the game regardless.

Ratty printed out our tickets from a little kiosk, and we made our way to Yawkey way to have some beers, or beaahhhhhhhhhhs as I like to say.  It always makes Ratty laugh, no clue why, probably because I'm hilarious.  It was only 12:30pm, but that didn't stop us from grabbing our limit of 2 beers each at the outdoor cart.  We saddled up to a cocktail table and drank a bit from each to allow us to navigate through the crowds and not spill a drop of our $8 beers.

{Beeaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhs heeahh!}

{Playing up the whole 'don't show your face!' blog angle.}

Turns out that Bonnie's friend Tom still came to the game, so Ratty spent the majority time talking his ear off and wishing he was his best friend.  At one point I told him to cool it, he was coming on too strong.  I spent the time actually watching the game, drinking some beers and staring at the adorable kids sitting in front of us.  There are ALWAYS kids around me, and Ratty always fears that I am going to snatch one and my license plate is going to end up on an Amber Alert.  I'm not a kidnapper, I am just a kid lover, or lover of kids, uh I don't think I can phrase this anyway that doesn't sound creepy.  I like kids!  They like me!  I am fun and like to play kickball, so we all get along well.  Two of the kids in front of us were brothers and they were SO CUTE!  I could tell that they were Irish and I started making up their names in my head.  Obviously, being uber Irish, they were named Colin and Aiden, obviously.  The older brother had brought a friend, Kevin, who was a Phillys fan and talked so much smack that he was hilarious.  Every time a 'Let's Go Red Sox!' cheer would start up, he'd always insert Phillys.  Aiden and Colin's dad was getting into the trash talking too, and gave poor Kevin such a hard time, but he was a good sport.  Fast forwarding a bit, after I had mentally named the 2 Irish brothers, the dad called the older one by name, AIDEN!  I was RIGHT!  Who does that?  ME, I do!!  A little later in the afternoon the dad called the younger one Connor, but I thought he said Colin and I almost lost my mind.  I thought I had correctly guessed BOTH of their names!  Sadly, I only got one, but Colin and Connor are pretty close if you ask me.

{View from our seats.  Not too shabby, huh?}

{Multi-tasking at its finest.}

Once the game was over, we won, GO SOX!, Ratty and I decided to get some beers at Landsdowne Pub.  I hinted at going home and taking a nap, since the Celts were playing that night and I knew Ratty would want to go out and have some drinks, but I was tired and my head was fuzzy from the $15 beers and I wanted to lay down.  Nope, no rest for the weary.  The bar was dark which helped, since I was being constantly blinded and reminded that it was a Sunday afternoon and I was drinking my life away.  We grabbed a great seat at the bar and waited for the band to come on.  It was so perfect, a cover band after the Sox game, why don't any other bars do this?  The band ended up being pretty awesome, minus their 'Black Horse and a Cherry Tree' encore, like, that's the BEST song you have?  Ratty got kinda aggressive with the drinking, and told me that we needed to do a shot to wake up, yep makes perfect sense!  We were sitting at the bar, wide awake now, Ratty was right, when a group of young 20 somethings came up and 'iced' Ratty.  Apparently, it's a new phenom to give a guy a Smirnoff Ice in random situations, and the guy must get on one knee and chug.  This was my first experience so I was all 'what the hell is going on here?!'  Turns out, they had an extra!  So down on my knee I went, and I chugged that malternative in front of a bar full of strangers.  This group must have spent $100 on Smirnoff Ices because they iced eachother like 17 times, plus the band 3 times.  The band all got down on their knees and chugged the ices in unison.  It was pretty hilarious.  Glance at the door, yep still light out.   What time is it?!  

{This is a less than flattering picture of Ratty, so I think it's fine to put it up since people STILL have no idea what he looks like.}

After finishing our beers, 2 shots and 2 ices, and finding a passport in the ladies room, it was time to go to ANOTHER bar to watch the Celtics game.  Honestly, what about my nap?  We made it to DJs at the Garden with about 45 minutes before the start of the game and got 2 perfect seats at the bar right in front of the TV.  So perfect!  We ordered some food, something to sop up the Smirnoff Ice, and a few drinks and watching the Celtics ONCE AGAIN trounce the Lakers.  Sighhh, in hindsight it seems impossible.  I got this mask from someone on the street near the Garden and used it to taunt the Lakers, through the TV.  Hey, it worked!

Monday morning was naht fun.

62. June 12th, 2010 Picture.

On Saturday afternoon, I threw on my most patriotic outfit from the Gap and went downtown to Faneuil Hall to meet Ratty to watch the USA vs. England World Cup game.  I am sure that by now you realize just how much of a bandwagon fan I am, as I am now supporting 2 sports that I have never even had a glimmer of interest in before this summer.  A friend of Rattys' is from Ireland and throws a huge viewing party every year at Hennessey's, a bar that I am now boycotting for the rest of my life, but that is another story for another day.  

As I was walking over to the bar, I saw that the gay pride parade had ended and the rally was taking place at Government Center.  I took this photo because it was a truly inspirational sight.  I was almost brought to tears at the sheer volume of people who were out in the rain, supporting a cause they believed it.  I feel a slight pang, wishing that I had been there to support gay rights, but I do, and I think that's what's important.

Being a bleeding heart liberal like I am, I fully support equality for all and believe that gays should have the right to marry.  I am obviously in the right state, huh?  We allow gay marriage and are socially liberal, yay!  USA!  I was raised catholic and unless something drastic takes place during my lifetime, I always will be.  I understand the idea that marriage is sacred, but I don't think that just because something should be treasured means that only part of our society can have it.  People can't pick who they are attracted to, or who they fall in love with, trust me I am sure that we all would like to forget some past loves, but we can't.  I think that if you love someone, you should be able to commit yourself to that person for the rest of your life, and be able to enjoy all the rights and privileges of that union.  I should be allowed to marry who I want, it isn't the governments business or anyone else's decision to make but mine...and whoever I marry.  I don't tell you what to do or who to love, and although I may have my opinions, that shouldn't stop you from living your life.  People may not always agree or understand your choices, but I think at the basic level of humanity, we should support equality for all.  I think that everyone should be allowed to marry who they want, and that's that.  ::Stepping off my soapbox::

Now is when you applaud.

62. June 11th, 2010 Picture.

Now, my mom doesn't work on Fridays, she hasn't as long as I can remember (pretty sweet deal, huh?  She is always going, thank God it's Thursday and I'm all like, ya Ma, some people actually work 5 days a week, moving on...) Sometimes she'll come up to Chestnut Hill on my lunch break and take me to Legal Seafoods.  I don't hate it.  I love when she takes me out, because 1) I get to see her, 2) I get a good lunch and 3) she pays!  It's like the trifecta of awesomeness, right?  If only I didn't have to go back to work, ever.

We met at Legals, which is in the Chestnut Hill Shopping Plaza and got seated at a booth directly under the AC.  I didn't have a jacket and this was not going to work because I didn't feel like drinking hot tea and walking out with pneumonia.  We moved to a booth across the aisle that wasn't in the direct path of the Artic winds from the north.  When it came time to order drinks, my mom decided on a root beer.  A root beer!  Wait, a diet root beer, but still.  I don't think I've ever seen my mom drink any soda besides Fresca and Diet Pepsi, so I almost fell out of the booth when she didn't order red wine.  I do have one vague memory of making root beer floats with her in our kitchen, maybe they were Coke floats, whatever.  I ordered an Arnold Palmer, which everyone knows is awesome (half lemonade, half iced tea).  She said I was being dramatic, which may or may not have been the case, but I was still surprised to see my mom drinking soda at a restaurant and pulled out my camera to take a picture.  She is normally asking me if I want a drink drink, even though we both know I'm 'working', so ya, root beer.  I was chuckling to myself as she admired the IBC bottle, asking if you could actually buy these bottles at the store.  Yes mom, you can.  She was gushing about the root beer, saying how sweet it tasted and that she couldn't believe it was diet and said she thought they brought her regular on accident.  I took a sip and knew immediately it was diet.  There is no mistaking that blah aftertaste.  

We ordered a nice lunch, splitting a crab cake, and it was back to work for me.  Mom had said that she was way too full and completely blamed the root beer, which was probably true.  It is obvious that her new found love was fleeting because she was already turning.  That's not entirely true I guess, because the last time I went home and looked in the fridge, there was a 6 pack of IBC diet root beer, actually only 5, because mom said she couldn't wait and had one the second she got back from the store.  She may now be an IBCDRT addict.  I'll keep you posted.

62. June 10th, 2010 Picture.

So on Thursday night, I made my way downtown to watch the Celtics game.  Which, I mean, they won, but at this point doesn't matter in the slightest.  I was heading to An Tain to meet Ratty and watch the game.  An Tain, which reminded me exactly of a college basement party, is right in Faneuil Hall and offers $2 bud lights, which for anyone who lives in Boston, knows that it means beers are practically free.  I got a great parking spot, my friend Erin calls me Magellan because I always find a parking spot, always, and made my way to An Tain to meet Ratty.  I believe I've only ever been there one other time, and that was for about 30 seconds, so I wasn't really sure what to expect.  As I stood out front, waiting for a few people go to inside before me, an extremely drunk man in a wheelchair tried to make it out of the bar.  Apparently people knew him because no one was phased in the slightest when he went over a step and fell out of his wheelchair on to the sidewalk.  I on the hand freaked out and went over to help him.  As he was trying to lift himself back up (he wasn't totally handicapped, he could stand, but was still very very drunk) I used my arms to try and steady him as 4 people help the wheelchair.  That's right folks, 4 bouncers held the WHEELCHAIR while, I lifted him into the seat.  Does that sound mismatched or what?


Once all that mayhem was settled, I went inside the bar where Ratty was sitting waiting.  I quickly ordered a beer while rehashing the drama that took place outside.  We got seats right at the bar, and ordered some food, which was surprisingly awesome, and hunkered down to watch the Celts kill LA.  Obviously, the happiness was fleeting, but at that moment in time, there was still lots of hope.  It was a fun night, but the bar was full of insane meatheads who were so belligerently drunk it wasn't fun to make fun of them, but I did it anyway.  I had snapped a few action shots right as the Celts won the game, but none of them seem appropriate now, boohoo.


I did however take this picture driving into the city.  I should have known something was going on because of the crazy weather, notice how you can't see the top of the building.  Now that's some crazy fog.

I don't know why the quality of this photo isn't so great.  I emailed it to myself so I could blog at work, working hard here people, so when I get home I am going to replace it with the original, which I am sure is better.  For now, this will do.

62. June 9th, 2010 Picture.

Since I am not posting this photo in real time, and the outcome of the NBA Finals were not as anyone hoped, I have no words for the following post.  Just a sad, sad void where celebratory words should be written.  There's always next year.

{View of 'Go Celtics!  Beat LA!'  written on the walls of the Ted Williams Tunnel.  I was totally safe and took this photo while driving through the curved tunnel, at 9am.  It was a one time shot kinda deal, and I nailed it.  Unfortunately, the Celts couldn't do the same.  Tear.}

62. June 8th, 2010 Picture.

Last Tuesday Ratty and I made plans to go hear Sebastian Junger speak at the Boston Public Library.  He wrote 'The Perfect Storm' as well as 'A Death in Belmont', which semi-freaked me out since Belmont is one town over from Cambridge and even though the death took place in the 60's I am still irrational and fear for my life.  He was discussing and reading from his new book 'War' which is his first hand account of being dropped in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan with the 173rd Airborne brigade and what happened over his 14 month encampment.  It was pretty nuts to hear about his experience, with bullets flying past his head and day and night air fights that would terrify even the toughest soldier.  I was not familiar with his new book, but have read past publications and knew that he would be an extremely interesting author to hear speak.  He started out as a war correspondent and has since written for Vanity Fair and other news outlets, so he is well respected in the journalism world.


He was pretty engaging, explaining the conditions that these soldiers work in and the mindset they have.  Each one has had multiple brushes with death, yet keep choosing to go back to combat once their time is up.  It is absolutely baffling to me since I would pull a George Constanza in a fire and push little children out of the way.  Just kidding, but seriously, I get nervous if I see a bar fight where people just yell and push and maybe punch, let alone go a foreign country and fight, with guns and stuff.  I'm a total girl.


After the reading, which was complete with a protester who shouted out obnoxious generalizations about war and was then escorted out of the BPL (who gets escorted out of a library?!), we made our way into the lobby where copies of his book were being sold.  I picked up a copy and had it signed, which I feel is becoming one of my recent hobbies lately.  I am totally okay with it.  Ratty had bought a Groupon for O Sushi in the Prudential, so once we both had met and made awkward small talk with Sebastian Junger, 'so you're from Belmont, I'm from Cambridge, they are kinda near each other.  You live in Truro, right?  I've driven through it before.  Cool.', we made our way to grab some dinner.


I love sushi!  Wait, let me rephrase that, I love cooked sushi!  I am not one of those girls that can eat a roll with a slice of raw eel on top, or some raw tuna sashimi, no thank you.  I stick to my ever faithful shrimp tempura with spicy mayo.  I love spicy mayo, I could put it on everything and probably even drink it straight.  I also thoroughly enjoy edamame, which is a soy bean in its pod that is steamed then covered in salt.  They are so yummy!  And good for you too!  Whenever Ratty and I order it, I start shoveling them in my face so fast I forget that I'm supposed to be sharing.  Here is photographic evidence that I am an edamame hogger.  

Ratty's little pile looks so puny next to mine (I just had to google puny because I had absolutely no idea how to spell it.  Is there an e?  a w?  Even after spell checking it still doesn't look right.  Sighhhh.)  Anyway, maybe next time we should each get our own order, God knows I'm a fat kid anyways, why try and hide it and act like I'm a good sharer?  I grew up as an only child (with 8 siblings, go figure) so I wouldn't know sharing if it tripped me.  Case meet point.

62. June 7th, 2010 Picture.

My Cousin Timmy and his fiancée Becky are getting married in July and I am VERY excited for a Downey wedding!  We are a ton of fun, no really, we are the funnest people I know.  My cousins and I love spending time together, which I think is pretty unique, and special, and all around kick ass.  There are about 30 or so first cousins, not including any husband/wives/significant others/children, so when the whole family gets together, it is pretty overwhelming and borderline insane.  There are so many little kids running around that without fail my Uncle Bill will turn to me and go 'now which one is that and who does it belong to?'  We also really love to repeat names, so if you are new to the family, you pretty much just need to remember some key ones.  There are 2 Bills' (Uncle Bill and Cousin Bill), 3 Richards' (Uncle Dick, Big Richard and Little Richard), 2 Timmys' (Timmy from Weymouth and Timmy from Scituate), 2 Phils' (Uncle Phil and Cousin Phil), 2 Davids' (yep, you guessed it, Uncle Dave and Cousin Dave), and 3 Pauls' (Uncle Paul, Cousin Paul and Little Paul), oh and 2 Jacks', a Henry and a Harry, a Kate, Kara, Caroline, Caitlyn, Cassie, Sue, Sarah, Shawnna, 2 Stephanies', 2 Charlottes' and an Eddie.  Phew.  I should draw a map.

I am the second youngest in the family, with my cousin Liz coming in as the baby, at 25.  There aren't many single Downey cousins out there (I swear if the first cousins once removed start making laps around me, I might scream), so the weddings are few and far between now.  We went through a good run where we had about 2 or 3 a year for a few years and I am surprised that we all survived it, although we are now banned from the Days Inn in Mansfield, but whatever.  That was Maria's wedding and boy, was that fun.  I remember waking up the next morning and getting into the elevator and seeing that someone had wallpapered the entire elevator door with Sam Adams labels.  I knew that some Downey was behind it, heck I may have even helped!  The best story we like to tell is when my Cousin Dave fell asleep on a picnic table dressed in his suit and the hotel called the police to say a homeless man was sleeping outside.  When the police showed up Dave was sitting on the bench, fully decked out.  They asked if he'd seen anyone sleeping, and when he said no, they left.

Anyway, we have another Downey cousin getting married and I am beyond excited for it.  Since there are so many cousins, it was impossible for them to host us all at a traditional reception, so they are getting married in a small ceremony, with only our Aunts and Uncles present, and then throwing a huge party the following weekend for all their friends and family.  I got my invitation in the mail and I was pumped.  I also thought the address labeling was hilarious.

I saw Becky and Tim a few days later and told them I was most definitely a 'yes plus one'.  I asked Tim if he addressed my envelope but Becky said she did.  I told her I laughed out loud at the Ratty :) on the front and she said that she did it almost as a mistake.  Everyone I know calls Ratty, Ratty.  Even my mom, but his first name is Michael.  Becky said she had written Amy Deveau + Ratty... and realized that she should have written Michael Ratty and just turned the ... to a smiley face because she didn't know how to fix it.

I can't wait for July 31st!

62. June 6th, 2010 Picture.

Sunday afternoon, I made my way to Jamie's house to see the Dorchester Day parade.  I have no idea what exactly the significance of Dot Day is, but they throw a huge parade in its honor.  I parked my car at Jamie's apartment, went upstairs to finish my coffee and bagel and waited for the rest of my friends to arrive.  Once everyone got there, i.e. me, Mark, Jamie, Rachel, Dave, Erin and Cullum, we walked a block over to Tom English's Cottage, a local bar.  The parade goes straight down Dorcester Ave, and this bar offered a front row seat.  On our walk we stopped off at the Clapp Pear, which is just a gigantic bronze pear statue in the middle of an intersection, and took some pictures.  Again, I don't understand the meaning of the Clapp Pear, but it's a great marker when giving directions.  Props to the Boston Police who were walking by and offered to take the picture for us.  So friendly!

Once at Tom English's we hunkered down at a table near the window and ordered a round of beers.  We were there only a few minutes when food got brought out by the owners and we were all ordered to make a plate.  I love Dot Day!  As we were stuffing our faces with salad and little apps, the police cruisers went by to clear the parade way.  I made my way outside with a few others, since this was my first Dot Day I wanted to experience it in full. We parked ourselves on the curb and got ready for the festivities.  Once the parade started, it took 3.5 hours for it to make it's way to us, so needless to say that by the time the marching bands walked by us, there was no energy left to bang their drums.

{Jamie, Dave and I anxiously awaiting the start of the parade.}

{Um, unless this guy is live blogging from the parade, I doubt there is a need to bring your Macbook Air.}

{Jamie and Erin.  Curbside.}

{Didn't even know Boston HAD a dive team.  Makes sense I guess, but I was still impressed and needed a picture.}

{I had to physically restrain Jamie from running out and hugging the Governor.}

{These things scared the hell out of all the little kids around us.  And me.  I went inside when they walked by because they were walking up to people and freaking them out.}

{Then it hurricaned and I blinded the two nice guys standing in the doorway with my flash.  Whoopsies!}

After we waited for the storm to pass, we went back to Jamie and Rachel's to grill a little bit and hang out.  I really enjoyed my first Dot Day and am already looking forward to next year!

62. June 5th, 2010 Picture

Last Saturday, my friends Erin, Jen and I went to Gillette Stadium to see Taylor Swift in concert.  We bought the tickets ages ago, before I had grown tired of most of her songs, but was still excited to see her perform.  I had seen her open for Rascal Flatts a few years ago, and was impressed by her energy, so I was interested to see how her headlining tour would go.  She won Entertainer of the Year this past year at the Academy of Country Music Awards, which is the highest honor, and I needed to see if she was worthy of the title.  Because obviously, my opinion is the only one that counts for anything in this world.  I have seen a lot of concerts in my lifetime and have high expectations after seeing Kenny Chesney 4 times, plus numerous others, like 'N Sync 7 times, but who is really counting?

Jen, Erin and I left Southie at 2pm, hoping to skip some of the traffic, find a great spot and grab something to eat at one of the new restaurants at Patriot Place.  We thought there would be a lot of traffic getting down to Gillette, since there was a concert at the Comcast Center that day as well, but we zipped right there.  Before we knew it we were parked in one of the better lots that is known for getting cars out quick after shows, and walking towards Bar Louie for a drink and some food.  We got to the restaurant and it was pretty quiet, so we got a great high top in the bar area, and not so great service.  We were there for hours, since the show didn't start until 6pm, and by the time we were paying the check the place was packed and there was an hour and a half wait.

The weather looked iffy, with scattered thunderstorms and even tornado warnings, so I needed to grab a poncho at nearby EMS.  I had an umbrella and a jacket, but thought that a poncho might serve me better if there was wind.  I walked to a display and grab a poncho whose package said 'big enough for 2 people'.  We all got a laugh out of this, plus the picture on the box has 2 sad looking people huddled the bright orange poncho.  We joked how they shouldn't be so unhappy since they were dry, and were extremely excited to crack the box open and see what exactly a large/grande poncho made for  2 people would look like.  We laughed all the way through paying, and made our way in to the stadium.

After walking up a never ending ramp and countless stairs that left us in pain and gasping for air, we finally reached our seats, which were one row away from the complete end of the stadium.  I guess this is what $45 will get out nowadays.  The show started soon after and Gloriana opened up.  I love them and had actually seen them in a private show at the Hard Rock Cafe downtown a few months ago and got to meet them, so I love them even more than before.  The sound was kind of shaky but I guess that's what happens when you are the first act on.  Kellie Pickler came on after and knocked it out of the park.  Both Erin and I love her and were so excited to see her perform.  We both agree that she was the best of the entire show, she is truly talented.  After Kellie, Justin Bieber performed, which was a last minute addition to the line up.  After he sang, we all agreed that we had Bieber Fever.  He was really great and sang live while dancing, which I feel is impressive today, since most people lip sync.   Quick shot of the 3 of us:

It started to drizzle so I whipped out my poncho, ready to cover the entire row in bright orange plastic.  Once opened, all 3 of us put it over our laps like a blanket to figure out exactly how it worked.  The material was more shiny than I thought it'd be and we compared it to the blankets they pass out to runners after they finish a marathon.  I took pictures of the NASA symbol on the front, since we thought it was weird that they needed NASA's help to make a poncho, and broke into cackles of laughter at the warning BE SAFE stamped all across the front.  What the heck is up with this poncho?  It's JUST a poncho, no need for safety warnings or NASA plugs.  Jen started running her hands along the bottom looking for the head and we couldn't find it.  Maybe it's just a rain tarp and we're supposed to hold it above our heads, we thought.  I pulled out the packaging again to read the directions, yes, I was looking up the directions to a poncho, when I saw that it was not in fact a poncho, but an emergency blanket.  Across the front were words like WATERPROOF (which I again thought was weird to print on poncho packaging, yet still no red flags went up), RETAINS 90% OF BODY HEAT (it was 95 degrees that day!  Who needs to retain any body heat??), and ADVENTURE MEDICAL KITS.  We had all looked at the packaging in both the store and stadium.  We exhausted talk of ponchos and rain in front of the cashier at EMS, yet she never alerted us to the fact that it.was.not.a.poncho.  I took pictures of the package before even opening it, just to document the awesomeness of a 2 person poncho.  Even when OPENED, staring at BE SAFE and NASA, no one even imagined it was anything else.  We were so hysterical at our own stupidity that the laughter caught on and before we knew it our row had the giggles.  The woman next to me was gasping for air as her 10 year old daughter was asking what was wrong.  We had tears streaming down our face and pains in our chest because we were just plain old idiots.

{Just documenting how miserable the 2 people in the picture looked.  I mean, why so glum, you're dry aren't you?  And you're in the most  awesomeness of awesome ponchos, you should be so HAPPY!  Little did I know the were unhappy because they needed a survival blanket. }

{Just another run of the mill poncho made from certified space technology.  Casual.}

{STILL no one realized that this wasn't a poncho.}

{Erin modeling the cool silver side.  This is the greatest poncho EVER!'}

{Ohhhhhh, I'm an idiot.  And for the record, in the 10 seconds it took for this picture to be taken, I started sweating profusely.  The packaging does not lie, it does retain 90% of your body heat.  They weren't joking.}

Thankfully the few stray rain drops were all we got for the night, so I could put the faux poncho away.  Taylor Swift came out shortly after this debacle, and I was underwhelmed.   She took 1 million dramatic pauses and really loved to swagger and flip her hair.  She was so dramatic it was almost campy, and I didn't love it.  She also got uber preachy, and warned the boys in the audience that if you don't want a song written about you then you should do bad things.  Hi Taylor, some guys are awful and I don't need a 20 year old to tell me that.  Call me when your hearts been broken, then maybe we can have an adult conversation.  You know, one that doesn't include the word fairytale.

All in all, I guess I'm glad I went.  I got to see Gloriana, Kellie and Justin and laugh myself into hiccups over a poncho, which was worth the $45 in my opinion.  I could have done without Taylor and stick to my feelings that she does not deserve the title of Entertainer of the Year.  I've seen better performances on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, which by the way is the BEST of the Housewives series.  Mark it.