Red Sox Game

I've been told that to truly experience Boston, you have to go to a Red Sox game. So, Dan and I bought some internet tickets and went to the Red Sox vs Cardinals game last night.

When we got there it started raining so we grabbed a bite to eat and waited it out.


We braved it in the rain briefly but didn't have to wait long. Here the boys are removing the rain tarp:


The rainbow in the sky looked like a good sign for the Red Sox. Sadly not, though.


They wore green jerseys and mowed a shamrock in the grass to honor the Celtics. Before the game started they also had a ceremony and Paul Pierce threw the ceremonial first pitch:


Manny Ramirez at bat:


Manny sliding in:


During the game:


Fenway:


After the game. The cop was yelling at us to leave as some nice girl took this pic:

Celtics Parade

To celebrate their NBA championship, Boston held a parade today for the Celtics. No beads, beer, or nudity so it was completely unlike the parades I'm used to. But the crowd did get a bit rowdy at times and threw toilet paper around for entertainment until the "floats" (i.e. Duckboats) arrived. Dan, Rosie, and I squeezed into the crowd so we could get a glimpse of the team as they passed by.

Killing time throwing toilet paper


Coach Doc Rivers


MVP Paul Pierce


Sam Cassell


Kevin Garnett and Sam Cassell


Glen "Big Baby" Davis


Rosie and Me


Dan and Me

Family Time

My mom and grandmother stopped in for a couple of days on their way back from Quebec. It was really nice to see them again and spend some time with the family. They stayed with my aunt and uncle in Dunstable, which is about an hour away from where we live. We had a nice dinner there Monday evening and Tuesday we went to see the new house Aunt Kap and Uncle Jon are buying (see pics below.) Then mom and I rode the train into Boston (Dan drove back Monday night since he had class the next morning) and she got to see our new apartment and walk around Cambridge with us for a few hours. Aunt Kap, Uncle Jon, and Grandma Toy all came in that evening and we met up at a Cuban-French restaurant for dinner. I wish they could have stayed longer, but I'm glad we got to see my mom and grandma at least for a couple days.

After dinner we went home to watch the Boston Celtics absolutely demolish the Lakers for the national championship win. It was great to watch Garnett win his first championship (Dan has been a fan for years and years) and to watch Glen "Big Baby" Davis (a former LSU basketball player) score a few points in the finals game. Apparently, like South Louisiana, Boston has a reputation for celebrating too hard. The mayor requested bars turn their TVs or put down the blinds so crowds don't form in the streets and cops were all over to make sure things didn't get out of hand. Even still, at least 30 people were arrested and things got a bit out of hand. (See these riots)


Here are some pictures of the house they bought. By my count it has:
Basement:
-1 sunroom
-1 kitchenette connected to a den area with a woodburning stove
-3/4 bath (no tub but everything else)
-Pool room
-Two workrooms/bedrooms/whatever rooms

First Floor:
-2 dens
-Kitchen and breakfast room
-Large bedroom
-Dining room
-Deck leading to pool/hot tub area

Second Floor:
-1 Master bedroom and master bath
-2 guest bedrooms
-Full bath

Outside:
-Barn
-Greenhouse
-"Pool House"
-Large garden
-Orchard with 3 apple trees and 2 peach trees
-Large paddock for horses

Back of house (for some reason I didn't take any pics of the front)


Dining room


Den


Kitchen


Master bedroom on second floor


Whirlpool tub in master bath


Pool


The current/previous owner shows Aunt Kap how to clean the pool


Barn for the horses


Garden to the left, greenhouse in the center and "pool house" (AKA chicken coop) to the right


Strawberry from the garden. It was delicious!

Scooperbowl Thursday and Graffiti Friday

Every year Boston holds the Scooperbowl - a fundraiser for cancer research and treatment. Ice cream companies donate tons of ice cream and volunteers scoop up everything from Cold Stone to Ben and Jerrys. For $8 bucks you get to eat as much as you want. Dan said it was the best $8 he had spent in a long time.

View of the plaza it was set up on:


It was in front of the city court house. Guess what's legal in MA?


We also walked around BU a little to see what the campus is like. Dan was already somewhat familiar with the campus since that is where he takes his bar prep courses.

Chapel on campus. In front of it (not pictured) is an abstract memorial to MLK who was an alumni.


BU flag


Today I had an interview that hopefully went well. On my way back to the T I stumbled across some amazing graffiti art and took a few pics:

Beat LA!

We went out with my Uncle Jon and Aunt Kap to this wonderful Indian restaurant called Tamarind Bay. I'm fantasizing about digging into our leftovers as I write, but Dan refuses to let me serve it up until I can find some naan to go along with it. But on top of being yummy food, it was nice to get to see them again. They recently moved to Massachusetts because my uncle got a new job, but previously they lived in Michigan meaning that we still rarely saw them. It is nice to have some family in town.

I also had a job interview this past Friday. Well, to call it an interview might be overstating it a bit. Basically, I just dressed up to go meet with a lady at a temp agency. I want to work full time hours this summer but obviously once classes start I won't be able to do that. Most positions were looking for a permanent employee, not a newbie who just wanted to work for the summer. So a temp agency seemed the simpliest way to go about getting a job like that in a new city. Starting Monday she'll call me if they have any positions open up and I'll rush off to fill the place of secretaries on maternity leave, receptionists with the flu, and to do mind numbing tasks no one regularly employed at the office will stoop to complete. Fun times!

On a completely different note, I got bored and looked up the history of our building. Meaning I put "98 Strathmore" into Google and browsed what came up. I did manage to find out that our building was originally owned by Abraham Kaplan (who also owned the buildings next door) and that it was built from 1916-1925 in Georgian Revival architecture. I found this cool site with a 1925 map of all the structures in Brighton and Allston (a nearby neighborhood.) You can check it out yourself at this website.
But to save you the time I'll post the section with our building. It is to the far right, pointed out by the lime green arrow.

P.S. There is the possibility that the building was owned by this particular Abraham Kaplan who lived in MA around the right time.

Go Celtics!

Boston has gone crazy since the Celtics made it to the NBA Finals. The banner below was on the City Court House yesterday. I'm sure it is still up since they won their first game against the Lakers. The highlights look like it was a good game, but we didn't end up watching much of it. Our friend Kelsy (one of my bridesmaids in our wedding) came in town a few days for a microbiology conference. She was supposed to leave yesterday, but her flight got canceled. So she and her friend Ranj ended up spending the night on our fancy blow up mattress. Their flight is supposed to leave out today at 3:00 so hopefully they make it home at a decent time today.




Yesterday I ended up getting off a stop past where I was supposed to. I walked home the extra couple of blocks and discovered some pretty architecture and a nice place to go walking/jogging.

A building along the way. I wonder if that is a portrait of someone who originally owned the place or if it was just picked because it is pretty?



Apparently the Chestnut Hill Reservoir is right around the corner from us and I hadn't even realized it. According to Wikipedia, it was built in 1870 to provide more water for the city. It isn't necessary today, but it is maintained for emergencies. There is a 1.56 mile jogging loop around the water that looked very pretty.