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I suppose it is customary to do some reflecting this time of year. Last year I did this reflection around my birthday, but this year I was so busy I didn't have time! So, I guess that is a good place to start: 2010 was BUSY. I was a maid of honor, I moved to a different state, started graduate school, and traveled to a different state nearly weekly for the entire months of June and July!

Honorable mentions for describing 2010 go to:

• Independence
• New city/apartment/friends/life
• It went by so quickly!
• Saying goodbye (Hopefully 2011 will be full of saying hello again!)
• Beautiful

Happy Boxing Day!

Here are several poorly written odds and ends on this year's holiday festivities:

• First- a gratuitous photo of me enjoying about five of my Christmas gifts at once. That is my mahjong face.
  

• There's a blizzard going on! Good thing we have a ton of candy from our stockings to sustain us!


• I hope everyone had a day as nice as I did yesterday. I really wanted to see my family for Christmas (this was my first one away from home) and through the magic of Skype, my wish came true!! Brad and I really took it slow yesterday, capping off the holiday with a simple steak dinner. We don't normally eat red meat, so it was a real treat for us!


• Fingers crossed for Brad to have a snow day from work so we can use his new sled!


• I'm also really hoping for some more mild weather on New Year's Eve so we can enjoy the fireworks over the Boston Harbor at First Night! I've got to find something festive but warm to wear...maybe that will just mean some red lipstick and some nice earrings poking out from my hat. :o/
  

A Haiku

Today I am sick

Just in time for finals week

Keep calm, carry on.

Give Thanks

I am spending the holiday with just my lover, and will be making the big meal by myself, for the first time! I suppose it's a good distraction from the fact that our families are so very far away. Anyway, here is a blog post for a very adorable banner (which coincidentally is on a very adorable blog), and here is the banner hanging in our bay window:




I am thankful for a whole host of things, but mostly for the love and support from my friends and family, and for Brad who happens to be a super being somewhere in between the most treasured friend, and the backbone of the family we are engaged to begin in the future. Sometimes I'm a little hard on my life, but it really is one of the better ones.

A Cauldron of Hot, Strong Love

This morning, for my birthday, my lover and I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 in Cambridge. Then, since we were on that side of town, we went to the famous L.A. Burdick for some hot chocolate. Can I just say...ugh. There are no words. I forgot my camera, so marvel at these little gems from around the web:


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I'm a little obsessed with the mouse and penguin truffles! They're so tiny and cute! (And probably delicious too! I just wouldn't have the heart to eat one.)

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I read a review of this place on yelp that said this is obviously the medicinal chocolate taken after an encounter with dementors, as described in the Harry Potter books. I totally agree.

Brad has decided, based on this hot chocolate alone, that we should live here forever. I'm not sold, but this is very persuasive.

Also, today was the Harvard v Yale football game, and I saw lots of people wearing sweaters like this:

Both via

I now need one with my school's monogram.

Thank you for such a sweet Saturday, lover!

Apartment Therapy

Our apartment literally had 2 feet of counter space. One foot on either side of the sink. This is not enough. So, Brad built this little make shift workspace out of a piano stand and some giant Tupperware lids. Observe:

I know, it's a little depressing.

We finally bought nice pub table from an unfinished wood furniture store, and stained it ourselves. We even had it custom measured to fit our tiny kitchen!

We stained it ourselves, out on the balcony.

Brad smoothed it out with some steel wool for a professional finish. Now our kitchen is easy to work in, looks warm and cozy, and has a great space for cooking a Thanksgiving feast!

The Google doodle today is honoring Robert Lewis Stevenson. It was interesting and cool and all of that, but I was looking at his wikipedia page, when I found this photo of him.

This is what really interests me! It was taken in 1888, and I thought it was so compelling because I don't see many candid photo portraits from that era. Usually 19th century portraits are so emotionless, I guess because they're trying to keep still, but the intensity with which he looks at the camera here is great!

Thinly Veiled Harry Potter Nerdiness

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This is today's "look of the day" on the InStyle website. Look of the day? More like "the look of all time"!

Need.

A girl walked into one of my classes flirting with being preppy to the point of costume. Pink button down, flipped up collar, yellow wellies with pink and blue gingham trim, and pearl stud earrings. I think part of the reason her outfit looked really chic, rather than looking like a costume is that everything was pressed, and beautifully cut. Her outfit fit her like a glove. The other reason for her look being so awesome was her REALLY great headband. It was so simple, but it had the perfect luxurious touch: a horse bit. It's a nice departure from the usual nautical interpretation of the preppy aesthetic. I might even go so far to say this look suggests some sort of elitism in preppiness, with only the very upper echelons of "society" partaking in equestrian sports like polo. (Listen to me! Like "society" matters. This sounds so snobby...I really don't mean it to be! ) Yes, I had all of these thoughts on a headband. You can think what you want about that. :o/

I found it here. She's got the black one, which is the color I would pick too. I have so many other things I need to spend money on before I shell out $30 for a head band...but it's so perfect! Forever 21 and H+M, are you listening??? I need this on the cheap, and I need it now! Maybe I should submit a request to Miss Madeline to help me with this little case of fashion lust. Also, I was quite tickled to see a little shout-out to the bit motif in fashion on Miss Ginny's blog this week!

Baking(read: mental health) Day

Do I have a ton of work to do? Yes.
Am I doing it? Maybe later.
What am I doing instead?
Baking whole wheat banana bread and making cranberry-apple sauce!
Hey, it's dark and misty out... I'm entitled.

Ear Muffs

I think I have really low set ears or something, because it's really hard for me to find hats that sufficiently protect my ears from the cutting Boston wind without nearly covering my eyes! I think I have found the perfect solution. Item number one on my current wish list?

Ear muffs!

If you have $1255 to blow and you don't have any problem with using animal fur, these are quite pretty.

I'm actually have a bit of trouble finding them for sale in stores , so I've done a little looking around and I found this really cute DIY method:



She uses a sewing machine, but I think ear muffs are small enough to sew by hand if you (like me) do not own a sewing machine. (YET! This would be item number 2 on my wish list.) I bet with this method and a bit of patience and a decent ribbon/ sparkle stash, a reasonable faux fur facsimile of the Lavin ear muffs could be achieved.

Happy November!

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Apologies! I'm putting my life on hold to go to school! I wish I could blog, but I really have very little desire to document myself doing homework. Again.

Although, there is one little bit of information to note: I registered for Spring 2011 classes this morning! :o) ( I told you, no life. Life is on hold.)

Happy November!

Our Place

Yesterday was one of extremely good fortune! It started out appearing to be the opposite, because my lover wanted to go for a run, but he couldn't find his gloves. He looked in a box under the bed, and didn't find his gloves, but an envelope with a substantial amount of money inside! He eventually found his gloves and went on his run. He bought himself some winter boots, and he still had some money left over, so we went on an adventure to a part of town we haven't seen yet.

We were really missing the last town we lived in, and were feeling like Boston was just too posh for us! We had heard that Jamaica Plain had a lot of parallels to the last place, so we went there with the hope of remedying our homesickness. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! It was every bit as laid back as the place we left, ten times more adorable, and I swear the place we found for dinner was made purely for our delight and only our delight. That's how perfect it was.

The Haven is a Scottish bar and restaurant...you decide which description to put first, because they do both equally well. (I just put them in alphabetical order.) The food is a foodie's dream. The most beautiful Haggis and Neeps, Fish Supper (fish and chips with a side of mint,pea mash), house ground apple sage sausage, with mashed sweet potatoes, and braised kale, all washed down with some beautiful Scottish beer that Brad ordered.(I can't remember what it was called.) It had these sweet and dark toffee notes at the end that made my eyes roll into the back of my head. AND everyone there was soooo nice! The staff, the owner, the other diners, everyone! Brad would also like to make note of how great it smells in there,like antique wood. Yes. This is our place to go on dates, to bring friends, whatever!

We walked around the neighborhood a bit, and found a Cuban restaurant which is begging for a visit as well! We stumbled into an Irish pub, complete with traditional a Celtic band sitting around one of the tables, and playing sporadically between sips of their pints and their own lively conversation. It was pretty cool, they had a really great variety of beers (but were out of the Wheihenstephan, boo!) So Brad and I had our pints and a celebratory shot of Jameson, and were on our way home. The whiskey warmed us so much we decided to walk the nearly three miles home!

Of course we were sucked into our favorite bookshop along the way, and I found a copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray, in the used books basement! I was particularly excited because they don't have this book at the Boston Public Library. Finally (yes, there is more!) on our way home we ran into one of my friends from Health Law, and we had a chat about going to Jamaica Plain and how great it is there. She too, loves The Haven, and informed us that Belle & Sebastian love it too!!! *squeal!!!!* I die! So naturally we are going there next week after class and we're inviting all of our friends! Yes, the fun will continue! :o)

AND they finally turned the heat on in our building! WIN WIN WIN!!!

I apologize, this post is very poorly written, but I am so excited about last night, the memories just exploded out of my fingers!

Eat to the beat!

I started a new blog! It's a collection of recipes and music. Two of my favorite things! I won't stop making entries here, because I still like my little diary, but I do hope you'll check out my new project and that you'll try my food! :o)

Once, Twice, Chicken Soup with Rice

Last weekend Brad was so sweet! I was feeling the sting of mid-terms so he made me a big 'ole pot of love (chicken soup with rice)! Of course I had to look up the song on Youtube, and now I'm singing it all the time. Particularly the October verse:


When I googled "October Chicken Soup with Rice" I found this photo...which turned out to be on this lovely blog: Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves. It's simply beautiful!

Come and knock on our door!

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I had lunch with one of my aunts and her boyfriend yesterday! It was such a treat, because this is the first family visit I've had here in Boston, and she came all the way from MIAMI! I feel so loved and re-energized to keep doing my thing even though I'm so far away from home.

We went to this very adorable restaurant just outside of the city called The Regal Beagle, whose tag-line is " A Local Joint". That's it in the photo! If you click on the little "via" link you can read a review of the restaurant too! It was so fantastic, and it turned out to be a really good place to go because my aunt's boyfriend just bought a restaurant and he was really inspired by this place! We talked about how the person writing his menu wasn't really that into it, and I immediately got to work, in my head, to writing a breakfast menu for a restaurant that sells only comfort food....*commence day dream waves*

Breakfast
sweet

Banana Pancakes: Nobody can make the quite like my dad does, but these are pretty darn close! 3 Light, fluffy, perfectly golden and steaming hot, with banana slices that have caramelized on the griddle.

Oatmeal: Steel cut oats, cooked to perfection with a palate of toppings for you to artfully mix in! Brown sugar, honey, dried fruit, fresh seasonal fruit, sliced toasted almonds, and cinnamon

Cinnamon Rolls: Ask what kind of rolls our artisan baker has prepared today! (and then they'd hear about some special like "French Morning Rolls- croissant dough filled with cinnamon, brown sugar, and the zest of one of our famous Florida oranges that has been tossed in sugar 'n' spice while it's still hot for a satisfyingly crunchy first bite!")

Homemade Toaster Pastries: Yeah, you'll never go back. These are buttery and fresh pastries filled with home made seasonal fruit fillings.

Biscuits and Tea for two: A basket of hot buttermilk biscuits served with a sampling of toppings! Homemade seasonal preserves, clotted cream, local honey, whipped butter, sugar 'n' spice, and depending on the season, fresh lemon curds, apple butter, or pumpkin butter. You also get an endless pot of our premium loose leaf teas!

savory

Biscuits and Gravy: This is the breakfast your grandmother cooked ...on a weekday...without destroying her kitchen...2 piping hot buttermilk biscuits, smothered in country gravy; hash browns, two eggs cooked to order and a bowl of fresh fruit.

Omelette: Two eggs cooked in the traditional french style with your choice of fresh fillings. The french prefer tomatoes, onions and fresh herbs. My family says the only way is with cheddar and ham. My fiance demands onions, peppers and provalone. What will you choose?

Weekend Eggs: This is my mom's weekend specialty. Two eggs prepared the way you like them; your choice of house ground sausage, thick sliced bacon, or Canadian bacon; toasted artisan bread (comes with butter, and preserves or sugar 'n' spice).

The Hash: When I was a kid, I was a huge fan of the canned stuff...what can I say? Kids are weird. Now I've grown up, and I know what real love is. Our hash is comprised of our house pickled corned beef (the same stuff we use on our reubens), potatoes, onions, and secret spices! Oh, yeah...you also get two eggs cooked the way you like them. But who cares about those when The Hash is on your plate??



Other offerings: Cream of wheat with sugar 'n' spice , grits, thick sliced bacon, Canadian bacon, house ground breakfast sausage patties, corned beef hash, toasted artisan bread (comes with butter, and home made preserves or sugar 'n' spice), extra eggs, fresh fruit, fresh, hand squeezed florida orange or grapefruit juice, mimosas, french pressed coffee, loose leaf tea, and milk

*end daydream waves*

Yeah...come eat at my pretend restaurant. :o)
Also, if you go to the Regal Beagle...the fish tacos are where it's at!

Monster Makeup Skills!

I'm getting really excited about Halloween, even though I'm pretty sure it will end up being a night spent giving boatloads of candy to all 4 of the children who live in our building. :o/ Anyway, I saw this over on bellasugar and it blew my mind. I'm a little sad there isn't very much back to back footage of the before and after, because this girl looks NOTHING like Jared Leto without her insane makeup skills. Anyway, here's a trick and a treat rolled into one!

Autumn Leaves Cobbler

The filling for this cobbler is inspired by the colors of the autumn leaves for which New England is so famous, the season's offerings (sweet apples and tart plums) and their traditional spicy accompaniments (cloves and cinnamon)! I am adjusting to baking for two, so the recipe only yields about 4 servings. It also helps to keep the whole thing economical. Cutting the recipe down increases the number of different things you can bake so, it sort of stretches your staples (flour, sugar, butter, eggs). You'll also notice that I put a lot of notes in the recipe, these are just things I include so people know how many corners you can cut while still baking from scratch! See? NO EXCUSES! If this sounds good to you, make it happen! Also, I put it in a very small casserole dish, but it's really easy to double if you need more to share. Enjoy!

For the Crust and Dumplings
1 cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp butter (chilled and cubed)

1 tbsp shortening (chilled and cubed... just throw it in a small bowl with the butter and put the bowl in the freezer while I do all of the rest of my prep.)

1.5 tbsp cold water


Preheat your oven to 375 degrees(F) and grease a 6x6 glass baking pan...or some equally small vessel suitable for baking. Then in a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Grab your butter and shortening from the freezer and pinch them in until the mixture looks like wet sand. Add the water. It should just be damp enough to hold together when you close it in your fist. Mash the dough into one lump, cover the bowl and put it in the fridge while you prepare your luscious fruit filling.

Luscious Fruit Filling
1 tbsp corn starch (Okay, so this isn't really something that people usually keep on hand, but it's cheap, and it goes a really long way. It is what makes your cobbler so luscious!)

1/2 c sugar

1/16 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp cinnamon ( I know these are infinitesimal measurements. The thing is, I want a little interest, but I don't want to loose the flavors of the fruit either. I usually just do one tiny pinch of the cloves and two tiny pinches of cinnamon.)

1 small apple

1 medium nectarine or peach (These are actually kind of expensive this time of year as they are not in season, but I had some squirreled away in the freezer from the summer time. It shouldn't set you back too much to just buy one peach or nectarine, but you know... we're trying to be cost conscious here.)

2 small plums (all of the fruit should add up to one pound total...so should you find yourself substituting, keep that amount in mind.)



Combine the sugar, corn starch, cloves and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Peel, core, and slice your apple into 1/2 to 1 inch slices, pit and slice your stone fruit to the same size. (To pit the nectarines and plums I usually just cut them in half starting at the stem and going around, twist one side off then pick the pit out with the tip of the knife.) Mix the fruit with the sugar and set aside while you get back to your dough.

Take about 1/3 of the dough and break them into little marbles (1/2 inch diameter?) and put them in the bottom of your baking vessel. Then put the fruit slurry (it should already be throwing juice) in the pan. Finally, roll out the remainder of your dough until it's big enough to cover the fruit (you don't have to make a seal like a pie, but you know, try to cover as much of the fruit as you can). I don't actually own a rolling pin, so I use one of those aluminum water canteens to roll out my dough. I used to have a really lovely Bordeaux bottle, but it got knocked off it's home on top of the fridge...

Bake for 1 hour, then broil for 3 minutes. Cool for 15-30 minutes before wrapping yourself and your cobbler buddy (mine is my lover) into a cozy blanket with steaming bowls of autumn-y goodness!

**Also, since this is a Nissa original, I would greatly appreciate credit if you decide to share this one, thanks! **

Southern Hospitality

It is my weekend routine to take some time to read all of the wedding blogs I follow, so I have a week's worth of posts to keep me blissfully entertained for at least an hour. My favorite part is the when some of them post "links for Friday" or something like that.

Now, even though I'm in New England at the present, doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two about sweet tea, and biscuits! I present to you the most charming party/wedding idea of the week...


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As soon as you get over how pretty the whole thing looks, you remember that it's a bar of fluffy (I choose to believe they're still piping hot), melt in your mouth biscuits ready to be slathered with that gorgeous honey! Yes, THIS is the world in which we live!
The link I found was on Snippet & Ink, but they found it in the archives of 100 Layer Cake. I follow both of these stunning blogs, and my only regret is that I didn't know about them until I became a bride to be! We aren't planning our wedding until after I've finished graduate school, so for now I just read for the sake of being inspired in my day to day life by beauty and love. I think in graduate school, you need that sometimes. :o)

This weekend is a 5 day weekend for me...hooray! Pop quiz:

Am I taking time to catch up on my:
a)sight seeing?
b)homework?
c)baking list?
d)appointments?
e)all of the above?


Yes! Yes! It's "e"!

I'm already off to a good start with running errands all around town yesterday (which happened to take place around the Freedom Trail), and I made banana muffins last night. I used the recipe from the bakery I used to work for. It was a little bit of that happy place, right here in Boston!
Anyway, here is your prize for guessing correctly on the quiz!

Are you ready for Halloween?

Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch

As I made my morning cup of tea today, I realized that I am almost out of sugar! The horror! Perhaps going to the store to pick some up some will remind me to get crackin' on my miles long baking list

-Banana Bread
-Apple-Plum-Nectarine Galette
-Fox and Obel Brownies
-Chocolate Chip Cookies
-Apple Sauce (Technically not baked, but still makes the apartment feel like a home.)
-Pumpkin Pie (Brad's favorite)
-Pumpkin Pasties for the Trick or Treaters! (And candy, just in case their parents are lame.)

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Did anyone else blink and open their eyes to find that September was over?

The Boston Pops!

The Boston Pops were giving a free show on the Common last Sunday!





So my friends and I loaded up our picnic baskets with snacks and blankets, hopped on the T and set up shop. It was a lovely afternoon (despite the misty weather), and I am looking forward to our next Bostonian adventure!

Duran Duran 2.0?

Kiss of Life




I'm not sure if I love them because I love Duran Duran, or if I don't because I think they should do their own thing...Eh, I love 'em. Also, there are various versions of Skeleton Boy, collect them all! (Or at least, check them out.)

You know how some people put up blog posts that are completely and utterly uninteresting to anyone but themselves? Yeah, this is going to be one of those posts. Sorry.

Last night for dessert Brad and I had candy corn (or in Brad's case Mellowcreme Pumpkins) and baked apples for dessert. And it was autumn-y and wonderful.

I wasn't able to take a picture...we ate them too quickly, but they looked something like this via:

The apples reminded me of one of the activities published in the newsletter sent out to members of the American Girl Club. It was an article about throwing a fall themed party in Samantha's time. There were party gifts hidden in walnut shells, stuffed baked apples and Victorian games. Very cute. Do you remember that?? Why did they get rid of it? And Samantha. Seriously. WTF, Pleasant Company? Probably because they realized it didn't stop little girls from growing up to write things like "WTF" in their blogs. I digress.

Make baked apples this fall. It satisfies the soul.

To do for September

1. Pick Apples (We're going to Autumn Hills Orchard)
2. Three Floors of Ska
3. Boston Pops on the Boston Common
4. Berklee Bean Town Jazz Festival
5. Follow every recipe in the apple chapter of Sarah Raven's book In Season.

I suppose I could go to class and clean my apartment from time to time this month too.

Also, HOW CUTE IS THAT LITTLE "HELLO SEPTEMBER" IMAGE?! The other images on the site are mostly those mushy things that are made into bumper stickers on facebook...but this one is just so cute!

Versitile Blogger!

The little lady who authors Home Says Hello, my cousin/best friend Christina, has included me in her list of Versitle Bloggers! Hooray! It's quite an honor coming from her since I enjoy her blog so much! She's got mad web design skills and excellent taste to go with them, making her blog a joy to stumble up on even before you've read any of the posts. And then you know she's really something special when you read her humorous, honest, and useful posts.


I appears to be the case that in order to accept this acclamation I must list 7 things about myself. This is going to be hard since this blog is pretty much about me (God, that's narcissistic). Let's see if I can find some novel material for this.


1. The thing all of my friends have in common is the fact that they are excellent critical thinkers, even though I'm not the best at it. I suppose it's a little selfish of me, but hey, we can't all be chiefs, somebody's got to just be part of the tribe, right? Philosophers, lawyers, writers, historians and the like are my people.

2. My sisters and I believe that "Music is a kind and truthful speech, in a language out of mere words reach." -Sigma Alpha Iota Chorale

3. I love to sing, and I can carry a tune okay, but my voice isn't actually that pleasant. So, I sing for as long as I can whenever I'm home alone.

4. I am currently suffering the side effects of a Hepatitis B vaccination, with a runny nose, a sore throat, and the feeling that I've recently had a swift kick in the back.

5. There is a show called Parking Wars on hulu that has caused me to foster an appreciation and a soft spot for parking meter attendants in my heart.

6. I call my immediate family daily.

7. My dad just got a new job that will be A LOT less stressful than his old one, and that makes me VERY happy!

Can I get back to you on the people I'd like to tag? Cool.

To do today

• Pay rent
• Make arrangements to complete shot records
  
• Pay parking ticket (BOOOOO!)
  
• Bake espresso meringues (yes, this is absolutely necessary.)
• Make small dent in the mountain of laundry
  
• Clean bathroom
• Clean bedroom
• Clean kitchen
• Clean apartment
  
• Exchange peanut butter at Trader Joe's because ours was opened (Come on!)

It's my last day of summer holiday from school. Orientation is tomorrow and the next day, the first day of school is on Thursday....Okay new list:

• Wear sundress and sandals
• Enjoy a beer popsicle
• Take a walk along the river
• Camp out in the living room because it's too hot to be in bed

Yes, that's much better.

P.S.
Even though it's the end of summer vacation you better believe I'll be doing Summer-y things on the weekends until September 21!

Barely Boston, Part 2- The Bedroom

Our bedroom is quite the blank canvas, so the photos leave a little to be desired. But, it is clean, comfortable, sunny and (most importantly) it is ours. We have some nice architectural elements to work with, and a few brilliant decorative pieces of which I'm very proud.

There was originally a window in our room that looked out into the hallway, but it has been filled in to leave a very cool decorating element. I'm trying to convince Brad that we need to put a wall paper sample in it to make a nice back ground for some shelves... he's not entirely sold on the idea.

And yes, you did see what you thought you saw...
It's so quintessentially him. :o)
Our windows! They let in lots of sunlight( It was night time when I took these photos...because I just couldn't wait for the next day!) and fresh air. Those little picture frames look familiar...

There's something familiar about that artwork too...


I love this foot locker at the end of the bed. It goes nicely with the hardwood floors, don't you think?


This was the only angle from which I could capture most of the room. Things In this photo that I love: The windows, the wall hangings, the chair in the corner, the radiator, the reversible quilt, the high floorboards, and the Union Jack for a little kitsch (and to cover up the busted frame surrounding Brad's Combat Rock poster). So, pretty much everything.

In other news, I have a job as a temp for an agency which specializes in events. It's a great, non-intrusive job. I just finished a gig this weekend, and I was already asked back for another one in the future. I guess that means they're happy with me! :o)

In other-other news, one of my friends from back home (and by back home I mean, we went to school together from K to 12!) came by for a pancake breakfast cooked by my lover and hosted by me! It's SO nice to have some company, and for it to be someone from home just makes it that much better. Our timing for meeting up was perfect, since she just bought a couch, she and her Sean are getting rid of their old futon...and they are giving it to us...with waffle fries! FO' FREE! (Except without the waffle fries.) I have yet to decide on an adequate thank you pastry for them, but what ever it is, I can safely say it will have to be great to cover the gratitude I feel! I have until this weekend to come up with a recipe.


Parking is still a nightmare. School starts a week from tomorrow, I still need to get my shot records signed. I'm now an expert at commuting across town on the T. It's been cold and rainy for 5 days, it's supposed to be warm tomorrow. Brad and I have library cards, and thus we do not have a netflix account. Minutia, details, boring, etc.

30 Years of Cool!

The moment I saw this post I immediately thought it belonged over on Glorious Nonsense!

Nectarines

Trader Joe's had a 4 lb box of nectarines last week, and of course I had to have it. It was such a good purchase! I of course ate some of them fresh, letting the juice run down my chin. (This is the most appropriate way to enjoy them in August.) I couldn't eat 4 lbs of nectarines in less than a week, so I had to get a little creative. I found them to be great for a lot of projects!

Like, making cobbler...




...and jam!

I cut the rest of them in half, skinned and pitted them, and put them in the freezer for a cold day which, I'm sure, will beg for more cobbler!

Barely Boston, Part 1-Living Room/ Office/ Meditation/Music Room

I must admit, the amount of time I spend out in the city is a lot less than it should be. That's only because I love our apartment so very much! Sadly it is so awesome that it makes our dorm furniture look like absolute junk. Oh, well. Something to aspire to, right? I think it's lovely the way it is, as long as it is a refuge for just Brad and me, but it is in no state to welcome guests as we only have two chairs and no couch. Anyway, here it is in all of it's glory.





If you can tear your eyes away from the beautiful floors and that stunning window for a moment, you will notice all the bundles and bundles of wires. This makes me CRAZY. But such is the life of a tenant in an old building. Each room has one pair of outlets from which we must carefully pick and choose to draw electricity, lest the lights flicker. That is the only small complaint to be had. There is plenty of room for all of our stuff...and then some. Brad has his "area for meditation" and I have mine. The building is barely within the Boston city limits, but one side of the building is half a block from the a main artery of the city, Commonwealth Ave. The other side of the building (our side of the building) faces a shady New England suburb. Hence, the fluttering tree outside the bay window. We really do have the best of both worlds here.

Our neighborhood: Cafe Japonaise

We've been here over a week now, and the final box has been broken down and sent to the recycling bin. Boston has been good to us so far. I think it's because I've been following the advice of Francis in Under the Tuscan Sun. "Be polite, introduce yourself so it can introduce yourself to you."
Brad and I have been on quite a few mini adventures so I'm already behind on my blogging, so I suppose the only way to remedy this problem is to start now!





Although we miss Bollo's and Plebes very much we have found a comfortable niche at Cafe Japonaise. The first thing we noticed when we walked in was the decoration. The cafe is two stories and the mirror collage on the back wall of the second floor is pretty cool. We thought the contraption on the stairway was a bank vault lock, but upon closer inspection it has been discovered to be something way cooler: a wheel chair elevator!
The decoration isn't the only distinguishing feature of this coffee house. It has the cafe staples, in addition to some gorgeous house specialties. In the pastry case, traditional French and Japanese pastries are buffered from each other by a selection of fusion treats. Brad and I have a particular fondness for the large puff pastry purses filled with sweetened azuki beans and whipped cream. We like to believe the half mile walk is enough exercise to justify splitting a sugary, buttery treat...

My Best Friend's Wedding

via CSE photos

My cousin Christina got married this weekend, and I was lucky enough to be the maid of honor!! Her wedding was so quintessentially her and it went without a hitch! She was so beautiful and the love between her and her groom, Matt, was radiantly evident. I hope they know that the beauty of the wedding was also a reflection of how their family and friends feel about them. We all wanted to pitch in for the success of the celebration to show our appreciation for the relationship each of them has with us.

It was the best English garden party I have ever attended. I laughed, I cried, I danced. "Two thumbs way, way up! "