weird dream

I had the weirdest dream last night! My parents had a new house that they had purchased a few years ago. They were attempting to knock down a wall to make some changes, and someone was there to tell them all these crazy things about the house. 

1. the house used to be a funeral home

2. the previous owner had driven her car into the house, and the car and her skeleton was stuck in the wall so they couldn't knock it down

3. the ceiling was retractable and the roof was actually all glass 

So - we opened the ceiling and these large wood pieces folded down. Inside the wood pieces were old movie posters - placed there so people in planes overhead could see the advertising. So odd. 

Then, My aunt from WI was in town, and we had to have a meeting with a board of investors about the ceiling. The house was really rare and they wanted to buy it. I was in charge of opening the panels for the meeting and was getting yelled at since I was taking too long getting orange juice first. Also - I was getting nervous that something would fall on the house and glass shards would fall on us. 

5th Annual Crawl and Beerfest day

This year was the 5th annual pub crawl, coordinated by Lori. It started as a birthday crawl for Jen and George, and morphed into a post Chapel Hill Chauncy Hall graduation celebration. (CHCH is where Lori and friends work)

We stopped by the pub crawl to say hi before we went to the American Craft Beer Fest. 

We got photo bombed. 

After the fest, we headed back towards Faneuil Hall. It's ok - the owner told Scott he could pet the horse - they say that they bite so kids won't bother them. 

The people on the pub crawl weren't having much luck with the bars on their list, so they left for the Hong Kong.  Scott and I decided to get something to eat at the Union Oyster House. 

We ordered calamari, Scott ate oysters, and I had some onion soup. 

The food is good! We watched the Bruin's game, and headed home!

Happy Father's Day!

For Father's Day we went to a late lunch at the Chowder Pot 

What is this?? 

AN IPAD!!!!!!

Happy Father's Day !!  

love, Heather and Kimmy

Missing for 16 yrs, now Whitey is EVERYWHERE

So, Whitey Bulger has been found and arrested. The Boston news, newspapers, twitter  - everything is on fire with this story. It's crazy to see all the press about it, all the detail, and read all about what happened right here in town! 


- Backstory: Whitey Bulger (James Bulger) is an Irish Mobster from Boston, who was an FBI informant. Apparently the FBI had protected Bulger and his Winter Hill Gang *, which was obviously a huge scandal with the Boston police dept. John Connolly (currently in prison) was an FBI agent who continually tipped Whitey off to keep him out of jail. (Sound familiar? The Departed  was based on this)


- Boston.com is full of all the details: 
    - Articles about the families whose family members were allegedly killed by Whitey and his gang.
    - Reactions. 
    - A 5 part series on the mobster. Part 1, Part 2 - the Mafia myth, Part 3 - arrest, Part 4 - protection, Part 5 - drugs in Southie.. 
   - A photo list of people involved.
   - A mob tour of Boston.


I'm sort of fascinated by all this. I love the movies about the mafia - Goodfellas, The Godfather, A Bronx Tale - but it's so odd to read about it all present day. 


*Side note - I live near Winter Hill, Somerville. Oops. 

sporadic blogger

I swear I do more than just watch movies lately!! I'm such a sporadic blogger. 


I have a recap of the VT birthday weekend for Jen coming up soon, I haven't uploaded and edited the photos yet. (and I'm surprised Jen and Lori haven't asked me for them yet) 


And - I need to post pics of Beerfest / Lori's Pubcrawl, our rainy day vineyard visit, and Father's Day !

The Back Up Plan

Last night, I watched The Back Up Plan, with Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin. (He sort of reminded me of Jesse Bradford.) 

J.Lo is a woman who has given up on finding the right guy and decided having kids was most important to her, so she goes and gets inseminated. As fate would have it, she meets Stan (O'Loughlin) that very same day, and cue the romantic comedy insanity. 

I thought this movie was cute - I really liked actor Alex O'Loughlin (or maybe I liked looking at him?) because he was not a huge star. His character came across as a genuine guy, though I'm not sure in real life a guy in his situation would act the same! 

Oh, hello there. 

There were some odd parts to the movie, such as the single mother's support group and the home birth one of them has. Jennifer Lopez's character was a bit eccentric, and annoying. I can't take J.Lo's acting for very long. I feel like she has played this personality before, specifically in The Wedding Planner.

This was a cute scene, though I'm not sure this EXACT scene was actually in the movie. 

Overall, it was a cute, rainy night Romantic comedy. I might watch it again if it was ever on TV and I was bored, but it's not one for the collection. 

The Box

Last night I watched The Box with Cameron Diaz and James Marsden. It is actually based on / drawn from a short story called "Button, Button" which was later made into a Twilight Zone episode.

The film is about a couple Norma (Diaz) and Arthur (Marsden) who live in the suburbs with their son. They are not exactly financially stable, and a few things come up on the same day that get them even more stressed about their situation. A box is left on their front door, and the next day - a strange visitor comes with more information - press the button and get $1m. However, someone you don't know will die if you push it. 

As a couple - Norma and Arthur have to figure out if this is real, and what to do. Clearly, this button is a test of their personalities and of human nature. It causes them to consider whether their comfort and happiness is worth another's life. 

Of course, it is not this plain and simple. The movie does take a different turn than I expected, and for a while I wasn't sure what was going on. It got a little sci - fi for a bit. It did seem like an extended Twilight Zone episode. 

I can't say I'd recommend it for everyone. Maybe to my mom, or others who like the Twilight Zone. It was creepy, but interesting. I wouldn't watch it again, but don't feel like I wasted my time 

two kisses for maddy

http://www.mattlogelin.com/

a few years ago, I found this blog online. I have no idea how I stumbled upon it, but the minute I found it - I couldn't stop reading it. 

It was incredibly sad. This man, so in love with his highschool sweetheart, ready to start a family with her- lost his wife the day after his baby was born. And she was born on my birthday. Maybe that's why I was drawn in in some sense.  

I read all his back log - blogs. I read every new blog. I read about how he was searching for a nanny to go to India w/ him so he could write this book. I read the emails he posted to his editor. I waited for his fantastic pictures of India to surface and to know when his book would be out. 

Finally it was released. I read it in 1.5 days. It was so sad. I cried during the book often, but it was probably 1/10 of the amount of tears he shed living and writing it. 

At the end of the day - somehow, Matt Logelin connects to a variety of readers with his honesty and openness. I love his photos, music choices and writing style. 

Matt came to the Brookline Booksmith for a reading. I had to go. I went alone. Not so odd for me, as I've gone to concerts alone, and other shows. He was funny. He read from his book, and got sad, and choked up. He told anecdotes we would never have known. He was so open with his life, and he seems to be pretty happy in life, despite his devastation. 

I'm glad I went. Glad I listened, and glad he signed my book. 

Go B's

Image from: http://www.universalhub.com/2011/bruins-rules-game-7

Everyone has Bruins fever, and Boston Pride lately! The Bruins have made it to the Stanley Cup finals, when lots of people figured they would be out of the running in April. Given all the work I've done on the local sports TV spots for work, I had more interest this year in Hockey than in past years. I've always enjoyed it, but have never been a crazy fan of it. Anyway - it's fun to watch the games, and see how differently the Bruins played each team and finally made it to Game 7 which is tonight in Vancouver. 

Unfortunately, since the World Series win in 2004 - Boston has gotten a reputation for not being able to manage their excitement or angst when teams win or lose a play off / finals game. There are parking bans, and all sorts of extra police around tonight. 

Anyway - that reputation, and a slight error from the mayor of Boston is part of the joke of the image above. 

Last May - Mayor Menino was at the TD BankNorth Garden unveiling the new Bobby Orr statue. He noted some key moments in Boston sports, and called out the time when "Varitek split the uprights." Um, who was that you said? He meant to say Vinatieri, as in Adam Vinatieri - who kicked a 41-yard field goal with four seconds left in Superbowl 38.   Varitek is a catcher for the Sox. 

today's J's blog inspiration

This blog is helping me so much! Today I wore a similar outfit to the image below. Instead of a brown belt, mine is more of a golden yellow. I still need some good tan shoes, so I have black slingbacks on. (oh and capri's since I'm at work).
Best part is - I have gotten compliments on my cute outfit today! 
Thanks http://www.jseverydayfashion.com/ !

Inspiration

I found this new blog, I think through Heather ; or in google reader. Anyway  - I LOVE IT. I want this girls' entire closet! (Ok, not all, but most of it. ) 

So I have been inspired to try new combinations with my clothes, but also to find a few items to complete the looks she has posted. 

I tried one today. I used this as inspiration: 

But have on this cardigan : 

My other fave outfits of hers are below. I'm on the hunt for some key items! 

Just tried this shirt on at Loft and was undecided. Guess I need to go get it! 

I think this bolder shade will work for me. Pale yellow is awful w/ the pale skin and blonde hair. 

Found a not so close substitute at Target I may try out. 

I need to shop for scarves! 

This is kind of funny

http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/7-biggest-ceo-secrets-accidentally-revealed-allthingsd/228012/

The Art of Racing in the Rain

I started reading The Art of Racing in the Rain a WHILE ago, when Jen got it for me for my bday. (hi Jen!) I started to read it, and it was sad, so I think I went on to happier books. It sat on the shelf, and was mildly ignored until recently - when I read it in about 2 days. 


The premise of the book is that of the life of a race car driver / mechanic- Denny, who lives with his wife - Eve, daughter - Zoe, and best friend/dog - Enzo. 


The story is told from Enzo's point of view; he believes the Mongolian legend that a dog who is prepared will be reincarnated in his next life as a human. Enzo spends his time listening and preparing for this, since he wants nothing more than to be a human. He is the comforter, friend, and ally to Denny and his family as they go through tough times with health issues and then massive family issues. If you've ever had a dog you were close to - you can imagine that the way Enzo understands, listens and thinks is what truly goes on in a dog's head. Unfortunately, dogs lives are shorter than humans, which is the worst part of having such a loyal, unconditional love in your life. 


I recommend it - I loved Enzo's personality. I loved his loyalty and understanding of his family. I hated the inevitability of the ending, which is also part of the first chapter. Keep tissues on hand!