Day (20): DEPARTURE!

Three weeks of travel away from home, and now the final step: to the Netherlands! More than anything at this point, I was just pumped to get to a place where the room I had was mine and I could unpack all my luggage for a little while. Day began with one of the longest and most pointless meetings of my life, confirming that I no longer have any desire to partake in large-group travel. Surviving this, I went to the Common to chill and meet up with people on their way to and fro class for one last goodbye. Bitter/sweet. Then faithful RB went with me to Copley Square to buy Euros from Bank of America which, TIP: have no fees for those with an account with the bank, as long as you withdraw them from a central branch! Awesome news. Then, back to Emerson to say the last goodbyes to RB, Guy, and most importantly Mom and Joe. On the bus I went, making the last calls to some people I hadn't talked to in a while, and then we were checking in at the Delta counter- a nightmare when my bag was 62 pounds and I had to reshuffle it 4 times! Lessons learned. Through security, and onto the plane for an uneventful flight that would squish my night into about 4 hours. Lovely. But Europe waits on the other side!

Day (19): The Fat Woman

No, I don't reference people in this title. Well, not specific people at least. Rather, I learned a new foreign word today: Zaftig, which is Yiddish for a fat woman. And that is the name of the Jewish deli I landed at with Mom and Joe after we finished some shopping in Brookline, based on recommendations from friends. And it lived up to its title. It's easy to see why the women (and men for that matter) become fat at this place with their mounds of food and tempting challa bread. Delicious. Then, we began working our way back to the Emerson campus, getting off the subway at Copley Square for me to return the plethora of media I never got a chance to experience that I had taken out and pic up pictures of you, the people I love, to plaster the walls of my dorm at the castle. After some extensive meandering, we had a light dinner and Nutella milkshake from Boloco. Those milkshakes cannot be matched in the world. Then I drug the parents up the main shopping drag of Newbury Street and over to the Christian Scientist Park, one of my favorite parts of the city. Basically, this cultish denomination aquired enough money to buy out an entire block in downtown Boston and build a mosque-looking church, a tower, and a ridiculously long and beautiful reflecting pool. Then the real treat came: we dragged our tired bodices back across town to the P.F. Chang's for the Great Wall of Chocolate consumption with Christine Ryan, Layla Halabian, and Lauren Camara. If these kids can't keep my presh mother entertained, I don't know who could.

Day (18): Enter the Mumzy

Today was marked by the arrival of none other than Darlene herself. Boston, brace yourselves. The pleasant morning began by venturing to the airport to retrieve Mom and Joe and then going to the hotel, aka the glamorous Ramada Boston, to check in. By this point, it was already about 2pm so lunch before going downtown was decided upon. But out at the JFK stop, options are slim. So we resorted to the Deadwood Grill as advertised by the hotel. Now, this doesn't sound so bad on paper. But, when we walked up to the "restaurant," I realized it was connected/inside the bowling alley. A bowling alley. Full speed ahead! Time for adventures. All in all, lunch wasn't that bad (the place had Boar's Head deli meat, for heaven's sake), but I won't be seeking out other bowling alleys for dining experiences in the future. Following that scrumpudiliumptuous meal, it was time to walk it off. To Park Street then Beacon Hill to the Esplanade and finally through the gardens and the Common we went. Probably the single most beautiful walk in the city. Needless to say, it took a while, and some people were pretty tired by the end of it, but it was well worth it. I had some loose ends to tie up at Emerson so I left the 'rents to rest on the Common and returned later with the friends RB, Guy, and Mamalie who got the pleasure of meeting Darlene alive and in person. After that nice chat, it was dinner at Legal Sea Foods and walking to the North End to grab the pastries and back to the WHarf a la romantic evening with Rebecca the previous week. Lols. I just about ran these kids into the ground. And they still have 2 more days. Bwahahahaha.

Day (17): Under the Knife

Nothing starts a day off wrong like the addition of a bad hair cut. Ok, the hair cut itself is tolerable. But the methodology certainly was unpleasant. I decided to venture in an attempt to save my wallet to the Empire Beauty School in Boston, where students on the verge of graduation cut hair for $5. I like the price. But oy, I almost got my ear chopped off by the beautician, named something like Shani. Whilst gabbing with her ghetto-fab friend GiGi, she cut the hair around my face, scratching my ears with the tip of the scissors and once nearly poking out my eye. Probably won't be going back, definitely not to have my hair cut by her. I wore my new hair cut out on the streets and saw yet another used bookstore I had been unaware of across the street called Brattle Books. The outside $1 and $3 racks had my name on them. It's amazing how I lived in this city for a year and never found these places. Then again, I don't think I ever had this much free time. After that, back to the library, then lunch of turkey burger with BBQ sauce at the Paramount with the winner of the BEST hair-do/RA/friend award, Lauren Camara and RB. It felt like old times to have this tradition revived. Back to RB's room to repack yet again (see the theme emerging?) and the abundantly overdue arrival of Amalie Steidley, aka Mamalie, on the scene. She crazy, she funny, and she too is on her way to Europe. Cannot. Wait. But, with her arrival, the matress on RB's floor was occupied, so I set off to Brookline to chill with Ash, Mike, Ian, and Taylor, much like most of my evenings last year. Let's just say, not much has changed.

Day (16): Diner Delight

A good day should begin with a visit to a diner. That's all I'm saying. And this one did. Add in some Lyanne and buffet at the diner, and we're set. I love buffets too. Then, theme of my life: back to Boston we go. Had it not been so rainy, I may have dragged RB into the city to see Broadway on Broadway- a free concert that happens every year in Times Square featuring some of the biggest theatre stars of that year. But, as we say, dreams defferred. On the bright side, back at Emerson, and departing in a matter of days for Europe!

Day (15): Can't Stop This Train

This was the day I had been waiting for. Union County Musicfest. Free. Train. These are all uplifting words. And boy did we make a day of it. Sex, drugs, and rock & roll all were present: Sex- the 3 year old girl in front of us was fond of taking off her shirt and dancing around; drugs- I must have seen at least 4 middle-aged women pop an aspirin, or so they called it; and Train at least brough me some rock & roll. Yeah. It was wild. We left around lunchtime and arrived at the glorious festival in time to sample some good (and not so good bands) and even squeeze in a funnel cake, a first for RB, I think. Music began with Soul Asylum, whose name sounds like a horror film and I was grossly unfamiliar with. Apparently they had a one hit wonder back in the 90's. All I know is they aren't hitting any of the right spots now. They were tolerable, but very womp. Then we meandered and tried a bit of Jesse Malin who was positively miserable. He took the music in my soul and ripped it to shreds with his nasly voice. Needless to say, we lasted about 2 songs. On the other stage came on the Bravery, one of those bands that ends up on my iPod from soundtracks but I don't really know that well. They did a good job. Pretty typical rock band stuff. We decided to skip the OK GO concert in hopes of staking out spots for the headliner: TRAIN. I still think this was a good choice, although the amount of confetti coming off the stage from OK GO had me wondering for a second. But then it began, Train in all their glory. And we were about 20 feet from the stage. So fantastic. Please look at this and tell me you're not at least a little jealous:



As you can see, Pat is quite the performer. And it was so mind-blowing to finally be there and I just had a blast. Well, it would have been perfect, besides the gaggle of middle school bitties in front of us. And the hour-long wait for the shuttle to get back home. But nothing can stop this train of good feelings. Huh-uh.

Day (14): Stardust

Once again, away we go. This time, the Megabus takes me back to NYC/Jersey to be reunited with my adopted Bieber family. Since it was Rosh Hoshannah (the Jewish New Year) the family was going to be in Philly with family for the day, so once I got to New York I had some time to spare. I appropriately filled this with a visit to the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). It almost always has interesting exhibits, and it's free on Friday afternoons thanks to Target. It was fine, but so crowded that it was difficult to fully enjoy the bigger works which attract big crowds. After I had had my fill of crowds both from the MoMA and Times Square, I headed back to Jersey on the faithful NJ Transit. With success, I arrived in Westfield in time to raid the Bieber's fridge of leftover food (thanks, Renate!) and have a nice cuddle session on the trampoline outside with the wonderful Rebecca Bieber. The stars were out in all their splendor, but this view reminded me that they never look the same as they do at home.

Day (13): These Are a Few of my Favourite Things

Another day in the life, beginning like any other: finish the Pink concert DVD. It literally gave me goosebumps. She's a visionary. But enough about that. I then ventured into Beantown in search of a Camelback water bottle, a la Christine and Jori style. I even had a 20% coupon so my wallet was satisfied fully. I love the thing. It could be my most constant companion from now on. Then I sat and started this hilarious blog you are now reading. Rejoice and be glad. Rebecca was shipping back to Jersey for the weekend a day early, so I had made arrangements with dear Ariel (aka Mama Goldberg) to be housed at her apartment. Wonderful decision. Here, I got a taste of that apartment lifestyle that I have yet to experience. I actually ate tomato soup for dinner. I've never done this before in my entire life because I used to hate it, but what was I thinking? It's good. I like this. Huh. This was followed by a nostalgic viewing of the Lion King, ended with some delicious red velvet cake crumbles with the best cream cheese icing of all time in prelude to Nicole Rosenbaum's birthday, and some dancing to Ke$ha. Yep. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Day (12): Uneventfulness

Here is this list of things I did today that to many is uneventful and therefore not worth writing about, but I find pretty funny:

-Watched the first half of the P!nk Funhouse Tour: Live in Australia DVD in the Emerson library
-Had lunch in the DH, then sat with others having lunch in CityPlace
-Went back to Brookline with Ash aka the Curry Nugget and saw the old roomies from last year
-Discovered the Brookline Booksmith in all it's glory
-Watched Zach Galifianakis stand-up from the library with the peeps

Yep, this is how I roll. And this is what I signed up for. And I love it.

Day (11): Don't Walk This Way- We're Kanoodling

Useless me, all alone in Boston. What a travesty. Ha. I began my day with a proper 2 hour visit to the Boston Public Library, a little piece of heaven on earth. I picked up about 20 items I thought I could process in my visit here, mainly movies and CD's. I processed about half of them. The day was bright and beautiful, and with nothing better to do, I picked a spot on the Common to tan and read one of my favorite books (loved and hated by many) The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I was so feeling these emotions this summer that I thought it would be a nice reflective piece to bridge my time at Home-home versus that in my traveling home. Rebecca joined me when she didn't have to do schoolwork, something I feel like I've all but forgotten about. Later we went to dinner, and then the two of us shared a romatic evening (and by that I mean, a very friendly evening. Sorry, Nims.) in Boston's little Italy, the North End. We swung through Mike's Pastry to pick up a canoli or to and headed out to the WHarf, yes WHarf, to look at the harbor and consume fattening foods, my personal favorite pastime. Around the corner come a gaggle of tourists. We don't want them ruining the atmosphere of this moment. So we start kanoodling, much like many of you Knoxvillians did with me this summer. You know who you are. Off they go, with the guide talking about not interrupting us and all the tourists feeling a little uncomf and casting judgmental glances. Naturally, I laugh about this for about the next 5 hours and 23 minutes. I knew I loved this city for a reason.

Day (10): Living on $5 a Day

Oh, Labor Day. Only a country like America, (or should I say Amurica), would be so indulgent as to think that we work enough to set aside a day for everyone to take off work. Truly great. So, what do marketers do? Give me a free Redbox rental. Yep. And since there's no school, this means many adventures to be had. RB and I set off down Boylston Street to the local Shaws (grocery store) to get a movie. On the way Papersource called out to us, and boy did we answer. $1 for a poster-sized page of hilarious yearbook photographs from the last 3 decades, yes please. Now all the mystery around the poster is destroyed I suppose, but it is so wonderful.
Shoppers by day, walkers by night. Off again we (RB, Guy, and I) set with no particular goal other than exercise, this time closely down the famed shopping street, Newbury Street. We were rewarded with the discovery of the recently opened Raven Used Books, which we effectively wreaked havoc within and left with all the fury of an exeunt. Back to Rebecca's room to watch our wondrous Redbox freebie, $5 a Day, starring Christopher Walken among others. It was delightful, but by the time it finished around midnight, it was time for these old folks to hit the hay. Wouldn't want to be late for the big first day of classes tomorrow. Minus me, of course, who remains present only for entertainment.

Day (9): Share the Joben

It was time to move once more, but this time not for me. I awoke on the floor of dear Ms. Amanda Cuoco, conveniently located in RB's new suite at Emerson. It was time for the Biebers to arrive on campus so we could unload and unpack, and so we did. I must admit, the whole bit was chaotic at first, because blessed Rebecca was not only moving in herself and her stuff for the semester, but all of mine as well. Hours into the process, we eventually stuffed every nook and cranny with our junk and thanked Providence for the fact that she got a room bigger than a closet this year. There was even enough room on the floor for a twin-sized air matress for me to sleep on. Why, thank you, RB!
In the evening after dinner, some of us (aka Guy Ben-Aharon, the Israeli invalid) decided that we just had too much energy and we needed to burn it off. Leaving RB in her dorm to cuddle with the latest episode of Mad Men, Guy and I walked around the Charles River. It was gorgeous. It was peaceful, kinda. It was also 8 miles before we got back to the dorm. Never in my life do I think I've walked this much. Thank God for my new tennis shoes (shout out to Champs Employee of my Life, Jori Sposito). After this day, nothing would be better than to snuggle up and watch I Love You, Man with some friends. Duh. So we did. And as I shared the love of totes mah gotes and Joben, I thought of all the wonderful people back home who shared this with me. And confession: I missed you.

Day (8): Boston Transit

Again, I'm moving. This time back to Boston to sleep on couches and floors. Adventures. Before we left the lovely Westfield, we grabbed breakfast with Eveanandi and Lyanne at another diner, the Jersey special. These ladies are just great. After that, it was on the road again with Biebs, Mama Biebs and RB's sister Julia Biebs. The ride was, for the most part, typically enjoyable and uneventful, aside from the discovery of challa bread (silent on that 'c'), another wonderful aspect of Jewish culture I've apparently been missing out on for the last 20 years. Once in the Boston area, the ever-giving Bieber family dropped me off at the end of the Green T line to take me into Boston. Coming up on the Emerson campus after 4 months of being away was truly glorious for me. With all it's faults and annoyances, I do actually love this place. And it was a priceless feeling to be swept up into friends arms, screaming and jumping, people who love and feel and miss deeply, during this season of my life.

Day (7): Merrily We Roll Along

The last full day in Jersey was upon us. RB and I had to repack quickly to move it on to Boston, which wasn't a huge deal for me since I was living out of suitcases. I spent most of the day ripping Rebecca's wonderful and obscure music collection to my computer. And attempting to support her in the packing process. When time for a break came around, we knew that some stress-eating was needed. Off to Sonic we go, for RB had never been to a Sonic, mainly because her mother is a wonderful cook and because there wasn't one close to her until recently. Bring on the Ocean Water, tater tots, oinion rings, and milkshakes. We effectively kidnapped Eveanandi on the way for the fried adventure. And it's totally true: when it doubt, fry it up and serve it to me inside my car. Afterwards, back to the house for the final touches, and then off to see the Merry Wives of Westfield (a la Shakespeare's Windsor wives) in the local park, with a special performance by Mr. Michael Bieber himself. A spectacular thespian. It felt a little like Stars Hallow, which is helping me understand more of why Rebecca loves (and misses) her hometown so much, on this nicer side of Jersey life. Guido-free please.

Day (6): Dreams Deferred, Dreams Realized

Nothing starts a day off right like a good trip to a thrift store. In Jersey, there is this wonderful store called Unique where Rebecca lives that is a mecca for bargain hunting. I nabbed a rain jacket, a maroon old man sweater vest, and some books for about $12. WHAT a steal. Then the real adventure came when we went into Manhattan to conquer and see the odd rocker Marina and the Diamonds. Our intent had been to go to the Guggenheim Museum with the free passes we had picked up the night before from the library. Of course, we chose to try to go on a Thursday, the only day the museum is closed on a weekly basis. Instead, we ended up wondering around Chelsea, first by ducking into an incredible and new-to-us thrift store on 14th Street. This is something like what we found there:

As wonderful as we look in those clothes, they were each about $25. RB decided at that price, these were our dreams deferred. Tragedy of epic proportions. In our bewildred state, we meandered around the city until landing for the evening in Webster Hall to see the glorious indie diva Marina and the Diamonds. To get a taste of how wonderful and dramatic this experience was, watch this music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr-SqRWImmI

Basically, Marina gets me. And, after a successful day of shopping and finding dreams realized, I got a wonderful feeling running through Manhattan to catch a train after seeing my first New York concert, an adrenaline rush that few people other than myself would understand. It's something like a sense of belonging.

Day (5): Snookin' on the Shore

In order to show me a true sampling of Jersey life, Rebecca agreed to take me to the Jersey Shore, [Pause for laughter.] Down we went to Seaside Heights where they actually filmed the last season of the Shore. Therefore, there are signs like this littering the place:

Not only is this some absurd advertising, but it’s actually kind of depressing that it probably works. That aside, in the Heights (+10 points for me for the Broadway reference) I got to experience my first real boardwalk, get my last real chance at catching those summer rays, and see some very interesting examples of Jersey residence. Again, the photos on the Book album will have to speak those stories. All in all, a very successful day. And for dinner when we got back, there was pesto ravioli. I love few things more. And this night I didn’t have to break or scrape to eat my dinner. Not that I’m complaining.

Day (4): Just dip it in some butter

On the first full day in the Jers, what could possibly be better than taking RB's sister Julia and her friend Katherine to Six Flags. I wasn't even aware Jersey had a Six Flags but look out Southern folk- this one may actually be bigger and better than the beloved ATL. So off we went with free vouchers for the younger two, and half price coups for us big kids. Oh and one wonderful fanny pack- now known as the Fannytastic Pack- wrapped around Rebecca. As always, the park offered a Great Adventure (as advertised), especially with the mill of Jersey folk wondering around. Again, I will hearken to a picture. Meet Roger, the creeper security man who likes to do magic and carry around some floppy dead raccoon looking thing:








Nuff said. Back at the Bieber B&B, the adventurous dinner of the evening was watching Daniel all on his lonesome be the newcomer to eating an ENTIRE LOBSTER. This was hands down one of the most frightening dining experiences of my life. Mainly because it involved one of the family members saying, "So to start, just rip off the legs and suck the meat out," after they threw the entire body onto my plate. Soon the motto of "Just dip it in butter and stick it in your mouth" emerged as the theme from consuming the artichoke the night before and the lobster. I'll credit RB with that genius line. From there it was all downhill as I had to twist and break and drain the thing. But, oy was it delicious. I have now decided if I'm ever in charge of a fancy shmancy dinner (such as when I become president of the United States of Daniel and host a gala dinner) I will be serving lobster to all the nicely dressed folk and sit back and laugh while they try to figure out how to gracefully eat the thing.

Day (3): NJ Transit

My time in DC was up, and off the the Jersey I went. Yay Megabus, saving me money and dropping me in downtown NYC with all the luggage I need for the next four months. Thankfully, my splendid hostess Rebecca Bieber saw the RB lit up in the sky a la Batman and came to rescue me at Penn Station. From there, on to the Bieber household- aka my home away from home. This family is just so wonderful, albeit different from my own. They have a much better balance of relaxation and a simpler lifestyle that I have yet to find in my busy, continually on-the-go family. We added RB's friend Eveanandi to the mix, who is an utter gem. First things first: a dinner for the record books. We each ate an entire artichoke, which I did not know was possible up to this point. Basically this entails steaming said choke, then ripping the soft leaflets off, dipping them in butter, and scraping veggie off with your lower teeth. If nothing else, this provided entertainment for the Biebers, who eat these on a regular basis. Bless Eveanandi for sharing the struggs with me. Entertaining. After playing some card games, RB took me to the wondrous Crumbs Bakery where there are cupcakes for days. Clearly this is my heaven. Add in RB's friend Lyanne to the group, and back we go the Bieber Bed & Breakfast to play a different game called Bananagrams. This is a word game. I suck at word games. And I'm supposed to be a writer. Houston, we have a problem.

Day (2): I Hate This City

Now, now. Don't panic at the title of how much I hate DC. It's all relatively easily explained in this format that my Emerson friend Christine Ryan and I formed on spring break in our nation's capital city last spring: Dear DC, why the fudge can't you give us some Metro stops near some things that people actually go to see besides the open fields of the mall and while you're at it, make yourselves a quick buck and put some restaurants near the attractions. My legs and belly would thank you. Sincerely, Us, the US.
Putting that behind us, the second day in DC resulted in a wonderful 4 hours spent in the Holocaust Museum aka the most important museum in this country, and hitting up the Museum of American History where there was a new exhibit celebrating the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Clearly this was the highlight of this museum for me since it involved a nice serving of the soul that we all know I have, and it exhibited dresses worn by the Supremes. Life is complete. We topped off the evening by eating dinner at the District Chophouse and Brewery. Fancy restaurant with bigger prices than we usually go for, but I had the best salad I've ever eaten, mainly for it's avocado slices and wonderful vinagrette dressing. This is how I felt after eating it:

Success.

Day (1): The Rally

The adventures began with nothing better than the Glen Beck / Sarah Palin conservative circus that was being held on the Mall in DC. Dear old Dad (beligerent listener of all things Fox News, and one relatively pissed-off American) decided a voyage needed to be made to our nation's glorious Capital for this experience. I figured this would be the best way to wrap up my Southern-immersion summer, sure that Beck would drag out all his crazy cronies for this event. I was right. There were easily over half a million down-homies at the "Restoring Honor" rally, which is a message I in general support, despite my dislike of Beck. Everything was kept shockingly non-political and focused on the issues of integrity and honor. Still, the crowd was a hoot. Be on the lookout for the photo album on Facebook. It's going to change your life. In the meantime, take a look at this tasty morsel from the rally:

In other news, we also went to the Museum of Natural History, but no gemstone or even stuffed elephant could top this gem.

Step by Step, Day by Day

Dear readers of the universe,

I'm so glad life has redirected you here, to my wondrous blog full of what I expect to be many wondrous things. Since life is so very beautiful, I expect to be posted a short paragraph each day about something I did or experienced. Brace yourself for many sillies as these will inevitably occur. This will last for 115 days- the days I am spending away from home, without a home, before I return home. For some of you, my home is considered the multi-layered T-Nasty; for others, my home in your mind is dear old Boston. Fun fact: both of these places are my home, and possibly more. For home is not defined by a building or walls or even people. Home is a sense of belonging. And to each of you, I belong somewhere in your life, or else you wouldn't be reading this blog. So here's to home- a feeling that I can carry with me through these many adventures. Hang on, ya'll. Cause this life... well, warning: THIS IS RICH.