Tuesday, March 23, 2004

Ok, so it's time for a spring break update! I took notes so I could remember this all, here you go if you're curious what I was up to:

Friday: I hopped a bus to Framingham in the afternoon, it was PACKED. In fact, the Peter Pan bus people sent two buses on the same route because so many people needed it. At Umass SO many kids were waiting to get on the bus, so I was quite sure I'd be forced to have someone sitting next to me. Which is unfortunate because then I can't sit cross legged. So I kept shifting my bag in the seat next to me, and trying my best to look snobby and annoying. And miraculously, no one sat by me! I think the only empty seat on the entire bus was next to me. Another technique is pretending you're really sick, coughing and blowing your nose, that sort of thing really turns people off to sitting next to you.

In Framingham I found Andrew waiting, and then we went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Andrew was clever and got us seated in five minutes instead of the hour and a half or more wait -- yay! So we had a great dinner and then went back to his apartment. Watched Supertroopers (hilarious) with Jon & Jen.

Saturday: We woke up and Andrew was in the mood for pancakes (which generally happens on Saturday and Sunday mornings). So we had blueberry pancakes before going to the arboretum in JP. Ok so the arboretum in March is not so pretty. But it was really sunny, and I could IMAGINE that it would be pretty, once things started turning green and growing again. Then we went for fast food and to explore Kitchen Etc. We timed things, well, perfectly. At Kitchen Etc. they had just had a demonstration on dipping random things in chocolate, so there were plates of chocolate covered cookies, strawberries, grapes, and pretzels just sitting on the mini display kitchen counter. Yum! We left after browsing and snacking =)

In the evening we shopped and had yummy sushi and round appetizer thingies for dinner. I love eating sushi outside of restaurants because I can't use chopsticks to save my life and I like to pick things up and eat them with my hands, which can be rather messy and impolite looking. So yeah, better for me to avoid eating in public... We also watched this amazing movie, Happy Accidents. I loved it! If you like time travel, romantic comedies, and surreal plots, watch this!

Sunday: First thing, we went for omelets at Sorella's in JP. Yum! We ended up deciding on the same kind of omelet, and it was good. Warm avocado is a very clever idea. In the afternoon we watched most of The Secret Lives of Dentists (finished it in the evening). Strange, almost magical realism, and entertaining. In the evening we met up with Lindsay & her mother & her aunt for ice cream at JP Licks. We had the best ice cream, and wonderful conversation -- discussed summer plans and school -- yay I've finally met Lindsay's aunt and mother!! =)

After all that ice cream, we had soup for dinner. Watched a Sopranos episode which I didn't really get since I've never seen it before.

Monday: Andrew still had work, so I was on my own throughout the day. I did all my Spanish reading on this day, it was a crazy amount to assign over spring break =/ Had a good conversation with Jen as she got home from work before everyone else. Andrew & I went to this cool bar/pub place for dinner, and I had a hard lemonade (and got carded! yay!) Then we did some more shopping, mainly for desserts!

Tuesday: I read Eagleton in the morning and started Fantasia. It snowed like, 8 inches on this day. So Andrew got off work early to avoid driving in the mess, and we ate popcorn and did a bit of work together. In the evening we all went grocery shopping, ate dinner, and watched Masked and Anonymous. Lots of great actors (and Bob Dylan) without a very clear plot or idea or theme. Also, we couldn't figure out where the hell it was supposed to be taking place for a long time. Penelope Cruz was not a very convincing OCD good girl.

Wednesday: This day I started doing applications for internships in earnest. Lots of cover letter writing/revising. Then some more of Fantasia. Andrew got home late, so I had another talk with Jen which was cool. In the evening Andrew & I checked out a summer sublet in Newton, and pretty much decided against it. It was snowing again. Critiqued my cover letter till LATE. We kind of forgot to relax on this day!

Thursday: I wrote tons of cover letters and applied to about four internships on this day. Yay me! In the evening we had a good dinner, tuna I think, and Andrew & I watched 21 grams. Don't believe the little blurbs that say it's "ultimately a movie about hope and redemption." You'll cry halfway through the movie, and in the end you'll feel sad that most/all of the characters are either dead or grieving still. The fractured method of telling the story was appropriate and engaging (you either give up and lose interest or get really involved trying to piece everything together), but Andrew & I agreed that it would be helpful if there was an option on the DVD to see the movie in the proper order afterwards.

Friday: Andrew was "sick" and stayed home from work -- we worked, I applied to Warm2Kids, and we started, tentatively, GRE studying. After dinner (yay pad thai!) we headed out to NY -- it was a fun drive though, and we listened to lots of music. We arrived at Andrew's father's pretty late, but I still (Finally!) got to meet him -- which was good because we were all planning to be out for most/all of Saturday. I was rather nervous, but I think it went ok =) Loved seeing all the pictures of Andrew when he was little, and his old room.

Saturday: Long eventful day! We got up around 10 in the morning, got ready quickly, and then drove around Hastings a bit for the grand tour. Had a sweet (as in chocolatey) breakfast before hopping on the train to NYC. We took the subway from Grand Central to 23rd St., where we met a Moho friend of Andrew's for lunch. We ended up at the Miracle Grill which was yummy (more avocado! and cilantro!) Piya was fun, it seems that I generally like other Mount Holyoke people (something about the admissions process?) Then we walked to The Strand, where I found this obscure book for a class for about half price (and hardcover instead of paperback! Take that Odyssey!!!) It wasn't too warm, but in the sun I sometimes got by with just a sweater and no coat.

We wandered around for quite awhile -- lots of war/Bush protesters, a crazy man in blue headdress playing with crystal balls, an old gentleman peeling carrots and cucumbers and potatoes (selling vegetable peelers from Sweden), and a dog that looked like a very furry caterpillar. Also ran into some of Andrew's friends really randomly at a traveling coffee shop. At some point we hopped on the subway to Times Square -- Where we wandered about and it was quite crowded and it started to rain. I almost bought an umbrella but didn't. We took a look at the new Time Warner buildings -- didn't seem too crazy and busy yet. Then it was time to meet up with Andrew's friends from college...

Andrew's friend's apartment was about a five minute walk. A cool place to live, with a great view. The friend's gf was having a surprise birthday celebration for him, so it was pretty funny to be in on the secret. We all walked out and around the block as if we were going to this restaurant, when his gf led him up to a limo where everyone else was waiting. She pulled it off amazingly well. It was a huge limo, and I tried champagne for the first time. I think me and Andrew were the only ones not drunk at dinner (which was really good, great food, and lots of fun!) I also tried sangria, which I liked a lot, it disguised the alcohol well. Definitely enjoyed meeting all of Andrew's friends, they seem like cool people. Something of a different feel from Mount Holyoke social life, maybe partly because they've all graduated now...? Anyway! So after dinner (and after totally pissing off the restaurant staff), Andrew and I said our good-byes and headed on home rather than accompanying the party to the next bar. Showered and slept -- lovely day!

Sunday: Finally had more time to talk to Andrew's father on this day. We all went to brunch and chatted, and then a trip to Stew Leonard's (what a crazy place to go grocery shopping, decorating and samples that must make the weekly shopping trip like Disney land for kids). Then we got our laundry and packing done, and headed back to Boston. We had a lovely two or three hour period to just relax after spending so much time together and being on the eve of going back to school/work.

Monday: I got on the bus just in time, and was back at MHC in time to do some reading before my afternoon classes. Did some things I had been putting off, and some reading. Was exhausted around 10:30 pm. Went to bed relatively early.

Today! Wow, I'm all caught up!! I had class and lunch and work -- Bernice sat us down and told us about some "changes" in mail services thanks to Chris that will be coming up with hiring for next year. I enjoy working with Bernice, I think I'll try to keep working 2 or 3 hours there per week next year. Also, I did some forwarding which I enjoyed, hadn't done that in quite awhile!

Today was rather empty, as Newton, the beloved doggy, has passed on. No more Newton walks, which I enjoyed so much more than walking any other dog. Happy times in doggy heaven, Newton love, if I ever have a PBGV it'll be because of you!

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