Thank You to RedsArmy.com!

A huge thank you to John and RedsArmy.com for their generous donation to Team Eye and Ear! This donation is particularly exciting for me, because it's the first donation I've received (including last year's campaign) from someone who isn't a family member or prior acquaintance.

I added a link list to my sidebar (under the Firstgiving.com widget), asking readers to check out the sites that support Team Eye and Ear. Thanks again, Redsarmy!

The Holiday Spirit Touches Some, and Misses Others

I just hopped on the T at State (hey, it's raining) to go to the Macy's downtown. I wanted to take advantage of the sales to buy a bigger ticket item. Anyway, when I got off at Downtown Crossing, the street level exits were lined with pedestrians shielding themselves from the rain. Squeezing past a teenaged girl, my bag accidentally brushed against her shoulder. "Excuse me," I said and continued to walk by.
"Don't excuse me, you b*tch," she yelled. "F*ck you!" Her sentiments were punctuated with an equally eloquent gesture.
Tis the season!
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That Thing Looks Like it was Made Out of Green Pipe Cleaners!

While walking to the bus stop just now, I was hit with a refreshing whiff of pine. I love the smell of Christmas trees; their fragrance is one of the few things that really gets me in the holiday spirit. If you're in the city and looking for a tree, this stand on the corner of East Berkeley & Tremont promises a good selection for those looking to buy sooner rather than later.
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Fore Crying Out Loud

If you're not planning on playing golf, don't use your huge golf umbrella to commute on rainy mornings. Why don't you try a nice Totes umbrella? They fold up nicely and can fit into most bags and purses.

You can even squeeze a friend under here too... which leads me to sing...

"Bus stop, wet day, she's there, I say Please Share my Umbrella" All together now! (That's got to be the best rainy day song to sing while waiting for the bus.)

We're Not in Kansas Anymore

Or Missouri, or Nebraska. Nick and I just boarded our flight to BOS via DET from KCI. We originally came down here for a long weekend, so that we could visit MO, NE, and KS. Nick had been to 45/50 states prior to this trip, and the 3 we visited were part of the remaining 5. (AK and ND are the 2 states that he's got left.) We also timed the visit so we could go to a Bills/Chiefs game, which was a treat. It's so hard to get Patriots tickets, that it had been a long time since I got to see an NFL game. Kansas City isn't on most people's must-see lists, but it's an interesting place to visit. The city is very easy to navigate, there are some great restaurants and bars/clubs and the best part is that there's free parking lots and garages everywhere. It's not really a walking city though, so that's a bit disappointing considering my favorite way to explore a city is by foot. There are a lot of day trips you can do by car, which is how we came to visit the Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph, MO. (Really cool museum that features old techniques to cure patients diagnosed with depression, schizophrenia, etc). After seeing the restraint cage and the "bath of surprise" be thankful that you weren't a patient at Glore... We also visited the Squaw Creek wildlife refuge, where we got to see a handful of eagles. All in all a good trip; it was nice to see another part of the country and get away for a few days. Also, traveling to other cities makes me realize how much I love Boston.
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Wheel of Fortune

We went to the ski and snowboard expo at the Bayside Exposition Center (said in electronic T voice) last night. The Expo is awesome for discounted ski & stay packages and equipment. Nick and I both got helmets this year, and we booked some trips with our favorite ski couple, Brad & Jenny. When you book a trip at Loon, Sugarloaf or Sunday River, you get to spin the prize wheel. They make a big deal out of it. You stand on a platform, bang a gong and have a try at lady luck. You can win a bunch of prizes; the most coveted being a season's pass and the least being logo gear. Nick won logo gear and I won a free ticket. Jenny got the 2nd best prize (5 day ticket) and Brad won a 2 day ticket. Here's a picture of Brad spinning the prize wheel. Its worth booking a trip just for the thrill of spinning the wheel! The Expo goes through Sunday, and is definitely worth visiting if you plan on skiing this year.
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It Must Be Italian

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