Thursday, October 31, 2013

Go Sox!

The bucket list continues.  As I mark off places I've been with people I'll miss, the reality of the short time I have continues to stare me down.  16 more days... that's all.

Today is day 16.  And we have a lot to celebrate!  Last night the Boston Red Sox celebrated my departure by taking the World Series at home - the first time at Fenway Park since 1918.  They're the first team to achieve 3 Series this century.  They're trendsetters, but who could blame them?  I really appreciate them having given me this going away present.

Tonight the fun continues.  I get to hang with my GBF, or Geebs for short - Jeffrey.  I haven't talked to or seen Jeff much since he moved out of our apartment about 3 years ago.  Life, grad school and a relationship took him in a very busy direction, and we sort of fell out of touch.  Once a year or so, we find ourselves running into each other and catch up.  Tonight we'll do it over a dinner and a drink.

We have so much to celebrate.

Five years ago I visited Boston to see Jeffrey.  We were friends from home; he's from a rural Nebraska town and I'm from the rural parts of Kansas City.  I was doing a tour of the Northeast - starting in Philly and headed "up" - and ended in Boston for a long weekend.  Jeff took me out for drinks, we had my first brunch and he even gave me the lesson (which I heeded dearly the first 3 months I lived here): "To find your way home, look for the Pru."  We shared nachos at Qdoba, rode buses to work together, went dancing on the weekends and celebrated Obama's first victory - even though we both thought Hillary ought to have won.

The way the world works is often mired with intrigue and irony.  After Jeff left, we lost touch.  He and I moved on from Children's Hospital.  I started working for a big insurance company as he went to another hospital.  I met someone at my new company who I dated for a few months. A sweet fella from Arkansas, nonetheless.  (Another story: I'm really into Midwestern guys)  After it ended, life continued on.  Only to find out that the guy I dated and Jeff had met and become roommates.  Definitely ironic, considering how awkward it felt.

I don't run into them much, but I miss them often.  They both brought wonderful things to my life's table; Jeff with his sarcasm and dry humor and his roommate with his genuine, sweet sensibility.

Check out how amazing this guy's life is. I don't know that I can relate, though life is pretty sweet.

Time for a little cinnamon pastry coffee in the office; a little calm before the storm. I know the last two weeks will be an epic - and exhausting - ride.
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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

02118

This week just started.  It's only Tuesday.  But it's been a wild week already!

Monday - Day 19:  Went to work, closed out a few errands and a goodbye checkup at Fenway.  Followed immediately by a night on the sofa watching Orange is the New Black.  Bottle of Zin in hand, I had a pretty wild time. Ha!

As I laid on the crackling leather of the sofa, I couldn't help but think about the meaning of home.  How this apartment has been my home for half of the last decade, and how I can sense that in a matter of days it will begin to feel foreign and distant. I nestled my toes between the cushions and wrapped myself in the green down blanket that Grandma Martha gave me when I bought my first car in 2001.  It was just in case of my truck breaking down in the middle of nowhere in the winter time so I wouldn't freeze to death.  And to this day I carry it with me and cover my toes on the sofa.

I think back to my first visit to the apartment as the end of the summer rounded out in 2008.  No air conditioning, musty smelling, a little dirty.  It was big and cheap, and so the issues I had with it were minuscule and paled in comparison to the deal I was getting.  I knew that the tiny obstacles could be overcome.

I set out on a 5-year-long journey to turn that fratpad into my home.  I cleaned, scrubbed, washed, painted, furnished and brought life to a once-forgotten apartment in the South End.  The views of the parks that faced South and East let the tendrils of a warm afternoon sun fill our abode and only added to the feeling of home.  I never anticipated living in the space for that long, nor did I ever expect to fall in love with an apartment.

We've seen many roommates come and go.  Some joke that our apartment was called the gay hostel, and others call it the Stella Towers and home for lost boys.  Three rooms were occupied for the last 5 years solid, with one turning over every year or so.  In that place I've been privileged enough to see complete strangers barrel into my life and become members of my own family.  I've seen them grow, change jobs, fall in love and move on to a home with those with whom they fell in love.  I've gone to housewarmings and birthdays, cried tears of joy and tears of sadness.  I've seen breakdowns and moments of fear.  I've seen joy and excitement.

I have been changed for the better and changed for good.  Boston has been my home.  The South End has been my 'hood.  I will surely miss Saturday morning walks with Bailey to Dunkin' Donuts, as well as coffee dates at Jaho and the Wholy Grain.  My favorite spots will become distant memories - memories of my little hermano and I celebrating promotions at El Centro, sitting at the beer garden at Stella with the board of Gateway, or scarfing down tapas and sangria at Estragon with the Friends of the Squares.

The people I've met who have touched me - and left a mark on my experience - are the people I want to remember.  I've got a treasure chest full of these from my time in 02118.  They have made me who I am today, and I couldn't be more grateful.
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Sunday, October 27, 2013

Bucket List

The bucket list gets started... TODAY!  Today I get to have coffee with Nancy Farrington - my most lovely neighbor.  From there, I'm meeting up with Tara O'Connor and hitting the Isabelle Stuart Gardner museum, followed by a T ride to the North End - complete with pasta, cannoli, a beer at the Bell-in-Hand and a cap at Union Oyster House.

Today the countdown begins.  It's scary - but I'm ready to start the journey.  The countown begins at day 20 - and each day I'll post and track what I've done, who I've seen and some of the fun things I've encountered.  These are the last days that I'm a Bostonian, for now. I'm thrilled, excited, nervous, sad and terrified all at the same time.  What makes it thoroughly exhilarating and makes me fearless is one simple notion: I have my closest and most wonderful friends to do it with.

So here goes.  I'm jumping in.

BUCKET LIST DAY 20: Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum, walking down the Fens, walking by the MFA, Wentworth (watching a little LAX practice), Northeastern to the Christian Science Plaza, and then Anchovies for a little comfort food. 
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Friday, October 25, 2013

Bucket List is Here!

Before I leave Boston, there are a few things I should want to need to must do.  Some of them are repeats from my most favorite memories over the last half-decade.  Others are things I've never done - and frankly, have taken for granted since living here.  Either way - here's a list of what my friends have suggested I do.  Tomorrow you'll see the list of what I'll be doing and when - so you can join in!

From my Facebook Post:
Dear Boston Friends - I have a very important request! In 4 weeks, I'm moving 3,000 miles away. But before we worry about that, I'm creating a Bucket List of Boston must-dos! Please comment or send me a private message if you have any ideas to add.  To start off, here are a couple:

1. See the original Dunkin' Donuts in Quincy
2. Play hooky and go hiking in the Middlesex Fells with Hazel Ryerson
3. Go to the Museum of Science and the New England Aquarium
4. A cocktail at the Top of the Hub
5. Chocolate Walking Tour with Casey Walsh
6. [Your turn: fill in the blank!]
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