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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• Hazel Ryerson, James Liu, Brian Forman and 19 others like this.
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  Liz Fish Be a Boston tour guide to Liz for a day 

  October 21 at 11:08am via mobile · Unlike · 2
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  Lauren Pacifico QUINCY yeaaaaa. i have nothing of value to add; i just enjoyed that going to quincy is number 1 on your list

  October 21 at 11:09am · Unlike · 3
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  Amanda Beck Are you moving to San Diego to be near me?! 

  October 21 at 11:12am via mobile · Unlike · 1
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  Ruth Anne Shea Where are you moving to?

  October 21 at 11:13am via mobile · Unlike · 1
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  Derek Jacobson World Series game.

  October 21 at 11:13am · Unlike · 6
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  Robyn Avery Hokanson I'll join you for the cocktail at TOTH !

  October 21 at 11:14am via mobile · Unlike · 1
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  Ryan Caro I just got an aquarium membership!

  October 21 at 11:16am · Unlike · 1
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  Lindsay Ronnau Take Lindsay out for mexi-melts.... HEYOOOO! You gotta come to KC FO THAT THO!

  October 21 at 11:17am · Unlike · 1
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  Ryan Cooney One more Starbucks coffee run with me 

  October 21 at 11:22am · Unlike · 1
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  Brent Parrish Run the esplanade from BU to Museum of Science and back along the cambridge side. Amazing run. Also, Sam Adams and Harpoon brewery tours!

  October 21 at 11:23am · Unlike · 1
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  Nicole Schleider I must see you before you go!!

  October 21 at 11:23am via mobile · Unlike · 3
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  Eric Huang Get banged in the Fens.

  October 21 at 11:23am · Unlike · 8
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  Mal Malme Sit and talk with me, please.

  October 21 at 11:26am via mobile · Unlike · 1
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  Christine Alvarez Have you been to the Boston tea party ship and museum?

  October 21 at 11:33am · Unlike · 2
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  Jessica DeNaples I have passes for the Museum of Science 

  October 21 at 11:33am · Unlike · 1
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  Braden Joyce-Schleimer Brunch at the Friendly Toast, obvzzz. And just walk your boots off in Beacon Hill one last time.

  October 21 at 11:43am · Unlike · 1
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  Amanda Martino Go to Salem to see the witches! I'm in for the TOTH cocktail along with Robyn!

  October 21 at 11:45am · Unlike · 1
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  Michele Cardin We will miss you on this coast.  End up over the bridge in Cambridge at night and take in the best view of the city.

  October 21 at 12:18pm via mobile · Unlike · 1
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  Paul Hess Go piss on Fenway Park. Oops...did I say that?

  October 21 at 12:35pm · Unlike · 2
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  Ryan Rapkowicz Take your roommate to a World Series game at Fenway...

  October 21 at 1:03pm via mobile · Unlike · 3
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  Eileen Cowan You should really make sure you did stuff like go to Newport or the Cape or Maine or Nantucket, etc. They're really cool places and Boston is so close to them! Also, I'm a HUGE nerd, so all the historical sites (especially the less-well known ones): Longfellow house, John Quincy Adams House, etc. Oh, and don't forget all the breweries!! Harpoon, Sam Adams, Cape Ann, Cape Cod, etc. Have fun! Will join you on any of the above adventures. :o)

  October 21 at 1:15pm via mobile · Unlike · 2
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  Eileen Cowan (And obviously Fenway, Bruins, eat a lot..... I thought that all went without saying!!)

  October 21 at 1:16pm via mobile · Unlike · 1
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  Philip Hess Head to Randolph for Lynwoods Pizza. You won't regret it.

  October 21 at 1:44pm · Unlike · 1
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  Mac Chase Lunch w Me

  October 21 at 1:47pm via mobile · Unlike · 1
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  Reid Vilbig I'm leaving Boston soon too, and am also ticking off the Boston Bucket list. I am planning on going up in the old custom house. They do two tours a day. $4 at 4pm and $15 at 6pm, but it includes a cocktail. Also I am attempting to make it to the Adams house. Kayaking the Charles. Wally's Cafe for Jazz. Hope all is well, and sad I have yet to bump into you in Boston

  October 21 at 1:57pm · Unlike · 1
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  Kerry Sullivan Matty - I can definitely make #1 happen! And you can meet Declan!

  October 21 at 2:19pm via mobile · Unlike · 1
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  Elena LaFrance #1 is near my house!!! Also maybe you should see president John Adams house too??

  October 21 at 2:24pm via mobile · Unlike · 1
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  Marie Harden Pickard Boston beans?

  October 21 at 2:58pm · Unlike · 1
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  Madeline Carrigan how about see a championship red sox game that's the greatest thing about boston in my opinion?

  October 21 at 3:46pm · Unlike · 1
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  Mark Corbin Go on a date with Mark Corbin ;-P

  October 21 at 4:20pm · Unlike · 1
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  Rachel Burnett WHERE ARE YOU MOVING?
  
  Grab a beer with Norm at either Cheers location 

  October 21 at 4:50pm via mobile · Unlike · 1
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  Shantale Harb Boston burger company!! Get the kitchen sink

  October 21 at 5:08pm via mobile · Unlike · 1
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  Mike Weinstein Tequila shots with me and your Saks besties!  See you soon!

  October 21 at 5:39pm · Unlike · 1
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  Valleria Miranda Duck tour is actually pretty cool... Also walk the Freedom trail.. Walk up the bunker hill moument!

  October 21 at 6:31pm · Unlike · 1
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  Darren Mackiewicz Union Oyster House !

  October 21 at 9:52pm via mobile · Unlike · 1
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  Bill Barnert Invite me to everything! I might just show up!

  October 22 at 2:34am via mobile · Unlike · 2
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  Jennifer Effron Its Cambridge but Mr. Bartley's Burgers is an institution

  October 22 at 10:52am · Unlike · 2
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  Bill Barnert "Oh, yeah!" to Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage!!

  October 22 at 11:13am · Like
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  Deana Varitimos Come see me in Les Mis this weekend 

  October 22 at 12:51pm · Unlike · 1
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  Hazel Ryerson Let's do it!

  October 22 at 1:20pm via mobile · Unlike · 1

It's Beginning to Feel Real

Four weeks from now, I'll become a San Franciscan. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to sigh with relief or curl into the fetal position below my desk and whimper. Either way, each day it becomes more real. If you only had four weeks left, what would you do? I've started to create a Bucket List. All of the "must-do" things in Boston and New England before I head west, and most of them associated with one or more of my fun and fantastic friends from Beantown. I'll list more of them as we go forward, but want to set the stage.

I've been in Boston now for five years. Five incredibly fast years. And now that that time is drawing to a close, I have little time to stop and think, much less time to begin regretting what I haven't accomplished in my time here. So rather than feeling any remorse or regret, I am choosing to spend the next four weeks living. Living as much as possible through the memories and moments with special people doing special things in special places. And I will begin to track those moments and memories through a blog and photos. So this is my point of lift-off; this is where I'll keep my diary and follow my heart through the living memories of my friends and last moments in a place I never expected to become so important and beautiful to me.

This is my Beantown-to-San Francisco log and history. Won't you join me for the ride?

Today it all became very real. I submitted my notice to my landlord and thanked them for five years of being an otherwise invisible landlord. They could have easily evicted me for going on the roof where we don't have handrails, or for having raging parties with more than 200 people crammed in our abode. They could have removed us because of the noise, the Friday night music with little Fajardo, or the barking and wailing of Tank. They could have called the police for the heels-and-wigs parties that happened at random - usually in the middle of the night.

 As the bills are changed into the names of my roommates, each step relieves a stress of responsibility and ensures a greater anxiousness, for I'm not only relinquishing my responsibility, I'm also giving up all those things that tie me to this place. These are what make an apartment your home: the people, the bills, the mail, the rent. And one by one, they're being set free from the permanent and otherwise required nature in my life. From now, these people will be in my life because we've mutually agreed to being friends, and not just because we live together or near each other. From here we become real friends, to stand the test of 3,000 miles and an excess of time.

 This is where it starts.

Photos.. Because I don't want to forget.

Photos make me feel alive. Because they bring me back to how I feel. How I felt at an exact moment in time. So here are some photos that make me love my life more and more as I remember the memories..

Part one. More to come. :)

February?

My, how time flies. This year has already been one of greatest consequence; my career is advancing, I'm learning daily, I have an incredible mentor and I'm learning about my friends.

I yearn for more constantly, but what's next? Maybe a land far away. Or yet, beach living. Or maybe culture shock and language immersion?

It's time to really test my skills and strengths. Broaden the horizons of the visions in my head.

Today I sit in a preparatory class for the Mass real estate license exam. It's value is tremendous albeit my professor is a joke. The cronies around me are awesome. We've had beer, pizza, ice cream and an unknown huge quantity of coffee together. I like them.

I'm frustrated with people in general though. With people I think are "friends," and for those who pretend to be. With those I cannot determine a label.

What makes someone really, truly a "friend?"

It's an interesting concept. For starters, I have nearly 3,000 of them on Facebook. Is that an indicator for how many real friends I have? Surely it is.

But even then, what defines a real one?

I have wonderful people in my life. And I earnestly attempt to spend time, communicate, share and enjoy life with those I find most dear.

What happens when they prove you wrong? Or when they surprise you? Or - best yet - when you assume you're tight, only to find that you're really not as close as you think. Or, to top it off, that you introduce some of your most esteemed friends and they start to hang out.

No big deal. Until I'm not invited.

I suppose I shouldn't expect to be included. I don't need them to include me. But seeing them plan and execute a fun weekend without me sort of adds a level of disdain and sadness.

Am I not worth it to them? Am I no fun?

Better yet.. Do I add no value to their new group of friends?

The question prevails: how do our friends assess our value within our subset of social groups?


The slighted feeling will pass - I know these guys love me. Maybe it changes things, maybe not. Maybe it only validates my concurrent review of what's to come in my life. But now I'll be more cautious. I've always been independent and more of a loner. That's because I'll be fine, and my life will move on.

Continue to chase your dreams.. Just be careful not to give up what's important along the way. Trust quickly; you'll get hurt from time to time but will be to your benefit.

This week begins a new... everything.

There is nothing more beautiful than an autumn morning, with the sun peaking through the gold-turning trees and the sight of your breath in front of your face. The end of the summer comes, and with it, the end of an era.

This week I embark on a new adventure; a new career, a new set of principles and a new sense of accountability and responsibility professionally and personally. Today I set out with higher standards for myself. I set out with higher expectations, performance requirements and even expectations of the people around me.

I'm looking forward to the fall. And the winter. I'm ready for it. It's the season of change, and change is upon us! Go forward and grab life by those invisible horns. For you - and only you - have the ability to choose to make today better than yesterday. Strive harder, reach farther and run faster; only you can be the force for good in your life that guarantees that life, every day, will get better.

the city that never sleeps

I adore New York. I do. So very much.

When I ran into my good friend Toji in Provincetown over the 4th of July, we made celebratory plans for my birthday in the city. And what a weekend it's turned out to be!

Last night I had a date in Times Square at 10 pm. This was no ordinary date - it was a best friend date that was almost a year overdue! I ran into Snookie Sarah Hurdelbrink and though it had been months, it felt as if it had only been a few days since we saw each other. Sort of like seeing someone every day at work, and then coming back after a long weekend.

It was so good to see her! She is doing incredible things with her life - including moving to New York to work for Teach For America in Brooklyn. She is quite the young lady and I am thrilled for her and her life here.

We went to a local pizza place. You knew it was authentic because of the gruff tone of the waitress (assuming she's probably the owner, too). The pizza was incredible, as expected, but the night was still young (come on! Midnight is early in NYC!). We strolled down 8th Ave to my favorite margarita bar, Arriba Arriba.

"You want the Big Momma or the Hey Daddy size?" The burly, straight-to-the-point bartender shouted across the loud room. Assuming momma was smaller than daddy, I went for the momma. No need for a Cadillac tonight, right? Wrong. My fault for assuming. Our Big Momma margaritas were 36 ounces of frigid bliss.

Two more hours passed by in an instant. We laughed so hard we cried. I almost peed my pants once. That's how you know the friendship runs deep with me. Make me laugh so hard I might pee my pants.

This morning, the sun woke me up around 7:45 am. I swear I thought it was after 10 or 11... But it wasn't even 8.

I rallied, met some friends for coffee and hit the gym. I used an awesome new app (saving it for my next post because I'm so excited) and figured out that I subsequently walked more than 13 miles!

I saw all of my favorite neighborhoods and explored uncharted territory. I haggled in Chinatown, ate lunch in the West Village, window shopped along 5th Ave. I had a latté in a quaint little café in NoHo after spending some quality time in Muji and Uniqlo - my two most favorite Japanese stores - in SoHo. I spent too much in the Apple store on things I shouldn't have to replace.

I saw Central Park, people watched at Shake Shack and enjoyed the gorgeous day outdoors.

Originally, I was going to spend the day at the spa. Instead, I gave myself a gift of excursion and discovery. I saved more than I would have spent, and didn't have to go to Queens.

Now I await Toji ... And we will make a decision on dinner to celebrate my birthday. I'm pumped...I love celebrating any of life's accomplishments. And to me, knowing I've made it to 26, it's definitely worth celebrating!