Boston

TU: Arrival of the Books

Thesis Updates

Well, it turns out that I don’t need to make a trip to Washington to get my books. One of the other school libraries in Boston had them, and now I do, too.

So, hurray! I can now spend my days finishing my preliminary research and revising my proposal. I still need to determine which theoretical lens I’m going to examine The Prisoner through. I’m leaning very heavily towards postmodernism, someone like Foucault. But I think I will reread Marshall McLuhan’s The Medium is the Massage before I return to school in September.

Lots of reading ahead of me! And I still need to finish watching Danger Man.

For fun, I’m reading John le Carre’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and enjoying that very much.

Safe and sound at home again.

Florentine Scribblings

Well, I’m home. Back in the States. I have been since Saturday.

It’s odd, being home after such a long time away. Everything is so familiar, yet alien. On Monday, I trekked into Boston for the morning. Even though I know different parts of the city quite well, as I took the T and wandered through Coolidge Corner, I felt as though I was looking at a new world. It excited me, made me anxious to explore what I took for granted. I’m looking forward to doing the silly touristy things again (Duck Tours, Boston Tea Party museum, etc) with new eyes.

Is this what its like coming home after such a long time away? Where things are familiar, but forever just beyond your grasp?

I haven’t made a venture into a big box store yet. That will be interesting.

For the Love of Harry

Nerds Have More Fun

I remember the day my mom bought Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I was in fourth grade and Harry Potter-mania had yet to hit. “I found this in the clearance section of Marshall’s,” my mom said. “It sounds pretty interesting.”

We devoured the first book and scaled the bookshelves at a now-defunct bookstore to get Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets the day it was released.

Fast forward ten years.

Harry Potter is now, of course, incredibly popular and profitable, with movies, books (and controversy surrounding the books), and a new exhibition of artifacts from the movie, which I saw at the Museum of Science Boston.

It was awesome.

I’m a movie junkie (as well as a Harry Potter fan), so I considered it my duty to go to the exhibit. I’ve enjoyed previous movie exhibits at the MoS (there was an awesome Lord of the Rings one, and an okay Star Wars one). Though I still think that the LotR one was the best, I thoroughly enjoyed the HP one. There were costumes and props from the movies with fun activities throughout (like harvesting Mandrakes and throwing Quaffles into hoops).

As a GD junkie, one of my favorite parts of the exhibit was looking at the textbooks. It was really quite cool, seeing the different covers up close. I wanted to flip through the books, but that would never happen, given that they were encased in glass and arrest is not on my to-do-list.

I also really liked looking at the wands. We never really get a good look at them on screen, just flashes of them here and there. Being able to study Voldemort’s, Dumbledore’s and McGonagall’s wands was quite cool. Each has character hidden until you get a really close look at them.

The various portions of the exhibit were set up like different parts of Hogwarts. There was the Gryffindor Common Room (and dormitories), Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts classrooms, the Great Hall, the Quidditch pitch, Hagrid’s Hut and the Forbidden Forest. The details were extraordinary.

All said, I had a great time, and decided to reread Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, only to realize halfway through that the parts I really wanted to read were in The Half-Blood Prince. Oops.

The exhibit is one that I recommend when it comes to a city near you (I imagine that a stop in NYC will occur).

I also was sorted into, of all houses, Ravenclaw. Or Slytherin. The Sorting Hat was a little confused. 😀

Wander here, wander there, I will wander everywhere

The Twirl and Swirl of Letters

 

CC/Dan4th

CC/Dan4th

Take grey, rainy Sundays where the sky will either break into blue or descend as powerful drops.

 

Add one day off, a pair of Sperry Topsiders, the city of Boston and a bored writer.

What is the result?

Wandering through areas I know well, and neighborhoods with interesting buildings is a perfect way to spend the afternoon. I’ve wanted to see the Rose Garden for a while now, having sprinted passed it a couple of months ago, so I figured today would be as good a day as any. The same goes with the Fenway Victory Gardens. Feeling bold, I walked amongst the gardens, peering into them and snapping a few pictures.

The creativity of others is inspiring. A few lines for poetry snuck into my head as I viewed hidden garden after hidden garden.

Will I ever learn?

General Geekiness

Two weeks ago, I entered a scavenger hunt race around Boston.

Today I entered another. I’m in pain. Will I ever learn? At least this time I didn’t run for my life.

 

My trekking brought me to places I never thought I’d go–including the Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. Not to sound gothy, but this has to be one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world. The day was overcast and gloomy; therefore perfect for walking around tombstones.

Cemeteries are so calming. This one was filled with willows, ancient headstones and interesting monuments, including a Tower dedicated to Washington (you can climb it–and as someone petrified by heights, I did so reluctantly). Another is a Sphinx.

I, like Hawthorne, find cemeteries inspiring. There’s both a sense of mortality and immortality about them. You’re reminded of the past, but at the same time, the possibilities are endless.

The wheels in my head are turning, and I can’t wait to turn this experience into a story.

Free concerts? We like free.

General Geekiness

Photo by me. Do not use without my permission.

Photo by me. Do not use without my permission.

You’ve wanted to see this band for months. You can’t wait for the concert; you’ve stalked their myspace or official page for months. But—surprise!—they aren’t stopping in Boston.

Or are they?

Local music and comic chain Newbury Comics have a solution. Several times a month, local and international bands perform free shows at one of their stores.

Not impressed with the thought of seeing up and coming bands like The Kooks or The Lonely Island for free? Maybe old stalwarts like Alanis Morissette or Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys are more your speed. Either way, all are acts who have played one of the local Newbury Comics stores.

The shows fill up quickly, so head on down to the Newbury Comics store in question early enough in the day so you can get a neon wristband. The store closes while the gig goes on (for about 45 minutes), and only those with a wristband get in.

At the Newbury Street location, it can be very difficult to see anything, so get there early. Camp out. Hang out all day. You’ll get a better patch of carpet.

The best part? The shows are free, so it may only cost you T fare to listen to Alanis Morissette sing about a jagged little pill.

I’d call that a bargain!