Random fun

A view of Boston from Spectacle Island

Okay, I've gotten enough questions about what I've been up to that I guess it's time for an update. The short answer is goofing off. Though, I now fancy myself an expert on the American Revolution. I think I'll start my own tours next week (they leave on the hour and cost $10 per person; tips are appreciated). Maybe that could be my side job. (Scarily though, I actually do think I can now recite the timeline of the revolution with reasonable accuracy just from memory... and that's without actually having completed the entire Freedom Trail yet).

I'm not sure I can remember everything I've done lately, but lets try:

• As mentioned, I did the Boston part of the Freedom Trail. I still have the Cambridge part to do, but my camera battery died (and I decided I needed a nap)
• I've been out to the Harbor Islands (where I got to visit all the dirt they removed from the Big Dig - it's now part of an island)
• I've visited just about every Whole Foods within the area; sadly none have nettles yet. In fact, the bulk bin aisles are pretty limited here; I can only guess it's a matter of space, but it just doesn't seem like people use them much here.
• I had my first experience nearly being run over by Boston's crazy bike guy (there's a mentally handicapped man who rides his bike around way too fast making siren noises and basically runs people off the sidewalks. I'm told he's been around for at least 15 years, and that you're not truly a local until you have a close call with him). And yes, I realize it's very un-PC of me to refer to him as crazy. So be it.
• I went on the nighttime graveyard tour. Not as goulish as the one I went to in Scotland long ago, but still fun (and now I know all about the Boston Strangler, the whereabouts of John Hancock's right hand, a book that was bound in leather made from its own authors' skin, and other various fun tidbits).
• I watched "Food Inc" at a really cool theater. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, you should. And I think when it's out on DVD, that's what I'm giving as presents to everyone.
• I've wandered around too many town squares to remember (and yet, few of them are actually square).
• I like the Boston side of the Charles river more than the Cambridge side
• I think the Harvard dining halls look like prison mess halls.
• I have been to what is supposed to be the best dessert place in town (Mike's Pastries) as well as one that wants to be (Finale). Mike's wins if for no other reason than the surly Italian women working there.
• I've been lost downtown more times than I can count, but somehow always seem to end up at Faneuil hall.
• I still haven't yet been on the Silver line of the T, but I've done all the others.
• I've run the heartbreak hill portion of the Boston Marathon. It's easy! (okay, so I know the point is that it comes late in the race, but so what!) By the way, for those that don't know, I live a block off the Boston marathon course, near mile 23.
• I found the race that I really want to run: Race Up Boston Place (similar to the Big Climb in Seattle, but the building isn't nearly as tall; but in New England there's about 5 or 6 different buildings to run up, so maybe I'll do them all).
• I'm on the list to get raw milk... but sadly I got in too late for September. Happiness (that is, the milk) should arrive the first week of October. I'll be paying a ton for it, but it'll be worth it.
• I learned that it takes 7 city workers to properly paint the yellow strips next to where the transit stops: two to paint, two to direct people around it, one to sweep where they'll next paint, one to carry the paint, and one to remove the tape from where they just finished painting. Now I'm no budget genius, but I think I see an area for money savings.
• I got admonished for wearing my baseball hat inside of the state house of representatives.
• I've been avoiding studying my medical terminology book (I'm supposed to have a test on the first day of my internship).
• I found a massage therapist and have been getting lots of massage. It's actually scary how messed up my body got from the cross country drive

But maybe the most fun was when Hailey woke me up 3 times last night to vomit. (I'm kidding about it being fun) Poor girl must've eaten something that didn't quite agree with her. She didn't keep her breakfast down either, but so far so good with dinner. (Don't worry, this is just something that happens once a month or so... it's what happens when you have a dog that will put any rotting food in her mouth.)