Cafe Polonia

On Friday night my neighbors and I made a pilgrimage to the only Polish restaurant in all of the greater Boston area, Cafe Polonia. It's actually a very small establishment, and the seven of us took up about a fourth of the space. From campus, we took two trains (the Green Line to Park Street, then changed to the Red Line to Andrews Station) and then had a short walk to the restaurant. It was lightly sprinkling at this point, and only three members of the group had thought to bring umbrellas. When we got to Cafe Polonia we were surprised to see a sign on the door announcing a private function that night at 7:30. However, since we arrived at 6, we figured there was just enough time for us to have a good meal and get out of their way. So we enjoyed solid Polish goodness. I had a plate of pierogi, but next time I'll be brave and try something with more variety of flavor. Pierogi is good, but an entire plate of what is essentially ravioli stuffed with potato and cheese is a little bland after a while.

Upon leaving Cafe Polonia, we continued our trek to another fabled destination: Target. We were in the suburb of Dorchester at this point, so all the big box stores are available, arranged in a square around a giant parking area. We had to walk over the freeway to get there from the restaurant, but the walk was short and would have posed no problem had it not still been raining. Once inside Target, we all dispersed, eager to locate whatever sundry items were needed. Almost anything is cheaper at Target than at the stores we can walk to around campus, it's just a matter of whether the cost outweighs the bother of traveling so far. Once we finally all found each other again, we decided to take the bus back instead of the train, since there was a bus stop just outside Target. But the bus never came. Plenty of other buses came through, but not the number 8. In the end (after waiting more than half an hour under the roof of the bus stop--which doesn't actually keep off the rain unless it's falling straight down) we got on the shuttle bus that would take us back to Andrews Station so we could take the train back. The trains showed up promptly, and we were back at Fenway Station (which I am getting to know very well now) pretty quickly after that. Of course, the bottom six inches of my pants were wet by the time we walked from Fenway back to the dorm, but that's not such a big deal.

I also got a package from Dianna on Friday afternoon. It really made my day. New music, cute Edward Monkton paraphernalia, and crackers shaped like the state of Texas--if that doesn't say love and friendship, I don't know what does.

On Saturday I got another package. This time it was the books and movies I had asked my parents to ship out to me. This bare-bones version of my personal library is pathetic in size--taking up only half of the small bookshelf provided in my room--but it makes this place feel more like home. Now if I need a break, I can grab a book or a great movie off the shelf instead of mindlessly searching the internet for amusement. I think this option is better. Plus, now I can share my tastes with my neighbors when we want to do a movie night. Good times.

I also had class on Saturday. I'm still not happy about that, but I only have 12 weeks of it left. At least it was better this time--we got to do an autopsy on a dead computer. So now I know what the inside of a 6-year-old Dell looks like. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday, though I could think of better things to do. In the evening I considered breaking in the movie collection, but opted for watching a football game I had no interest in so that I could socialize with a couple of my neighbors, Chris and Erin. We had a good time. Also, I now have dibs on some of Erin's furniture when she graduates and moves out at the end of this semester. Very nice.

In other news, I should have a webcam soon. Trying to find one that was compatible with Mac and not insanely expensive was proving to be quite difficult. In the end, Sherwin stepped up and did it for me. I still have to pay him for it, but he did the dirty work of finding an iSight on ebay and bidding on it for me. Isn't he wonderful? Now that's what I call an anniversary present (we've been dating for five months as of last Friday, for anyone who's confused--hard to believe time goes by so quickly). At least now we'll be able to talk face-to-face on skype. The internet is great for making long-distance relationships more bearable.

Wow, this post is getting really long. I'll tell you about my archives internship later this week when I know what it is. Today I marked my top three choices online, and we'll see what happens. Also, I still don't have a job, but I'm trying not to dwell on that. It's been rainy all weekend, which is making me sleepy and not very productive. I'll have to find a way to motivate myself and change that.

-Kim