Boston Children's

This morning did not go at all as planned. I was supposed to meet with my group to work on a project, but I ended up taking a friend to the emergency room instead. Tierney met me at the library to work, but she looked like death warmed over and couldn't breathe. Because we didn't realize that campus safety would have given us a free ride, we walked the couple blocks to the nearest hospital to main campus, which is actually the Boston Children's Hospital. But they didn't worry so much about her not being a child, since it was pretty clear that walking to the next facility wasn't going to be a good idea.

So nobody gets worried, I'll tell you right now that it turns out that she has gall stones and was experiencing a gall bladder attack (before today I didn't know they could do that). But it took over 4 hours for them to figure it out. We spent the intervening time discussing our King Arthur project and anything else that might distract her from the needles. A friendly nurse named Wally drew blood, but then they had to try twice to get an IV in to give her fluids, and that didn't go over well. In the end, it was an ultrasound that showed the problem for what it was, but I couldn't be there for that part. I had to go back to campus for class, Tierney having assured me that she would be fine.

I think this was the first time I've been to the emergency room for someone else. It's a very different experience when you're not the one in pain. It didn't feel as if we had been there 4 hours, though apparently we had by the end of things. That was time I would have been using to get work done, but it was better spent making sure my friend was alright. It's good though, that we had planned to meet today. Otherwise, she would have been in the dorm when it happened and probably would have tried to sleep it off instead of going in and finding out what the real problem was. And now that she knows, it can be taken care of, though she wants to put off the surgery until the semester is over, if possible.

So, things didn't go the way we had intended, but a greater good was accomplished instead. God canceled our study time so the medical mystery could be solved and addressed. Sadly, no Dr. House. Maybe we'll get him next time.

-Kim

Boston Symphony Orchestra

It was another night of culture for me on Saturday. My neighbor Molly and I took in a concert of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall. It's a short walk and a few stops down the Green Line to get there, and we were early enough for me to study the hall before things got started. It's a very nice hall, but it's got nothing on the Washington Pavilion. There is gold painted wood everywhere and Greek statues in sconces above the balconies, so it's fancy enough, but it doesn't have nearly the same feel.





The Pavilion doesn't have a bad seat in the house, but apparently this hall does. At least, I would rather blame the hall than the orchestra. During the concert I had the feeling that the music was all far away, only on the stage. When the music was soft, I could hear the air in the vents and the creaking floor as the usher got bored and went in and out of the door nearby. After the intermission the music was more powerful and reached our seats better. And speaking of the seats--they weren't very comfortable.

I don't mean any disrespect to the BSO--they're a fantastic orchestra. And the hall was certainly marvelous when it was built in 1900. I guess I've just been spoiled by the quality of the Pavilion and our own amazing SDSO.

The concert itself was quite good. First was Ravel's "Mother Goose Suite," then a violin concerto by Prokofiev. The soloist was amazing. She's barely older than me, and she's performed all over the world, with top orchestras. Have you ever seen a really impressive violinist perform? They always appear to be moving at faster than normal speed, as if they are a recording that has been sped up ever so slightly from the rest of the world. Her movements would seem jerky, but for the flowing music that accompany them. She also had incredible long bangs that flew about her face as she bobbed her whole body along with the music.

The best part of the concert was after the intermission, when they played Stravinsky's "Petrushka." It's a ballet about wooden puppets, and it's a shame there were no dancers to watch bring the story to life. But I could picture it on my own. I was helped by both the program notes and an episode of Nodame Cantabile, which had explained and animated part of the story.

After the concert we walked back to campus through the mist. A block away from the dorm, waiting for a walk signal, we spotted the most unusual vehicle. I'm only sorry I couldn't get my camera out in time. It was The Original Party Trolley, which apparently can be rented out like a limo for parties and the like. Follow the link to see what it looks like--it's a very strange contraption.

-Kim

Movie Moments, Part 3

Here's the end of it. There would have been twice as many posts to cover the full collection, but the rest of them are in South Dakota, and so have been left out. What else did I think was important enough to bring halfway across the country? Read on to see.

Stranger Than Fiction

The scene in which Ana is telling Harold how she became a baker at law school always makes me hungry. I think that scene is meant to be one that the author wrote, because the way Ana lists the foods she baked sounds delicious, yet wooden. People don't really talk that way, but we accept reading them that way. It's fascinating to watch this movie and try to sort out which pieces of Harold's life have been written and which pieces he is simply living.

Finding Forrester

I love the scene when Jamal and William are discussing rules of grammar. William objects to Jamal beginning a sentence with a conjunction, and Jamal defends his decision, claiming it's not actually a rule of grammar but a convention. As they go back and forth about it, both characters intentionally begin their one-sentence pieces of dialogue with conjunctions. I'm a nerd, so it makes me smile.

Mulan

The best part is the song "I'll Make a Man Out of You." We get to see all of the main characters go from being completely pathetic to being actual warriors. Plus, the lyrics are totally macho and it's great fun to sing along to. Also, on the special edition second disc there is a video of Jackie Chan singing the song in Chinese and doing some sort of martial arts dance. It's incredibly funny, though unintentionally so.

Whisper of the Heart

There is a song the main character Shizuku sings in the middle of the movie. It's a new song that she's written to the tune of "Country Roads," and it encapsulates the theme of the movie--it's all about chasing dreams and facing challenges. Her new friend (or soon-to-be friend, after a brief shouting match) Seiji plays violin for her, and it sounds incredible. I fell in love with the movie the first time I watched it, and I was obsessed with this scene for about two weeks after that. It's even on my iPod!

Pride and Prejudice

It's actually two separate moments, but they convey the same idea. What strikes me about this movie, besides the romance, is the way that women were expected to behave and were mostly ignored as individuals. It comes out in conversation when Elizabeth asks how her sister is doing, and both times is answered by her location, not her state of being. First at Netherfield, then by her own mother when both girls have recently arrived home from their separate adventures.

Elizabeth: "I'm so sorry, how is my sister?"
Mr. Darcy: "She's upstairs."

Elizabeth: (of Jane) "How is she?"
Mrs. Bennet: "She's in the drawing room."

How could that be a sufficient answer? The first time it happens Elizabeth is more put off by Mr. Darcy's abrupt manner and her own discomfort, and the second time she clearly expects little better from her mother and is not surprised by it. But it still irks her, and it irks me too!

Sense and Sensibility

Any line delivered by Hugh Laurie is priceless. I love the quality of all the characters, even minor ones, in this film. The best may be the evil sister-in-law, especially in her reaction to learning that Lucy Steele is secretly engaged to Edward. The book glosses over what may have happened in that moment, but the movie shows us how Fanny throws aside her needlework, pushes Lucy off the couch and drags her across the room by her ear before throwing her out of the house. It makes me think of an angry monkey, which suits the character quite well.

Alex & Emma

Alex is an author who needs to finish his next book in 30 days to pay off his debt to Cuban loan sharks, and Emma is the stenographer he cons into helping him. I enjoy the whole concept of the story and the way the movie hope back and forth between the real characters and the action of the novel being composed. Toward the beginning they argue about how a character's name should be spelled, and he then puts their comments directly into the dialogue of the characters, which I find amusing and Emma doesn't.

What a Girl Wants

I know, I know, it's a cheesy, tween girl movie. But I still like it. For those of you who have no idea what it's about, it's Amanda Bynes going to England to meet her father, who is in the House of Lords and doesn't know she exists. Hilarity ensues as she tries to be the society girl he needs her to be while maintaining her own identity. She also gets to meet a cute English boy who can sing and play guitar--bonus points for that. A favorite moment would be when she pushes the archtypal creepy snob into the river at a regatta for trying to kiss her and insulting her boyfriend and then flees with her father on her boyfriend's motorcycle. If they were really concerned about public image, they should have stayed and straightened things out, but it was a lot more fun to flee, especially since it meant the boyfriend and his bandmates (working the gig parking cars) got to run interference with the press. Hijinks!

That Thing You Do

In all honesty, I haven't watched this entire movie yet. I picked it up for cheap at the Boston Public Library book sale last fall. I've seen most of it, just not the end--we were watching it in middle school music class, but I missed the day they finished it. When I have a spare moment I'll get to it. From what I have seen of it, my favorite part is when the band gets an agent and the first thing he wants to do is change their name from the Oneders to the Wonders because no one could pronounce it. One band member's response: "as in 'what ever happened to the Oh-need-ers'?"

-Kim

Sheep!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled movie posting to bring you the most awesome display of sheep herding I have seen in my life. Welsh sheep herders clearly have too much time on their hands, and too many LEDs. Are you interested yet? I can't seem to figure out how to link the video directly (darn blogger!), but here's the link to it on YouTube.

I think the sheep farmers of South Dakota should get together with Dakrtonics and put together a reply.

Mom, please take the time to actually load and watch the video, and show it to Dad--totally worth the wait, even on dial-up!

-Kim

Movie Moments, Part 2

Yes, there is more. This will probably end up being three posts. Enjoy the next batch!

X-MEN

It's corny and cliche, but I really enjoy the moment when they're breaking into the Statue of Liberty to save Rogue, and Wolverine makes the metal detector go off, then feels the need to destroy the annoying machine. (Oddly enough, Cyclops doesn't--just what is his visor made of, then?) That, and the comment about yellow spandex, which, of course, would have looked rather ridiculous on Hugh Jackman, so it's a good thing they went with basic black for everyone. But a nod to the original is always in good taste.

X2: X-Men United

I just love that Nightcrawler got to be in this one. He was always my second favorite, right behind Wolverine. What is striking, though, is his conversation with Mystique in the forest. They are both more noticeably mutants than most of their friends because of their blue skin, and Nightcrawler asks why she doesn't make herself look normal all the time, since she has the ability. Her answer--"why should I have to." Even though she's one of the "bad guys" and we're supposed to hate her, she's right about that. They shouldn't have to hide who they are, and both groups are trying to make the world into a place where they will be accepted. I would have been Nightcrawler's friend, even with the blue skin. In my book he's cooler because of it.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Captain Jack Sparrow. Need I saw more? Fine, I'll be more specific. I love his whole entrance into town: sailing in on a sinking ship and just barely reaching the dock but clearly unconcerned about it and then toying with the bumbling naval officers. I've always wanted to know just what story he was telling them when Elizabeth fell into the water. "And then they made me their chief." There must have been something good before that. Or perhaps it was simply prophetic, considering what takes place in the sequel.

Hidalgo

I love any movie with a horse or swords or epic-scale adventure. This one's got all three. What's best about it is the fact that it opens in South Dakota, and that the hero draws his strength from the midwest. Actually, the best line was cut from the final film but made it into the first round of previews. The shiekh is describing to Viggo's character just how dangerous the race across the desert will be, and he responds that "it sounds an awful lot like South Dakota." Man, I wish that one had made in into the actual film.

Sahara

So much better than the book. And I hope this is the only time I can ever say that. Seriously, don't get me started on how pathetic Clive Cussler's writing is. But I digress. The movie is comic genius. Best part? In the midst of the firefight on the river, Rudy, the computer nerd, gets into the action and when Dirk climbs back onto the boat Rudy tells him, "I shot a guy with a flare gun!" Also, in spite of how ridiculous all of their stunts are throughout the film (justified by the fact that they used to be navy seals), when Dirk jumps back onto their boat from the enemy's boat, he actually struggles a bit to pull himself over the rail. One moment of realistic action in an otherwise typically unbelievable escapade.

A Knight's Tale

Simple answer: "I will eviscerate you in fiction." Really, I could go with just about anything that Paul Bettany as Chaucer says. What impresses me most about his character is how they got his sentiments right. At the end he says "all of human activity lies within the artist's scope," which the real Chaucer certainly believed. It's a breath of truth in an otherwise completely anachronistic farce. But don't take that the wrong way--this is the best anachronistic movie I've ever seen and I love it.

National Treasure

I love watching this movie and continually shouting out, "I've been there!" It's now true of almost everywhere they go; I just need to spend some time in Philadelphia to complete the movie tour. Also, Riley is my favorite character by far, especially when he finally figures something out before Ben and gets to gloat over it--"Is this how you guys feel all the time?"

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Watching it for the first time, I was so excited when Lucy opened the wardrobe for the first time and three mothballs fell out, just like in the book. In spite of the changes they made later to the story, preserving little details like this is a comfort. And Mr. Tumnus was great. I love the look on his face as he charges pell-mell into the battle with no weapon and no armor, just his red scarf trailing behind him.

Big Fish

Two images stand out in my mind from this film. The first is the scene at the circus when Ewan McGreggor's character sees the love of his life for the first time and time literally stops. After he walks through the performers, the popcorn in the air comes back into time when he touches it and it falls to the floor. It's a spectacular image. The second is when he's trying to win the girl and fills the entire campus quad with Daffodils. I read somewhere that they used real flowers for that shot, not CGI. Imagine how long that must have taken to set up. The attention to detail is quite impressive.

Movie Moments

I saw this idea first on Katie's blog, then Dianna's. It's time I followed suit. I will go through all the DVDs on my shelf (in order), sharing with you my favorite moment or scene of each one to give you a taste of superior film quality, my own idiosyncrasies and my abnormal organizational system. You would think that, as a library student, I would keep my own shelves in alphabetical or in LC (Library of Congress) order, but I don't. My system only makes sense to me. This may be broken into several posts--it depends on how long things are getting. Here goes!

Star Wars: A New Hope

How do you dissect a classic? I first saw this one in the theater when it was re-released. I was in grade school at the time and pretty much latched on to the whole thing. The scenes in Mos Eisley are probably the best--so many different types of aliens doing very normal things. And our first meeting with Han in the cantina--priceless. Plus, now every time I watch it I hear Weird Al's "Star Wars Cantina" in my head (to the tune of "Car Wash").

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

The best sequence of events is that the hyperdrive never works, and both Han and Lando freak out about it. Even though its failure is a much bigger deal in regard to their immediate survival, both of them immediately worry more about their reputation than their lives, trying not to be blamed for the failure--"they told me they fixed it!"

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Any scene with Ewoks. I love the little furry guys! This one I had actually seen at least part of before the movies were re-released in the theater because we had taped it when it was on television, and we used to have a plastic plate with Ewoks on it. I wonder if this had anything to do with my current obsession with bears?

LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring

Again, classic. All the best humor comes any time Pippin opens his mouth. My favorite moment is probably from the extended edition (my copy has both theatrical and extended). After Frodo has been stabbed by the Nazgul, they are briefly camped under the stone trolls from The Hobbit. In the extended edition Sam actually gets to say something about it and try to distract Frodo from the pain by talking about the trolls "from Mr. Bilbo's story." It gives the movie a sense of more immediate history as well as the larger history that is present throughout. It's not just the heroes of ages past who did great things, but more immediate persons, like Bilbo who can be examples of courage for our new heroes to look to.

LOTR: The Two Towers

Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.

The irony of Sam's first statement is that they actually shouldn't be where they are when he is speaking--they never set foot in Osgiliath in the book. But the sentiment is still Tolkien's original, and I concur completely!

LOTR: The Return of the King

Other than the final happy ending? I love the way they animated the green ghostly figures of the dead from the mountain pass. My favorite single moment in the whole movie is watching the crowd of them swarm over an oliphaunt and bring it down. It's in the background, and we're really supposed to be watching Aragorn right then, but my eyes are on the ghosts. They strike me as being undead Smurfs, mostly because of the size difference between them and the animal they take down. Now there's an image for you!

Firefly (TV series)

Since this is a boxed set of the whole series, I'll modify the rules and pick a favorite episode. Not that such a change really makes things that much easier. Every episode is brilliant and witty, but the one I keep coming back to is "Shindig." It's early in the series, so we're still sort of feeling out who the characters are. Mal gets to defend Inara's honor in a duel, Kaylee gets to wear a frilly pink dress and Jayne gets to surprise us by correctly using the word "pretentious." Also, Badger is in this episode. Of all the minor characters, few of which get repeat appearances, he is by far my favorite--it's a shame he only ever got to be in two episodes. But the best part of this episode? The fact that what they end up smuggling is a herd of cattle. Ah, cowboys in space...

Serenity

Not quite as good as the series, because they made it feel more "spacey" to attract a broader theater audience, which messed up the rustic, homey feel of the series. The best part is the addition of the Mr. Universe character, played by David Krumholz (Charlie from Numb3rs). He's such a wacky character. Of course, it's hard for me to see that actor without thinking of The Santa Clause, so I always expect him to walk like he's got a permanent wedgie, like Bernard the elf did.

Stargate

I picked this movie up for cheap once because I had heard good things about the series. One of the best moments is that when Daniel finally realizes that he does know the language of the people and that we have always been just prnouncing ancient Egyptian incorrectly, he is far too busy exploring the linguistic possibilities to think of telling the soldiers that he may now be able to find then a way home. Oh, academics, still needing to be reminded of the priority of survial, even on alien worlds.

Edward Scissorhands

Tim Burton has an incredible skill for making the errie benign and the normal downright creepy. His plasic suburbia is by far mor disturbing than the abandoned castle on the hill. The whole thing is tragic, but I'll choose an entertaining moment for this post. The way the ladies of the neighborhood set up their street corner gossip circle and pounce on Edward as soon as he appears is hilarious--they really do have nothing better to do than keep track of everyone else's business.

X-MEN

For several years now I've contested that the only TV show I could think of wanting to buy on DVD if it were to come out was the original X-MEN cartoon that I watched after school when I was growing up. I mean, that was classic superhero TV. I wanted to be one of the mutants--as a grade schooler. Well, I still think that would be pretty cool, so I guess I haven't changed much.

Well guess what? I learned today that the first two volumes are available for preorder on Amazon! They're not dividing the seasons equally because season 3 somehow has about 10 more episodes than the others. At this rate they should at least be able to put all five seasons out in five volumes. Right now only the first two have been put together and advertised, but I'm hoping that the others won't be far behind. And yes, I already placed my order. The DVDs should arrive just in time for the end of the semester. Check out what one website has to say about the first two volumes here.

And as long as we're on the topic of superheroes, check out this bulletin board on the Emanuel College campus. I walk past it every day on my preferred shortcut to my own campus, and I just can't believe that their student film group could make such an obvious mistake. Can you spot the problem?


-Kim

(Yes, I know this is too many posts to do in one day, but they really didn't seem like they fit together very well...)

writing news

The short story I submitted to the Simmons College literary magazine will be printed in this year's issue of Sidelines, coming out in April! Woohoo! The story is "Inspiration Diner," which I actually wrote while still at USF, so several of my readers should already be familiar with it. When the magazine is printed I'll have to grab a whole stack of copies...

-Kim

Boston Restaurant Week

(aka - Kim plays at being a Foodie)

Boston's Restaurant Week is a chance for those of us who could usually never afford to go to a fancy restaurant to get lost downtown and experience high scale portion control for a fraction of the price. That fraction is still large enough to be more than I want to pay for a meal again for the rest of the year, but the experience was worth it. I won't be eating another meal this fancy for quite some time, unless someone else offers to pay!

The restaurant I went to, with Molly and Kristen from school, is called Masa. It bills itself as "Southwest," both in cuisine and decor. While the food may loosely fit that description, the decor really doesn't. In fact, I would call the look of the place schitzophrenic--it doesn't know what region to emulate. The fake palm tree and tall grass separating the dining area from the bar really don't match the tables on the other side of the room (pictured below). It looked nice, I just wasn't sure what it was trying to be.


The menu being limited, the three of us ended up ordering almost the same thing for the entire meal. This included drinks. Flavor of choice was a raspberry mojito. It was good (read: tasted more like raspberry than alcohol). I seem to prefer drinks made with rum, and have apparently fallen into a pattern of having one once a year or so. We were already splurging tonight so I figured, why not.

The one piece of variety in our orders was my appetizer. While the other girls had fairly standard salads, I opted for the duck empanada with Mexican chocolate BBQ sauce and tangy watercress salad. I've never seen such presentation for something that ended up looking like a glorified pizza roll. It tasted good, but it looked ridiculous on that plate. Sadly, the sauce tasted only like BBQ, with the tiniest hint of vague "otherness" that didn't quite remind me of chocolate. It was really good, though. There really was duck (among other things) inside that pizza roll.


For the main course all three of us ordered the same thing: Southwestern style steak frites with chile dusted frites, chile lime arugula salad and Guajillo bourbon sauce. The only variety on the table at this point was the cooking of the steaks: meduim rare, medium, and medium well. Okay, so not actual variety there either. It was good, though. The sauce was quite tasty, and the meat was tender and juicy. Accustomed as I am to cafeteria food, it's been quite some time since I've had red meat of this quality. Enjoying a steak this good makes me feel sorry for vegetarians. That dejected-looking pile of greens next to it claimed to be a salad. the lime had a pleasant bite to it, but I didn't waste much time on the greens with a piece of meat this good! The fries were also tasty, though we couldn't figure out whether it would be more appropriate to eat them with forks or fingers. I opted for the fork, simply because it sounded like more fun.


Dessert was distressingly small. Reading the menu online, I had gotten very excited for the
chocolate molten cake with raspberry sauce and vanilla bean ice cream. Imagine my dismay when the plate was brought out and the cake proved to be the size of two oreos. Lovely presentation, but as a chocoholic, I wanted more. And the center wasn't really molten by the time it got to the table--just soft and fudgey. The raspberry sauce really classed it up, as well as using vanilla bean instead of just vanilla for the ice cream topper. I'm a huge fan of the bean.


One other thing about the night should be mentioned. We almost didn't make it to our dinner reservation. In fact, we were five minutes late, but I choose to blame the Metropolitan Boston Transit Authority. And whoever named the streets in South Boston. The restaurant is on Tremont St., which is only a short walk from the Boylston T stop (not Arlington, where MBTA told us to get off). What we didn't realize until it was too late is that there is not just one Tremont St. In fact, there are three. One of them is very short and intersects the other two. The first Tremont St. we took was not the right Tremont. We had to get to the 400 block, but after the 300 block, our Tremont turned into Shawmut. It didn't even turn, just crossed the Mass Turnpike. At this point we consulted a giant tourist map on the corner and discovered what the problem was. The correct Tremont (at least, what we hoped was the correct one) was a block to the South. So we scampered back down the road, found the other Tremont and our restaurant. Walking back along the second Tremont, we found where the third Tremond intersects it. The intersection may not seem as surprising to my father and his siblings who grew up down the hill from the corner of Braemer and Braemer, but streets should not do this sort of thing:


In spite of the street confusion, it was a good night out. Maybe I'll even do it again next year.

-Kim

two days of hope

Yesterday was my interview at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard. I found the place easily enough, and the interview itself felt pretty good. I was nervous at the start, but India Spartz (who would be my supervisor if I get the job) is a very friendly woman and made me feel comfortable. The project will involve physical appraisal and re-foldering of hand drawn maps and watercolors of archaeological artifacts. It would last eight weeks--all of June and July, essentially--and actually be paid work! Internships are almost never paid, so that's a very big deal. They expect to make their decision by the beginning of April, so I should know fairly soon whether I'll be doing that for the summer or something else. (The something else might include auditing a course on Medieval Manuscripts, which would be pretty sweet but impossible to do with a full-time internship) Keep the prayers coming!

Today focused on something completely different. A woman who works for GSLIS was having a launch party for her second YA novel, The King's Rose, a piece of historical fiction about Henry VIII's fifth wife. There was a reading and then a panel discussion about the issue of risque material in YA literature. My only reason for going was to corner the author afterward and find out who represents her so that I could have a good lead in my thus far unfruitful agent search. She was excited to hear my question and eagerly gave me the name of the Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency, which is actually based here in Boston. As soon as I get time to prepare my materials, I'll be sending them a query. It may just end in another rejection, but at least this way I don't feel like I'm ignoring my writing life.

Oh, and fall course listings have been posted, so I'm looking at what I want to be doing next fall. I just need to verify with my advisor that a required course will also be offered in the spring, and then I should be all set. I'm doing my best to avoid the problem I have this semester of never having a whole day off--two of the classes I want are on Tuesday and the other is on Thursday (no more Saturday classes!). Now if I could just make sure my work schedules follow the same lines...

-Kim

two things

1. I found a decomposing apple in my backpack today. Currently the bag is inside out, drying, and I hope it won't stink for the rest of its life...

2. I have an interview tomorrow for an amazing summer internship at Harvard! I'm super nervous and super excited, because it would be absolutely amazing to spend my summer learning how to preserve maps and other paper materials. The interview is at 11:00, eastern time, and prayers for my nerves would be greatly appreciated.

St. Patrick

I don't do half measures when it comes to showing my Irish pride and love for both the country and the color. The picture doesn't quite give the full effect, but I also have green fingernail polish and a bright orange long-sleeved shirt under the jersey (to symbolize both northern and southern Ireland?). This look is actually a bit toned down from some years, but I think I may have been the most green clad person on campus today.

You would think, that in the city of Boston, so full of Irish, there would be more recognition of the holiday, but I felt almost as strange in my regalia as I do at home, surrounded by people who almost forget the holiday exists. There should have been something going on today, but I couldn't find it. Suffolk county even has the day off as a regional holiday, called Evacuation Day (ostensibly to celebrate driving the redcoats out of the city during the Revolutionary war, but we know it's a vacation day now only because of the Irish), so it's not like there wasn't the opportunity.

But Boston is a strange city. Apparently they celebrated St. Patrick's Day over the weekend. There was a big parade in Southie on Sunday, which I didn't know about until too late and couldn't have attended anyway because I had a paper to write. So apparently I missed it. Darn! I was all excited about St. Patrick's in Boston being a huge event, but somehow I totally missed it. Well, the cafeteria had decorations up today and served us corned beef and cabbage and Irish soda bread, which was amazing--so I suppose it wasn't a total loss. But the only other way for me to be involved in any celebration today would be to head out to one of the pubs and drink green beer, which doesn't at all sound like something I want to do.

Next year I'll be prepared. If the parade happens on the weekend, I will clear my schedule to be in Southie and see a marching band with kilts and bagpipes!

And I'm wearing green for the rest of the week, just because I can!

-Kim

Random trivia: The 12-stringed harp is the official symbol of Ireland. It's hard to see, but check out my jewelry in the above photo.

Spring break is coming to a close. Dianna was here for the last week, and we had a grand old time running all over New England, and even taking the bus in to New York City for two days. She'll have detailed posts up soon, and I'll get some pictures out for you as quick as I can, but first I have to tackle a paper. Wish me luck!

-Kim

Everyone Likes Free Stuff

I found this on Carrie Anderson's (whoops, the first time through I typed Patterson--old habits die hard) blog and decided to participate. I'm just glad there's a year-long deadline to make good on the promise. Although, I may have to bend the rules and offer up Boston-themed items instead of something handmade, since most of my craft supplies are in South Dakota. We'll see.

Want free stuff by me? I thought so. Read on, faithful blog followers!

The Rules

1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me. Something crafty or yummy, who knows?

2. Winners must post this challenge on their blog, which means, if you don't want to do this for someone else, don't bother posting a comment. :-)

3.The gift that you send to your three winning friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make and/or ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts.

4. When you receive your gift, please share with blogdom what arrived on your doorstep. If you're not among the first three commenters on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!

-Kim

proof of winter

The view from the third floor landing of my dorm:


Snowy benches in the courtyard:


Snow piles blocking our shortcut across the street:


Snowy main entrance to campus:

in like a lion

Apparently the city of Boston has decided to do whatever it can to make me feel at home. The weather of late has been incredibly reminiscent of South Dakota, in spite of our warm temps and receding snow for the past few weeks. The extent of the warm-up was more than at home, the the concept is the same. Winter taunts us for a short time in February, just enough to make us hope that it might be over, then we get whomped with a snow storm in March.

Today was an actual snow day, and this time even I felt it was warranted. There was a pretty amount of snow yesterday afternoon, but overnight it really accumulated and the wind came up. Still no reports on final totals, but it was rather intense.

Even though classes were canceled, I still had to trudge over to main campus to work my regular shift at the circulation desk of the library. It was a quiet day inside, but the walk over was a bit arduous. The only relief was that traffic was a bit lighter than usual. The streets had been plowed, but this meant that there was a knee-high (even taller in areas) wall of snow to scramble over at the corner to cross the street.

One thing I find rather entertaining here about the snow maintenance is the equipment they bring out to deal with it. I haven't seen a snow blower, but they do have these contraptions that look like a cross between a snow blower and a street sweeper. It has a giant rotating brush, like in a vacuum cleaner, and it essentially just brushes the snow away. I suppose it makes sense to use such a contraption in an area that isn't known for deep snow, but it still looks silly to me. I have more respect for a snow blower. Or perhaps I just have more respect for the need of a snow blower--drifts three feet deep like a proper South Dakota winter. There's something strangely beautiful about the plume of snow arcing out of an industrial-sized snow blower clearing a road. It's our version of ocean spray, a frozen fountain glinting in the sunlight. A sweeper just doesn't have the same effect...

-Kim

Bicentennial and a beginning

This past Friday, February 27, 2009, Park Street Church celebrated it's bicentennial. There are guest speakers all year to commemorate the occasion, but Friday was the exact date. To celebrate, the entire church body (well, the majority of it, anyway) attended a Bicentennial Gala at the Westin Copley Place Hotel. I decided at the last minute that I should go too, and really try to become a part of this church I have been visiting for the past semester. Tickets were pricey, but there were also "scholarship seats" available, so I signed up for one last Sunday. While I was doing so, a woman asked me if I would like to join her table, and I readily agreed. Knowing at least one of the people I would be sitting with for the evening took a great load off my shoulders.

On Friday night, after having two of my neighbors help pick out my outfit (I still felt undersressed--some of the women were treating this like a night at the opera. I suppose it might be the biggest event of the year, but the weather was iffy, so I didn't want to be wearing a skirt.), I made my way down town to Copley Square. I ended up being very early (better than late, right?), so I got to watch as the lobby slowly filled. At first there were only a few older couples, but by the time they opened the doors to let us into the ballroom, there wasn't even room for the wait staff to walk through the crowd.

The decor was rather unusual, featuring apples. Here's an example:


Apples featured heavily in the table decor as well. I was the first in our group to find our table, so I got a good picture of it when it was still pristine:


Okay, so there's a funny story behind this next picture. The couple is Alecia, the woman who invited me, and her husband. Yes, that's his blackberry shining through his shirt pocket. The photo was actually taken by Katie, who was sitting on the other side of me, because she and Alecia found it hysterical. So why was it taken on my camera? Well, Katie's on a photo kick right now and has decided that she needs to take at least one photo every day. She had her camera with her that evening, but realized, to her dismay, that the memory card had been left at home in the computer. So I came to the rescue and offered my camera--it still counts as her picture since she took it. I just had to email it to both her and Alecia.


The dinner itself was amazingly good. I would list the menu, but then you'd all just be jealous. After dinner there was music from an ensemble of musicians from both the traditional and contemporary services. Here's a picture, which doesn't really show the musicians well, but it's another good look at the room:


After the music were several speakers. Also at this point was the Park Street trivia game. We all had questions at our tables about the church, and the answers were revealed at this point. For instance, did you know that over the last three years there were 35 babies born per year at PSC (I assume that's on average), or that the original Sunday Night music director used to play backup for Aerosmith? Or that the wife of PSC pastor Edward Beecher was indirectly responsible for the start of the Civil War (in writing to her sister, Harriet Beecher Stow and encouraging her to take up her pen)--this one is probably an exaggeration, but the historical connections to a church that's been so vibrant for so long are bound to stack up.

The more I learn about this church, the more it impresses me, and the more grateful I am to have found it right away (thanks to Dr. Hiigel and others who suggested I check it out). The senior pastor, Gordon Hugenberger is incredible. Here he is addressing us from the podium at the gala (yes, we really did need those video screens so people in the back knew what was giong on):
In all, it was a very good night. I actually got acquainted with the people at my table (and hope to continue the trend of defeating my shyness) and felt like I might actually be a part of this place now. Oh, and I bought a book on the historyof the church, hot off the presses for the occasion--and the author was there, so I even got it signed. I'm such a nerd...

The beginning alluded to in the title came this morning. I went to church early today to help with the great labeling project in the church library. Two weeks I started helping with the process, attaching barcodes to books. Today, though, there was a meeting between the library staff and some other church elders. They invited me to sit in, and now I seem to be deeply involved in the development of the library. There was a lot of talk about what direction the library should go in, and how we can better reach out to the congregation to help them find appropriate resources and how the needs of various ministries could be accomodated. It was a very interesting discussion, and I even had some input, sharing how valuable a good stock of pathfinders could be to helping fill some of those needs. The leaders were pleased with how the conversation went. Apparently now I'm an official library person with real input, more than just a volunteer. It's amazing what a semester of library school and one good catchphrase will do for a person's credibility! I know it's likely to make me even busier, but I'm excited to be involved in this. Plus, it will look great on my resume.

I made the decision this semester to actually become involved in the church I love attending. It seems I cannot inch my way in but must simply leap headfirst into the thick of it. After all, the metaphor isn't sinking into a hot tub where I'll simply soak in comfort, but diving into a pool where the race has already begun and I need to catch up.

-Kim