Tag: Boston is our home

Protests, First Night and Boston Getting it Wrong

I’ll tell you right up front as I start this that I’m as much of a fan of First Night here in Boston as I am of the 4th of July.  Actually, it’s probably more accurate to say that I hate the crowds and accompanying stupidity for both just as much, but what the 4th stands for matters more to me.  And, I’ve never been able to figure out why they call the celebration of the last night of the year First Night.

Anyway, New Year’s Eve here in Boston is celebrated with a giant city-wide party.  You can buy a button that will get you into all kinds of things for free.  There are concerts, ice sculptures, fireworks, skating, dancing, face painting, puppet shows, museums, all sorts of things.  The list is almost endless and it is entirely impossible to do it all in one evening.  This has been happening as long as I’ve been living here and, though it nearly went bankrupt and stopped happening a year or so ago, it is back with a vengeance now.

Enter politicians and police to screw it all up.

Continue reading “Protests, First Night and Boston Getting it Wrong”

Winter is here

Last night the temperature dropped well into the teens, and it hardly felt any warmer this morning when I got up and went to work.  So it’s safe to say that winter is no longer just coming, it’s here, and we got our new hot water heater just in time.  Hot water is essential for winter survival – just ask the Starks of Winterfell.

Every winter is a new adventure here in Cambridge.  Not for us, really, because we have seen New England winters, but for so many of the students around here that hail from sunnier climes.  Many of them tend to not know what to make of serious winter weather, especially when they are driving.

Continue reading “Winter is here”

I got to meet @Neilhimself this week

One of my favorite things about living in Cambridge (and Greater Boston generally) is that I get to meet so many authors.  I have met more authors in the last five years here in Cambridge than I have over all of the rest of my life combined.  And although I have met a great many authors whose books I liked or even loved, sometimes I get to meet someone really, really great, whose work has a lot of special meaning for me.  One of my literary heroes, as it were.

I got to meet Neil Gaiman.

Continue reading “I got to meet @Neilhimself this week”

So much going on this past week. Oh, and Happy Halloween!

Perhaps, now that things are finally starting to calm down somewhat (and I am getting some sleep), I can get back to posting regularly on here.  It has been an eventful week.

First, a hearty congratulations to my nephew Will, who earned his Eagle Scout rank this week.  He worked hard for it, and deserves a lot of credit for being a pretty disciplined young man.  He was also fortunate to get a lot of support from friends and family, especially his mom (my sister Liz) and his dad (my brother-in-law Dan).   He’ll be off for college next year.  Eeek, I am old.

Continue reading “So much going on this past week. Oh, and Happy Halloween!”

Autumn in New England

It has been kind of strange that we had such a dry, warm September, and there have been some warm days in October too.  But I think you can’t deny that fall has finally arrived in Greater Boston.

Continue reading “Autumn in New England”

Goodbye to an honorary Bostonian

Kelly and I were dumbstruck when we heard that Robin Williams died.

And we are not alone.  Our fellow Bostonians have spontaneously created a memorial to him in the Public Garden, on and around the bench where he sat during one of the most pivotal scenes in the movie Good Will Hunting.  

Continue reading “Goodbye to an honorary Bostonian”

The World Cup, Dinner and Wardrobe Choices

So here’s a story about something that happened to us a while ago when the U.S. played Portugal in the World Cup.

Continue reading “The World Cup, Dinner and Wardrobe Choices”