Beacon Hill Early Spring Pictures
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As promised, here are some snaps I took while wandering through Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. Enjoy!
St. Valentine’s Day
Ahh, Sunday. The day I have forcefully kept as my very own, free and clear of any work-related obligations, and a day when I can do/create/be anything I want.
Today, though, is also Valentine’s Day. It is a day that I will be spending with Nate, doing anything we like, but as a couple. I know, for years, I used to LOATHE Valentine’s Day, and I’m still not a huge fan, on the principle that love between two people should be celebrated everyday, all the time, rather than get glamoured up in pink and red and shoved into a storefront in the form of chocolate boxes, stuffed animals, cheese-ball cards, and pink champagne. That said, it’s easier to accept such a holiday from this side of the single/coupled fence. I’m coming to terms with it.
I will be doing a podcast at some point this weekend – maybe today, maybe tomorrow – and I have loads to share. I’m thinking tomorrow morning, as I actually have President’s Day off! I wanted to share, however, some of the pictures I’ve been taking over the past few weeks. It’s been so damn cold that I haven’t really had a chance to go out for a proper photo shoot. Those days are coming, though. I hope so, at least…the cold is driving me a little closer to insanity at this point.
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Having Returned
We needed that. We needed the chance to re-connect, to break away, and to take a breath. Our trip to Provincetown, MA over last weekend provided us with the perfect opportunity to do all we were missing during the holiday season last year. We shared each other’s company, we got out in the fresh air, we shared a few drinks, ate a fabulous meal or two, and took a few deep, well-earned breaths of fresh January air.
Below is some of the evidence of our little excursion:
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I needed the chance to refocus my energies on the things that I began shortly after our last trip to Provincetown last October. I came back from that trip with a heightened sense of ability, a realization that our life was too damn confined and limited, and a real drive to move forward. This trip served as a refresher of those exact same feelings. I was able to jot down some thoughts while we were there, in a little composition book that I kept with me for most of our trips out. I was able to take a step back, and work on building up my own confidence in my abilities, and now realize that the only thing standing in my way is myself, even more than I thought before this trip. In fact, I realize more clearly now that I need to finish what I’ve started, not only for my benefit, but for the benefit of Nate, and our relationship. He deserves a chance at a life better than the one we have currently, and it’s my responsibility, not only as his husband, but as a man who owes so much to him, to provide for him, and for us. I can do that, as long as I am able to take the massive leap of faith in myself that needs to happen.
There’s so much going on in my head right now. I’m feeling myself stumbling over what to write, even here. I suppose, for now, I’ll stop, and go into more detail on my next podcast, which will probably be sometime this week, if not on next Sunday. For now, I’m just going to let the after-glow of the long weekend away continue to wash over me, and not get too wound up about things. Being overly anxious only serves to stand in my way when dealing with what lies ahead for me.
-Thom
And So That Was Christmas
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Christmas 2009 has come, and now gone, and what a whirlwind it was getting here! The last two months (since about the first of November till now) has been nothing short of a marathon for Nate and I, especially in terms of work, time spent apart, and trying to meet a lot of expectations placed on us from the outside.
In the end, we did the best we could to get in touch with family and friends, and spend time with those we love, and somehow strike a balance between time to enjoy the holidays and time spent preparing/working so others can enjoy them. Honestly, I am ready for a different tradition – maybe one that involves a lot less prep work and more time just reflecting on the year past, and reconnecting with friends and family. I’m ready for a change from the buy-buy-buy, hustle-hustle-hustle, run-run-run of the Christmas that currently exists, and maybe return to a simpler time, when the central focus of the holiday was time spent with loved ones…
Ah, but I’m just becoming more and more cynical as I get older. I realize and accept that.
All in all, it was a good day spent with Nate’s family. I had a chance to reconnect with many of his cousins, and get updated as to what they’re all up to. I got to see his grandmother, who was holding up quite nicely since the passing of her husband, enjoy and relish the time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I got to meet a new member of the family (HELLO GRAEME BAXTER!) and am highly anticipating another new member in February (CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU BABY BROWN!). I also was able to witness Nate enjoying some time with his family, which for me, after seeing the stress and strain that working at a grocery store through the holidays can cause, was very satisfying. He was able to relax, and really just enjoy the day.
Now, my attention has turned to the New Year, and the possibilities that lie ahead. Here’s to a bright 2010!
Blizzard, From a North End Point of View
So, my family opted not to come to Boston today, and honestly, I think it was the smart decision. So, to cheer me up a bit, I went out and took some pictures! Not many, though, as I didn’t want to expose my camera to the elements too much…and it was still snowing sideways. Have a gander, and enjoy!
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Visions of Winter from the UK
I got a lovely picture from my friend Kaye Durant, a former colleague of mine from Springwood High School. She, and the rest of the gang at that school, enjoyed a lovely snow day yesterday, as apparently, snow does fall in England – sometimes. I begged her for a copy of this photo, with the promises of fame and fortune if I could post it on my blog. Enjoy!
First Snow of Winter 2009 Pictures
As promised, here are the pictures I took last night and this morning. It wasn’t a deep snow, but it was very pretty to be out in (on foot at least), and definitely put myself and loads of people I know in the holiday spirit. Enjoy!
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Health Care Reform Rally on Labor Day
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Here are the pictures I promised I’d take at the rally. In all, it was a good rally. I listened to a few good speeches and was impressed at the turnout, given the holiday. I left feeling rather happy to be living in such a lefty-leaning state that already stretches to meet the needs of a lot of the community through state-mandated health insurance programs, but I know we’ve got a lot further to go. Oh, and I also got to hear from Martha Coakley – she’s the MA AG who has tossed her hat into the ring for senator, to replace Kennedy in January of 2010. I want to know more about her…she seems like a good thing, but I don’t know.
Pictures from the Day Off
Here are some of the pictures I took on our day out:
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Roller Skating Pics
We had a fabulous time celebrating my co-worker Ginevra’s 25th birthday…on ROLLER SKATES no less! Here’s the pictures to prove it 
Enjoy!
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More Pictures
Here is a collection of pictures from the weekend spent at White Horse Beach. Enjoy!
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At the New England Intensity Football Game on Saturday, June 27th, 2009
I took plenty of photos at my sister-in-law’s football game last Saturday, and wanted to share the pictures here. I’ve also tweaked with the settings on my pictures that are also part of my Facebook profile! See if you can notice the difference, and Enjoy! (Click the picture for more photos!)
Before I take off for the day…
I just posted a new web album of my favorite photos from last weekend. Check out the new album, and these pics
Happy Saturday!
At the Fan Pier on Sunday
I went out yesterday morning for a lovely walk. It was a grey day, with not much going on in terms of shadows and light, but it was pleasant, nonetheless, and was a decent day to go down to Boston’s Fan Pier to see what the whole Volvo Ocean Race was all about.
If you click on the picture of the blossoms, it will take you to the other pictures I took yesterday.
Apparently, the Volvo Ocean Race is a huge event, where boats and sailing teams race around the world. Boston is one leg of the trip, and the boats will be here for a while, with inner harbor racing taking place next weekend. I don’t know if I’ll be working, but I’d love to get back down to the waterfront to see it.
Click and enjoy!
-Thom
It’s Here!
So, yesterday, as the temperatures in Boston broke 90F, Nate and I took off in a rental car to Portland, ME to finally pick up the computer our friends Shawn and Jen were selling to us. We met up with them at Flatbread’s, a sort-of pizza restaurant that specializes in making flatbread pizza, as well as salad and other scrumptious food. It was SO nice to catch up with them, as we hadn’t seen them since, well, before I left for England back in 2006!
They have the CUTEST daughter, Honora (pronounced Huh-nor-ahh), who is nearly 2 years old, and so full of adorable-ness. She played shy, flirted with both me and Nate, was the center of attention, and clearly enjoyed herself in the restaurant. Jen and Shawn looked great, and were clearly proud parents, and we had a chance to chat about food, exercise, and a whole host of other things. It was lovely, and I can’t wait to see them again!
We ended up leaving around 7:30 or so – far later than we had expected – so we extended our rental time, and made it back here around 10-ish. Traffic wasn’t bad coming back, but what amazed me was the change in temperature. When we left Portland, it was about 56F. By the time we got back to the city, it was still over 80F here! Today’s shooting to be just as hot, so as you can imagine, I won’t be spending too much time in the house – apart from doing a little writing, and eating some food. I’m still feeling like I overate last night, but hopefully a good walk today will work that feeling out of me.
I did manage to get out yesterday and take some pictures, which you can see on PhotoJournal, or here (though I would love to get some feedback on the PhotoJournal site).
Also, today there is an opportunity to go sailing on Boston harbor for free, offered by one of the sailing schools here in the North End. I might try and see if I can do that later today.
Hope all is well where you are, and though I might not be able to record a podcast today, you can rest assured that something will definitely be on air this week!
-Thom
What a Day…
So, this week has been just plain weird. There’s no two ways about it. Yesterday, I woke up with the terrifying feeling that leeches were sucking all of the blood out of me (YUCK) and today, for some strange reason, I’ve been on total screech mode. All damned day!
I can’t for the life of me figure it out…but I might have a few ideas…
First, tomorrow morning, I’m missing a half-day of work to get to the doctors. I have decent enough health care that I can actually afford to see a doctor and not break the bank (small that it may be, it’s still valuable to us). So, for 15 bucks, I’m going to have myself poked and prodded and talked to about stuff at a doctor’s office tomorrow morning. It’s a new doctor for me, so I’m hoping he’s not too scary. I’m going to be talking about my bum leg, my smoking addiction, and my overall health. Oh, and probably going to be giving over a pint and half of blood to be tested for loads of things I haven’t been tested for in a while (diabetes, cholesterol, iron level) as well as probably needing to get booster shots for my vaccines…which I will need.
So, that’s worry #1. Not a big worry, but just a worry.
#2, and #3, all happen on Friday.
As you might recall, Friday is the day I get my results back from the MTELs I took in early March. They’re the unofficial ones, but basically, they’ll tell me if I can bother pursuing a teaching career, or if I’m relegated to customer service jobs for the rest of my days in Massachusetts. My nerves have been running high about these for a while now, so it’s no big thing at this point – I’m just looking forward to not having to worry about them.
Friday is also the day I have a job interview. No, not for a teaching job, but for a second, part-time, evening/weekend job at a shoe store in Downtown Crossing. It’s after work on Friday, which means I’ll have to wait till I get home to check on my test results, but that’s no big thing, like I said. I need to take a second job because, basically, student loans have been taking all of our extra money that would be going into savings, and we don’t have a cushion to fall back on if something happens. Besides, it’s at a shoe store, and Nate has a really big shoe addiction I’d love to feed Not to mention my own…
So yeah, my last reason for feeling a bit wound up is this:
Full Moon, April 9, 2009.
There…Pics are Up!
Here are some pics of yesterday’s wander around town.
and here’s a video I shot on Saturday:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fpax9H5nqo[/youtube]
Enjoy!
