Looking back on Boston

DAY 1

Or should I say "Bahsten"? God knows none of us could say Worcester (pronounced "Wuh-ster"), even by the time we left so...Boston it is.

Wow, yes, Boston it really is amazing. Coming from Miami, which is a large city by any means, you'd figure you'd know what to expect. This place blew me out of the water. The sheer saturation of people and places and ways to get there. Forget that its a "concrete jungle" the common term used back home. This is the jungle piled on top of itself, over and over. An amalgam of old and new, from art to architecture to simply the oldest part of America. Amazing.

So, the trip begins on a Thursday afternoon. I hadn't packed, and I got off work late. Gabe hasn't packed, plus he got out of work late to. It's 4, our plane leaves at 7. Can we make it? We pack at lightning speed, get showered, feed the cat and get out the door. It's 4:47. Will we make it?

No, we won't. By 18 measly minutes. The bag clerk tells us this lovely information and directs us to the counter. Gabe's stressing, but could we have done? So the clerk at check in gives us stand by for a 6:10 am flight. We walk back to our car as the rain begins to fall. Kinda pissed off, kinda hungry. So we head of to the Cheesecake Factory. I need a glass of wine and Gabe needs some cheesecake.

4 am rolls around and we get up and ready and out the door by 5:15. A miracle by any stretch. We get the seats and its a smooth early morning flight, over the gray clouds and the wet world below.

As we descended into Boston I could see the cityscape in the distance, it was a chilly 50 degrees and wet. Yup, 50 degrees. And the warmest thing I brought was a cardigan (oops!)
The airport in Boston is large, reminiscent of MIA, but cleaner and better organized...Like most other large cities in comparison to Miami...anyway..Gabriel's older brother David meets us at the terminal and lead us to a much needed breakfast. We've got a couple hours to kill since Gil (G's father) was coming in at 10:30, so we went downstairs to get food. To my delight there was kashi cereal and silk for breakfast. (woo hoo, vegan fare!!!). Catching up with Dave was great, but I was anxious to get into the city!

It was to my slight dismay that all 9 of us would be traveling to Connecticut for the day, this city would have to come later. But we we going to see Ana Marie's brand new baby girl named Eva Maire, more lovingly referred to as Scootch!! (yes, you must say it as an exclamation or else you're pronouncing it wrong. Its a Bahsten thing); so the trip was well worth it. There is a picture of Ana Marie and Scootch!! to the left here. It was a wonderful visit, the fancy cuban coffee cups and all.


We left around 4 towards Boston again. Still in the rain. I think the close quarters made us all a little batty...




We went to the section of Boston called Brookline for dinner. According to Dave and Jenk, it's the Jewish community of the area. It was really cute. But in all honsety I was too damp to enjoy it. I was kind of wishing I had brought closed toe shoes with me. Oh well. The day finally ended around 10 pm. Needless to say I slept great that night.

why's it so damn hard?

Before I begin my rant, let me let you know-that I know, I'm the underlying factor here.

Ok. It is fucking impossible to eat a satisfying, low fat vegetarian meal OUT at a RESTAURANT, let alone vegan (god forbid!)

If your one of the gross people out there who is in the bubble of grilled chicken or fish and vegetables and light (or no) carbs for sides as your eating out staple, well lucky you. (yes, while I respect your decision to eat the dead decaying flesh of a tortured corpse, I do find it gross. Don't get preachy or defensive-that's exactly what your eating). Meanwhile, for all of us who abstain from meat and furthermore, from eggs and dairy are at a devastating loss. For you see, every vegetarian option that I have come across is laden with cheese and oil and FAT. It's gross. And for those of you who say "oh just eat a salad"; I, a vegetarian transitioning into veganism, finds  an iceberg lettuce salad as much of a meal as anyone else would. And the rub is, I can't go and order a cup of beans or grilled tofu to go with that salad. I don't understand why there aren't ever vegetarian options on the "Weight Management" sections of restaurant menus. Just because I don't eat flesh doesn't mean that I can eat all the cheese I want and still be healthy and slim. There are people out there who are trying to eat healthy and low fat that aren't part of the grilled chicken = light healthy fare train of thought. And when there are veggie burgers or grilled protobello sandwiches, why are they smothered in cheese, oil and mayo? Grrrrrr! A light, appetizing, vegan option should be just as much of a restaurant menu staple as the grilled chicken salad. I honestly believe if the option was there for people they would go for it. If more people had the opportunity to eat veg when they went out, more and more people would see it as a normal healthy way of eating. 

Now, that's off my chest, time for rational thought. First, the obvious: order the food with out the goddamn cheese. Just suck it up. Be a picky bitch and order what it is you want. Second, don't go to restaurants that don't support your food choices. So, for someone who travels a lot don't just go to the first big commercial place you can think of because you know its there, try something like Thai or Indian. Even though, you still have to be careful because some places will make you a stir fry with tofu and veggies but the sauce has chicken or fish stock in it. Once again, it comes down to being a picky bitch and asking. It may be a pain in the ass that the world is a few steps behind in catering to all the options of [truly] healthy eating, but it'll feel better at the end of the night when you don't have a tummy ache or go back to work with out an after lunch bloated tummy.

Never the  less, we should have more options. There should also be more veg restaurants out there. It should be a staple, like your neighborhood chinese, thai or pizza place. 

Interview number...

3! 

Well, thats what it will be when I call Mr. Fitzsimmons tomorrow. Er, well... after he forwards it to the stores that I have in interest and the owners see that I'm perfect for the spot. But will they be perfect for me? 

I am a little disheartened that only one of my top choices has contacted me back. Then again, it has been less than a full week since most have received my resume. Not all the world can realize how much they need me all at once, I suppose. ;) 

Yes, it is going as well as it could go at the moment. I must say that I look smashing in my interview out fit. Perhaps I should apply for a managerial position, if only to wear the clothes! And in all honesty, I do see myself moving away from massage in the future. Just not right now. I'm going another route towards monetary satisfaction. It's in the direction of the spa. Not that I couldn't do managerial work, but working toward the goal of sales just seems so empty. And yes, though I mourn the fashion that I miss out on at the work place, it will come. Then again, if the offer comes, I'll take it. 

Anyways... I'm still looking forward to Boston. I'm lingering in a post "Interview with the Vampire" longing for a good getting out of town. It won't be turn of the century France. Or "The New World". Thats ok. I'll take turn of the millennium America. 

Yuck, I've got to pack.

Ta.

First post. Asheville re-cap.

Wonderful.

So yes, Ilenia suggested I start a blog. "Hmm.. who needs talk? Just take a peek, skim the entries and look at pics. Eureka!" Ok, I'm being facetious. It really is a good idea... I think. 

It really is unfortunate that all of the Asheville pictures are on film and aren't digital. Those pictures are just to die for. Well, I haven't developed them. But the sights were spectacular, don't even worry about photos just GO! 

Coming from the flat lands of the tropics, it is a spiritual experience being in the mountains. The first time I drove into them I had the serene feeling of being cradled by the Earth. "So this is how they came to call you 'Great Mother'." I said silently to myself. I was taken aback by the sunsets and sun rises. The greens and yellows of the hills drew my attention away from the road (where it really should have been). I felt opened up. Real. It was a sudden surge of clear reality as I broke down into my surroundings and let go of all the emotional baggage I had attained in Jacksonville. That trip I was merely driving in them, getting from place to place. Engaging completely mundane activities, with the exception of the bodywork. I wasn't even trying to connect. The natural energy of the place reached out and grabbed me. I was lost and without my center, but somehow found my bearing and brought them home with me from that trip. Honestly, I changed after those few days.

Am I describing a city or a lover? Both.

My most recent trip, April 14 - 16, 2008 was even more fascinating! For starters, I was on VACATION! Really, the first true vacation since Lime Tree Resort in Big Pine, The FLA Keys, 2005. Yes, it was long overdue. Second, I had my partner in crime with me, making the adventure all the more worthwhile (and taking some of the driving duties!). We spent our single full day in Chimney Rock Park. Begging at an itty bitty cave where moonshiners hid the stash in the prohibition days to a 2400 ft elevated waterfall/stream (you better believe I climbed those rocks and got my feet wet!) to walking along a giant cliff face and ending back at the beginning of our trail. We spent 3 hours hiking treacherous paths and exhausting steps up and up and up. When we got the the Chimney, after 25 minutes of climbing steps with less 02 than normal, my poor little quads were shaking. But it was worth it. I sat there in a zen meditation pose and just gazed out at the landscape before me. Don't fret, I took goofy pictures like the rest of the tourists too.

Since I don't have photos, watch this video. Luckily, the producers of Last of the Mohecans,  felt the same way I did and filmed this part of the movie along the skyline/cliff trail. These are the trails that I walked and the sights that I saw... Minus the indians and the people throwing themselves off the side of the cliff. Watch the vid till the end, you'll see the waterfall I went playing in. It's not the large one, its the one behind the fighting mohecans in the end. Oh yeah, there's gratuitous violence to keep you entertained too. 

 

By the way, running through that - for real, with out safety nets- is just not going to happen. 2400 ft up people. That gorge in the beginning is really there. It's a highlight of the trail. 

The entire time I was enamored by my surroundings. I was also inspired to give a massage. After walking/experiencing those trails, the treatment would be so perfect. 

The rest of the trip was filled with culture. Live music, unique shops, venues and art. And perhaps the best part of all was all the VEGAN FOOD!! That's right, not only were there vegetarian options everywhere  there were vegan options too! We went to a little bakery for some coffee and I had a delectable chocolate truffle, sans animal products. It was a divine experience, all in all.

My next trip is to a Northern State! A blue state. Boston, Mass. I'm excited. I'll be witness to a grand rite of passage for Gabriel's brother David. He'll be receiving a doctorate in Biomedical Engineering. What an achievement! This trip I will bring the camera and will have more that my words to post.