I Miss Things

I miss writing. I miss blogging. I miss the sense of community that I had when I had a blog over on LiveJournal.com.

It's been two years since I last posted here on Blogger. We're less than one hundred days out from the 20202 presidential election. Trump is running for reelection. Joe Biden is the presumptive Democrat (Democratic?) candidate. He hasn't picked a running mate yet.

We're currently in the throes of a pandemic. The virus is called COVID-19. Something like 8,000 have died here in Massachusetts. I know a few people who have gotten sick from COVID. They've all recovered (thankfully!).

I don't feel angry. I feel tired.

Adrian's Family Visit

Adrian's Mom, his Aunt Nikki, an his Uncle Primar are visiting us this weekend. They arrive tomorrow (Thursday) morning, and are leaving on Monday. I admit that I wish that they were visiting us a month from now - the last full weekend of July instead of the last Saturday of June/first Sunday of July. I say this because Adrian is still in the probationary/first ninety days period of his new job, so he can't take any time off right now.

I am taking them to the Taza Chocolate Factory in Somerville on Friday, and we're going on a tour of Fenway Park on Saturday. I've checked the weather forecast for the next few days, and while it is supposed to rain tomorrow (Thursday), the weather for the rest of their visit looks good, which makes me happy. :)

June 2018 Post

I just got back from visiting my Mom in New Jersey. I admit that I am worried about her. She has been quite depressed since my (maternal) grandmother died. I helped my Mom with a bit of yard work. We did some shopping, and we also went out for lunch with her friend Diana. We also went to her friend Dee's house to swim in her pool.

It does feel good to be home. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow for my annual physical. I switched providers, so now I am at the same place that Adrian goes to. Hooray! Speaking of Adrian, he took today off from work because he wasn't feeling well. Seasonal allergies. He said that he feels well enough that he thinks he will go to work tomorrow, which I think is good.

My brother will be in Boston in July. One of his friends from high school is getting married in September, and he decided that he wanted to have his Bachelor party weekend be in Boston for some reason. In any event, I hope to meet up with my brother at some point during that weekend. Probably on Saturday. :) 

May Post

The high temps for today and tomorrow are supposed to be in the 80's. Where did Spring go? Seems like we went straight from winter to summer. This has been a quiet week, so far. I saw "Avengers: Infinity War" yesterday. I enjoyed the movie. I don't go into these Marvel movies with very high expectations. I expect to be entertained, and that's about it. I was entertained by "Infinity War", and I'd go so far as to say that I enjoyed "Infinity War" more than "Age of Ultron". Captain America still isn't my favorite Avenger. I am more of a Tony Stark/Iron Man fan. Give me a damaged anti-hero any day of the week, please and thank you. 

I have the TV on right now, and am listening to the news as I type. In local news, Mount Ida College is closing down later this month. It sounds like Mount Ida College only had a 40% graduation rate, and was on track to end this fiscal year with a $10 million dollar deficit. Mount Ida College's campus - which is in Newton, MA - was purchased by UMass-Amherst earlier this year.

Shows I've Seen My Last Post

Since my last post, I have seen four different theater shows. 

Anne of Green Gables - Saw this play at Eastern Nazarene College, a private, co-ed, liberal arts college in Quincy, Massachusetts. I really enjoyed this play! I read the Anne of Green Gables series of books when I was in middle school, and I still have them at my Mom's house in New Jersey. While I think that the whole cast was very solid, I think that the actress who portrayed Anne Shirley stole the show, and was the best. 

True West -  Saw this play at the First Church in Boston, a UU Church on Marlborough Street in Boston. I would describe this show as a dark comedy involving two brothers, set at their mother's house in California. The two leads gave really great performances.

On Your Feet! - Saw this musical about Gloria and Emilio Estafan at the Boston Opera House. I entered a digital lottery for a chance to buy cheap tickets to this show, and I won. I thought that this show was just OK. I'm glad that I didn't pay full price for my ticket. It would be fair to say that I think that the other three shows that I've mentioned in this post were all better than this musical.

Cabaret - I saw this musical this afternoon. Moonbox Productions is the theater group that put on this show. This was actually my first time seeing this show performed on stage. Until now, my only exposure to this show was watching the movie version with Liza Minelli, and YouTube videos of Alan Cumming perform as The Emcee. While I was sitting in the audience today, I found myself thinking that Cabaret is still relevant today, more than 50 years after it first opened on Broadway.

Is it Spring Yet? Part 2

It is mid-April and it is SNOWING right now. While I know that it can (and does) snow in April, I am still annoyed. This entire winter/spring (so far) has been incredibly weird, weather-wise. :-/

Since my last post, Adrian and I went into Boston to see the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Company perform. They were incredible! Anime Boston was held over Easter weekend. Adrian went, like he has done every year since 2008. One of his favorite events at AB is their charity auction. This year, he purchased a vinyl record of the Robotech soundtrack. Robotech is a cartoon that was popular back in the 1980's. I do remember watching this show on TV, and thinking that it was cool.

The Boston Marathon is tomorrow. Today marks the five year anniversary of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. I wasn't in Boston that day. I was in New Jersey, visiting my mother. I remember that she and I were at BJ's/Costco/Sam's Club when my oldest cousin texted me, asking if I was OK. I remember thinking how weird it was that she was texting me, since I am not close to any of my cousins, and so her texting me to ask me how I was doing was unusual. I remember accessing Facebook on my phone, and finding out about the bombing that way, and then listening to news reports on my Mom's car's radio as we drove from Costco/BJ's/Sam's Club back to her house. I also remember posting on Facebook to let my friends know that I was OK. I remember calling a few people who I hadn't spoken to in awhile, just to check in on them.

I just wanted to acknowledge the day. 

Is It Spring Yet?

I visited my Mom last week for her birthday. The highlight of the week for me was going to the Philadelphia Flower Show on Sunday, March 11th. The Philadelphia Flower Show is an annual event organized by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. The theme for the 2018 show was "Wonders of Water", and it was held at the Philadelphia Convention Center on Arch Street. 

In other news, I am ready for March to be over. The East Coast has been hit by thee (3!!!) nor'easters so far this month, and we're supposed to be hit by a fourth storm tomorrow. :-/ I am not a happy camper.