Memorial Day Post

This past Saturday, Adrian and I went on a day tip up to Brunswick, Maine. We traveled to Brunswick via Amtrak's Downeaster route, which leaves from North Station, and which makes two stops in Massachusetts (Woburn and Haverhill), three stops in New Hampshire (Exeter, Durham/the University of New Hampshire, and Dover), and six stops in Maine (Wells, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Portland, Freeport, and, finally, Brunswick).

The above photo is of the Brunswick sign at the station. The below photo is of one of the views we saw on the train Saturday morning.

These next two photos are of Adrian. Here we have Adrian checking out the Little Free Library we found at the station (above), and then Adrian enjoying a root beer while he plays on his phone (below).

The train station was a short walk from Bowdoin College, which is itself home to the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. When we made plans to visit Brunswick, I didn't realize that May 27th was the day of Bowdoin College's Commencement. By the time we got to Brunswick, Commencement was already over and done with, but we still saw families walking around town, taking pictures of the just-graduated students in their caps and gowns.

We got ice cream from a small ice cream stand that was right next door to the train station, and we ate our ice cream while we walked over to Bowdoin. We enjoyed exploring the art that was on display, and we spent about an hour wandering around looking at everything (the museum wasn't very large). 

After the Museum, we explored a bit of the downtown Brunswick area. We found a nice cafe, where we got some food. We found an actual honest-to-God video (DVD) rental place! I thought that the smaller video rental stores had all gone out of business with the advent of Blockbuster, Netflix, Hulu, Redbox, and Hollywood Video.

We also wandered around a flea market housed inside an old factory. Adrian, of course, made a beeline for the old comic books and paperbacks. 

Two photos of us! Aren't we cute?

I'm glad that we made the effort to go on this trip. I wish that we had more time to explore the area. That being said, we are planning a trip to visit Portland, Maine in August, and since Brunswick is close to Portland, we are planning to visit again then.

Time Flies

I think about the passage of time a lot. 

 

It's been over four years since my Grandmother died. 

 

It's been almost fifteen years since my Dad died. 

 

My oldest cousin just graduated from Seton Hall University with her Master's degree, and her sister (my middle cousin) just graduated from college with her Bachelor's degree.

A married couple A. and I are friends with moved to Vietnam three years ago (in 2014) so that R. could take a job teaching science at an International School in Ho Chi Minh City. They're coming back to the States for a month-long visit, starting in June and going into July, and then they're moving to China for a year because R. got a teaching job at a school in (I think) Shanghai. 

My nephew just graduated from the fifth grade, and my niece just graduated from kindergarten. (Side Note: It seems weird to me that I have a niece and nephew. Yes, I know that being married to A. means that his sister's kids are now, legally speaking, my niece and nephew too, but still. Kinda weird-in-a-good-way!)

 

I wonder what the next year will bring. I don't know. I hope that more good things happen than bad. Maybe that's me being too optimistic, but I want to try to be a bit more optimistic going forward.

Monday Post :)

Adrian had the day off from work on Saturday, so we wound up going into Somerville to run errands and to have lunch. We ate at Outback Steakhouse to use up the rest of a gift card that we had for that restaurant. We went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, mostly to look around, but also to pick up a few things. We also went to Home Depot to pick up a few light switch plates, which we swapped out last night.

I went into Boston yesterday to see the film Alien: Covenant with the Boston Science Fiction/Fantasy Meetup Group. I think that Michael Fassbender's performance was the best part of the entire film.

I saw Alien Resurrection when it was released in theaters in 1997. I was 12 years old at the time. To be blunt, Resurrection scared the shit out of me. I made connections between having sex and being pregnant; being pregnant and giving birth; between giving birth and death and dying; between having sex/being pregnant/giving birth and one's loss of self. I walked away from that film quietly horrified at the idea of ever being pregnant or giving birth.

I was looking for a similar experience with Covenant and Prometheus, and I didn't get it with either film.

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend was a good one, despite the weather.

On Saturday, May 13th, Adrian and I attended the Watch City Steampunk Festival in Waltham, Massachusetts. This annual even has been held in Waltham every year since 2010. 

Here are some photos!

As you can see, it was a really fun event. Good for people watching. My friend Kesha met us there, and Adrian and I also ran into our friends Julia B. and Dan K. An acquaintance of mine performed in the belly dance show that took place from 1-2pm. 

There were three food trucks at the Festival - Bon Me (Vietnamese food), Roxy's Grilled Cheese (gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and sides), and a BBQ food truck whose name I don't recall. Both Bon Me and Roxy's Grilled Cheese started out as food trucks, and have now expanded to include brick and mortar locations as well.

On Sunday, May 14th, I went to the Brattle Theater in Cambridge to see Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho". This was my second time watching "Psycho", and my first time seeing it on the big screen. 

It rained quite a bit on Sunday, but, thankfully, the weather held off on Saturday so that we were able to have a good time.

Birds and Politics

I put my bird feeder out onto our balcony again. It's already proving to be a popular spot. I've seen Cardinals (a male and a female), and a couple of Woodpeckers (unsure if they are the Downy Woodpecker or the Hairy Woodpecker). I haven't seen any Blue Jays yet, but I have seen a few Crows. They Crows haven't visited my Bird Feeder. They just fly around and crow.

In non-bird news, 2018 is an election year here in MA. Elizabeth Warren, one of our Senators, is up for re-election, and our Governor, Charlie Baker is also up for re-election. I know that Jay Gonzalez - the former State Secretary of Administration and Finance under former Governor Deval Patrick - has already declared his candidacy. He's running as a Democrat (no surprise there), and will be seeking their nomination. Gonzalez will be appearing at the Thayer Public Library in Braintree next week, at a Meet the Candidate event organized by a group called Braintree Democratic Action.

Setti Warren, the former mayor of Newton, MA is also running for Governor of Massachusetts as a Democrat, and he will be at a Meet the Candidate event at the Thayer Public Library in June.

I might go to these events. We shall see.

The Walk for Hunger and Free Comic Book Day

Saturday was Free Comic Book Day. I stopped by the Quincy location of New England Comics and picked up a few free comics - a Dr. Who comic, a Tick comic, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic, and the first two issues of a graphic novel series called Flutter. 

My birthday was on Sunday. Yesterday was also the day of the Project Bread Walk for Hunger, which I have participated in over the last few years. I raised almost $400 for Project Bread this year, which is, I think, the most money that I've ever raised for this charity. 

Adrian and I went to an Archer-themed burlesque show last night at Oberon, which was a lot of fun. Archer is an animated spy TV show that is currently in it's eighth season. I know that it's been renewed for a ninth and tenth season, and I also heard that the show's creators intend to end the show after the tenth season.

Adrian and I are planning on meeting up with our friend Paul on Wednesday. We're going to go out for dinner. We're going to go to a restaurant in Hingham, MA calledthe  Rustic Kitchen Bistro and Bar. We've eaten there a few times before, and we like it. I even took my Mom there once a few months ago, and she enjoyed the food, so that's a plus in my book.

Spring and Summer Travel Plans

I've been dealing with seasonal allergies for the last few days, which has left me feeling rather low energy, lethargic, congested, and sniffle-y.

In spite of feeling like this, I've managed to make some travel plans for the next few months. Adrian and I are taking a day tip up to Brunswick, Maine the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, and I will be going down to New Jersey to visit my Mom for a week in June. We'll also be visiting Portland, Maine for a few days in August to celebrate our third wedding anniversary. (Is it just me, or is it weird that we've been married for almost three years already? Mind. Blown.)