Jenn Martinelli Blogging in Boston

...of things you can hate about Boston. Good thing John Kerry almost threw out his back to force the NFL to broadcast the Pats/Giants game nationally today. Given that at the moment the score is 22-28 Giants.

Oops.

ETA: OK, so they actually won. But that's only because it was fixed. Seriously, I don't even watch sports normally, but did you see that game? That was ridiculous.

There is a crazy old woman in the Borders I'm at right now who just finished making a couple of cell phone calls and not only was she herself talking too loud on the phone (a common problem with just about everyone on cell phones in public), she had the volume turned up so loud on her phone that I could clearly loudly hear every word the person on the other end was saying. I mean it was almost so loud that I thought she had the phone on speakerphone mode, but not quite. Which means she's either half deaf in which case she should get hearing aids or she's just so crazy she doesn't know how to use a cell phone, in which case she should go home and never come out again.

Also, perhaps predictably, her conversations were about how someone in her family, I think her nephew, was avoiding getting back to her about whether his family was coming to her place tomorrow or something. I think there's a reason, crazy. You're crazy.

People of the world, I can not tell you often or loudly enough skinny jeans are hideous. ON EVERYONE. (Please make note of how unflattering they look on this model who essentially has no hips or body fat. Let's discuss how bad they will look, therefore, on the rest of the population. Not because there's anything wrong with hips or fat! Because this is a universally unflattering fashion.)

You should know from the description, "Lux Menswear Onsie" that there can't possibly be anything good about this. I mean honestly, this is so ugly it astounds me.

These are a flashback to middle school. These never should have existed in the first place and I don't know what kind of mental disorder is making people resurrect them, but apparently it's contagious and it also compels you to abandon all common sense. There are so many ugly things going on here I can't even address them all in the space available to me here.

And last and perhaps most ugly of all, black satin stirrup pants. I'm not sure if these or the acid washed jeans are more ugly but the fact that they both exist in the same dimension of reality is pretty upsetting to me. I mean, I like looking at aesthetically pleasing things, don't you? Who are the people who like to torture themselves by not only, I must assume, surrounding themselves with ugliness, but also wearing it?

I took a book quiz and got this interesting result:

You're Watership Down!
by Richard Adams
Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.
Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

Especially interesting because I've never even read this book, though I understand that I should have. I used to read constantly. Why am I so severely lacking in my reading of so many of the classics? Well, whenever it comes up I blame the whole going to high school in Ohio thing.

I like the part where it says "You might be one of the greatest people of all time." Ha ha.

As certain other parties have already made note of, Hester Willa was in rare form last Sunday when I had lunch with her and her moms at The Border Cafe.

Operation Leg Warmer was revealed, which Clementine and I had been planning for months to surprise Hashbrown with. Excellent! Yummy food was eaten, gifts were opened (including an embroidered.unicorn.t-shirt. - this deserves its own post), and Hester did her best to entertain us all.

Here she models the leg warmers I made for her.

Here she chews on the tights that go with the dress my parents gave her for Christmas.

Here she is pretending to be all sweetness and light, just before she attacked me with her toy. She's all, "Why, hello, Auntie Jenny! I didn't know you were back there!"...

... then she's like, "Psych! I got you! Ha! You didn't see that one coming Auntie Jenny!" (Unfortunately, I then proceeded to permit about 20 more face-smackings because she's just so darn cute and funny.)

Next we moved on to a dental exam. This included scraping of my gums with her nails. Thanks Hester!

And finally, after downing all 3 margaritas, Hester crashes. OK, not really, of course nobody gave the baby any margaritas! But the picture is pretty hilarious. What she's really doing is probably licking the table.

For those of you who might not already know, this lady is ALL CLASS.

So recently robreed informed me of the existence of this magazine, thinking my nerdy crafty self would be interested. He was correct.

We bought an issue this weekend and I've barely started reading it and already am hooked. Make your own party dress! Make your own jeans (for only $45)! Cool fun new crafty blogs and such to read!

Check out the fruit head gang dolls! Or the awesome hand-dyed merino wool yarn! (Speaking of which, don't forget about this other fantastic hand-dyed wool yarn I discovered recently. And in fact, my mom gave me tons of this beautiful yarn for Christmas, which I'm so excited about!)

Nerdy crafty heaven.

By the way, I did finally read a Kurt Vonnegut book over the summer, specifically Cat's Cradle.

I am way overdue for talking about it here, but just was reminded when I saw how sorely lacking my "Books" category is.

Anyway, I loved the book. It's the first Vonnegut I've read so I'm sure I'd like others as well. I think I read somewhere that this was his thesis in school. In any case, if you haven't read it, I'd highly recommend it. It's really strange and in some parts hilarious, and also, as I gather all his books are, quite a commentary on society.

From L.L. Bean, I love these boots. I was admittedly sad at first because my first choice for boots were these from Lands End and they were sold out in every acceptable size and color combo, even the mens' version. (Note: apparently everyone in the country bought these boots as they don't even show up in the womens' selection of boots anymore... but I was going to get them in a fun bright pink/fuschia.)

But, turns out I love my LLB boots anyway. They're very warm, very lightweight, comfortable, and have done great so far even trudging through nasty slush thanks to the fun variation in weather in New England. They're not hard-core waterproof, because the upper part is just layers of fleece, not suede, so I wouldn't take them snow shoeing or submerge them completely too often, but for tramping around the city in the winter, even in the nastiest weather, they do great.

So this video seems to show the lighting ceremony for the tree on the Boston Common this year.

But how come when I walk by this spot I see a tiny Charlie-Brown-esque tree, pathetically surrounded by gifts almost bigger than it is and an unnecessarily gigantic circle of fencing?

At least that's true as of the end of last week, unless there's been a change since then. But the lighting was supposed to be November 29.

(Picture to follow when I get a chance to stop by and snap one.)

What happened? Anybody know?

ETA: I'm a MORON. Yesterday I saw this tree with Rob. There IS a small Charlie-Brown like tree closer to the street, which is inexplicably surrounded by a large fence and too large presents for some reason, but the big tree is there, it's just farther back from the street.

This game freaking ROCKS.

Today I was walking over the the local UPS store to drop off a package I was sending out (something we sold, nothing exciting like a gift) and it already had a label that I printed at home. The place closes at 4 and it was like 3:55 when I arrived. Outside there was a UPS driver who had just pulled up to, I assume, pick up the day's packages. He saw me and here's what happened:

UPS Driver: "Well, you waited a long time." (said in a disapproving tone)

Me: ignoring him, walking into the store

Driver: "Next Day Air, too? You waited a really long time!" (even more disapprovingly)

Me: ignoring him and handing my package to the guy working the counter "Here you go, it's all set. Thanks."

Hey, Mr. Overconcerned Driver, guess what? Did I make the dropoff time? Yes. Did I interefere with your ability to do your job? No.

Do I know you?

Then keep it to yourself. Nobody needs your incredibly useless commentary. Just deliver my package.

Has no one in the Spears family heard of birth control?

Seriously!

And look at this guy that knocked her up. Nice Abercrombie shirt, stupid.

I really don't think we need any more of this gene pool in the population, folks. Can some health professional please have a sit down with Britney and Jamie Lynn? Maybe they should watch more of The Family Guy.

"Hi everyone, it's me, Emily! Aren't I sweet and innocent? Don't you just want to pick me up and Lenny me? How can anyone resist? My mommy tried to just now, but she ended up with me in her lap, as I knew she would."

Wow, I really wanted to like this movie way more than I did. There were redeeming qualities, but the end was very weak and a lot of stuff went unexplained.

Sounds like they would have done better to keep the book's original ending (warning, there are spoilers if you want to read the entire article, so only do it if you've already seen it or you don't plan to/don't care).

The book's original ending is SUCH a better explanation for the title, and a better, more interesting twist instead of the weird God twist they put in the movie.

And... (one spoiler below)

Read the rest

New Jersey gets a bad rap. There actually are some nice places there. I've seen them with my own eyes. But I have to admit it's low on the list of places I'd like to live.

However, they did vote to abolish the death penalty so I have to give them some credit there. Just don't bring it up with my dad. It will only start a fight that nobody can win. Brian, you know what I'm talking about.

Good job New Jersey. You just jumped a couple places up on my list. You're now above Florida AND Ohio!

I'm long overdue to post all of these.

First, some baby Hester photos from earlier in the fall.

I can't even handle this face she's making...

and this one isn't much less crazy! She was making hilarious faces the whole time. I think she was really hamming it up for the camera.

And here she is looking very "surprised" at Bella Vita Cafe. She's so funny with the camera. She cracks me up every time.

Now some pet photos...

Cleo was "helping" by cleaning out the crumbs in this box. She actually wasn't distressed at all, which is why it's OK that we left the box on her head and took a bunch of photos. Yes, that's her mommy laughing at her in the background.

Our kitty Emily is seriously crazy. She'll shove her head in any glass or mug around to see if she likes the taste of whatever is in there. Water is one thing...

... but Diet Dr. Pepper? I mean, it's my favorite, but I don't think it's for kitties. The funniest thing about this incident is that she was being very ladylike for once, dipping her paw in and licking the soda off instead of shoving her face in the glass like usual.

Just a normal day around here. I promise she's shoved her head in at least one glass today.

OK, Uncle Will, I promised you I would post some awesome photos of you, so here you go.

Please make sure to view all 3. I'm sure there are others but these were the best three I came across on a first perusal of my parents' photo albums.

Let's make sure the girls see these please. I'm sure they will enjoy them.

OK, not really a shore but it's a line from some Christmas song. I'm visiting my parents in Knoxville. I got in yesterday afternoon and my mom picked me up to take me to her office and meet everyone she works with. They're all these sweet southern women (and one lone man) who all call each other "Miss Phyllis" and "Miss Susan" etc. They were very nice and my mom predictably dorked it up. Then we went to a yarn store and she got some yarn for me to make her a scarf and also to make myself a scarf.

For her we got chunky weight baby alpaca by Plymouth Yarns. This stuff is ridiculously soft. We got two colors and I already finished her scarf - held the two strands together and crocheted it with a huge hook I had with me. She says she thinks she might have to get a whole lot of this stuff and have me make something bigger like a blanket.

For me we got this really cool thick/thin hand dyed wool yarn that I'm going to make an awesome scarf with too. I've been wanting something really colorful and funky to make a scarf with, so I'm excited. It's a beautiful blend of bright blues/turquoise and shades of green and purple. I think it will be really awesome.

We had a big dinner out with my dad and then came back to their house and looked at some photos from their vacation earlier in the summer to Europe. I spent a little time holding their kitty Simon against his will but he's warming up to me. He came to see me this morning while I was getting ready all on his own and even let me rub his belly for a second.

That's it for now.

I just was reading an interview online with one of JFK's speech writers - the subject was Mitt Romney's speech about religion (specifically his) today and how it compared with Kennedy's in 1960.

Here's an interesting quote:

I don't think Mr. Romney should be denied the presidency because of his religion. Just as I don't think Senator [Barack] Obama should be denied because of his race. Or that Mrs. [Hillary] Clinton should be denied the presidency because of her gender. This country is in deep, serious trouble, and thoughtful citizens surely are going to make up their minds based on the major issues confronting the country and the major qualities of the candidates and not on such superficial tests as religion, race, or gender.

First of all, of course I agree with him overall here, but a few points:

1. How many evangelical folks out there are going to appreciate religion being called a "superficial test"? The point is, some people unfortunately think that religion is one of if not the most important issue determining things like who should be president.
2. I don't think Mr. Romney should be denied the presidency because of his religion, I think he should be denied the presidency because he's a conservative nut.
3. I really wish thoughtful citizens were making up their minds based on the major issues confronting the country. Wait, let me rephrase that - I'm sure that thoughful citizens are doing this. Unfortunately, as I witness on a daily basis, the majority of the public is not made up of folks I would label as thoughtful citizens by any stretch. How else do we end up with GW in the White House for 8 years?

I'll leave you with this Q&A which about sums up the difference between the Camelot Years and now:

Q. Romney discussed his views of Jesus Christ, something that Kennedy avoided. Why did Kennedy avoid discussing his religious views?

Sorensen: Because [Kennedy] began the speech by saying his private religious beliefs -- his relationship with God or Jesus Christ or anything else -- was not a matter of public discussion. He did not think the election should be based on -- as he said, it's not what kind of church I believe in, the question is what kind of country do I believe in.

I got this awesome spam email just now, from "Mrs. Mark.W.K." It's half in Japanese, and then this part in English:

THIS IS ALL ABOUT THE RELEASE OF LARGE SUMS OF FUND TO YOU. GET BACK 4 DETAILED INFO BY MY BOSS BY EMAILING BACK ON (fromadbank_20007@yahoo.co.kr) OR CALLING +234 14342164. MRS. MARK, SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT,AFDB

• MRS MARK.W.K

Wow, I'd better call her right away! Feel free to call her yourself, if I'm not fast enough to act on these "large sums of fund", I deserve to lose it to you, my lovely reader.

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.

Marie Curie

I just read this quote from Katherine Heigl about "Knocked Up":

It was a little sexist. It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys. ... Ninety-eight percent of the time it was an amazing experience, but it was hard for me to love the movie.

and it made me sad. We just rewatched this movie over the weekend with Heather, who hadn't seen it before and I think it's really funny and sweet.

I don't think it paints the women as shrews - I think the women in the movie are somewhat intolerant of crazily immature behavior like farting in each other's faces for instance, but I hardly think that makes them shrews.

Also, I really think in general people do too much "interpreting" of movies - apparently even the actors in them. It's just a story about a few people. It doesn't have to represent all of humanity. If the guys in the movie are goofy, it doesn't mean all guys are goofy. I don't really think the guys in this movie are supposed to represent the average American guy either - the group of friends living in a trashy house supposedly working on an internet startup for years, smoking pot constantly, etc. I don't know any guys like this myself. That doesn't mean they don't exist.

I just think it's a silly comment and it made me sad because I like that movie a lot and I think it got too much flack for dumb reasons. (Another of which is supposedly that it has a strong pro-life message... why, because the woman who gets pregnant doesn't have an abortion? Is every pregnant woman who has a baby now anti-choice?) Come on people. For Pete's sake, it's just a funny movie. Enjoy it.

I know you will be very shocked to learn this, considering all my other thoughts about the T (to prove my even-handedness, there is a post in there where I give them credit for running on time in a snow storm).

Saturday we made the (apparently) horrible mistake of deciding that rather than walking to Cambridgeside Mall from our apartment on Beacon Hill, like we typically do for numerous reasons, since it was about 19 degrees out, we would opt to take the T.

Read the rest