Media-crity

My cousin Bernadette is out in India for work for a couple of weeks. Hope it’s going well!

I’ve been quiet on my blog posting AND reading because my micro final is Saturday. I don’t remember the last time I had to study for a final. By my last year of college I was doing essays and portfolios in lieu of exams.

Hope everyone’s well and looking forward to May!

I need to go to bed. I just want to wake up next week with this exam over. Uuuugh.

Nate and I were waiting for our train after the gym, hanging out on the platform, talking, tapping our feet, the whole thing. We’re facing the tracks when these two girls come up behind us, one of them stuck her head in between ours, and SCREAMED. I almost decked her but I restrained myself. Then they walked away laughing.

Whatthehell.

Got my hairs cut!
Originally uploaded by Flannfry.

I hated how she styled it so I was trying to pose in such a way that didn’t make me look like a 12-year-old boy with a big nose.

COME ON Farnsworth. Whipping it at Manny’s head? He looks kind of scared in his media follow-up. Just trying to be “aggressive”? Yeah, I’d say knocking a guy who’s gotten 2 home runs in one night in the base of the skull would be considered aggressive. Joe Girardi is a slimeball not worthy of even trying to fill Joe Torre’s shoes.

Ah, baseball. It’s nice to be able to focus on it and not my own mental crap this year. Early spring is usually tough for me, depression-wise, with last year being the obvious height of that. Nice to have shaken free of that for a bit.

I walked from work to the Trader Joe’s on Boylston today. It was a lovely evening and it took me awhile to get there because I kept wandering off to look at things. Then, of course, the inevitable distractions at Trader Joe’s. Today was the last day of their cheese tasting. I wish I could live at Trader Joe’s. I tried:

If you bought any one of these cheeses, you’d be in heaven. I want to go back right now and buy all of them and have a cheese party.

Jesus freaks out in the streets …
Originally uploaded by Flannfry.

Dude preaching from a traffic island in the middle of summer st

I don’t know how I’m going to handle next week. Another new SVU on Tuesday, then Lost and Grey’s IN ONE NIGHT.

Tonight was a REALLY disturbing SVU episode. And I regularly watch prison documentaries.

Tonight was also another fantastic game. Sweet start for the new guy and how about that catch by Ellsbury? We’re doing pretty well calling up from the PawSox.

Got some super news today about work. In short, they want to keep me forever and ever and are extending my contract another 12-18 months, pushing me right through to the start of nursing school. Whew. That’s a load off my mind.

Now, to bed.

First order of business: BostonNOW shuts down effective immediately. I would like to say that my mornings will be a little emptier but the truth is, they’ve been emptier for a few weeks now.

You see, for non-Bostonians, every morning at pretty much every T station there are competing paper hawkers. You’ve got your BostonNOW and your Metro. They all had their unique schtick, their unique personalities. At my station, there used to be Boston Now Guy. He’d stand outside the door, or just inside if it was cold, and greet every passenger that entered with a jubiliant “Good morning! Buenas dias! Watch your step! Free papers! Good morning, America, get your Boston Now! It’s FREE, America!” He started my day off with a smile and made Boston Now more popular at least at that station. In comparison, the Metro guy stands at the top of the stairs, always with a smile on his face and a nod for everyone, but drowned out by the constant “It’s FREE, America!” Sometimes I’d bypass BostonNOW guy and take a Metro just because I felt kind of bad for him. Most people just have time for one daily rag on their commute and by the time they got to him, more than half of them were clutching their BostonNOWs.

Then, a few weeks ago, I noticed Boston Now Guy standing back, observing someone else as they distributed the paper. Then, one morning, he was just gone. The new guy was, again, friendly, but he had none of BNG’s boundless enthusiasm. I mean, you could really believe that this guy honestly loved distributing this free rag with the writing and content on par with the purchase price. I had been planning on posting about him for weeks. First just about his morning sunshine, then about his departure. Today, though, I knew it was now or never. So, wherever you are Malden Boston Now Guy (not to be confused with The Malden T Stop Singer), I hope you’re brightening someone’s day. Know that at least one weary Malden commuter misses those 30 seconds every morning.

Speaking of the T, I rode the blue line for the first time today. I think I have now ridden every line. Took me long enough. Nate and I took it out to Revere to the Target there because I have been searching in vain for these shoes. I finally ordered them online, but not before I called and/or visted 6 different Target stores. By the way, Revere Target, why the heck did you tether two totally different sized shoes together and then put them out for sale? I didn’t end up buying them but I did bring the mismatched pair up to customer service because I know how angry I’d be if I got home and found that I had bought a 7 and an 8.5. I know you should check those things but when they’re attached with a plastic tie, you assume someone’s checked that out.

Now, onto baseball. First of all, Youk, what was that in the 6th? First the fake hit-by-pitch, then the chasing? It was hilarious but not what you like to see from one of your ace hitters. I gave up at that point, figuring if Youk was resorting to faking an injury to get on base then it was all over.

But then. THEN!!!! Youk brought it to a one-run game, followed by the game being broken wiiiiide open in the 9th. All the needed was 1 run to stay in the game but they delivered THREE, one of which can be attributed in part to Pedroia which, again, made me very happy.

I love watching these guys in the dugout because they’re just such a supportive team. That’s the operative word, team. The pre-game ceremony around Ortiz, the cute moment between Ortiz and Manny when Manny hit #493 and drove pinch runner Ellsbury home.

And, of course, Papelbon gettin in done to close out the game.

On that note, I need to head to bed. But first! Today for lunch I had the pleasure of experiencing a Chacarero sandwich with an internet friend, which was a nice change from the usual desk lunch. Check out the menu to see what I mean. It involves green beans. On a sandwich. And it’s fantastic.

Amanda, how was that?

Ben Franklin takes the t
Originally uploaded by Flannfry.

I’m currently on the orange line shuttle sitting next to the infamous fanueil hall ben franklin

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If you weren’t watching last night’s Sox game, let me set the scene. Sox vs. Yankees. Yankees one up in the series. Score’s 4-3 Sox. A two hour rain delay that resulted in 4 false starts for Papelbon to close the game. Finally it’s the top of the 9th. He retired the previous 3 batters handily, including A-Rod, which is why he was brought out in the first place.

Cano’s at bat, full count, representing both the tying run and the end of the game.

Papelbon fires another one. There was drama and tension and then there were … cars. Driving in circles. And somewhere out in the universe, BASEBALL WAS STILL HAPPENING.

Yep. Fox cut to Nascar. Yes, they had been warning since the game resumed that we might have to switch to FX at some point. But who was paying attention? The game had begun at 3:30, it was now nearly 9. Papelbon was dazzling, the Yankees were a hair from losing, who’s thinking about changing the channel? AND IN THE MIDDLE OF A PITCH NO LESS.

I actually screamed, as I’m sure many people did. I shudder to think how close we came to missing it. Do you know how many channels there are to scroll through in the guide to even find FX? Particularly when you’re watching NESN HD, which is in the 800s, and FX is in the 20s or so? And what of the people who don’t have cable?

But, in the end, we found it just in time to see Cano’s last foul tip, then the groundout. Even had time to see Pedroia swoop in, which made me very happy.

But Fox, never again. And what was up with sending Nascar to a commercial right after anyway?? Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid.

Down with scientology!
Originally uploaded by Flannfry.

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Guess where we are!
Originally uploaded by Flannfry.

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Hello pretty city
Originally uploaded by Flannfry.

The view from Cambridge

15 years ago today my pancreas was found sleeping on the job and fired.

Best moments: The people I’ve met, either in person or online. I’ve gotten a few emails (including one today– Hi Maura!) from diabetics who find my blog, that’s pretty awesome. It’s a pretty small club, what with t1’s only making up 5-10% of the diabetic population.

Worst moments: The lasers. I could have gone my whole life without the lasers.