[Saturday] Who runs a surprise 5k?

When we were planning this outing, traces said, "Anyway, this sounds divine!  I'd love to celebrate spring w/swan boats & art shows!!"

I met her at South Station around 11am and we walked to Boston Common and the Public Gardens, wandering around and chatting up a storm and taking pictures (I hadn't actually expected the Public Gardens to be all beautiful yet, which is silly).  When we ended up at the entrance to the Swan Boats, we got in line and this guy came up to me and said, "Elizabeth, right?"  I recognized him but really couldn't place him.  He mentioned he had just recently had lunch with a student in Northampton and I realized he was Peter, the pastor at the church I went to for three years in college.  He and his wife (Jenny! I couldn't remember her name and just now as I was typing this up I remembered) were bringing their grandkid to the Swan Boats.  They were significantly ahead of us in line, so I only spoke briefly with Peter.

Afterward we walked to Copley -- I had a brief moment of, "I do remember how to do this, right?" but we exited right at Newbury Street so that was easy.  We cut over at Trinity Church and I hadn't noticed before the Boston Marathon map thing in the sidewalk.  A unicorn?
We were gonna just get food somewhere on the way to the MFA, but I was getting hungry so I suggested we just to the California Pizza Kitchen at the Pru ... and then I decided that since I couldn't remember really where that was in the Pru that we could just stop at the Chicago Uno we were walking past (on Boylston).  Tracy got a sangria which I had a sip of.

We only had time to spend about an hour at the MFA (since Tracy had to get a 4:30 train back, and it didn't go by Ruggles) but we saw a fair amount of Art in Bloom.  We mostly walked through stuff I'd seen before, but we also saw some of the Antonio López García exhibit.

[You can read her brief writeup of the day here.]

After I dropped Tracy at her train I had an unsuccessful quest for summer shoes at the Downtown Crossing Payless and then headed out to meet Katie for dinner at Brown Sugar Cafe (Thai food) on Comm. Ave. (Babcock St. stop), which I'd heard good things about but had never been to (as I'm so rarely out in that area, especially with time to eat dinner).  I got the Vegetable Pad Thai and was unimpressed, but I ordered fried banana with coconut ice cream for dessert and that was very tasty.

She walked with me to Marsh Chapel (BU Central stop) where I was going to see Carolyn in Handel's "Solomon."  I was too tired to enjoy it properly, but they definitely did a good job.

I hadn't realized BU is on the water until we were walking back to Theology House after the concert.  I was like, "Water!  And the Hyatt I see from the Red Line."  I also hadn't realized just how close so much of the different Green Lines are to each other (apparently having looked at the MBTA GoogleHack before hadn't really stuck) -- even though on Friday Nicki was talking about taking the 66 and I was realizing that it takes you from Harvard Square (Red Line) to literally each of the four Green Lines.

Afterward was STH bar night at Beacon Street Tavern (St. Mary's St. stop on the C line), which for a variety of factors ended up just being Carolyn, her mom, me, and Carolyn's friend Rhoda.
I got an 'Effen' Roy Rogers.  Yeah, I should not get Coke-based drinks, as I'm not a big fan of the taste; I want straight up fruity (or occasionally not fruity, like a martini or something).

Rhoda, who lives in Malden, drove us home, which I appreciated, since we ended up staying at the bar until almost 1am (I'd resigned myself to taking a cab home fairly early on).

The Tracey Fragments (2007) [2008-04-27]

Carolyn and I were still talking when we were leaving evening church, so I walked with her to the T and after her train came I went back out the Holland St. exit and headed home.  As I approached Teele Square I did a double-take because walking past me were fox1013 and jadelennox.  They had just come from having bad pizza (Angelina's) to celebrate the end of Passover and were heading to the Somerville Theatre to see The Tracey Fragments -- because it has Ellen Page (and is directed by Bruce McDonald).  Clearly it was fate that I join them (especially since Amy and I had gone to see the preview screening of the last Ellen Page movie, Juno).  We got ice cream at J. P. Licks (I got the butterscotch sundae because I am easily influenced by marketing and have no shame).  Standing in line, I recognized sweetvalleyslut (wearing a "Girls Gone Wilder" hoodie -- pink on black) amongst the cluster of fangirls directly ahead of us.  At one point a theatre worker walked by and said, "Very Young Girls may step out of line and enter the theatre."  We were like, "Bzuh?"  But as she kept walking she said, "Pass holders for Very Young Girls may..." and we realized what the deal was.  [The Tracey Fragments was being shown as part of the Boston Independent Film Festival.]

***

The movie itself ... dark and fucked up.  (Oh, and was preceded by the ironically titled short Film Makes Us Happy.)

( spoilers )

P.S. promo poster

Edited to add: Fox and JadeLennox have posted interesting stuff.

HIMYM 3.17 "The Goat" [2008-04-28]

ohmigod.  First commercial break, and this is already the best episode ever.  Like every line, every moment.

Edit: Wow, I was not expecting that ending (or the coda).

( spoilers )

I really do have a good life, all things considered.

"You may weep and mourn, but your pain will turn to joy...and no one will take that joy from you."
-John 16:20ff
***

I realized as I was almost at the Davis T stop this morning that I'd forgotten to pack my gym shoes.  So I did the elliptical in my ankle boots.

( gym )

***

I had a dentist appointment today (regular six month cleaning).

The dentist was asking Meg (the hygienist) and me when you're allowed to swear at your kids.  She said never 'cause in her house her father wouldn't allow even stuff like "pissed off" or "screwed up."  He said something about her growing up all sunshine and puppies.  (I in contrast said I was fairly certain my father swore at/around us when we were fairly young.)  He was asking how old your kids have to be before you can curse at them and they know that it's not okay for them to curse back.  I said I thought that was a double standard and we talked a bit about that.

Anyway, Meg had done the cleaning and he poked around in my mouth some and said I need a small filling.  I said, "Lame," but he still had tools in his mouth so I couldn't really talk, so I flipped him off.
    They were both like, "Did you just do that?"
    I explained that I couldn't talk 'cause he still had stuff in my mouth, so I was expressing my displeasure elsewise.  (No, I did not say "elsewise.")
    He said actually he's had people flip him off before.  I said, "I think I've done it to you before."  He said, "Yeah, maybe it was you."  [I checked this tag and yup, my first visit to him.]
    I turn to Meg and said, "I'm sorry to have traumatized your sunshine and puppies life."

Oh, this is the part I forgot to tell my coworkers: At the end of the visit, he shook my hand and said, "Have a great f*cking day."  Meg and I laughed.

He gave me prescription flouride toothpaste, 'cause apparently the cavity's in an unusual place and he doesn't want any more unusual fillings (nor do I).
I miss having healthy teeth.  Yeah my baby teeth were wicked slow to come out and I had supernumeraries and all that, but I didn't have a cavity until I was like 16 or something.

***

I had pasta for lunch today, but it was unsatisfying -- wheat penne with spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, sundried tomatoes, alfredo&pesto.  I got full-ish and didn't finish all of it, but it did not hit the spot like I had hoped it would.  (I was hoping for some kind of ravioli, and also mushrooms.  I did at least get a berry smoothie.)

***

I had a moderately productive/busy day.  I didn't crash at all, which I was somewhat impressed by since the hours of sleep I got the past three nights went: 9/7/5.  I did opt to skip class tonight, though, as I knew from experience that there was basically no chance I would stay awake through class.  So I did some of the errands I've been putting off for a few days -- though I still have not looked at the NIB section I'm doing at group on Thursday.  *goes to look that up now*  Luke 6:12-16, Choosing the Twelve.  Okay, I'll read that tomorrow evening.

***

I've also not been as good as I could be about keeping up with General Conference (I'm not a Methodist, but since the closest I have to a church home is Methodist, a lot of people I care about are invested in what happens there ... plus obviously I have some interest in the developments in any denomination re: human sexuality).

***

Weeping may come; weeping may come in the night,
When dark shadows cloud our sight.
Joy comes with the dawn; joy comes with the morning sun;
Joy springs from the tomb and scatters the night with her song,
Joy comes with the dawn.
-from "Joy Comes With the Dawn"