Platinum Elite

My Bose Noise-Canceling Headphones

2009-11-04T20:42:00.004-05:00

This week, I rediscovered a lost love.

My Bose Noise-Canceling Headphones

Back in 2004, I bought a pair of these, and they arrived just in time for a massive journey to Auckland, New Zealand. I consented to helping with a last-minute trip Down Under after our first attempt at completing a research study fell a bit short, and nobody else was available to complete the project. My boss asked if I would mind flying coach since this particular ticket had to come out of my company's profit (Business Class was customary and billable for International trips back then, but we had to eat expenses associated with supplemental projects).

I found that a round-trip ticket with two week's notice was cheaper with a Saturday stay, and I managed to negotiate a few extra days off, all expenses paid, to tool around Sydney for four nights, since that plan was actually cheaper for the company than just three nights in Auckland. Not a bad deal. Go figure.

But holy Jesus those were long flights - something like 12 hours from LA to Auckland alone. My Bose headphones were miraculous.

With my limited travel these days, I don't have many opportunities to use the headphones. At my new office, though, people work in large, open work spaces, and tend to use headphones to listen to music while plugging away.

I have my regular iPhone headphones, and a pair of in-ear Bose earbuds, but NOTHING sounds as good as these Bose Noise-Canceling Headphones. I'm sure they aren't even close to the best headphones on the market, but I almost forgot how good these sound.

Earlier today, I ended up driving to work since I had a dentist appointment early this morning and was fortunate to find a Southie resident parking spot on D street, a mere 15 min walk from the office. I decided to keep the headphones on to listen to music during my walk back to the car, which resulted in the most peaceful walk through the city that I have endured.

I was in my own little world, watching the buses, trucks, and taxis whiz past me in silence. If I do that again, I'll have to make sure that I'm aware of my surroundings and don't get plowed into by a crazy driver blowing through a red light!

Rite Aid on East Broadway in Southie - Shamefully Towing Cars

2009-10-30T07:21:00.006-04:00

Parking in Southie is not always an easy endeavor. Between the lack of weeknight parking for non-resident overnight guests, to the space-saving in the winter, there's many rules - written and unwritten - that make things difficult to predict the outcomes (will the city ticket me if I park here, will some angry dude named Sully smash my windshield if I move his cone, etc.)

But sometimes, when the accepted norms are suddenly disrupted, I'm irritated.

Case in point - the parking lot next to Rite Aid on East Broadway (formerly Brooks Pharmacy).

View Larger Map

I've lived here for over 6 years. I have parked in that lot many times - sometimes to patronize Rite Aid, other times to simply run into the bank or grab a bite at the Boston Beer Garden or the Playwright. I never leave my car there overnight.

Apparently, they are now towing cars after Rite Aid closes. Mike mentioned something about it on the walk over last night, and my friend Dan posted something this morning about how all of his friends' cars were towed last night.

Technically, it's a one-hour parking limit for patrons of Rite Aid. I was never sure how they would regulate that during the day while Rite Aid was open (they close at 9 or 10pm), but the signs are posted.

I don't think that I have ever found that lot completely full when I needed to run into the store. Not once.

When I left the Beer Garden last night around 11pm, there were probably about 15 cars parked in the lot that held at least 5-6 times that amount. I remember noticing because of what Mike had mentioned earlier.

This lot is entirely unused after 10pm. Tow cars after 2am if you must, thereby preventing overnight parkers. But it's a given that patrons of those two restaurant/bars need somewhere to park, unless they are local and walking.

I realize that it's private parking. But figure something out.

Do the owners of Boston Beer Garden and The Playwright (which are co-owned) need to pay Rite Aid for the right for patrons to park there safely and not depart to find missing cars? Should Rite Aid simply grin and bear it, and be a neighborly member of Southie?

Either way, if people think that they run the risk of towed cars if they patronize these bars after 10pm, they might stop driving to those establishments.

(# of cars) x (# of people per car) x (# of drinks per person) x (7 nights) = lots and lots of lost revenue for the bars and tax revenue for the city.

The high school atop G St. is neighborly, and those of us who live nearby appreciate it. During the school year, it's explicitly clear that parking from 6:15am-4:30pm is entirely forbidden, and cars will be towed. But on weekends and while school is not in session (holidays, all summer), the lot is fair game. They don't have to do that, but they do. It's a nice gesture to relieve some of our parking woes temporarily.

Again - I realize that this is Rite Aid's rule AND signs are clearly marked. And my car was not towed, nor the vehicles owned by my friends. I'm not personally irritated because I didn't follow a rule and was caught.

I'm saying change the rule. Now, they are actually doing the towing that they threatened.

I'd just think that for the good of those after-hours businesses on East Broadway, and the fact that cars parked there after 10pm do not adversely affect Rite Aid's operations, I think they should change their rule.

Stealing Quarters from My Car in NYC

2009-10-29T07:23:00.005-04:00

I'm finding it hard to believe that it's been well over three years since I worked for the market research / consulting company that occupied my time from 1997-2006. I look back at that time in my life and wonder how I was able to keep up with the travel schedule. Back then, social media hadn't exploded, the economy hadn't collapsed, and I lived out of my suitcase for 120-150 nights each year.

I went from a childhood of little travel, to a European adventure upon graduation from college, to a world of business travel. From ages 26-31 or 32, I can't even count how many upgrades I received on airplanes. It became a game. An addiction. I still have almost 300,000 frequent flier miles from that period.

Every so often, I am reminded of that past life as if it were only yesterday.

Case in point - my recent trip to NYC. I was in town for my friend's wedding, and had the pleasure of playing tourist during the hours between the ceremony and reception. I sat atop a double-decker bus and enjoyed being driven around midtown Manhattan on a lovely Saturday afternoon.

As we drove up 6th Avenue, we reached 54th St. and The Warwick Hotel, a building where I spent many hours. Function space in Manhattan was always ridiculously expensive, and I somehow found my way to this hotel as a good base from which we could rent space and conduct our surveys when a night in Manhattan was required. I even stayed overnight there a bunch of times, often being upgraded to beautiful suites for some odd reason. They must have associated my name with being the on-site contact for a catering event, and realized that we consistently spent a ton of coin with them.

Life on the road involved lots of waiting punctuated with bouts of sheer frenzy. Our 2 1/2 hour surveys barely had time for five minute breaks, but I was dead-set on finishing on time at all costs. Driving to airports with reckless abandon, scurrying around to find FedEx-owned shipping centers, trying to hunt down dinner at 11:30 pm - a life of glamour, it was not.

I always preferred the "local" work - anything from DC to Boston when I lived in NJ, and anything within the NYC-Albany-Burlington VT-Boston area when I lived in Boston. All of that was drivable. Whereas my colleagues almost always had to fly everywhere, I got to spend lots of time in my personal car, conveying a minor sense of normalcy within a crazy road-based job.

When in NYC and conducting events at The Warwick Hotel, I used to park at this garage. The hotel did not own the facility, but had an arrangement with them for hotel guests. I don't know how many times it took me to figure this out, but there was a period where I would retrieve my car only to discover that ALL of my quarters had been stolen.

I knew this because I always kept my coin holder full, coins heads-up (of course). And the coins were gone every time.

I'll admit to having a temper at times.

After one particularly stressful evening, I decided that I had enough of this.

I picked up my car, drove up the ramp, turned onto the one-way 54th St., saw the missing quarters, double-parked my car, and marched right back into the parking garage to scream at anyone who would listen. I called them all thieves and warned the other patrons who were standing around that they stole from people who parked there.

I didn't care that it was a handful of change. That wasn't the point. If they were slimy enough to steal 10 quarters from me every time I parked there, they were pathetic in my book.

After the attendant finally walked away from me after a few minutes of my angry screaming and accusations, I walked back into The Warwick, still flustered, and recounted my story to the hotel manager. He apologized profusely, and while he told me that they did not own the garage, he somehow placated me to the point that I appreciated whatever gesture he extended. I don't remember if it was free parking or a free room, but either way, I was happy he listened and responded.

To this day, I always check my quarters after I valet my car. It's not the money. It's the principle and the integrity of the establishment that are in question.

I did none of this to receive anything. But when I'm wronged, I feel the need to speak up. This was pre-blogs, pre-Yelp, pre-Twitter. Rest assured, if I had those tools back then, I would have utilized them with fervor.

My Deathwish?

2009-10-28T19:35:00.003-04:00

Should I have the misery of going missing for a few days, folks might want to check local emergency rooms. I'm about to head to a local Southie bar here in Boston, wearing a Yankees cap.

After all, it is the World Series.

But, this could be the end of me...

Dead Car Battery

2009-10-26T07:37:00.003-04:00

I have been driving around Jeep Grand Cherokees since 1996. Over 13 years with one car company and brand. During that time frame, I have owned a whopping two different vehicles.

My philosophy with cars is practicality and utilitarian. I realize that they are financial strains that depreciate in value the moment you sign the papers and exhale. I drive them until they drop.

My current Jeep is sitting at just over 77,000 miles and has dents and dings adorning the bumper and chassis. The interior is in great condition, my radio and speakers sound great, and I have heated leather seats. It's comfortable and fully paid off - the perfect car to park on the city streets of Boston.

At this point in my vehicle's life, I need to anticipate problems.

Case in point, Saturday night.

I was headed to a friend's poker night in Cambridge, and was instructed to bring "good beer." So I parked illegally on the side of Mass Ave (in a "spot" marked "No Parking Here to Corner") and threw on my 4-way flashers. I ran through the pouring rain into the corner store, bought a six pack, and returned to my car to learn that it would not restart.

I turned the key, the gauges flickered and freaked out a bit, and the engine would not even attempt to turn over. Immediately, I expected the worst, but figured, in the back of my mind, that my battery was dead.

Cambridge isn't super far from my home in Southie, and since I was parked somewhere that would likely get me towed, I needed to figure something out. So I called AAA for assistance.

About 40 minutes later, a tow truck showed up with another vehicle already attached, making me hope that what I needed was a jump and not a tow, which obviously would have forced me to wait a bit longer.

This would have been a scene from a horror movie if I was stranded somewhere along a dark, desolate road - driving rain, dead battery, no cell service, vulnerable passenger. But I was pretty good-to-go with my GPS, iPhone, and beer.

We got the car started, and I was on my way (nervously) back to Southie, fully expecting to stall out in the I-93 tunnel. But that never happened. I limped into a parking spot, turned the car off, and tried to restart it just to see what would happen. Dead.

Sunday morning, I employed Mike to bring my to AutoZone and help change the battery. I must admit, the process of unscrewing rusted bolts underneath a car hood that wouldn't stay open on its own (without holding it or lodging a wrench in it) was not easy. But Mike is far handier than I, even without full use of his dominant left hand (broken pinkie still healing).

My new battery looks fancy, and I'm expecting it to last me until the Jeep kicks it, whenever that happens. I'm hoping to get at least another 40,000 miles out of it, and at the rate I'm adding miles these days, that puts be in late 2013.

Halloween in New Hampshire

2009-10-22T07:39:00.013-04:00

Last weekend, Mike, Jeff, and I headed north to New Hampshire for a Halloween party thrown by Mike's aunt.

I will admit that living the single life in Boston, I'm not amid children all that often these days. There aren't that many kids in my extended family yet, and my career doesn't put me in front of youth all that much.

So going from zero to thirty screaming eight year olds is like skipping a season or two, and having a beach day after a snowfall.

Either way, it was a great way to spend the afternoon and evening. I'm not sure if Mike invited me for the company or for my photo snapping skills. Probably a bit of both :) Either way, I knew that I had a responsibility to capture the precious moments.

Mike's aunt goes all out for Halloween - nothing like I had even seen in a residential setting. Decorations EVERYWHERE, themed food, drinks, and games, and even a haunted house in the basement. The kids loved it. As they lined up to enter the haunted basement, an impromptu "you're gonna die" chant broke out (which I found a bit disturbing), but it soon died down as the first few kids emerged, thrilled expressions that they survived the underground darkness.

While Mike played with his nieces, Jeff and I surveyed the children and wondered where they resided in their cliques at school. Who were the cool kids? Who were the nerds? Who were the quiet ones? Who was popular? We picked out our favorite Halloween costumes of the bunch. I think he preferred the Chinese Take Out container to Paula Abdul (my favorite), but don't remember for sure. Actually, I don't know if she was supposed to be Paula, but that's what I called her behind her back.

Mike has a terrible sweet tooth - put him in a room with a bowl of candy, and it will be gone within minutes. Me, on the other hand...I can usually resist. However, in true Halloween fashion, I consumed far more candy than was necessary.

Failed Ticket Broker

2009-10-14T07:42:00.005-04:00

For some strange reason, I thought I would give buying and reselling event tickets on StubHub a shot. I did some investigation into the legality of such activity here in Massachusetts, and learned that as long as I'm not selling tickets for other events in Mass, I should be in the clear.

So, I checked online for some forthcoming concert tours that might lend to quick sellouts and high demand for secondary-market tickets. I zeroed in on one artist.

Kelly Clarkson.

I figured she was still pretty hot, and was playing venues that weren't enormous.

My strategy was picking some large markets or unique venues, and going for it. On the list were Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC, Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, The Joint at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, and - in a why not decision - Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine.

I searched for presale codes, and managed to score many of the ticket in presale or right when they went on sale. Before I knew it, I had 5 pairs of tickets, and was in the hole about $900.

I registered with StubHub and posted all of the tickets for sale, pricing them accordingly as to how the market appeared to be setting itself. My calculations projected about $1,400 in revenue after StubHub fees, posting a tidy 55% profit in just a month or two.

Or so I thought.

Weeks went buy, and the tickets languished there on StubHub. I lowered the price once.

Then again.

And again.

We're quickly approaching the event dates, and I'm still holding all 5 of these pairs. Grrr.

Mentally, at this point, I have already written the cash off. The tickets were bought and paid for, and I had paid my credit card bill. Anything I could recoup would simply be found money, I figured.

It was time to salvage something. Anything.

So I started slashing prices and turned to the murky waters of Craiglist to find buyers. Thankfully, I managed to unload the Portland tickets (first, actually), followed by the NYC ones. Each buyer essentially received a 2-for-1 deal.

The Mohegan Sun tickets - where I bought two pairs - went unsold. I doubled down and ended up with a measly 14 against the dealer's 20. Yuck. I sent the tickets to my friend Stacey and told her to have fun, which she did.

That left the Las Vegas tickets. One final pair for a show in early November. Somehow, I got lucky, and a buyer snatched them up on StubHub. Oddly enough, I think I even managed a small profit (10%) after fees and shipping charges. I FedEx'ed those tickets away yesterday, and am now thankfully without any remaining inventory.

So, my life as a ticket broker was a short, unprofitable one. I ended up in the hole about $500, or about half the cost of the new kitchen table I'm eyeing. But, I'll chalk it up as a lesson that I won't likely attempt again.

I'm now receiving a ton of emails from Ticketmaster. They must think I'm Kelly's biggest fan.

Totally Confused

2009-09-30T22:07:00.005-04:00

Call me crazy...but shouldn't every issue of Architectural Digest be the "Architecture Issue?"

Pound of Starbucks Beans = Free Beverage... or Free Coffee?

2009-09-24T07:08:00.005-04:00

I'm a big fan of Starbucks - that's no secret.

I don't mind the mass appeal of their products or their overcommercialized stores and brand. I still think that their concept is cool, and ubiquity is simply a product of their success and consumer demand.

Yesterday, I saw that Starbucks launched two new iPhone apps:

- Starbucks Card Mobile is an interface to reload a registered Starbucks card, check balances, and even use your iPhone as the actual card as some test locations out west (which is pretty sweet).

- myStarbucks is a pretty comprehensive app that uses GPS to locate nearby stores and give product information about practically anything they sell. Want to see which nearby locations are brewing coffee using the Clover machine? They have that.

I downloaded both apps and used Starbucks Card Mobile to reload my card with $25. It worked seamlessly, and they awarded me with an extra $5 since I used my Visa card on my first reload and they were running a promotion. Sweet, I figured. I needed to buy a pound of beans, as I was flat out.

Now, I know the rules. When I buy a pound of beans at a Starbucks, I'm entitled to a free tall beverage. I have always asked for a simple hot coffee, probably out of simplicity.

But yesterday, I felt like a pumpkin spice latte. I don't know why, I just kind of did. I was not 100% certain that more sophisticated drinks were entitled to the freebie upon purchase of beans, but figured that I would never know if I didn't ask.

So after the barista ground my beans, the exchange went something like this:

Her: "Anything else?"

Me: "Don't I get a free drink with that?"

Her: "You do if you use your Starbucks Card to purchase it"

Me: (after JUST having given her my Starbucks Card to pay for the transaction): "Good thing I did"

Her: "What would you like?"

Me: "Can I get a latte?"

Her: "No, just a coffee."

Me (not about to fight to the death...but I know she's wrong): "Why can't I get a latte?"

Her: "Because they are more expensive!"

So I settled for my tall coffee and went on my way. The first time I asked if this free beverage can be anything something other than a coffee, and I'm shot down.

But something just didn't sit well with me. Since she didn't even ask if I wanted a free beverage at the start, I think she was banking on my not knowing the rules. More times than not, when ordering beans from other Starbucks locations, I'm asked what tall beverage I would like.

So I looked up the rules at starbucks.com this morning, and found this:

Your Benefits

Free selected syrup and soymilk

Free brewed coffee refills

Free beverage with whole bean purchase

Free Wi-Fi up to 2 hours a day

Free beverage. Pretty vague, yes in my mind all encompassing. Even this fine print seems to support my case:

You receive one complimentary 12 fl oz beverage at time of purchase of one or more pounds of whole bean coffee. Offer valid at participating U.S./Canada stores and is subject to change.

I hate the inconsistency of Starbucks sometimes. I know it's impossible to give customers a 100% consistent experience given the vast quantity of locations and variable involved. But all I wanted was a free tall pumpkin spice latte with my pound of beans, and I left feeling bad for even asking.

Sharing the Altar with The Pope

2009-09-22T07:36:00.008-04:00

I'm not a huge fan of weddings. Thankfully, I'm only invited to one or so each year. And since my invitations usually come from true friends, I wind up going and ultimately have lots of fun.

I tried counting the number of weddings that I have attended, and I'm probably sitting somewhere between 10 and 15.

Most frequently, I am simply an invited guest. A few times, I attended the bachelor party beforehand. Once, I was even the wedding DJ.

This past weekend's wedding was quite different from the norm for many reasons.

First off, I was in the wedding party. I performed the second reading - from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians - the "Love is Patient, Love is Kind" one. I have had multiple friends guess either this particular passage and/or book of the Bible from which I read. I suppose this is a popular one.

I was even invited to ride in the stretch Range Rover. As I stood for about twenty minutes outside, awaiting the rest of the wedding party, I watched tons of people stop and photograph this un-ecofriendly vehicle.

Second of all, it was a black tie affair, which forced me into a tuxedo for the second time in my life. The first time was my high school prom.

Third, the wedding was at St. Patrick's Cathedral, which means that I shared the altar with Bishops, Cardinals, and even The Pope. I think that's completely wild! Parishoners and random tourists were mulling around the interior of the cathedral all while the ceremony rolled on. After the nuptials and procession, we stood on the exterior stairs and were greeted by even more onlookers taking pictures, pointing, and probably wondering what wedding they stumbled across. If I happened across a wedding during one of my trips to Italy, it would have left a lasting impression in the annals of my vacation memories. Hopefully this wedding served the same purpose to a few out-of-towners.

Fourth, the reception was at the New York Athletic Club, a private venue on Central Park South. Our function room on the 9th floor had an outdoor balcony and windows that gave a panoramic view above the treetops of the entire park.

Between the wedding and the reception, I had the opportunity to play Midtown Manhattan tourist, as my friend arranged for a brief chartered bus tour for guests to occupy the down time between the end of the ceremony and beginning of the reception.

Overall, a great day. Perfect weather, happy people all around.

The Most Obnoxious Radio Jingle

2009-09-17T07:04:00.003-04:00

Great jingles are infectious. Memorable, catchy, and witty.

I suppose "great" is subjective, but I certainly don't mind the jingles for Free Credit Report, Mattress Discounters, East-West Mortgage, and Giant Glass.

There is one current campaign, however, that makes me jump out of bed almost as quickly as most Beastie Boys songs.

1-877-CARS-4-KIDS

Ugh! How irritating - a kid singing this phone number for 60 seconds straight. It's worse that fingernails down a chalk board.

What's funny is that the organization KNOWS how irritating their radio commercial is, which is partly why the campaign is effective. On their website, there is a link to have people submit their own versions of the jingle.

Having worked in radio, and now working in marketing / advertising - I get why this campaign is running as frequently as it is, and credit them for creating such a memorable yet irritating commercial.

Lobster Bake in the Burbs

2009-09-13T10:04:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of being invited out to the suburbs for a delicious lobster bake at my friend Tom's place. He was gracious in scoring all of the remaining lobsters at his local grocery store (to the dismay of the woman in line behind him, he claims), and preparing them with a delicious butter sauce for dipping. Along with the grilled corn and baked potatoes, it was a fabulous way to end the summer.

It made me think - I need to prepare lobsters more often.

I rarely cook seafood at home, and never think to cook anything still alive - lobsters, crabs, clams - I just feel that I'd prefer to leave that to the experts and eat it in restaurants.

But lobster prices are extremely competitive these days, and they seem easy enough to cook if I have the stomach to boil a living crustacean. I'm not sure that I do, but perhaps after a glass of wine or two...

Bummed by Lunch

2009-09-10T19:47:00.000-04:00

One of the greatest parts about working downtown is the multitude of lunch options. I'm sure I won't feel this way after a few more month here, but it seems that every day, I'm trying a new establishment.

I remember hearing about some interesting pushcart in Downtown Crossing that sold Latin American sandwiches with green beans on them. I thought I would take a stroll a few blocks in that direction, just to see what I could find.

As I was on hold with my eye doctor (I needed to reschedule an appointment), I saw a restaurant that had an enticing menu posted. I was planning to order some chicken kabobs when I started pacing on the sidewalk outside, still on hold with the doctor's office.

I happened to stroll back past a storefront called Chacarero. It's a small Chilean restaurant that serves sandwiches...with green beans on them.

Cool, I thought! This must be the place!

Turns out that they started as a push cart in Downtown Crossing, and have expanded into this location.

I ordered a small chicken and beef sandwich, which came on a lightly salted bun, and was served with guacamole, tomatoes, muenster cheese, and hot sauce. There was also a large sandwich available, but the small was too big itself, I can't imagine what a large would have looked like.

I sat down to enjoy the sandwich, and was...kinda underwhelmed, unfortunately. I felt like the interesting flavor combination was still missing something. Salt? Garlic? Secret Sauce? I don't know. But it didn't make my taste buds sing and dance. Total bummer. I thought I discovered a delicious sandwich place, the likes of which were far from Southie, Quincy, Kenmore Square, and anywhere else I might have been paid to show up.

While I'm sure it's a popular establishment (there is a page of testimonials on their website), I must say that I'll probably just wish them well, figure many others will enjoy their food, and have to find myself walking elsewhere for midday eats. No ill will toward them - it just wasn't for me.

United States of Beef

2009-09-09T07:13:00.002-04:00

I grilled a few steaks on Sunday, and thought that this one looked suspiciously like the continental United States (well, minus Texas and Florida).

If I start seeing the Virgin Mary in a bag of potato chips, I'm going to be concerned.

Perfect Weekend

2009-09-07T14:15:00.004-04:00

What a perfect Labor Day weekend!

I'm home...
...not dealing with traffic whatsoever
...spending time with friends and Rosie
...grilling steaks later
...catching up on some reading
...have the windows open, ocean breeze pushing through my place
...still wearing shorts, but feel the autumn air approaching

...and getting ready for some football!

Another Home Run

2009-09-06T15:28:00.003-04:00

As far as I can tell, my softball season has finally ended. No more league play, and no more tournaments (to my knowledge). It was a fun ride!

This week, we placed 6th in the tournament (out of 39 teams in our division), and had a great 6-2 run, best of all six Boston entries. I batted .500 over the eight games, and somehow cranked a home run and a triple over two unsuspecting left center fielders during our final two games. Along with my walkoff game winning single in Game 3, I had a pretty exciting series.

Toward the end of the week, I started feeling the dreaded tickle in the back of my throat, and awoke in a pool of sweat on Friday morning, thanks to a fever that kicked in and then broke. The fact that my two extra base hits came while sick makes me wonder if I shouldn't play ill more frequently.

I was set to return on AirTran's Sunday evening MKE-BOS nonstop flight, but instead found a cheap $120 one way fare on Midwest for their Saturday nonstop, and decided to head home a day early for some needed extra rest. A day trip to Chicago would have been fun, as would have been a photo trip around Milwaukee. Unfortunately, I had to skip both of those options. Hence, no photos!

Softball Tournament

2009-09-02T10:08:00.004-04:00

After a week of futzing around on the bus during my new commute to Chinatown, I decided to clear out of Boston and hit up a softball tournament instead.

Actually...this trip had been planned for months, and I was lucky enough to have been granted this week off by my new employers (albeit an unpaid week, but that's only fair given the short duration of my time with the company thus far).

Our bracket has 39 teams from across North America (well, just Canada and the U.S.), and in the round robin games, we went 3-0 to earn a 5th place seeding in the actual tournament, which begins today.

We ended up winning the final game on a walkoff game-winning single that I hit with two outs and two strikes! Normally that kind of pressure might have caused me to think a bit too much, but since the game was tied and it would have either ended that way or we would have won, I approached the at-bat pretty lightheartedly. Nothing to lose. Smack the ball and run fast to first, which is what happened. Run scored, I was safe, game over.

But every game is a new one - and we still have six more to win if we'd like to win the title.

Props to the MBTA

2009-08-28T07:28:00.002-04:00

So, my week of MBTA adventure customer service has taken a surprising turn.

I received an email on Wednesday morning from someone in their systems department, asking for more detail about my issue. I didn't have a chance to call back until Thursday afternoon. When we spoke, I learned that somehow a different Charlie Card was credited with my online transaction, and this probably caused the glitch. He asked if I had a second Charlie Card in my wallet at the time (which I didn't), as he attempted to troubleshoot.

I asked him if they monitored bloggers and twitterrers since he responded so quickly. Turns out that they do! He has a Google Alert set up, which caught my posting. Kudos for reaching out to me so quickly.

The second surprising turn was what I received in the mail yesterday - a new Charlie Card with a stored value of $16, and a letter apologizing for the inconvenience. What I expected to take four weeks (if at all), took two days. Just when I thought that I would be buried under public bureaucracy, I was pleasantly shocked.

The MBTA takes its lumps every day, but they deserve credit where credit is due. Thanks.

The Death of My Charlie Card

2009-08-25T23:25:00.004-04:00

Usually trips on the MBTA's system of buses and subways are more adventurous for me than they should be.

Now that I am working downtown, I have the pleasure of stepping out my front door, walking a block to the bus stop, and riding that same bus all the way to the work. It's a simple commute. The bus isn't swamped, and thus far attaining a seat has not been an issue.

Paying for my rides, however, is a taller task.

Now that the MBTA allows for online registration and replenishment of Charlie Cards, I figured that I would be adventurous and fill my card over the weekend and be good-to-go until I receive my September monthly bus pass from the office.

One would assume that tying a $10 purchase to a specific Charlie Card would send me on my way. Sadly, that is not the case.

Little did I know that after charging $10 online on Sunday, I would then have to tap my card at any MBTA machine located...at a T stop.

The problem here is that I take the bus. No subway.

So, I step on the bus on Monday morning, and I don't have enough money on my card to pay the fare. I have to load another $10 onto the card on the bus.

I emailed customer service, and was sent an email saying that my card would be updated by 12 noon, but I would later realize that this was incorrect the next time I tap my card on a bus' card reader during my ride home. I emailed customer service again, and was then told I would have to actually go to a machine at South Station to update the card.

After work on Tuesday, I did just that - walked over to South Station, tapped my card on the machine to update it, and had the machine....

...cancel my card.

Seriously?

I asked an MBTA employee, who verified that my card had indeed been killed. She suggested I walk to Downtown Crossing for some strange reason, and speak with someone over there.

I kind of wanted to simply get home. So she gave me a card with $1.70 loaded onto it (which...I learned was also untrue when I tried boarding the bus), and sent me on my way.

While waiting for the bus, I called the number on the back of the car, explained the situation to the operator, and she took my information. She didn't seem to question my story, and instead told me that I should expect to receive a check for $16 (my $10 I charged online, and the remaining $6 that was on my card before it died) in about 4 weeks.

4 weeks?! There's no way to apply the balance to another card? Grrr.

And the kicker? I now have a new Charlie Card with $0 on it. Being that I have just $20 bills in my wallet, I am now going to be loading ANOTHER $20 onto my new card when I board the bus on Wednesday.

So that's $40 to the MBTA this week, all because I tried to save some time and conveniently load my card online over the weekend. This system should be simpler and more efficient.

************ UPDATES ************

1. My attempt at loading $20 onto my new Charlie Card on the bus this morning was also a failure. Apparently, I didn't tap my card on the pad quickly enough after loading the $20, and it instead shot out a Charlie Ticket, so I now have the please of paying the inflated prices for $20 worth of bus rides. For the record, I tapped my card on the pad within a few seconds of its instruction, so I have no idea what happened here. I'm probably just doomed.

2. I received a personal email from someone at the MBTA asking about the situation and asking me to call his work or cell numbers. As the email was in my spam box, I didn't see it until this evening. I'll give them a ring on Wednesday. They must be monitoring blog activity, because this posting did not receive any outbound links yet. Very interesting that they are reading the chatter. Good for them!

Brazen Old Man

2009-08-25T19:19:00.003-04:00

I returned from my walk with Rosie to find a toothless old man sitting on my stoop. Friendly guy, but sitting on my stoop nonetheless (i.e. not his stoop...my stoop).

As Rosie and I attempted to get past him and into my home, he stood up, snickered a bit, and pet Rosie.

The logical thing to do when the owner of a home comes home and you're sitting on that person's stoop is likely to walk away, and say something like "oh, sorry."

Nope, when we shut the exterior door, he went back to what he was doing...sitting on my stoop.

Momentary disruption by the homeowner. God forbid I disturb his trespassing and loitering.

New Vodka Drink - Absolut Boston

2009-08-23T08:59:00.005-04:00

Last week, I was chatting with a friend at a watering hole here in Southie, and noticed a bottle of "Absolut Boston" vodka on the first row behind the bar.

Naturally, this intrigued me. I seem to recall having seen Absolut Los Angeles recently, and was thinking that they released another city version of their spirits (which turned out to be Absolut New Orleans after I researched it). Ruling out the potential creativity of this particular establishment in painting its own vodka bottle with the name of our fair city, I started thinking....

Did Absolut release a number of local "city bottles," all containing regular vodka?
Is this a new flavor?
Is this only available in Boston?
When did this come out?
Why have I never seen this before?

I asked the bartender, who showed me the bottle. Indeed, Absolut Boston is a unique flavor - Black Tea and Elderflower. Interesting combination to represent Boston. He told me that his distributor said this was a limited release to only 1,000 bottles (which I now doubt that it was limited to 1,000 bottles, as I subsequently bought a bottle myself at Liquor Land for $28, where another 10 bottles sat behind it, and I'm pretty confident that this particular store did not possess 1% of all production.)

According to the brochure, Absolut will donate $50,000 of the profits to The Charles River Conservancy to support the renewal efforts of parklands, which is kinda cool.

So I broke open the bottle yesterday afternoon, and mixed some with tonic and a lemon wedge. The flavor is definitely fruity and refreshing - not bad! I'm going to have to try a few more of their suggestions, such as the Absolut Boston Home Run (with white grape juice and ginger ale) or the Absolut Boston and cola.

Cleaning Out the Closet

2009-08-21T09:43:00.004-04:00

I used to revel in shopping for clothes. Each year for Christmas, I would ask my parents for money and then hit the outlets and malls on December 26th to take advantage of the after-holiday sales. I'd spend most of my gift money on my wardrobe.

Somewhere along the line, that changed. I don't mind the process now, but to me it's become a bit of a pain. Not agonizing, but not particularly enjoyable either.

I think the inflection point was when I started buying the next size up. I had been gradually putting on a pound or two, and reached the point where the decision to buy bigger pants was easier than the dedication to losing weight.

Yesterday, I decided that it's time to clean out the closet. Purge the unfashionable. Rid myself of the pants and shirts and sweatshirts that just aren't doing it for me any more. Usually I undertake this process when I realize that my closet is too full and I have run out of wood hangers, which was the case once again.

What's great about this particular closet cleaning is that I'm 25 pounds lighter today than when I bought some of these clothes. Usually, I have to rid myself of the tight jeans. This time, it's the opposite. In fact, I kept a handful of slacks from my last closet cleaning "just in case" they would fit again someday. Now, they do. Comfortably.

There's the enormous polo shirts, both long and wide, the short sleeves touching my elbows. I bought them to conceal the belly and cared little that they were too large elsewhere. Today, they just look silly. Into the pile.

There's the four flannel shirts, hidden deep in the back of my closet, once go-to items of comfort during casual weekends. My friends tell me that flannel is back this year, so I kept two of them and put the other two in the pile.

There's the cargo pants and khaki pants - big in the waist, big throughout the leg, even a bit long on me. It looks like I'm swimming in these, and far fatter. I remember when a few of these waists didn't even button, so the fact that I can button them and then pull them right off without unbuttoning them is simply awesome. Thank you, large pants, for keeping me decent during my chubby days. Into the pile.

There's the college sweatshirts. Seriously. I have these for sheer nostalgia. I even tried one of them on yesterday, looked at myself in the mirror, realized that it looked enormous on me and that I'm almost half a life away from when I bought it. Into the pile.

There's the button down short sleeved shirts. When I worked in radio, I saw many people wearing these kinds of shirts at conventions. They were usually middle-aged and had bellies. Somewhere along the line, I picked up a few and thought they looked good. Today, they just seem awkward, at least on me. I'm keeping two of them that probably won't make the next closet purge. The rest of them? Into the pile.

Then there's the button down long sleeved shirts, mostly striped, and of many colors. Too many colors. What was I thinking when I bought these? Seriously? Into the pile.

I still have to thin the pile of denim today and bring everything over to a donation center. Part of me feels bad for donating the less fashionable to the less fortunate, but I'm reminded that one man's trash is another man's treasure.

Always Try New Bulbs Before Calling the Electrician

2009-08-15T08:29:00.004-04:00

While I'm not the most handy person in the world, I hold my own when it comes to home improvements. I have managed to paint almost all of the interior walls to my place and common staircase, installed cabinets and slate tile backsplashes (with help from friends), and refinished my deck (also with help).

When it comes to electrical work, however, I think it's best to contract out.

I did successfully install a few new lights at pre-wired receptacles, and changed all of my switches and fixtures from white to new grey ones. I have even added a few dimmer switches myself.

Last summer, I called an electrician. I needed some undercabinet fluorescent lights to be added to my new cabinet unit, and needed an outlet to be moved and secured at a new location. Perfectly legitimate project that was a bit outside of my fake electricial expertise. $500 later, I was all set.

One of those lights stopped working recently. In a separate but what I thought could have been a connected issue, the overhead light in my bedroom and plug immediately beneath that light's switch also stopped working. I distinctly remember plugging my vacuum into the socket, only to learn that I'd have to find another power source.

So, I called the electrician back and explained all of my problems. He said that he could come by on Thursday morning, and should be finished within two hours (the minimum time he bills, I'm figuring).

When he arrived, he brought a different undercabinet light with the intention of switching out some parts, as the ones I had installed last year were a special order, it appears. Fifteen minutes later, part switched, light works. Perfect.

I brought him into my bedroom to check out the outlet and switch. He used his voltmeter or whatever device he carried to test receptacles, and sure enough...both of them worked just fine.

Seriously?

I plugged the same vacuum into what I thought was a faulty socket, and sure enough - sucking power.

I looked at my overhead light and realized that I probably did not try new light bulbs. What were the odds that both bulbs would go at the same time and a plug would fail (which clearly...it didn't). I figured the problem was behind the dry wall.

I grab two new light bulbs, change them, and voila - we have light.

Ugh.

How much of an idiot am I?

Not enough of one....

...because I then brought my electrician friend onto my deck for the final electrical problem - a GFI plug (the kind with the Test and Reset buttons) that had really never worked from day one of my moving here.

He hit the two buttons, and bingo - power.

Now, I know I have tried those buttons before. If a plug didn't work, and I saw two buttons on it, I would safely say my next action would be hitting those two buttons to see what happened. I did that years ago, never received power, and gave up on the socket.

But now, magic electrician comes, resets the switch, and we're back.

So, two hours of billed work became about twenty minutes of actual work, including one legit mini-project, two non-projects, and one idiot customer (me) who did not remember to try new light bulbs before calling the electrician.

Big Rigs on the Southie Waterfront

2009-08-12T19:17:00.002-04:00

Big Rigs on the Southie Waterfront, originally uploaded by southiejason.

I love how the sunset can change from an orange sky to a purple/grey/pink sky within minutes. Fortunately, we witnessed all of the beautiful colors during Friday's harbor cruise - from clear blue, through orange and red, into the colors in this photo.

These rigs are on the northeastern edge of Southie, and are visible from Castle Island. I don't know what they do, to be perfectly honest, but imagine that moving large storage containers is a likely responsibility of such heavy machinery.

Copley Square Skyline at Sunset

2009-08-11T19:19:00.000-04:00

Copley Square Skyline at Sunset, originally uploaded by southiejason.

On Friday, I was invited onto a Boston Harbor cruise for my friend Andy's 30th birthday. We boarded the Boston Belle out of Marina Bay in Quincy for a three hour private excursion that took us into a number of the wharfs along the Boston waterfront.

The weather was perfect for the boat ride - not too hot, cold, humid, windy, or anything else - simply perfect!

I'm always snapping photos whenever I board a boat, fully aware that keeping the shots in focus is not always the simplest of tasks depending on the calmness of the water and the speed that which we are traveling. As the darkness approaches, it becomes even more difficult to remain in focus, even with my image stabilizing lens.

I grabbed a few cool shots nonetheless. This sailboat was practically inviting me to photograph it, especially with the beautiful sunset and city skyline in the distance.