Saturday, April 26, 2008

Strange Desires

Oh, how I wish, what words to follow would entail a pantless young hunk or satin sheets in a sky high hotel (motel?) room. I wish my desire del dia revolved around bondage devices and champaigne foot soaks . Alas, the one expressing desire is me and this one revolves around food. Nothing kinky, nothing "exotic" even. Nothing costing more than $3.00 retail. On my way to the hair salon this morning I was seized by a nearly unquenchable desire for a chicken salad sandwich. I had breakfast before I left the house. I shouldn't be so specifically hungry. I was on Newbury Street, but I couldn't figure out where to get a "good" chicken salad sandwich. While in the chair, the craving subsided for a bit. However, once I got out into the sunshine , it roared back into focus. I had made my lunch , when I got back to the car, I ate it. It was slightly satisfying for while. I drank some water, I had a couple of Mentos. Where could I get a good chicken salad sandwich in Andover ? Nowhere.
Shortly before I left work, my little obsession was twined with an equal desire for a balony and cheese sandwich. Yeah, I said it, "Baloney" and "Cheese". I was doing my weekly grocery shopping after work, maybe I would find some solace at the great DeMoula's. I found teh elusive chicken salad sandwich and the cold cut fixin's. I ate a chicken salad sandwich in the car in the parking lot before heading home. It was completely satisfying. I can't believe my whole day was haunted by the spectre of party food. ( Okay , maybe it's been a while since I've been to a party where baloney & cheese sandwiches were passed around on trays, but you get the drift. Maybe you 've been to a cold cut buffet and you made a baloney & cheese sandwich ? Hmm ? Not even once ? Okay, it's just me then.) When I got home , I made that baloney & cheese sandwich and it , too , was equally satisfying.
This is probably why I have never married ... . .. .

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

A Good Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday and it was a pretty good day . I got my taxes done. Of course , one would think since the due date for taxes is the same date as my own birth, I would remember ahead of time when the taxes are going to be due and plan accordingly. One would be wrong. Pretty much every year I wait until almost the last minute and it compromises my enjoyment of any festivities. However, I got it done by midday. That starts a good birthday for me.
I got some phone calls from friends singing me Happy Birthday. I got some emails from some other friends. My best friend and her husband took me to dinner. The waiter gave me my slice of cherry pie for free and when we went to pay for the meal , the guy gave me a free t-shirt. Kind of silly but really fun and enjoyable for me. My friend, among a lot of stuff, gave me a sort of gag gift of a gold charm Liberty Bell. It's real gold and I'm going to wear it and it made me laugh until I had tears in my eyes. When I got home , I returned a call to my friend Dee-Rob and we laughed so hard on the phone. I laughed a lot on my birthday this year.
Today , at work, they had a card and a cake for me. I had two pieces and it was delicious ! I did walk the 4.8 miles to Harvard Square tonight and I'm pretty achey right now. It was a nice birthday.

Friday, April 11, 2008

9.6 Miles

So , A few weeks back, I went to see a physician mandated Nutritionist. Among the nasty things the tiny lady told me, was that I would need to implement an excercise program. Specifically, 45 minutes of an aerobic activity 4 times a week. That's a tall order for a person like me. I could squeeze in 20 or 30 minutes every so often, but 45 FOUR times a week ? I have no idea how to implement that.
SO, I had mentioned to the manager at the booth that I needed to do this thing and I didn't know how I was going to do it. I had also told her in the past that when I walk from the Common to Harvard Square , it takes about 1 1/2 hours. SO, she had the bright idea that we should do that this week. Last week, we walked to an event to kill time after work. The route we took was about an hour, we didn't walk directly. We had precedent for the walking bit. It would only be an additional half hour over our previous hike. And so, we walked to Harvard Square, by way of the Esplanade on Wed. and yesterday we walked up the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, to over the Massachusetts Ave. bridge and then down along Memorial Drive to Harvard Square. Both trips took almost exactly 1 1/2 hours. I am in pain today and I was alseep by 10 last night but we did it ! We looked at he distance on google and it's 4.8 miles from the Commmon to the Square. 4.8 x 2 = 9.6 miles. In 2 days, I was able to fulfill the 45 minutes 4 times a week .
The walk wasn't that bad and both nights were really pretty . Last night , the weather was really warm, I was a little overdressed. Frankly , I was ready to give up around 45 minutes into last nights jaunt. I didn't say anything. No one likes a quitter ! It's beautiful walking along the Charles. We saw a bunch of swans last night. It was like they were a little homeless camp of swans. There were about 20 of them just hanging around in a wooded area near the water.
We were slightly annoying to the regular users of the paths. There were a lot of runners and bikers that had to move around us. I didn't feel any hostility from anybody.
Long story short, I made the effort. I made the sweaty , hour and a half effort. It's a start.

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Star Car

Yeah, my car is a star ! An aging, dangerous , rickety star. I am talking about it's recent appearance in the movie "21". I , too, appear in the film. Near the beginning of the movie, which was actually shot close to the end of filming here in Boston, I appear. On the left side of the screen, I am a waitress and I am carrying a couple of beers , I walk toward the camera and then to the right and out of frame and then I walk on up the aisle on the other side presumably to take someone's order. I am wearing a gray Doyle's t-shirt and my hair is in a curly pile on top of my head. I am facing the camera because I am walking toward it , but I don't look into the camera. If you know me, you'll recognize me. Don't blink ! It's that fast.
The scene after the restaurant is the lead and his "mother" (with an atrocious Boston accent) are walking back to her car. In the background behind them is my little brown SAAB . It, too, is facing the camera.
Also, there is a scene , later in the film, where the leads are running through the back of the casino and kitchens. FYI, those scenes were shot at none other than the Boston Convention center on Summer Street.
Today , I am on my way up to the Burlington Mall to work as an extra on yet another film. My call time is 12:30 and I will probably still be there at 1 AM tomorrow.
Yeah, I'm using my degree . . . . . .