Comings and Goings

Mr. President

2009-01-21T12:08:00.003-05:00

I made it back home from DC on an Amtrak train that got into South Station at 10:20 this morning. Right now I am very tired and still in awe of the whole experience that I had yesterday. Until I recover enough to tell you more about it. A co-worker sent me this link and I couldn't say it any better myself right now. http://www.salon.com/opinion/keillor/2009/01/21/inauguration/

DC Here I Come!!

2009-01-15T13:43:00.002-05:00

OK so for the past two days I have tried to write this post and I don't know why but I can't seem to finish. Anna sent me an E-mail on Monday and it said Inauguration Tickets and I already knew that she was going to the Inauguration with Becky so I figured she was updating me on that story. Well it turns out that Becky can't get the time off from work and I was the next person that Anna thought of and she was asking me if I wanted to go. I wrote back immediately telling her YES! Here I am three days later and trying to let all of you know that I am going to be in DC and I have a ticket to watch Barack Obama get Inaugurated as our next President. I still don't believe it and I know that part of me is not really going to believe it until I am on the bus and we are on our way. When I start to really think about it my heart starts pounding like a maniac and I feel like my stomach is going to drop out of me.

I wanted SO BADLY to be able to go this Inauguration and I was wishing that there was someway that I could have done more for Obama during the Election. I was very jealous when Chris went out to work for him and then Danielle and Tom went out for the final push in those last few days. When I was sitting in Andrew's apartment with Andrew, Canadian Andrew, Leah, and Deb C. and found out he got elected it was like NOTHING I have ever experienced before. We got out champagne and toasted the results and later when Canadian Andrew was driving Leah and I to Harvard Square to give us a chance of finding a cab to drive us back to Brookline you should have seen the celebrating in the streets. You would have thought the Red Sox won the World Series except for the fact that no one was drunk everyone just wanted to be out and together and to cheer and beep their horns and celebrate that they were a part of this historic event. Now I get the opportunity to go down to DC and be a part of history. I will always be able to tell people that I watched Barack Obama take the oath of office and become our next President.

This is going to be a whirlwind trip we leave early on Sunday morning and get back in the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday I will most likely get back to my condo around 2:00 AM. That being said I can't think of a better way to use my first vacation day in over 2 years that is not related to studying for the bar. Well that is all I have for now. I will be sure to tell you ALL about it when I get back.

Trivia and Dancing around the room does wonders...

2009-01-06T10:29:00.002-05:00

OK so since Leah went away for NYE and I decided to go home and hang with my parents for the weekend last weekend to catch up and help them with some projects. Leah and I haven't seen each other in over a week which since we are neighbors that is a long time for us to go. Usually we see each other a couple times a week it might be short visits but we see each other. We touched base on Sunday night and decided that we needed to go to trivia at the CCC on Monday night. I ended up having to work late last night and didn't get home until 7:40 and had to quickly eat dinner, meet Leah and head to Trivia. Since I had to work late to last night I was in need of a beverage when we got to CCC. Morgan who is also a DJ on WBCN is the Trivia DJ and he will ask you for categories and then he will give you questions relating to that topic off the top of his head. When we get there we say hello to Morgan and Leah bought the first round and then I got the next one and I was on a bit of tear last night and I just kept throwing the drinks down. Leah and I were catching up on what was going on with each other. There is this guy Brad that goes to Trivia and he is creepy there really is no other word for him. He is 45+ and he comes by himself and when we were coming a lot he would come over and talk to us a little bit and it was fine. Then Leah took Salsa lessons, I got my second job, and she was going for a promotion and we slacked for a while. Now when Brad sees us he comes over and asks us over and over and over again where we have been and how are we doing? It is getting old and last night Leah actually told Morgan that Brad makes us uncomfortable not sure if that is going to matter but at least he knows.

When we decided to leave the CCC it was around 10:30 and Leah wanted my help to bring out a bookcase for the trash in the morning and I decided to just go with her and take care of it now. So we head back to Leah's now we have done this a handful of other times and it never ended well. I mean it's a Monday night and it's 10:30 we should be getting ready to go to bed. Oh no we go to her place, I check my E-mail since she has a laptop and I don't have a working one at the moment and then she says "too bad Lou isn't here to make us shots." Since the other times we decided to do this Lou was the instigator in getting us to continue and he would then hit up Leah's liquor cabinet and make us shots. I of course am up for the challenge and decide to make some shots for us. How many shots did we end up having you might ask? The answer to your question would be 5 and since I was the one making them and I have always been a stiff pour you know they weren't weak. We were playing on facebook a little and then we were listening to music on her Itunes and Leah starts dancing around. She is looking for a good dancing song and she picks one and half way through decides she isn't feeling it and then finds another one and we dance around to that. This continues until I look at her clock and realize it is 12:15 AM and let's see I still have four more days of work and I have to work BOTH jobs the next day. So after that song is over I tell Leah as much as I love her I need to go home. She agrees that it is definitely time for bed.

I of course think it is a good idea to drunk text message Lou that I was just leaving Leah's after a night of trivia and then multiple shots at Leah's after but that it just wasn't the same without him there. He texted me back and we had a bit of a conversation through text messaging which I read this morning and I was pretty coherent for a DRUNK girl and trust me I was DRUNK. I have to say that drunk texting is always a better idea then drunk dialing since you will have a record of everything you said that you can look at the next day. I drank a lot of water before I went to bed and drank more when I work up at 5:00 AM and then went back to bed but it was a REALLY good night. I think I just needed a night to be silly and reckless and just enjoy myself. That is exactly what I did. Looks like I am starting this year out with a bang.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T14:54:00.004-05:00

I hope that everyone is having a happy New Year. I know that my NYE was interesting I left my day job around 3 to make my way to the Club to get ready to go work that night. I know working on NYE is never fun but I decided to make the best of it and I the money never hurts. I was working the Members function and it started at 6 and the buffet was until 9:00 but of course I was in the section with lingering tables but as usual the managers feel comfortable to leave me once things get to a certain point. I also worked on Tuesday night and had a table that was giving me a good natured hard time and I was giving it right back. They told me that they were coming for NYE and asked if I was working. I of course told them that they would see me and was happy to see that they were sitting in my section since they were entertaining. When it looked like I was going to have to stay later then I wanted to they decided that I needed to have a shot with them and kept insisting that I do one. I found this very amusing and was very tempted since it's not like I am under 21 but there were other people in the room and you just don't know what to do in that situation. So what do you think? Did I do the shot. You let me know.

Finally around 10:30 I get to leave and jump into a cab to take me to Somerville, I was afraid if I took the red line to Davis that I wouldn't be able to find a cab from Davis to take me to her house and at this point I just wanted to get there already and I was able to get to Mandy's by 11:00 which was pretty good time. The cab driver had a GPS and I remember thinking this is AWESOME all cab drivers should have one of these and I was talking to my friend Kathleen today and she said both cabs she took on NYE had GPS too so I am hoping cab companies caught on about that being a good idea. Anyway when I got to Mandy's I told her I needed a stiff drink and she was more then happy to comply and it was perfect to just hang out with her, Danielle and Jamie for a couple of hours. At midnight we had a champagne toast and enjoyed the low key night and the right company. Danielle said that as fun as this was hopefully next year we will be with people that will have sex with us at midnight. I knew what she meant but gave her a hard time about it anyway. I was like Hmmm sex at midnight OK that is one way to celebrate. We left Mandy's around 1:15 and the T was free and running until 2 Am so I was able to take that home and walk in my door around 2:15. I got to ring in the new year with friends and make some extra cash too it was a good night.

Yesterday evening Garrett and his new GF Michelle came to stay with me for the night since they had one of the first flights out of Logan this morning heading back to LA. Of course I was very excited to see Garrett as I always am and it was great to meet his new GF. I have to say that I haven't seen Garrett this happy in a LONG time and it was just so nice to see. You just look at him and he is more relaxed and just willing to enjoy himself. I thought that Michelle was great and she kept thinking that there has to be some dirt about this boy and he has to have some skeletons which of course is a concept that I totally understand. However, we are talking about Garrett who has never liked large groups, never wanted to fall in line with the crowd, always enjoyed his alone time and anything outdoors. I told her the only embarrassing stories I have are about me but Garrett was in so that is all I can give you. We went to Bertucci's for dinner because Garrett was trying to show her all his childhood haunts. Before we went we started the guy and girl can't just be friends discussion which made me pull out When Harry Met Sally and somehow Garrett had never seen it. So I told them that after we got back from dinner I was putting the movie on and of course once the movie was over we continued the debate on if a guy and girl can JUST be friends. I think you all know my position on this but it was a good discussion. That is all I have for you right now tonight I am off to Medway for the weekend to help my parents around their house. I probably won't have any good stories for you but you never know.

Holiday Gathering

2008-12-29T13:40:00.002-05:00

Ok so I had a few friends over on Saturday for a little holiday party. Yes, it was just an excuse to make sure some people came over and saw my Christmas tree which I am pretty partial to not going to lie. This is the first Christmas season in 5 years that I didn't have exams or the Bar Exam looming over my head and I could enjoy myself. We all had a really good time. My friend Debbie was the first to get there with Craig one of my law school friends not to far behind her. It was a while until anyone else got there and then every seemed to get there at once which is kind of what I expected. At one point I looked around the room at everyone that was there and I had to smile because I knew some of them from Babson, my cousin, some friends I met from other friends, karaoke people, and a friend from law school. Other then Craig everyone knew each other and were catching up swapping stories and it just felt good.

I enjoy playing host and I have decided that the smaller gatherings like Saturday were there are 10 of us hanging out it's just right. I just don't have the room to have big bashes but I still like to entertain. It was a bittersweet night for me in one way Andrew came which it was good to see him but he moves to Jersey tomorrow and so this is the last time that he will be at one of my parties without having to have made the trip from out of state. I had a couple of friends that said they wanted Drunk Jackie to come out but I tried to explain to them that really no you don't. She isn't that much fun to be around and come on what are you trying to say I am not enough for you. I have to admit that I hit the punch a little harder then I would have liked to admit and I was probably only one or two glasses away from her coming out shhh don't let them know.

It was great to have a night of hanging out with friends and relaxing. I just wanted to let you all know that you are always in my thoughts. I hope that everyone had a great holiday season.

Merry Christmas to All...

2008-12-26T11:00:00.007-05:00

Wow you know I really believe that kids are what make Christmas so much fun! In case you are wondering how many nieces and nephews I am up to now the answer is 10. Yes, you read that correctly I have ten nieces and nephews, 6 nephews and 4 nieces and let me tell you they are hysterical. Justin the oldest who was born my Senior year of high school is 13. Jack who some of you remember because I would babysit for him at Babson when my sister Kathy was in a bind and working there is turning 12 in February. Yes you read that right he is going to be 12 soon.

So I buy for my three godsons and give the parents the gifts so they can open it in the morning. My nephew Liam calls me yesterday morning and sounds like he is about to jump out of his skin not only did Santa bring him the Wii he wanted for Christmas but I got him one of the games that he REALLY wanted!! He was calling to say THANK YOU and let me know how much he loved the gift. It was just TOO CUTE. I asked Carolyn later about the kids reactions and she said that Kyle and Liam were jumping up and down this morning with their eyes bugging out when they saw the Wii and the games because they were so excited. How can that not just make you smile and bring that much more meaning to Christmas. We actually managed to get all the kids together after they finished unwrapping their Christmas presents and here is a picture of all of them.
I also realize that it has been a while since some of you have seen my parents and if my Mom knew I put a picture of her on my blog she would probably kill me but good thing she doesn't know I have one. Here is a picture of my parents opening their gifts that we got them yesterday. This is as close to my Mom smiling as you can get since she does not like having her picture taken.
I really wish I could take pictures that would appropriately show the chaos that is a Christmas with my family with all the kids and my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandmother from my Mom's side. There is no way to really show that in the pictures but we all had a really good time. Hanging out the extended family got there around 1:30 and all seemed to leave by around 6:00. Of course my sisters, brother and I decided to hang out a bit longer and we didn't leave Mark's until around 8:00.

Now my Mom started a tradition a few years ago I can't remember if it was before or after Liam was born but she started making flannel pajamas for her grandchildren and she would give them to them on Christmas and we would take a picture of all of them in there PJ's and we would include it in the next years calendar. My siblings make a calendar of the kids that we give to my parents as part of their Christmas present. Now I would like you to remember that my Mom now has 10 grandchildren and she has decided to make one set for the boys and one for the girls. Well here is one of the pictures that I took last night of all the kids. I am not sure what was on my lens but you can still see them.

Of course in order to take the picture someone had to round up the boys and tear them away from the Wii that the Regan's got for Christmas. After the parents tried a couple of times I went up and told them it was time to pause the game and go down and take the picture. When a couple of them protested I told them the quicker they went down and cooperated the sooner they could come back to the game and it should only take 5 minutes. The good thing about these guys is you can reason with them and they know (as you do as well) that I don't really take no for an answer so we could do it the easy way or the hard way but they would have to come down for the picture.

All the guys went into the dinning room around 5:30 to play some cards which was good it left the rest of us girls to sit around the kitchen table and talk while enjoying some of the Christmas cookies and other treats that were brought. The card game broke up around 7:00 and my parents went home and I stayed since Laina said they could drive me back to my parents. Hannah who is getting so big and is now 10 wanted to hold Molly and Maggie and Kate were playing right around them so we took the opportunity to take a picture of just the girls. Come on you have to admit they are REALLY cute kids.

Well I think that is enough from me about my Christmas. I hope that everyone had a Happy Holiday season and I hope to catch up with everyone soon.

Holiday Season Catch Up

2008-12-23T14:43:00.007-05:00

I can't believe that Christmas is in two days. Seriously?? Really?? I just don't know where the time went. This is the first year in five years that I didn't have exams or the pesky little test of the MA Bar Exam to study for. Somehow I still feel like it passed by with the blink of an eye. I also realize that I have been lax about updating my blog and for that I am very sorry. I realize that this is how some of you try to get an idea of what is going on with me and I will try to be better about giving updates in the New Year.

Stories from October until now I can't put in one post and give enough credit to all of them but giving you the highlights so you have a general idea. There was a Halloween Party at Canadian Andrew's that got broken up by the cops which is kind of funny because when I got there I saw my friend Kinney dressed up like a cop and from the distance I was at thought it was the real cops so that was kind of ironic that at the end of the night around 1 or so the actual cops showed up. I had already left but had fun hanging out and seeing everyone that was there. I didn't do anything too creative I recycled my crazy cat lady costume since there wasn't going to be anyone that had seen that at this party. Election night I had to work at the second job and I had one person ALL NIGHT so we closed up early and I was able to jump on the orange line and go to Andrew's and see the election results. It was Debbie, Andrew, Leah, Canadian Andrew, Tami and myself. We had a blast watching John Stewart and Stephen Colbert's coverage of the event and flipped to MSNBC and FOX to find out what had happened. The next weekend was Andrew's Birthday and I threw him a birthday party dinner at my house with a few friends and then we went to An Tua Nua to hang out. I can't tell you much of what happened at the bar because I was very drunk. Then I had Schraut's 30th bday party the next weekend as well as the Welcome Back Boy and Matt Night out which meant starting the night at the Milky Way in Jamaica Plain and ending it at Tavern in Central Square.

Then there was Thanksgiving and my Dad's birthday and having to work the day after Thanksgiving not so much fun. The first weekend in December I headed down to Hoboken for a long overdue visit with the NYC contingent and there was a solid showing on Saturday night. Friday night I took the Megabus down which I would highly recommend to anyone that needs to get to NYC for the weekend on the cheap. When I got to Hoboken Maureen and I went to drop off my stuff and then went to a bar to meet up with Sue, Neil, Heather, and the boy Heather is dating. I told my friend Flaherty where I was and that I would love to see him. I turned out that his GF lives close to the bar and it was one of their favorite hangouts so they stopped by as well. It was GREAT to see him and catch up and to get to meet his GF Lisa who he has been with for almost two years now. Friday was a lot of fun and then Saturday during the day was a very low key Maureen and I did some shopping and watched a movie. Then we headed into NYC to have dinner with Gretel and Jamie at Film Centre Cafe which had AMAZING mac and cheese and the prices weren't that bad at all. Then we went to Social and meet up with Mei, Jules, and Kimmy and had some more drinks and caught up. Sunday I had lunch with Flaherty and Lisa and then got on a bus and came back to Brookline. Very good weekend and just the right amount of busy for me.

The next weekend I had lunch with Sharon and then went to see Twilight I am now totally obsessed with the Twilight Series. Sunday we had our Regan Christmas Party with my Dad's side of the family which is always a good time and my Dad drove me home that night so he could take me to get my Christmas tree which was a bit of a debacle but we found one and I was very happy when I got it home and all decorated. Last Wednesday was Andrew's karaoke send off since he is moving to Jersey City the end of the month. He promises he is going to have to come back at least once a month of course I am the type to only believe what I see so I am reserving judgment right now. It really won't be the same without him but here's hoping that he does come back once a month and that happens to make him there on Wednesday nights. Thursday night was his last gig with the Max Klau Band with him living in Boston. There is a selfish part of me that hopes he will still have chances to play with them but we will have to see what happens.

Last weekend it never stopped snowing in the Boston area and I still managed to go to Olivia's surprise 30th Bday party at Vox on Boylston St. on Saturday night and Sunday Travis was nice enough to drive me down to Plymouth for a Very Reddy Christmas which is always good. There you go that is highlights of what has been going on with me for the past couple of months. Hopefully I will get another one of these written in the next couple of days to tell you all about my Christmas but at least you are caught up on some of the happenings now.

Erin's Wedding

2008-10-16T13:41:00.003-04:00

I can't believe that Erin is married?! OK I can believe it but it's just strange. I mean Erin and I have always hit our milestones together or at least at the same time. Now I was a bridesmaid in her wedding and I got to stand up and be a part of her wedding day. Now before you get any ideas I think her husband (did I seriously just write her husband?!) is the perfect match for Erin. I have always liked Ryan and I am very excited that I got to be a part of them joining their lives together. There is a part of me that is sad. I always thought that we would get married around the same time and have our kids around the same time. I kind of planned on that since I knew that my siblings were going to have their kids before I was ready. I always thought no big deal Erin and I will be having kids around the same time. Maybe we still will no one knows what is in the cards for anyone and what life is going to through at you. What I do know is that I am very single and now my first and oldest friend is now married and on her Honeymoon. I couldn't be happier for her. I am just a little sad for me.

Soxtober is here again!

2008-10-07T16:13:00.003-04:00

There really is no better time of year to a baseball fan then October when your team is in the playoffs. Sunday night I went over to Beel's to check out his new HDTV with surround sound and hopefully watch the Red Sox sweep the Angels. I had a great time hanging out with Beel and check out his place and the TV was nice. The game was a roller coaster ride which is to be expected. It got to be 12:30 and the 12th Inning was about to start so I decide that I need to leave and see if I can catch the redline into Park to grab the C line. I know that since the game was going late that usually they will still have trains going out. I get to Porter T stop and I am standing on the platform by myself and they announce to step back from the platform that they are not going to take any passengers. I stand back and look very sad and the train did stop and picked me up which was nice of it and then at Park St it was held for the game. I went upstairs and caught a C train and walked in the door at 1:20 on Monday Morning awesome way to start the week if we can. No big surprise that on Monday night I decided to watch my boys from the comfort of my own home to make sure that if it went late which of course it did that I could just crash.

Now with Lester pitching Monday night I felt good and he did an AMAZING job on the mound but in the 8th Inning when Masterson let Hunter hit a single and two runs got in to tie I will admit I was not feeling so great. I knew that the Sox could pull it out and get it done but man we went 12 innings the night before and Tampa Bay was done if we had to go to Anaheim to finish the Angels and didn't have the rest and they did the ALCS was not going to be pretty. We are playing well but we are using all our resources. Thankfully Jason Bay hit that double and Oh Lowrie hitting that single and seeing Bay determined to get home was AWESOME! I can't imagine what that felt like for them but for me and plenty of Red Sox fans out there it was a beautiful thing to see.

Here we are going to ALCS the defending World Series Champions to play Tampa Bay the team that won the AL East this year. This is going to be a tough match up but Game 1 isn't until Friday which gives us a few nights to recover and since they are on the same coast there won't be any games starting at 10:00 which ensure that you aren't sleeping that night. My Team survived and gets to play another round. When your baseball team is in the playoffs it heats October up and reminds you that anything is possible. So GO SOX! I can't wait to see where you take us next.

Moment of Nostalgia

2008-09-29T15:17:00.002-04:00

Or more like two and a half hours of it. I went to see the New Kids on the Block last night at the Garden in Boston and I no longer care what anyone has to say about seeing them in concert. New Kids was my first concert EVER at the tender age of 12 and let me tell you that seeing them last night brought me right back to that first concert. These guys are good at what they do and I acknowledge that the place was filled with women. To the point where they put up signs over the men’s room says Women’s room for bathrooms since they knew that there was going to be too many women there not to do that.

They opened with one of their new songs Single which was good but they did a lot of the classics like My Favorite Girl, Please Don’t Go Girl, Tonight, The Right Stuff. It was awesome and if you liked New Kids when you were younger and they are coming to your area then you HAVE to go. I will admit that when I got there and was waiting for them to come on there was a part of me that was like "was this a good idea?" I mean I LOVED them when I was in middle school but that was a long time ago. Then the screen flashed a message and they were starting the introduction and I was seriously sitting in my seat baited breathe. I can't describe it any other way. I was giddy with excitement and as I sit here and write this I am still giddy with excitement.

They sang, they danced, they played up the Boston boys angle and we all had a BLAST! Once they came out I never sat down. I screamed, I sang along and danced my butt off. It was a GREAT night and I don't care who knows that I went. That concert is absolutely up there in my top 5 and I have seen a lot of concerts and different performers but these guys still have that IT factor. They connect with the audience and they make you feel appreciated. They didn't care that more then half the songs that they sang on Sunday came out over 15 years ago. They know that those are the songs that we came to hear. I enjoyed the new stuff and I have the songs on my Ipod now and have a blast listening to them but I went to the concert for a night of nostalgia and I got a lot more then that. I got to see a band that I loved back then become a band that I still love now. So go ahead make your comments and your jokes I can handle it. I would still see them again in a heart beat if I could.

Perfect Wednesday

2008-09-25T13:30:00.004-04:00

I don't think that last night could have been any better. I had two tickets to the Red Sox and its the last week of the season and I have not had a lot of quality time with Beel lately so I found it only fitting to call him and invite him to the game. Which of course he was very excited about going. So I talked to him on Tuesday night and I told him to text me when he was at Park St so that I could meet him at An Tua Nua and I would know about when he was going to get there. Well I am at my condo and my parents call and I talk to them for a bit and then I get off and it's almost 7 and I haven't heard from Beel. I of course realize that he probably forgot his phone at the office or home this morning and didn't think to E-mail me and let me know so I decide to head to Tua's to meet up with him and it's now already 7 so I am going to be late to the game. I of course try to call him as I am walking to the bar since I really want to know where he is this is just weird. I get to An Tua Nua at 7:15 and I look in the window and there is Beel VERY excited to see me. His phone broke this afternoon. He couldn't call me and he can't make any calls out so he was worried that when I didn't hear from him that I just went to the game without him.

Now I love my boys and we all know this but I wouldn't have just gone into the game and not given him a reasonable amount of time to get there. He was so worried and then was on such a high when he saw me that it made for a really good ball game. Our seats were one behind the other and in Granstand 24 SO GOOD! We just had the best time and see them come back and win that game 5-4 AMAZING!! I know that it is my last game of the season and I am glad that I was able to go with Beel. The past couple of years while he was finishing law school and had a GF it was hard for us to spend time together and last night hanging out at Fenway was just the best. I really needed it for so many reasons and I don't think it would have been the perfect Wednesday if I brought someone else. He just has a way of making me smile and laugh for no reason which was FANTASTIC.

Let's not forget that when the game was over it was Wednesday and it was time to go to karaoke and see everyone else. Beel popped in long enough to let the crowds from Fenway dissipate so he could get back to Somerville since he is now working. When I got home that night and was getting ready for bed I was on a natural high and just so content I love that feeling. I wish it happened more often.

Just the Right Amount of Busy

2008-09-23T11:17:00.002-04:00

Typically my weekends are jam packed and I am running around with my head cut off but still enjoying everything I am doing I just wish we had 3 day weekends so I could relax more. However, I realize that I would just pack more in and it would be a vicious cycle. I can't help it I am a social person at my core and I like to be out and about and enjoying peoples company. That being said this past weekend was not too overly booked for me and I had the right amount of down time and social time which was a nice change of pace. I had to work on Friday night and I didn't get home until 11:00 so I decided to just stay in and watch some of the TV I DVRed for the week.

Saturday I got up and relaxed for a bit watching some more of my shows and then started cleaning my condo and getting things ready since it was Erin's Bachlorette that night and we were starting at my place around 6:00. This turned out perfectly because the one person who missed my house was at the restaurant waiting for us when we had our 7:00 reservation for dinner right down the street. We somehow convinced a minivan cab to take all 8 of us to the North End and we went to the Improv Asylum for a comedy show. It was exactly the type of night out that Erin wanted and I am glad that she had a good time. Once the show was over and everyone was heading home I texted Danielle to find out where they were since Steve was in from LA and Jamie was in from NYC. I went to the Bleacher Bar to meet up with them for a couple of hours and had a drink and relaxed with some friends that I just don't seem to see anymore. Nichole and I split a cab home and I was home a little after 1 AM and went to bed.

Sunday my alarm went off and I decided I can do my laundry later and I have no motivation to get up so I stayed in bed and relaxed and didn't get out of bed until Noon. You read that right I was in bed until noon. I didn't sleep until then I was more just relaxing and lying there but still it was nice to be able to stay in bed until then. I got up had some lunch/breakfast and then had to get ready for my kickball game. I walked over to the field and my friend Danielle had forgot again about the game so she wasn't able to make it but I decided I can make friends I am a big girl I will go anyways. We got killed but I had a lot of fun playing kickball and meeting new people. After the game we headed over to An Tua Nua for some drinks. I just had one and then I had to go meet up with Becky on her Pub Crawl that she organized for her Mom since it was her first time to Boston. I went and met up with them at Kinsale and then we went to Bell in Hand and we had a really good time hanging out and catching up. On the way home Geri and I walked back to Anna's so I could pick up the jewelry I got from her party and the dress I let her borrow. I was home by around 8:00 and I actually fell asleep for a few minutes on my couch and went in to bed a little after 10:00. I was exhausted even though I didn't get out of bed on Sunday until noon. It was the right amount of social and relaxing. I wish I could schedule my life like that more often. That is all I have for you for now. Last night I was boring and went home and relaxed some more.

Winds of Change

2008-09-19T14:55:00.004-04:00

Well this week has been a bit of an adjustment for me. I know that I talked to some of you about thinking about getting a second job and most of you know about my search for a new job. Well I started looking for a waitressing job which can be tough because they aren't usually the most flexible about your schedule and they usually require you to work weekends and I really do like having my weekends. So I answered and add on Craigslist for a function waitress at this members club where they do a lot of functions. Of course when they met me they decided to hire me but you want to know the best part no functions on weekends. This is strictly a Monday thru Friday gig and if they need me to work a weekend they will ask me well in advance. I am like WOW! This is perfect. It is walking distance from work, it's right by the T so it's easy to get home and I still get to have my weekends.

I had training on Monday night and I was on the schedule for Tuesday, Wednesday, and tonight. The only night I didn't have to work was last night. It is definitely an adjustment going from one job to the other and when I get home I am exhausted and just want to crash. I think that this is going to be good for me in a lot of ways. It will keep me busy and I won't be spending as much $$. I have been sleeping better because after being on my feet all night and running around it's hard not to crash when I get home and it's giving me a chance to make some extra $$ because you just never know what is going to happen. I wanted to let you know since it is probably not going to be easy to get in touch with me I am going to be running between two jobs and still trying to have a little bit of a social life. We will see how that works out for me. ;-)

On top of everything else I found out this week that Andrew accepted a promotion and is going to be moving to NJ the end of the year. I am very happy for him because it sounds like this is a great opportunity for him and definitely something that he needed to do. Of course selfishly I never like it when someone close to me decides they are going to move away on me but this doesn't mean that he is going to get rid of me that easily. Since most of you know I set up this blog so that my friends that are all over this country can peak in when they have some time and find out what has been going on with me moving to NJ please not going to make a difference. I have been doing a lot of thinking over the past few months and I really don't know what to say. I love that I have been blessed with such good friends along the way but it's funny how the circle of those I spend the most time with always seems to be changing. Over the past year Andrew has been a big part of my life and knowing that he is moving and that is going to change is sad for me for a lot of reasons but what are you going to do life always seems to take twists and turns. I just need to roll with it and see where it leads me. That is all I have for you for now.

The State of our Politics

2008-09-16T13:11:00.004-04:00

I just got this from a co-worker as an E-mail and I will admit it is biased toward the Democrats but it does show the holes in the snipits that we are supposed to take as news reports now. I guess stepping on my soap box for a moment:

Now, let me see if I have this straight...If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're 'exotic, different.'

Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, it's a quintessential American story.

If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.

Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.

Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.

If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America 's.

If you're husband is nicknamed 'First Dude', with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA , your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now?!

Never Forget...

2008-09-11T15:04:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe that 7 years have gone by since September 11th. It seems that with each passing year fewer people seem to outwardly acknowledge this day. Today I have felt very torn emotionally. I am still on a bit of a high from having such a great time on Monday with my girls. However, when I think about what today is and what happened seven years ago it still breaks my heart and makes me eternally grateful for everyone close to me that made it through that horrible day. I am going to keep this uncharacteristically short and just say I hope everyone takes a few moments to reflect on today and what happened. We all need to pause for a bit and remember because for me at least it was the day the world changed.

Archive of News from that day.

Shhh... I was "sick" yesterday...cough cough

2008-09-09T10:16:00.005-04:00

OK so as most of you know Syl comes out here a few times a year to visit her BFs family which means we also get to see her. Well once Urs moved to Albany it has been very hard for the those two to see each other and they haven't in about four years. Now I love seeing Syl and Urs but two of us together just isn't the same as when we all get together and we always feel like something is missing. So Syl knew she was going to be out here this past weekend and we started early asking Urs to make the trip out to Boston that it has been far too long since we have all seen each other and Syl hasn't met Logan yet! I know can you believe it? He is the most precious little boy and so well behaved. Well if you tried to E-mail me or call me at work yesterday it was futile and I probably shouldn't put this out on the web but I played hookie to spend time with two of my closest friends. I can't tell you how much I needed just that. Syl got there first and Urs, Dan and Logan were a couple minutes behind. I was busy cooking breakfast for everyone so that when they got there we would be able to eat. Since Urs has the gluten allergy it's just easier to cook things at home then to wonder if there is something in there that she shouldn't have. Plus Urs and Dan haven't seen my place yet and I wanted to show off my condo and let them see that they have a place right in the city to crash if they need it.

After we had breakfast and decide to motivate we got on the T to head into the city and bring Logan to the Children's Museum. We also hit up Fanueil Hall and the new Kennedy park where the Central Artery used to be to show them the nicer parts of the city. Here is the kicker. When we got to the Children's Museum it was closed for the day. Only that day. I was very irritated but all we really cared about was that we were together and able to catch up and have a good time. So we went to walk to the Boston Gardens since Urs wanted to show Logan the ducks since she reads Make Way for Ducklings to him. Of course once Logan was in the stroller he ended up falling asleep for about an hour nap so we found a park bench in the Common and sat down and continued to catch up and talk. Then we headed back to my place fed the parking meter got some food at Trader Joes and went back to my place to eat lunch. By this time it's almost 3:00 and Urs, Dan, and Logan have to leave soon to beat the traffic and get back at a reasonable time back to Albany. We all give hugs and let me tell you Logan gives a really good hug!! Then the three of them are on their way back to Albany. I am so glad that we got to do that thought.

Syl had made plans to go to Cambridge and meet up with her BF and his niece and nephew and play with them for a little while and she asked me to come and I want to spend time with her and it's good to spend time with her BF since they live so far away I feel like I know way too much about him with not nearly enough face time. So we hung out with his niece and nephew and we went to the park right around the corner. His niece has the most beautiful big blue eyes that you can't help but smile when you see her. I was holding her a lot since I love babies and I could get her to laugh and smile. Syl told me that was the most she has ever seen her smile. We headed back to the house and the BF's sister was home and we all went upstairs for a little while. Now I feel a little awkward but I get over it of course.

Then Syl and I have to leave for dinner since we are meeting Sandy, Schraut and Dom at the Rattlesnake. We head over there and there are plenty of tables and it was the right atmosphere since when we all get together we get VERY LOUD and ok I will admit it OBNOXIOUS. So we all start catching up on what is going with each other and had a great time at dinner. We decided that the four of us need to go out and visit Syl and that for MLK weekend next year we are going out to LA. I also mentioned to Dom since she came on the last ski trip that I am planning another one for the first weekend in February. Dom says she definitely wants to come and Sandy and Jenn are both like "me too I want to come too". At one point the waitress comes over and you can tell she has no words. She saw five well dressed women in their late 20's possibly early 30's come into the bar and was not expecting what she got of the stories and the laughter and the shrills as we are all pointing out each others flaws. It made me realize how much I miss these girls and it's just not the same with any friends I have made post college. It can't be you just don't get to know them in the same way.

We decide that the night is still young and Finale is right around the corner and who doesn't have room for dessert? Syl asks how close since I have made her walk around A LOT yesterday since I like to walk the city and she is "totally LA" now and will drive two blocks to go somewhere. Sandy has to bow out since she has a lot going on at work and she needs to be productive. :-( Understandable but still sad since we were all having such a good time. Dom, Jenn, Syl, and I continued our night and we tried to at least keep up appearances in Finale that we were respectable but since the waitress came over with our drinks when Syl was in the middle of a story that some might think of as not appropriate and we all were at a lose for words. Then Syl and Jenn both go to the bathroom and Syl scares the crap out of Jenn and all the waitstaff saw this. We are thinking there is the possibility we might not be welcome at that location anymore. Good thing we didn't go to the one by my place.

I have to say that this morning when I got up. I haven't felt this content in a long time. I know there are still some things I need to tackle like finding an attorney position but overall I am happy with my life right now. I know that a big part of that was my day yesterday with Urs and Syl and having that connection with the 3 of us together. Last night having dinner with Jenn, Sandy, Dom and Syl and just being able to be myself and talk about whatever I want and not have to worry about if I should filter. There is no filter with us girls and that is something I cherish since it is something I am so not good at. To my girls I just want to say THANK YOU! I don't know what I would do without and I am so glad that I will never have to find out.

White Water Rafting

2008-09-04T11:20:00.003-04:00

Well I don't know how many of you remember the story of me trying to go White Water Rafting last year out in Western Mass. Now don't get me wrong we all had a GREAT time on that trip. However, I don't really remember seeing any actual rapids and my boat had the bitter racist guide which is just so wrong for that line of work. Then we had the propane grill incident where Andrew bought a hibachi and bought the propane and it wouldn't stay lit so then we were using one that was attached to a tent cabin that Lynlee had rented which never got hot and we tried to cook those burgers for like 2 hours which is why we nicknamed the trip "Propanepolusa" and if you say "it's almost time for cheese" to anyone that was there we will start laughing just a little too hard and sorry you had to be there I can't explain that one well but trust me I think it's HYSTERICAL.

So of course we say we are going to do this again next year and this time there will be rapids. So with that in mind in the Spring Andrew and I get together and start planning for the trip this year and we decide that we are going to go to Maine. Why not? Let's do this right? At first we are thinking that we are going to do the Kennebec and it's supposed to be a good river to get your feet wet. I call to talk to one of the people at the company and they tell me that the part at the beginning is the worst and that if you make it through that it's no big deal. Well wait a minute. I want to have a solid rafting experience. I want to be able to come home and say yeah I did that. I mean I might have a broken bone and definitely going to have bruises but TOTALLY going to be worth it. So I talk to Andrew and we decide we are going to do the Penobscot River in Millinocket Maine. WAY UP THERE for those not familiar it's Exit 244 off of Route 95. Yeah that was a bit of a drive. Anyway, we end up with 9 people going which is a good number and we weren't sure how the boat was going to work out and if they would have us in one or two boats.

Andrew, my cousin and I decide to head up early on Friday. Andrew and I take half days from work and Deb was still on summer vacation so we got up to the campsite around 6:30 and had a great time on the drive up and just hanging out and getting all set up and settled in for the next couple nights. The other two cars got there around 10:30 and then they got all settled not long after the rest of them got there we all started feeling like it would be a good idea to try and go to bed.

OK so I know you really just want to hear about the rafting. Yes the Penobscot has class 4 and a class 5 rapid. I have had a lot of people talking about how all the rain fall means that there is more water in the rivers and that the rapids are going to be even more crazy then they would be normally. I push this out of my head as much as possible since I really don't want to think about it or freak myself out. We get there and they have us sign the waiver that says they are not responsible for anything that happens to us when we are on the river we are the insane ones deciding to do this. I get my life jacket fitted, put on my white short bus helmet, and grab a paddle. So I didn't tell you who went Andrew and I, Deb Regan, Debbie Corliss, Andrew Scholte, Andrew Sutherland, Leah, Katie, and David. Yes 3 Andrew's and 2 Debbie's. Very FUN! David unfortunately threw out his back earlier in the week so he came up for the camping but wasn't able to go on the river for the rapids. So all of us except David head over to our bus and find out we need to meet J.B. when we get there. So we all get there and find out that we are going to be the first boat and that all 9 of us would have been in the same boat and one of us would have been sitting in the back with J.B. not doing anything but holding on and watching. I think that would have been the scariest thing. When you are paddling at least you feel like you have some control but to put total trust in EVERYONE else in the boat. AHHH. Yeah I am not good at putting that much trust in people.

So the first thing that we do when we get in the water is we go down a waterfall and somehow we all stay in the boat. J.B. asks us if we want to go Surfing. Andrew's face lights up so I am thinking this has to be a good thing since he has actually done this before. So we go into this part of the waterfall where it's pretty intense and we get into this point where we are just sitting there coasting it was awesome. Then he has us take the boat back up the waterfall and we go down for a second time this time sideways and that was scary as FUCK. Oh my God! We all got thrown around but wait for it. We are all still in the BOAT! YES GO US! We did some more surfing and the second time when we came out of it Andrew pulls up his paddle and it's bent. He is SO PROUD of his bent paddle it was really funny. Now we pull the boat up and are going down the waterfall for the third time and I am realizing we went forwards, sideways, Oh the bastard is going to put us down backwards to see how well we do. So I look at him when we get back in and I tell him in no uncertain terms don't even think of having us go down this backwards and he laughs. Everyone agrees with me. So we go down forwards and all stayed in. I know that the guides where trying to figure out everyone's ability and to see what they can do. I have to say I am very proud of my group we made it through the WHOLE day and NO ONE fell out of the boat. After lunch when we went to the new point where we went in up by the dam and we turn the corner and you see the gorge and the Class 5 I thought for sure I am DONE. This is seriously the craziest thing I have ever seen and I have a million thoughts rushing through my head and I hold on to that rope with all my might and stayed in somehow. I have to give J.B. a lot of credit he was great and I know that he had a lot to do with us making it through all of that successfully.

At one point when we were drifting down the river waiting for the next section of rapids we saw a moose on the edge of the water. It was such a huge and beautiful creature. We were all so excited it was a little ridiculous but what are you going to do. I tried to take a couple pictures with my waterproof disposable but it just didn't really come out shocking I know. There was also a point where there was swimming rapids and I decided to get in the water and see what it felt like. I was one of the first to decide to go in and they tell you to keep your feet up and if you go under try not to freak out that you will pop out. J. B. also told us to stay close to the boat so I am trying to do everything I am supposed to and water just rushes over me and I have no idea what end is up so I just keep telling myself to keep my feet up and don't worry. Feet up and don't worry you'll pop out. So I pop out and my chill guide is at the edge of the boat practically in my face and saying "Jackie are you OK? You were under the boat!" Now the look on my face I am sure said it all. I told him "I was until you told me that!" Of course I was fine and everything worked out and I am glad that I had no idea I was under the boat when I was under the water. I am so glad that I did it and I can't wait for next year to do it all over again.

That night at the campsite we didn't have any issues with the charcoal grill that Andrew brought it was fantastic. We all hung out and reminisced about the day. Andrew pulled out his guitar and we sat around the campfire listening to him play. It was such a great weekend. I wish I didn't have to wait until next year to do it all over again. Oh well.

24 hour trip to NYC

2008-07-21T13:38:00.001-04:00

Ok So I have a confession to make. Most of you remember how when I was in college and the first few years out I would decide to go away for the weekend and jump on a plane or train and go visit someone for the weekend. Once I started law school well something had to give and it appears that my spontaneous trips to visit friends was one of the first things to go. Now that I decided to be a homeowner my disposable income has definitely decreased. I also think that most of you have heard me talk about my friend Andrew's band Max Klau Band well they are in a national competition and they had to go to NYC to perform in shows where they would go up against 2 or 3 other bands and find out if they were going to move on to the next round. Well since I go to all the shows I possibly can in Boston and this is such an amazing opportunity for them I had to go at least one of their NYC shows to check it out. Finally it's Round 3 and this is the last round where they will perform and I am able to make it down to NYC for the night for the show.

I get my friend Kathleen to tell me that she will come down with me and we will have a short visit but a good one. We decide to take the Bolt Bus and get a hotel room and make a trip of it. Now comes the sad part the week we are supposed to go Kathleen ends up having to put her cat down. My heart totally broke for her and I understood why she was deciding to bow out of the trip but now it looks like I am going down solo. So I think about it and decide it's been a long time since I have done anything crazy like this and it's long past needed. I like my own company just fine so what if I am hanging out in NYC for the afternoon on my own. I really wanted to be there to support Andrew's band.

So I take the Bolt bus which I would totally recommend by the way it was clean, and not sketchy people. I enjoyed both the trip down and back as well as the fact it's express we made one pit stop in CT but that was it. It was my first time in NYC is so long and I realized how much I miss visiting there but that I have definitely been there enough since I got off the bus and realized it was 1:00 and since there was only me there was the good chance of getting a last minute ticket to a Broadway show and since it was RIDICULOUSLY humid I thought this would be a good idea. I start walking over to the Broadway area and I see signs for Chicago and decide what the hell. So I went to see Chicago and when that got out I went for a late lunch/early dinner at Olive Garden in Times Square since it has been forever since I have eaten at an OG and I figured they would most likely have room at the bar which they did. Then went and checked into my hotel room and got ready to go to the show. Katie called me when her and Andrew got into town and let me know where they were so I met up with Katie, Andrew, Max, and Beverly at a bar not too far from my hotel and hung out with them.

Now for the show. I don't have words for how AMAZING they nailed it that night. I have seen these guys perform a lot and let me just tell you that was something. They were all on and having such a good time and the crowd that was there for them I just couldn't get over it. I was signing along to all their songs and just feeling like I was on a high because I was just so excited for them. Most of the people there were Andrew's family and friends from high school. It was amazing to finally get to meet all these people that I hear so much about. After I saw them perform there was no doubt in my mind that they won and they will be going on to the final round. They played their set and then we hung out for a bit. I think I was in bed by midnight and then woke up the next morning got on my bus and was back in Boston by 1:00 in the afternoon. All things said not a bad trip. I am so glad that I did it for many reasons but it's nice to remind myself that taking a spontaneous trip usually ends with good memories and moments.

2008-07-16T13:04:00.004-04:00

Well it has been a long time since I have posted on here and I have been enjoying the first summer where I don't have to pack everything in before school starts or push everything off until the end after I take a stupid test. It has been great. I of course started out over scheduling myself and falling into my usual pattern of the past couple of years. I have been trying to slow things down a little bit now.

I feel as though now I have passed the bar I am at a bit of a crossroads in my life. I am an attorney and yet my company wants me to stay in the lowest title possible in my group and just keep doing the same work for a lot less money then I can make somewhere else. So I have been in a bit of a bitter state lately and I am trying to figure out what to do and if it is the right decision for me to leave even though I would owe Fidelity money if I do. The more that I look at my current situation I just don't think that I can sit here for another 10 months and train my manager on the law and Fidelity just to get out of my obligation when I am running the legal department for the sub-advised business for a quarter or what my boss makes and what does he bring to the table exactly. I just feel that it has been a great run at Fidelity but I think that it is starting to come to an end.

Now I have to start a job search which I haven't done in seven years because Jen got me into Fidelity so this is weird and unfamiliar territory but I know it's the right thing to do and I can't wait around for a company to see my worth I need to get out there and gain the experience and see what happens. So I am talking to some attorneys that I know that are 40 Act attorneys that I feel like I can ask for their help and I am not putting them in an awkward position. I am getting feedback on my resume and reformatting it. I just feel like I have been scrapping and fighting for anything that I can get and that at this point in my career I really should be in a different place. I realize that Fidelity helped me pay for school and that I need to consider that but now that school is over and I am no longer getting that 20K for school then you have taken that money away from me and now what???

I know this is a combination of things. I have a manager that I don't feel I can learn anything from and my career hasn't advanced at all in the past two years and I don't see how I can go from an SPM to an attorney and I want to be an attorney. I know how that can sound but you have to look at it from my point of view. I just finished going to law school at night while I was working and taking the bar twice while I was working. What is all of that for if I don't become an attorney??? I mean that is a lot of time and money sacrificed to achieve a goal and get a license and then not use it?? I mean that is really what Fidelity expects me to do and it sounds like maybe in 3 or 4 years we will try to get you an attorney position. Well that is great and all but I am going to go somewhere that will give it to me now because frankly there are kids out there with no experience getting hired so the fact that I have this experience can only help me differentiate myself. OK well enough about the state of affairs of my work situation. Until next time...

Life...

2008-06-06T11:29:00.002-04:00

Did you ever have a week that started out and you felt like it was full of potential and that things might be starting to go your way and then by the middle of the week you are planning your strategy on how you are going to turn things around? That pretty well sums up my week but I have to say that I think I am ready for whatever gets thrown at me.

Memorial Day BBQ

2008-05-28T15:50:00.009-04:00

Well TomO decided he hasn't had a BBQ in a while and threw out the idea of having one on Memorial Day. I was VERY excited about this news. Not only has it been way too long since Tom has had a party or gathering of sorts at his place but it's also feels like it's been a while since I have seen the usual cast of characters that come out. We all start to get there around 2:00 on Monday and Danielle and I of course come with all the sides pasta salad, Broccoli salad, Asian Cole Slaw, Bean Salad, and my spinach Dip. Danielle made Red Sangria which was AMAZING and it was a typical afternoon at Tom's.

Trav and Jules were catching up and having a couple beers on the front porch. The rest of us are mingling between the front and the back. Rick's friend Pete came on his motorcycle and brought an extra helmet in case anyone wanted a ride. Quick little rant. Why is it that Memorial Day is one of three holidays a year that Liquor stores in MA have to be closed. I was shocked to find out I couldn't just grab a six pack on my way to Tom's and thank goodness for the Sangria because otherwise I wouldn't have had anything to drink. Of course you might decide later in this post that the Sangria was a bad idea. Well after we had all been hanging out for a few hours and I was hanging out in the front with Hynes, Jules, Travis and Jamieson Pete looks at me and tells me it's my turn and hands me the helmet. Now I just kind of look at him and I am like Hmmm. but somehow I don't argue. I don't protest at all I just put the helmet on and get on the bike. I don't know don't ask. Hynes of course takes this opportunity to take my camera from me and make sure to get a pic of me on the bike. Here you go in case you didn't believe me.
I know can you believe that I went on a motorcycle ride. What you can't see and I know some of you will probably kill me for is I went barefoot. Why? Jackie are you an idiot?! No actually I had on flip flops that absolutely would have come off at some point on my trip and decided I didn't want to deal with it. Pete knew that I didn't have shoes on and he didn't do anything too crazy to freak me out. You know what I had an absolute BLAST! I would definitely do it again. Of course part of why I would do it again is for some reason you just trust Pete can't explain it. If you don't believe me. Well I have one more thing to show you that will convince you that he is not an easy person to say no to. After I went he went over to Danielle and asked when she was going to take a ride and her response "in a little while." Now if you are familiar with Danielle speak you know that means NEVER but I don't want to fight with you so I hope you just forget to ask me later. Well about 45 minutes to an hour later he walks over to her and says it's later and hands her the helmet. She looks at me and I have a HUGE grin on my face and she does the same thing she puts on the jacket and the helmet and gets on the bike.

This is before they went for the ride and you can still see the fear in her smile. She can't believe that she is really about to do this. There is just something about Pete you just can't say not to. Once Danielle went all the boys all the sudden wanted to go too and Pete spent a good amount of time giving us rides on his motorcycle but he didn't seem to mind one bit. After the rides were over we all congregated around the grill in the back yard for some dinner and of course more beverages of course this is when the day starts to get a little hazy for me but I wasn't the only one having a good time at the BBQ.

I love this pic of TomO because you aren't sure if he can't really stand at this point or I caught him while he was walking somewhere but he looks like he is talking to that dude so I am going with Tom being drunk. Does this mean Tom was as drunk as I was that night. I doubt it. I have to say that Drunk Jackie definitely came out but considering she came out it was a tame evening. I was loud which of course is going to happen when I have too much to drink but I made some new friends which is always a plus.

Most of the people in this picture I either met on Monday or have seen them at other TomO parties but never really talked too much but we all had a GREAT TIME on Monday. At least from what I remember and what I saw in the 254 pictures that I took that day. I mean how can I be wrong, right? Well Tom thanks again for another successful BBQ at the Potomac Residence Inn. I can't wait for you to invite me back again for your next event at the Inn.

Karaoke Update

2008-05-22T11:29:00.003-04:00

Ok so it's Thursday morning and yes I of course was at karaoke last night. I seem to remember starting this blog to let everyone know of my karaoke antics and any other good stories that might come of it. Well last night was just another Wednesday for me but I forget that for most people it would be a big night out. I met Leah at 9:15 and we started walking down to karaoke. We walk in and David was there hanging out at one of the long tables and Kev Jr. was setting up the equipment because his Dad was on vacation. I get Leah and I a beer and then we get a book and try to start deciding on a song.

Now my friend Gretel used to come to karaoke in her younger days a lot more consistently but this was also when Tom would still get a group of people together and he had a tendency to push more then I do. I send out an E-mail every Wednesday to those that have come but I don't really badger anyone I figure they will come if they want to. Gretel had been promising me for weeks that she was going to come out last night so in my E-mail on Wednesday I put something about a rumor that Gretel may be making an appearance and that you can't put stock in rumors but you never know it could happen. The best part is my friend Becky E-mailing me and asking who Gretel is. That is when I realized that my karaoke E-mail list has such a hodge podge of people that everyone doesn't know each other.

Along those lines last night Leah invited her friend Nichole who lives near us and she came later. Gretel had her new man Sanjon there and then there was the usual suspects of Laurie, Canadian Andrew, and Andrew. We were all talking and hanging out and because of the E-mail I look around the bar and there is a group of 10 of us which is a small crew and about half of them I know from that bar. I mean I am friends with them we hang out besides on Wednesday nights but we met at karaoke. It is a weird feeling to just walk into that bar and feel relaxed and at home. It doesn't matter if I get there before anybody else and it's just me. I will sit at the bar and talk to the bartenders or the bouncer and just feel so much better about my week.

As far as my song selection went I decided to through back to some of my music from Senior year of high school and college and I did a couple alternative songs. It was the first time in a long time that both of my songs were new songs that I haven't sung before. Not only that but would you believe that Gretel picked one of my songs. She picked the Gin Blossoms out for me and it was a lot of fun. Typically when Gretel comes I am the one picking out songs for her to sing and when I ask what I should do she doesn't know what to tell me. After I did my first song and was trying to decide what to do next she just pointed Gin Blossoms and I was like. I could do that. It's always fun to try out a new song and see how it goes.

My song list:
3 Doors Down - Kryptonite
Gin Blossoms - Follow You Down

Liam's First Communion

2008-05-19T11:42:00.004-04:00

So this weekend was a bit of a big one for me. My nephew and godson Liam had his first communion. Now I know what most of you are thinking "Jackie you have a ton of nieces and nephews why is this any different?" Well I will tell you why this one was different for me Justin was born my Senior year of high school I have pictures of me before the prom holding Justin in my arms. Jack and Hannah were born while I was in college another time where you can rationalize way the fact that you were young when they were born. Now Liam is my brother Mark's first child. He was born the summer after I graduated college and when I was living in RI. I remember driving home to Medway because Carolyn was in Labor and finding out that Liam was born the next morning when I woke up at 6:00 AM. I made sure I got up early enough that I would have time to go to the hospital to meet my nephew before I had to head back to RI and get to work on time. Wow doesn't that make me sound like an adult when he was born? Liam is my first Godson and I was so touched when Mark and Carolyn asked me to be his godmother especially since Carolyn has a sister.

On Saturday I got to watch Liam who will be 8 in August walk down the aisle of the church in his khaki's and blue blazer, he had a speaking part which of course I recorded on a video. I just can't believe he is such a little boy now. My sister Jen is very pregnant with her third child she is due on Friday with her second little girl and I can't wait to meet her. Saturday afternoon at my brother's house seeing all the cousins and family and friends just take over the house it made me realize how lucky I am that I have such a big family and that we all get along so well. That we all decided to stick around and stick by our roots of where we grew up.

When someone asks me if I will ever move out of Massachusetts my typical response is I will give you 9 reasons why it would be very hard for me and once my newest niece comes it will be 10. Getting to watch the kids grow up and seeing their personalities really come to light it is just such a great thing to see. If I was only coming home for holidays or weekend trips I would miss out on so much of that and because of that I feel like I have roots here too. I am not saying never to moving out of Massachusetts but I can say that it would have to be an amazing opportunity and person that would get me to do it. Last weekend was just one of many of the things I might miss out on otherwise.

A week later

2008-05-09T16:10:00.004-04:00

People keep asking me if it has sunk in yet that I passed the bar. All I can say is it's starting too. The past couple nights when I have been out I found the friends I am with telling the people around that will listen that I passed. It is a really weird feeling because for the first few days after I found out I didn't do too much to acknowledge it. I mean my family helped me celebrate when I got the news on Friday which was great but my weekend was planned before I found out so I wasn't really thinking about it I was still in disbelief I think.

When I got into work on Monday it was tough because my co-worker who graduated law school with me and also took the bar for the second time didn't pass. I remember what it felt like to get that letter that you didn't make it. To know that you had to go through the process all over again. I didn't want to make him feel at all uncomfortable but it is tough because I want to tell everyone I see that I found out I passed the bar. We had our staff meeting on Monday and no one even mentioned that I passed since then they would have to acknowledge the fact that he didn't. My boss is out on vacation right now and I am sure that when he gets back on Monday that he is going to acknowledge my accomplishment but it makes it hard. It made it not sink in so much that I am really done. I didn't get to walk around on cloud 9 all the time. I had to be respectful of the fact that I was done but he wasn't. I didn't seem real the no more tests, no more studying, no more memorizing random laws and facts.

So Wednesday I send out my karaoke E-mail to rally the troops to get everyone to come out and help me celebrate. I couldn't wait to get there and tell the bouncer, and the DJ I PASSED! I already texted the bartender since he gave me his number so I could tell him when I find out. I know I am way too attached to the people that work at my favorite karaoke bar but I don't care. It was a great night and the DJ went on and on telling the whole bar my good news before I got up to sing for the first time and everyone kept coming over and congratulating me even people I didn't know. Finally on Wednesday night it really hit me that I am done. That I made it. That I achieved something that I always wanted but never knew how I would be able to actually do it. I looked around the bar on Wednesday at these people that were out to help me celebrate this accomplishment and 95% of the people that were there to help me celebrate I knew from that bar. They are more then that though these people have become some of my close friends. I realized then that I am truly blessed. That I have this amazing support group of people that are there when I need someone to pick me up, that help me find the strength to keep going, and also come help me celebrate the big things.

So it has been a week since I have gotten that letter telling me that I am now an Esquire. Wow that still seems so weird to say. It feels good to know that I did it but I know I couldn't have done it without all of you. Thank you for all you have done for me and I can't wait to celebrate this weekend with everyone that can make it on Saturday.

I PASSED!!!!

2008-05-02T12:45:00.002-04:00

So today has been a LONG day and it isn't even 1 in the afternoon yet. I woke up at 3 AM today since I knew that the bar results were coming in the mail. Of course I was not able to go back to sleep. I went into work this morning since I didn't want to just sit at home and wait for the mail. For a couple reasons 1) I stayed home last time and that didn't work out so well and 2) I would have driven myself nuts I needed to be busy and have things to distract me. I have to say that this morning I was in a really hopeful mood I couldn't explain it I just was in a REALLY good mood. When the time came to leave work and find out. OMG I was an indecisive MESS and you all know that I am never indecisive about things and I am like. Do I want to go home? I don't know I mean it's there but this is it. This is going to decide what my summer is going to look like and if using all my vacation time for the second year in a row for a test was worth it. Kathleen was nice enough to walk me to do the elevator and even offered to come with me if I needed someone. I didn't know what to say a part of me wanted someone there and another part of me felt like this is something I had to do on my own. I get home and I open the mail slot and there it is and I see white and it looks like there might be some color paper behind it. So I opened the letter telling me that I passed the bar at 12:10. Then I immediately called my Mom, booted up my computer to tell EVERYONE and then called my Dad. I still can't believe it. I finally am done with tests and studying and school. I really made it. It's over and now I can finally start my career as an attorney.

I am a flutter of emotions and I seriously almost cried tears of joy when I opened the letter and saw Congratulations! I didn't read anything else I screamed I jumped a little bit and I still can't believe that I passed. Wow. Thank you all of you so much for always being there I never ever could have gotten through this without all your support and understanding especially when I had to be antisocial and hit the books HARD to make sure that it got done. I mean you had to put up with me doing this not just once but twice and I know that I was able to do this because all of you kept telling me that I would do it this time and giving me the strength to keep going even when I wasn't sure if I had the steam to keep going. I get sworn in the end of June and then you will know another attorney. Wow. I don't know what else to say but I wanted to write this post while it was still sinking in.

One day down and One to go...

2008-02-27T21:41:00.002-05:00

OK so Day one is behind me and I came home changed into comfy clothes watched some TV ate dinner and then tried to read over some outlines. Well that didn't exactly go according to plan because my mind is FRIED right now. At 8:30 I was starting to get tired which is about three hours earlier then usual. So I decided to put the outlines away. I am going to relax tonight get up tomorrow and get through Day 2. I just keep hoping that I knew enough and I have no idea if I do and I keep wondering if I am doing the right thing relaxing tonight.

Well that is the insight into my head while I am in between days of taking this test. I have no idea if I am any closer then I was last time but I know that I have a better handle on the information I just hope that I know enough to pass this test. I just can't imagine having to do this EVER again. I don't know if I will be able to crack the books and go through this. There are all kinds of things that I keep worrying about but I need to focus on getting through tomorrow and putting everything down in those essays that I know. I need to remember that I can do this as long as I don't let myself get in my way. I am shooting for a 60% that is it. I can do this!!

In case you were wondering how I was doing tonight. There is a little insight. Now I am off to watch some TV and go to bed.

My Valentine's Day and a very Long 24 hours

2008-02-17T12:09:00.003-05:00

I talked to my parents last weekend and they wanted to make plans to come in and take me out to dinner last week because I have the bar in less then 2 weeks and they wanted to make sure I was doing OK since they haven't seen me since the end of January. So they picked Thursday night since the weather was supposed to be bad on Tuesday and Wednesday. Which is of course was Valentine's Day but whatever not like I have someone to spend that with anyways.

So my parents get to my place and we drive over the restaurant and My Mom says she really has to go to the bathroom so we hurry across the street to get a table and I tell my Mom where the bathroom is. She goes the bathroom and comes back you can tell something is still wrong and she asks me if I have any Tylenol I told her I didn't but there is a grocery store right up the street I can go get you some what do you need? She was like no and asks my Dad to go get her bag out of the trunk. When he does and comes back she is looking and can't find them so I tell her to tell me what she needs I will go to the grocery store and get it for you. She tells me that she is looking for her Nitroglycerin pills to which me and my Dad are like WHAT?! So I have my Dad leave with my mother right then and take her to the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital and I was going to settle the bill and meet them there.

She was given at least 9 nitroglycerin tablets and 2 morphine shots in order for her chest pain to subside and the crazy part was all the tests they do to find out if you are having a heart attack, EKG, Chest X-Ray, Cat Scan all showed normal it was only the blood work that showed there was a problem with her heart. The hospital was so full she was in the Emergency Room from 7:30 pm on Thursday until 2:30 pm on Friday I really felt like I was in an ER episode. Around 9:30pm on Thursday night the hospital had started deferring all ambulances and not taking any more patients. They had 50 exam rooms in the Emergency Room and they were all full and there was 20 other patients in the hallway that they had no where to put them. It was crazy and my Mom was frustrated because it is hard to relax when you have so much going on around you and you only have a sheet up for any kind of privacy but once she got a room everything worked out.

The cardiologist came down and started asking her questions and I know that she was sick of telling the story over and over again but you could tell she was curious about the fact that when my Mom had her last heart attack they weren't able to find anything when they went in for the Cardiac Catheterization. That my Mom gets these pains when ever she over exerts herself but she will usually stop and then it will go away. The doctor told us she was going to do her best to try and get my Mom in for a Cardiac Catheterization on Friday and she was able to do it. A Cardiac Catheterization is where they go into a vein in your leg with a small tube and a device that has a video camera so they can look around at what is going on in your heart and when they find the blockage they basically blow up a balloon to make the area wider then put in a stent to keep it from closing again. So they found a 90% blockage in one of the three main arteries in her heart and they said her other two arteries looked good and that they think she should be OK now. She wasn't able to eat or drink anything once she was in the ER because they weren't sure when she was going to be admitted and when they would be able to do the Cardiac Catheterization once it was done it was like 7:00 on Friday night and she had to lie flat on her back for 6 hours. The good news is everything looks good they released her yesterday. She has to stay home from work for the next week and has to follow up with her cardiologist and I am sure there will be follow-up but Thursday and Friday were very long days for me but luckily it all turned out OK. Just wanted to let you all know.

The one I want

2008-01-26T11:29:00.000-05:00

What do you do when the one you want doesn't want you back?
Look at me.
See me.
Want me.
Please?
I want you but I don't know what to do about it.
The unassuming one.
The one that is always there.
The one I wish I had the guts to tell you how I feel.
The one I want to spend more time with but afraid to ask.
Then you might know what I am thinking and what I want.
If you don't feel the same way I would be crushed.
What do I do now?

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-06T17:31:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say HAPPY NEW YEAR!! To everyone and apologize ahead of time for the anti-social me that is about to come out. All of you know that this is so not me and that I need my outlet and I may every once in a while call you up and see if you want to do dinner but that is about as adventurous as I get to be until this is all over. Why you ask. Well because even if I behave and just get to bed late I am wiped the next day. I need to have all the energy possible to get this over with. I have one goal for the next two months and that is hitting these bar books soo hard that there is NO WAY I am not going to pass. (To those of you that took this you know what I am talking about) I am looking at the last time as a practice round and I came close and I am taking that to mean that if I just focus these next few weeks I will succeed this time. I am asking all of my friends and family for some understanding over the next 7 weeks or so.

I really wish that I could spend time seeing you all and blowing off some steam but right now I need to keep my eye on the prize and get this over with once and for all. If I tell you that I can't do something it is only because right now I have to put my life on hold and truly eat, sleep, and breathe the law right now it is the only way I am going to cram enough information into my head to be able to show the MA Board of Bar Examiners that I should totally get my law license. I will back with avengence in March I promise and when these results come out I promise I will be partying like some of you have never seen and others have not seen in quite a while.

I hope that you had a fantastic New Year and feel free to E-mail and call when you can. Just understand why I probably won't be able to see you for a bit.

Urs's Surprise 30th Bday and Logan!!

2007-11-11T20:40:00.000-05:00

OK so Urs's husband and sister decided to throw her a Surprise party for her birthday and let me just tell you it was AWESOME!! She was totally surprised and I am so glad that I was able to be there to help her celebrate. She is amazing and I really wish that she lived closer then Albany but I also need to try to get out there more often because really it isn't that far and I feel like I am missing so much of watching Logan grow up. He is ADORABLE by the way but first let's talk about the party.

It was great to see Urs and Dan, I have to say that watching them together makes me realize that I really do want to marry my best friend and soul mate because they totally are. Sandy and Dom made it the party and it was great to see them and catch up on what's new with them and reconnect. The party was in the top area of this restaurant called the Pump Station in Albany. It was a very interesting place it looks like they have kept a lot of the original structure in place from when it used to be used in to draw water from the Hudson River and pumped it under Clinton Ave to Bleecker Reservior. The restaurant was also walking distance from the hotel were I was staying and it turned out so was Dom and Sandy.

Now Urs had told Dan that the one thing she has always wanted is for her to be at a restaurant and have everyone she is with bust out in "I Say A Little Prayer for you" from My Best Friends Wedding. So of course Dan made sure that this happened. She was so excited when everyone started signing and seriously you know you are pretty special when you can get a room full of people willing to sing to you including solos where appropriate. She LOVED it and it was totally worth it to watch her reaction.

Here are some photos from the party:

Now once the party was over it was around 11:00 and Serena (Urs's sister) and her boyfriend Julien wanted to go out dancing and Dom was up for it so I figured why not. We went back to the hotel because Serena and Julien hadn't checked into their room yet and then we asked the security guard where a good place to go was and he told us Ballinger's. So the four us went there and Serena and Julien left around 12:30 and Dom and I stayed out dancing until 2:30. Man what a night. I have a couple pictures of us dancing our hearts out but not going to put them up here sorry.

Of course I couldn't go to Albany and not see Logan so Sandy, Dom, and I went by this morning and we spent a couple hours at the Merkt residence and got to play with Logan. Man is he big now and has such a great personality and disposition. While we were playing with Logan Syl called to see how the party went so I figured it made the most sense to just put it on speaker phone. Watching Logan's face when he heard her voice and saw that none of us were talking. Eventually Logan was holding the phone and Syl was talking to all of us and also trying to get Logan to talk and it was so priceless I had to take a video of it on my camera. So here are some pics of Logan and I am still trying to figure out a way to upload the 2 minute video I have. He is PRECIOUS and I feel the need to share this with all of you so you can see how cute he is. LOVE HIM. I can't believe he is already 9 months old.

I had a great weekend because I got to spend time with Urs, Dan and Logan who are some of my favorite people in the world and I also got to reconnect with Sandy and Dom which was also really good. Well that was my weekend.

Wedding Dress Sigh

2007-10-10T10:12:00.000-04:00

Ok so most of you know that Erin is getting married. Yes Erin the girl I have been friends with since 1st grade(I don't know how she has put up with me for this long either). I am a bridesmaid in her wedding so last week I went to look at wedding dresses with her, Adri, and Erin's Mom. WOW. OK I have been in seven weddings and this will be number 8 for me so all of this should be no big deal to me now or so I thought. Then she came out in a wedding dress and let me just say that the dress didn't do anything for me. I didn't think it was the right dress for her but I saw Erin in a wedding dress and immediately without me even realizing it I let out a sigh. OK some of the girls will know what I am talking about here the sigh that when you see someone in the right dress or you see a bride walking down the aisle it just slips out. Well when I saw Erin in a wedding dress it slipped out. She looked at me and goes "Jack are you serious?" Because usually this reaction is saved until you see them in THE dress not a dress but THE dress. I look at her and I was like. Look it's my first time seeing you in a wedding dress give me a break. She laughed. Then I realized that since Erin and I have done everything together for as long as I can remember and that she has always been there for me through everything. Now she is getting married and I am going to be able to be there for her for this next big step in her life. This wedding is going to be very emotional for me. Now she isn't getting married until next October so don't worry about it yet but wow this is going to be strange.

After our appointment to try on dresses we went across the street had some appetizers and chatted about other wedding planning stuff. It made me realize how happy I am that I am done with school now. That if she got engaged before this that I wouldn't really have been able to help out. I love being able to be involved in the wedding planning and helping her figure out what she wants to do. I still can't believe that Erin is getting married but I do have to say that I love Ryan for her. I know that they will be happy together and that makes me even more excited that I get to be a part of this.

It seems like my life is settling back to the chaos it was before law school where I think I have a low key week planned and not much going on and things always seem to be added last minute or changed. I wouldn't want it any other way because I love having the friends and family that I do. I know I am spoiled. I'm trying to think about what else is going on with me right now and there isn't much to tell. My friend Andrew's band has a concert tomorrow night which I am sure will be awesome. I will tell you all about that next time. Otherwise just another day in the life. Hope you are all doing well.

Life after Law School

2007-09-20T11:31:00.000-04:00

OK so we all know I have been running on empty for a while now. I went straight from graduating law school to taking the bar to buying a condo. I am happy to report that things are finally starting to settle down for me. My sister Jen and my Mom came by last Friday with the last of the things that I needed for my place. Now I look around and it's a weird feeling to see what you envisioned now real. That I actually live there now and not only that I own it. It's my own little oasis that is all mine. Right now I am trying to figure out how to make some extra money and what costs are necessary and what I can do without but I think that would happen no matter what. It is all part of the process of growing up and getting older. Man I really hate to admit that. I actually spent time trying to think of a different way to say it. Why? I mean it's natural to grow up and I don't want to be seen as some immature person that is out of touch with reality but somehow I don't want to admit that I am growing up.

I don't know I guess part of it is I feel like the past four years I had to put my life on hold. You all know that I am horrible when it comes to boys and relationships and the first two years of law school showed me that trying to work on that while I was working full-time and going to law school just wasn't a good idea. My life kept blowing up at the worst possible times and there really wasn't much that I could do about it. So I decided I need to follow the law school thing to the end and then worry about it. I give a lot of credit to my classmates that were married and had kids while going through law school at night. I don't know how they did it. The whole relationship thing is a mystery to me. I just can't seem to get it right. I just hold out hope that there is a guy out there that is going to be able to deal with all my idiosyncrasies.

OK enough about that and back to why I started this post in the first place. I have been jumping from one big thing to the next for so long and scheduling in dinners and drinks and Red Sox as much as possible to see everyone that I have been neglecting while I was finishing up with school and the Bar Exam that I have still been running around like an idiot. Last week I realized I didn't have a lot going on that weekend and I decided I was going to keep it that way. The only thing that I had going on this week was Karaoke on Wednesday but that doesn't even seem like plans to me anymore. I have to say that going home every night this week and just being able to relax and put around the condo and do some small stuff it feels really good. I am going to try to not overbook myself. I need some me time and I need some time to unwind and just relax. So I will apologize now to the people that are going to ask me to do things and I am going to turn you down to sit on my couch but I promise I am not going to become a total homebody. All of you know me too well that could never happen. I have to admit that I am really enjoying life after law school and looking forward to seeing where it takes me.

I'll Never Forget

2007-09-11T14:28:00.000-04:00

Today is a very bittersweet day for me. I got great news last night. One of my good friends that was over in Iraq on his second tour of duty is home and safe. When I saw his name on my phone I nearly jumped out of my skin. So last night was a really good day. He is going to take some time to come home in the next few weeks and I am going to get to see him. So that makes me very happy and grateful that he made it home safe again.

Today is September 11th. It is the day the world changed for me. I can still vividly walk you through that day if you ask me too. I can still remember the feeling of relief when I found out that the last of my college friends living in NYC was OK. Then getting the phone call from a friend I used to work with to tell me that my manager from there was on that second flight. I can still remember that I was silent and felt like my heart stopped beating for a few seconds. All the sudden it wasn't just a tragedy it was a personal tragedy. My manager and the closest thing I had to a mentor at my first job was dead? How is that possible? How is that fair? What is going on in the world?

I know that it affected all of us and touched all of us in our own way. There is something about this day that always get me reflective and always gets me thinking about Shawn. I wear my red, white, and blue ribbon with an American flag and I want people to ask me about it so I can tell them about Shawn. What a great guy he was, how much he was full of life, that he had one of those smiles that was infectious and you just couldn't help but smile back.

I can't believe that six years have passed and that we as a country have gotten to the place that we are in now. I don't want to turn this into a place I talk about my politics because one of the things I love is that I know a lot of my friends have different views then I do when it comes to that stuff. I value the fact that we respect each other's right to have a different view point. I do want to say this. I just wish we had seen the good that came from the aftermath actually stick around in society. More of people giving of time and working together and that some of the stereotypes and walls could have been broken down for good. Wouldn't it be great if instead of Paris Hilton going to jail being a story on CNN if instead they used that time to talk about some community service initiative that is underway or the rebuilding of New Orleans after Katrina. Why do we only hear about the bad on the news? Can't we use some of the time to tell us about the good in mankind as well? OK I am going to get off my soap box now and get back to work. Just wanted to give you a little insight into my feelings.

I will never forget September 11th. It showed me the best and worst of mankind from one event.

I'm a Home Owner!!

2007-08-27T13:38:00.000-04:00

Well it's official on Friday I signed the dotted line and now I am officially a home owner. I got the keys to my new place, then went to get some supplies so that I would be able to paint up a storm this weekend. My Mom stayed with me at the condo all weekend and we were very productive I have to admit I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to get it all done. Every time I finished a room this weekend I would look around and get a big smile on my face. We worked long hours this weekend but man was it worth it. My Dad helped out every day this weekend and my sisters Laina and Jen came by yesterday and without them I don't think we would have gotten it all done. It was just a matter of needing a couple more hands. Over the course of the weekend we got all the rooms painted. A first coat of the trim done in the two rooms that were being sanded and polyurethane today.

I don't want to bore you with a bunch of before and after shots but let me know if you want them I can definitely forward those to you but here is what the finished rooms looked like in the order that we tackled them:

First we did the Living room since this is the biggest room and one of the rooms with hardwood floors since those are being done today.

Next we did my bedroom and I absolutely love the way this color came out and I can't wait to get my stuff in there and figure it out.

After that we decided to tackle the kitchen because the office is the only room without any pipes so we figured we would leave that until the end.
Here is the office/guest room. It is the most neutral of the colors since all the rooms lead into this one.
Finally this is my new bathroom. Once I have it decorated I know that this is going to look phenomenal. I still can't believe that I bought my own place.

I know that money is going to be tight for a bit until I figure things out and I am sorry if my social calendar winds down for a bit while I figure this out. Not to worry if you need a place to stay in Boston that is right off the T look no further. Once I am all moved in and settled not to worry I will send out another update. Just wanted to let you know it all seems to be working out.

Rafting Trip

2007-08-22T14:08:00.000-04:00

Ok so Andrew was nice enough to organize a rafting trip and we thought it was going to be white water rafting it was more like a nice 10 mile rafting excersion on mostly calm waters. Did that stop us from having fun. Hell no. We had water fights with other boats and we were able to get out and swim a few times. We stopped halfway and had lunch provided for us and here is our group photo:

You all know how not graceful I am so here I am trying to get back into the boat. I am trying to pull myself up and I see Deb snap a picture. I called her a not so nice name after it was taken. Oh well now I can laugh at it.

There was two boats and Gabe, Becca, Deb and I were in a raft with another Gabe. Little did we know that we ended up with the bitter, Racist rafting guide. I didn't know that this was possible but here is a picture of Racist Gabe falling into the water. We were all cheering when this happened we just were able to do it too much out loud.

Then after a day of rafting we all set up our tents and had a bit of a girl mishap. The mishap being it would never really heat up and the burgers that we enjoyed were slow cooked over a flame for two and a half hours. After we enjoyed our dinner and many drinks that were consumed it was also a weekend of meteor showers. So we all headed down to the parking lot where there was a good opening to be able to check it out and enjoy the show. We all had an absolute BLAST! I can't wait to go and do it again. Of course the next time I go I want some actual rapids. Oh well. You can't have it all.

Whirlwind that I call my Life

2007-08-06T08:52:00.000-04:00

Ok so I finished the bar on Thursday July 26th and my life still hasn't slowed down yet. I don't think that is going to happen until around Labor Day. Before I get into that I want to tackle the questions about the bar that I keep getting. I really don't know how I did. I am not trying to modest. I am not trying to not sound cocky in case it doesn't happen. That is just how the test is designed. You take 200 multiple choice questions where you don't have to tell them the right answer you need to tell them the best answer so I was able to narrow it down to two and take my best educated guess from there (which is how most people I talked to felt). The other day for Massachusetts is 10 essay questions. 5 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon. I was able to write an answer for all for all of them and had the appropriate buzz words memorized, spotted as many issues as I could. That is all I can do. You might be saying but you were able to answer everything you have to feel good about that. Here is the thing. We are judged by what everyone else writes. It is on a kind of scale. So first they read all the answers and then they decide on the 1-7 scale where I fall and give me the corresponding points that is then scaled into my total bar score.

So you can see there is a lot left to chance and subjective measure which means as much I would like to say I think I passed. I just can't. I don't know. It kills me that I am not going to know until some point at the beginning of November but it doesn't change the fact that it's true. Yes that is right I said I won't know if I passed until November sometime. Not pulling your leg on that one either so right now I just need to forget that I took the exam and move on with my life and hope that I get good news when everything is said and done.

Now why is my life hectic until at least Labor Day you ask. Well on top of trying to get my social life back on track and to a normal pace I bought a condo in Brookline. It is right on Beacon St not too far from Coolidge Corner and walking distance to Fenway and my favorite karaoke bar. So how could I possibly pass that up. This means I am moving the end of this month. I have to go through everything I have accumulated living at 22 Knoll St. and decide what gets to come and what doesn't. There is a lot of things that aren't going to be coming that I need to decide if I am going to throw it out or if someone else wants or needs it. I am going to paint my new place before I move in and need to figure out what colors I want to paint it and I want to clean it thoroughly before I move in too. Once I close and the place is empty I will definitely take pictures to show you guys and hopefully be able to show you some after photos as well.

Other then that just the usual overbooking of my life. I am going on a white water rafting trip this weekend with some friends and next weekend my cousin Steve and my friend Anna are getting married. The weekend after that I close on my place wow that is going to be here before we know it. Well that is the update from me. Hope you are all doing well.

If I hear "X" One More Time...

2007-07-21T18:25:00.000-04:00

OK we are in serious count down mode now. The test is this Wednesday and Thursday and I am pretty much accepting that I am going to live in the Suffolk Law Library except for when I am a sleep until 11:00 Tuesday night when they drag me out of here because I just want one more hour to go over ____. My friend Melissa who is also taking the bar just sent me a link to a law students blog and from the sounds of it he is taking the NY bar and Damn do I give him credit for that but anyway he had this as a posting and I have to admit it made me laugh at out loud. I feel like it sums up very well how I feel right now and I hope you guys can also get a kick out of it.

Weak statement of encouragement to bar examinee: "You'll do fine."
Why bad: I'll do fine? There's absolutely no guarantee of that. Even the indicators that I have at my disposal (practice MBE questions, amount of time studied, practice essays), which I have spent hours trying to interpret, don't tell me whether I'm going to pass. What does "do fine" mean anyway? Live through it? Pass? Not shit my pants? Besides, how the fuck would you know?

Weak statement of encouragement to bar examinee: "It'll be over soon."
Why bad: Yes. Yes it will. Is that supposed to be a good thing? At least with it looming in the future my fate is not yet sealed. Once it's over there'll be nothing I can do about it except to hope that the equipercentile method of scoring somehow works in my favor.

Weak statement of encouragement to bar examinee: "You can do it."
Why bad: What is this, a fucking Adam Sandler movie? Sure, I CAN do it. But the real question is WILL I do it?

Weak statement of encouragement to bar examinee: "I'm praying for you to pass."
Why bad: Well shit! Why did I even bother to study at all? In fact, fuck it - I'm going to St. Anne's and lighting some fucking votive candles right now so that I don't have to look at any MPT shit.

I know you people mean well and I appreciate the thought. And honestly, what else are you supposed to say? I guess it's better than, "Hey man, don't fuck this up or you just, like, wasted a hundred grand on law school."
Here's a link to his page http://cursedwithambition.blogs.com/cursed_with_ambition/2006/07/index.html

The Finish Line is Near

2007-07-18T21:20:00.000-04:00

OK the bar is a week from today and tomorrow and how I feel about that changes very frequently. I am very close to where I need to be for the multiple choice part of the exam and I start to tell myself that I can do this and then I take a practice test and I am just right where I need to be and as most of you know I have never felt that writing is one of my strengths. Since that is the other half of the exam I was hoping that I would do better on the multiple choice questions and would have a bit of a cushion when it came to the essays. Of course I will never have any idea how I did if I pass except that I pass and really that is all that I care about. Now that I have a week left I am just not sure what is the best way to focus my time. I don't want to spend a ton of time on something that I am not going to need but how do I know what I am not going to need.

I am of course sleeping less and less and not really sure how I am getting up in the morning except for the fact that I feel like I need to get to the library and cram as much information as possible into my head right now. I know that some of you have been wondering where I am and others have been dropping me words of encouragement or listening to me completely freak out and I want to say THANK YOU! Thank you for understanding that right now I am not a fun person to talk to and it is nothing personal if I am not picking up the phone. Thank you for the E-mails and the texts that I am going to make it through this.

There are a few of you that I am going to owe drinks to when this is all over because you have been amazing. I am truly blessed by a good group of friends and lately I keep getting reminded of that fact. I am going to stop procrastinating now and go back and finish reading my Commercial Paper outline so I can get through Secured Transactions tonight too. I know doesn't that sound like some nice fun, light reading.

Mock Bar Exam

2007-06-30T13:40:00.001-04:00

OK so yesterday was the first day of my official let's hunker down and really get serious about this bar thing that I have at the end of July. So yesterday we could take an all day mock exam and we were in the World Trade Center a little too close for comfort really but I decided despite the fact that I don't feel like I have really motivated and started studying for this thing that this would be a good exercise so I went and I took it and I am mixed on my results. I wasn't expecting to get the average that they tell you that you should be able to get since I haven't spent a lot of time outside of the BarBri classes studying. I was good for the first week and a half and since then I have slacked off but I was a little disappointed with how I did. I am trying to use the results as a motivator that if I live in this building like I have done so many times in the past when cramming for finals that I will be able to learn what I need to know and that I will pass this.

Now for the real reason for the post. Up until now I have had people telling me how impressed they are that I am still out and being social well the time has come when that is going to have to stop. I am sorry if I don't see you for a month or don't really get to talk to you too much I promise it's nothing personal. I am just trying to get over this one last hurdle that is standing between me and what I really want to do for the rest of my life. I hope you understand and you know that once this is behind me I am going to come out like gangbusters and I can't wait to see what life is like without work and school. So for the next month you are probably all going to be wondering what happened to Jackie. Is she still alive. The answer is a whole hearted yes I am just not going to be a very fun person to talk to and just pushing towards the finish line of this whole process. Not to worry once August is here you are going to see a whole new me and I hope that you like her because she is going to have a lot of free time on her hands. ;-)

Bar Studying has Begun

2007-06-07T10:20:00.001-04:00

Ok so I started my Bar classes last week and they are Monday thru Friday from 6-10 and they tell you that you need to do all kinds of work and that you are going to have to be studying for 5-6 hours a day when you are not in class. Well for the month of June that is pretty tough for me since I am going to be working all day still. I am taking the entire month of July off to study for the bar. I get to use all my vacation time to sit in a library and take practice questions and cram as much knowledge as possible into my head.

This past weekend was my first fill day of studying and I got up early and got to the library and all set up by 10:00 feeling good and ready to settle in and stay until around 9 and get everything done I need to. Funny thing happened I did everything that BarBri told me I was supposed to do after class last week and over the weekend and it was only 7:30 when I was done. I know I am just starting the process and that the more we cover the more overwhelmed I am going to feel but right now all I can think is. OK it's annoying but it's doable.

Last night I was not going to go to karaoke. Syl is in town for her brother Peter's graduation from Harvard and we are going out to dinner tonight and then she is staying at my place. I am very excited to see her. I figured that going out two nights in a row might be too much and I do need to remember that I am in study mode right now. My friend Julie who is a Suffolk Law Alum and passed the bar on her first try yelled at me that I should totally go to karaoke last night. I realize that part of this is she is amazed that I can go out and not get home until 2:30 in the morning and wake up the next day and go to work and function as though I got the usual 8 hours that everyone else enjoys. I got out of class at 9:30 last night and I have to drive right by the bar on my way to my apartment so I decide I am going to pop in but I am not going to stay until close. Famous last words for me. I walk in and Deb and Andrew where there and we were all catching up and having fun and around 10:30 when I was like I am going to sing one more song and then head out. Lynlee walks in the door and shortly there after Canadian Andrew shows up. Now I know I am totally here until close and you know what I am OK with that. I got to blow off some steam last night and I had a really good time with my friends. I think Julie is right I need to try to keep things in perspective. This test is just a test and if I put the time in I should be able to pass it and that is all I need to do is pass it.

Can you all do me a favor in a month when the test is two weeks away and I am FLIPPING OUT can you remind everything I just said. I'm sure that I will need to hear it then and I can only imagine what kind of shape I am going to be when it's crunch time and this keeps getting closer. Well that is the latest on my life.

Law School Graduation and THANK YOU

2007-05-25T20:39:00.000-04:00

It's been a while and I don't even know where to begin. Let's see the week before finals I decided to put an offer on a condo that I had found in West Roxbury/Brookline area. It was small but a good size for just me. After some negotiations the seller accepted and I was starting the process of buying a house. Now the crazy part was he wanted an end of May closing. I had finals for law school, graduation and starting Bar prep classes. I was starting to wonder if I was biting off more then I can chew since the next couple months were going to be crazy anyway. Well once the offer was accepted I set up a home inspection for a few days later and let me tell you those things are well worth the money spent. The home inspector was GREAT he spent over an hour and a half going through the condo with me and pointing out a lot of things that I am going to pay closer attention to in the future. The end result of my home inspection is I decided not to buy the condo. There was a lot of problems with the foundation and structure that were too much for my comfort level. I am glad I went through the start of the process since I have a better idea now of what is in store for me once I get done with the bar and have time to really look and figure out what I want to do.

So then I was able to focus on my exams and getting finished with law school which is hectic enough for me. I turned in my last final on Wednesday May 9th and then had a couple weeks off until the bar studying began and had my Graduation party on May 19th. As I have explained to most of you I decided not to walk at my actual commencement and there was a few different reasons behind this but the main one was that this was the Centennial Commencement for Suffolk (well really just the law school but details) so they decided to do a joint commencement of the undergraduates, MBA, and Law school all together at the T.D. BankNorth Garden (formerly known as the FleetCenter) where all of us would walk across the stage and be recognized. Now before I found this out I wasn't sure if I wanted to walk but this was going to be three and a half hours long (or so they thought since they have never done this) and I thought back to my high school and college graduations and I couldn't tell you much about it besides Thank God it was over. So I decided I didn't want to put my family through that and I wasn't going to walk.

Of course a lot of the law students were upset and as a way to pacify us they beefed up the Dean's Reception the day before and everyone that wanted to walk then could and would be recognized. So I talked to my parents and that was the afternoon of my party and my parents thought it sounded nice and we decided to go to that. The Deans Reception was really nice there was an hour of speeches and us walking across the stage and that was followed by a two hour reception of food and drinks. I got to introduce my parents to some of my law school friends which was a lot of fun. We left there and headed back to my apartment for a little down time before it was time to go to the hall and set up for the party. Holly came down from Maine and she got to my apartment around 5 and of course was a huge help with the set up because she is a planner by nature and thinks through the details. Which of course I am NOT but hey at least I can admit this right. Now everyone that was able to come to my party I just want to say THANK YOU! It meant a lot to me that so many of you were able to come and help me celebrate and those that tried to make it but it just wasn't in the cards that is OK I appreciate the effort and the thought.

I was talking to a friend that I made from karaoke about the party and how many friends I was expecting to be able to come. She kind of looked at me and I told her I know it's wierd but I have to tell you that I am spoiled. Most of my close friends don't live near me anymore and I don't get to see them or talk to them as much as I would like but hey that's life. I know that when it matters that you are all there for me in case I don't say it enough THANK YOU. Thank you for spoiling me with such a great safety net that I will take things like going to law school at night and working full time on becuase I know with all of you behind me there is no way for me not to succeed. You are the best and my latest achievement is a testament that no person can do it alone but when you have the knowledge that someone will be there to help pick you up when you fall nothing seems too big.

Sorry I've been MIA heres the latest

2007-03-30T13:34:00.000-04:00

I realize I have been slacking off and not posting what is going on with me. I have to admit there are a few reasons for this. I have made a couple realizations the past couple weeks that I have been going to Tua's. I have been saying for a while now that it is the equivalent of my Cheers but in the past couple of weeks I have realized how true that is. This past Wednesday sums everything up pretty nicely. Here is how the night went. After my negotiations class one of my classmates asked me what I was doing for the next 15-20 minutes in between classes and if I wanted to go to Side bar to watch Dice-K pitch. Yeah you know exactly what happened. I go to Side Bar intending to go back for class and after I had a beer and it would have been time to leave. I stayed. I ended up watching the rest of the game there and then headed over to karaoke. I didn't get to Tua's until 11 and yes I am usually there by 10 the latest. So I walk in and I see Chris and he looks at me and says "your late". I was like yeah thanks sorry about that. So I just get in the door and I see my friend Andrew who also asks me where I have been.

After I said hi to Andrew I turn around and there is a girl that I was chatting with last week and she was like. Hey we were wondering when you were going to get here. The BU Law kids are there so I say hi to Jacob and Tracey and another girl they know comes up and gives me a hug and was asking where I was. Basically I had people that I recognized but didn't really know coming up and giving me hugs and asking why I was late. Now I don't want to give the wrong idea here. I Love Tua's on a Wednesday and I enjoy the fact that I don't need to find a friend to come there with me and I can just go. It is a weird feeling to have people know who I am and I don't know them. I had three beers while I was at Sidebar and decided that I should not drink anymore so I just had a water at Tua's that night.

I have two weeks left of classes for law school. Then I am going to be working on my take home finals but come May 7th I will be done. Not officially since I won't have my grades but pretty much I will be done. The end of May I am going to have to start my Bar prep classes and I don't know that I will be able to be at Tua's every Wednesday in June and July. I mean I know that its a big stress relief for me and I am sure that I am going to pop in when I can but man it's going to be weird to not be there.

Oh one other thing that is kind of funny to realize that I think I have too much of an attachment to karaoke at Tua's. I have started looking at buying a place. I just don't want to do the roommate thing anymore and I figure with the real estate market the way that it is. I should be able to find something that I can afford. My sister Jen lives in Natick and there are some good condos out there that would be walking distance to the commuter rail and it would be a great commute. I would be living in the same town as one of my sisters and about 15 minutes from the rest of my family. What is holding me back. You guessed it. I wouldn't be able to go to karaoke because it's about 45 minutes I would have to get on the highway and I just don't know that getting home at 2AM on Wednesday is something that I would be able to handle. Now that isn't the only consideration but my point is I thought about it. I look at condos and check out the neighborhood, public transportation, can I have pets, and could I still go to karaoke from here.

Oh the other reason I have been slacking on posting is that with school winding down I have been I decided I need to go back to the gym. I have been very bad about taking care of myself the past four years, with my schedule I ate a lot of crap and didn't exercise and I figure that I needed to make that change and if I can start my last semester then I will be able to keep it up once this is all over. Wow I wish I went back to the gym before now. I has been helping me with my stress levels and I am feeling better about myself, yeah I have also started to lose some of the weight I put on but I know that is going to be a bit of a process. Now with work, school, and gym I have been very mellow about the social aspect. I figure that I just need to get through the next few weeks and finish school and then I can worry about that.

Other then that not too much else to report. I had a good Easter with the family last weekend and next weekend I am off to Maine for Holly Cucinotta's Wedding which I am sure will be a lot of fun.

Oh song list for Wednesday:

Son of a Preacherman
Pour Some Sugar on Me

Concert, Vet and train to Albany Anyone?

2007-03-30T09:51:00.000-04:00

Ok first I need to tell you about my friend Andrew's band the Max Klau Band. They got the opportunity to play the Paradise Lounge last Thursday (March 22) as the opening act for this group Moshav and I got a couple friends and we decided to check it out. I have seen them before and I really like their music. Some of my friends asked me what kind of music is it. They have a very unique sound and I realize how that probably sounds that they aren't really good but that REALLY isn't true in my opinion. It is definitely mellow music and if you are studying or in a long car ride it would be the perfect music to have playing. If you want to check it out for yourself here is a link to their MySpace page.

Andrew's band was supposed to go on at 8 and they went on more like 9ish and there was a pretty good crowd in the bar. They played for about an hour and people really liked them. When they were done everyone was cheering for them to do an encore. I don't know when I have been at a show that they wanted the opening band to do an encore. Especially when most of the people there were there to see the other band preform. It was I think the largest venue they have played to date and in my opinion it was a success. I of course took some pictures and I will post a couple of those at some point this weekend. The band that went on after was also good. I had a really good night and ended up staying out a lot later then I expected. Oh well it was all in support of a friend. The next time I go to one of their shows I will be better about updating you on it.

Then Friday I had to leave work early because I had to take my dog to the vet which all ended up really well. I feel better after finding out what is wrong with her and every time I have to take her I get really nervous now that she is going to be 13 next month. This time everything turned out OK and I am very grateful. Friday night I went out to dinner with Steph who I went to high school with and we got back in touch at the Reunion. It was great to see her and catch up and we also went back to her apartment so we saw her BF Roy and Vito. Wow did that night make me realize how removed I am from Medway now. They were talking about people that we all went to high school with and with every name I was like WOW I haven't thought of that person in YEARS! Oh well to each their own right.

The highlight of my weekend was the next day when I jumped on a train to Albany so that I could go see Urs and Dan and meet Logan. He is SOO CUTE. He was 7 weeks old and such a good baby, he was sleeping when I got there but he woke up later and I got to hold him and play with him. He is such a little person and I know that Urs and Dan are going to make great parents. I was only there over night I got in at 5 on Saturday evening and left at 1 on Sunday so it was a short visit but I feel better now. I don't know why but I was just really anxious to get out there and see them and find out how the whole family was doing. Since Logan is still so young I didn't want to put any other stress on Urs because I am sure that right now she is still trying to figure things out and adjusting to being a Mom. Wow. Urs is a Mom. Seeing Logan react to Urs and Dan's voice was PRECIOUS. I am so glad that I got to see them and I hope that I can take another trip out there in June when I am studying for the bar and catch up on them again. Yeah I took a few pics of Logan too and I will put a couple up so you can see the little guy.

First day of Spring on a Wednesday means Karaoke

2007-03-22T09:19:00.000-04:00

Well last night was fun but definitely a smaller crowd. Lynlee was able to make it out and I haven't seen her since I ran into her at the derby in February (for the full story of that night see my first post). It was really good to catch up with her and see how she is doing. She liked the new look to the bar and I have to agree that it is growing on me. Of course Tom the bartender almost got me to laugh out loud last night as I was up there singing. I was just talking to him about how much he must LOVE the renovations and the fact that there isn't a wall anymore since it means that he will be able to see and hear us that much better. He of course smiled and said "oh yeah of course. I was actually the one with the idea to tear down the wall." So when I was up there singing I look back towards the bar and Tom sees that and he starts dancing behind the bar. I really almost LOST it. It was so funny! But I managed to keep myself in check.

The crowd overall last night was smaller but everyone was fun and I made some new friends with some of the people that were there so that is always a good time. I also know I should have gone home early and not stayed until the end since tonight I am going to Andrew's show but hopefully that won't keep me out too late.

Every week I get more and more excited about how much closer I am to graduating. Of course then there is the ever present looming bar exam that I have to study for.

In case you are wondering the official count down has begun.
34 days until Classes are over
46 days until Finals are over for me
58 days until my Graduation Party

Song list from last night:
Son of a Preacher Man
Cold Hearted Snake
Build me up Buttercup
Don't Stop Believin

SPRING BREAK YEAY!

2007-03-15T21:38:00.000-04:00

OK so I just turned on Beacon St and I am heading to An Tua Nua a little on the early side because I didn't have class this week. I am excited because I was getting dinner there after a good workout at the gym. My cellphone rings and I see that it is Rita who I just got to spend some time with a couple weeks ago when she was in town. I talk to her and she tells me that she is calling to put in a request for karaoke. That I have to sing Cindy Lauper Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and follows it up with I am going to check your blog tomorrow so I will know if you don't do it. Now this makes me realize that the blog is going to have some advantages and some disadvantages. I will be able to post things up here and everyone can check and read up on the goings on of my life but there is also the. Wait you mean people are actually reading this. This week has been INSANE at work and I have been a bit stressed so I wasn't able to work on this until I got snowed in tonight from the bad weather. So sorry for the delay in my story telling.

Anyway Wednesday was a really good night out. My friend Kristen who I haven't seen since probably last summer at some point came out. It was GREAT to see her and some of the other regulars were out and it is always good to catch up with everyone. The new setup definitely makes it seem so much more roomy there and that you can spread out a bit more and still watch what is going on. I decided to start off with Girls Just Wanna Have Fun since I knew if I thought about that I would change my mind. I have done it before and it's one of those songs that you think you know until you try to get up and sing it and then I am like wow ummm don't know this as well as I thought and my voice is a little low for this. Oh well. Rita I want you to know I sang that just for you.

For my next song up I was trying to decide what do you follow up Cindy Lauper with. Since it was not one of my better songs I had a couple things in mind and wrote a couple songs down and I turned over the slips, looked at Andrew and asked him to pick one. He picks one and I go OK I will go put this in. He looks at me and goes is that for you or for me. I died laughing I was like "Ummm Me why would you let me pick a song for you totally blind like that." I thought that it was great that he picked the slip first before asking any questions. You might be asking what he picked my second song was Can't Fight this Feeling Anymore (yes I did a little REO Speedwagon) it just seemed appropriate somehow.

There was a guy who was in last week and he got up and had a lot of fun you can tell that he had practiced that song a lot. It was funny because Ryan was there and that is usually his thing. So he decided it was time to pull out an old reliable. When I first started going to karaoke. All of my friends referred to Ryan as Mr. Roboto since we didn't know him. I have gotten to know him over time but that is still definitely one of my favorite songs that he does. So when Kev Mac Daddy makes a comment about it being a while since he has done it. I was SOO EXCITED. I even told Ryan later that I was having a really shitty week and him singing that really helped me snap out of that. Ryan didn't really know what to say to that but I really wasn't expecting him to say anything. I finished the night with You Shook Me All Night Long which was fun.

I realize that as time goes on and my last semester of law school is coming to a close I am just not sure what is going to happen once I am done with school. Am I going to be able to keep this up when I am studying for the bar? What about once school and the bar are over and I just have to work. Am I going to start to go to bed early and not want to go out on Wednesday's. I am not sure what the future will hold in regards to be being able to go to karaoke but I can say that when the time comes that I don't go there as regularly it will be an adjustment because just walking into that bar I automatically feel better about what is going on. I also look at the friends that I have made, the fact that all of us have gotten to know each other and I realize how much it is those people that have made Wednesdays what they are for me. I am grateful that I have a place at least one night a week that no matter what I can go to and just relax and catch up with friends. It truly is a good feeling to have a bar where "everyone knows your name".

Here are the pictures as promised the place we knew and loved. Notice the wall and doorway.

So here is the new look:

Come on you think that these are two different bars don't you. Well NOPE it is the same place I have been going to every Wednesday for way too long to admit to. I Promise!

What happened to MY bar?!

2007-03-08T09:23:00.000-05:00

Well over the past few months there has been talk that they were going to be doing some renovations at An Tua Nua. I have been told repeatedly that the wall that is in the middle that separates the bar from the seating area was coming down. Now since I know how much Tom the bartender LOVES karaoke (which is not at all) I would always tease him that he was the one that suggested that the wall come down so he would be able to hear us better and make sure he could actually see us preform. He always just laughs he won't come out and say that he doesn't like karaoke but really if you were a captive audience and having to feed people drinks and the more intoxicated people got the more BAD singing you are subjected to I mean it's really a double edge sword.

Anyway I digress... so I walked into An Tua Nua last night and not only did the wall come down and now there are two big bar tables with stools around them where the walls used to be. They also repainted and the walls are now black instead of red. I realize that to those of you that haven't been there before you will hear this and go big deal. They took down a fake wall that was just in the middle of a room and painted the walls a different color. When you walk into the bar it has a totally different feel to it and last night was the first night they have been opened since the renovations so the place smelled of fresh paint. Tom the bartender asked me what I thought and I told him to ask me later I have no idea right now I am still trying to get used it. Wow it looks soo different. He laughed as he always does. Oh I almost forgot to mention that they put up flat screen TVs on the walls. The way karaoke works now is there is a TV on one of the bar tables that you can use while you are singing but the flat screen behind you also is showing the words. Now there are advantages to this people can watch you and sing along at the same time and be very impressed with your skills but there is also the fact that EVERYONE in the bar will know if you make a little hiccup. OOPPS oh well again just something I have to get used to.

Last night was another one of those nights where there was a ton of people out to hang out. I need to remember how warm that bar can get and that if I am going to wear a sweater or sweatshirt that I have a T-shirt of some kind on underneath. Yesterday I wore this cute sweater that I have that has a scarf attached to the sweater and with the bitter tempatures yesterday I thought it was the perfect time to wear it well I was regretting that when I was at Tua's let me tell you. Oh well. I had a good time there was a really good turn out of people and some of my friends that I haven't seen in a while decided to pop in which is always good.

At the end of the night when I was closing my tab Tom the bartender asked me again what I thought. I said "I like it. It definitely opens things up it is just SO different that I don't feel like I am here. Once I get over that and get used it it will be good." He told me that he was having a similar reaction that he looked around a few times that night and was like "where am I". Next week I promise I will bring my camera to karaoke and I will post before and after shots hopefully that will help give you some perspective on why last night felt so weird.

List of songs I preformed last night:
Careless Whisper - Wham
I Touch Myself - The Divinyls

To end the night it was:
Blaze of Glory - Jon Bon Jovi (which I sang with Tracy "BU law student")

Past couple Wednesdays at my favorite bar

2007-03-01T11:15:00.000-05:00

Well last week everyone wanted to be out at An Tua Nua for karaoke not that I can blame them because it is always a great night. The bar was so packed that even though I got there at like 10. I only got up there for two songs. There was a good turn out of some of the regulars I haven't seen in a while which I was happy to see them. I mentioned earlier that night in between classes that I go to An Tua Nua every Wednesday to a couple of my classmates and later that night at the bar I was surprised to see that one of them decided to come and check it out. It turns out his roommate is one of the BC chemists which was funny when I was about to introduce him to people and he was like yeah that's my roommate. Yeah I felt like an idiot but how am I supposed to know when there was a ton of people there that he was talking about the person that I knew. Go figure.

Last week Deb was on February vacation so she decided to come out to karaoke since she probably won't be able to do it again until April vacation the earliest. It was really good to see her and I let her pick my first karaoke song and I forget how long she takes and that I really should have one in before I let her pick. Oh well what can you do right. Deb likes to pick the most ridiculous songs for me and last week was no exception she had me go up and sing Blame it on the Rain by Milli Vanilli and I in case you are wondering no I don't really know the song I only know the chorus but details and it's old enough nobody else did either it was fine. Not my best but fine. When I was standing there talking to everyone I saw a friend of one of my old roommates who now likes in Plymouth in the back of the bar. I went to say hi to her and see how my old roommate is doing since we haven't kept in touch all that well. When I get back there one of the girls with her turns and looks at me squells and gives me a huge hug. It was my old roommate she is a teacher and also had February vacation so she figured she would come out to karaoke and surprise everyone. It was good to see her and catch up and I told her that Deb was there and she went over to say hi. It was just overall such a random night of things happening. At the end of the night Noah and Suzy ended up coming in but there were too many people and Kevin wasn't able to put them in. They wanted to do Dirty Summer Nights which is always a crowd pleaser but unfortunately someone had already sang the normal version and Kevin doesn't like repeats close together I mean it is karaoke.

Now with such a huge turn out last week you might be wondering if this is going to keep up and all the sudden there are going to be a lot of people there every week or at least more people. I have been going long enough that I can say that after a Wednesday like we had last week I knew that this week it would be a lot less people. Wednesday is a hard night to go out and be out that late for and I know it took me a while to be able to stay out until 1 and still get up and go to work the next day and actually be functioning and productive. Last night was still a great night because Debbie decided to come out and I walked in and her and Noah were at the bar. I was so excited to see her since she has to be up and out of her apartment by 6:30 on Thursday mornings we don't get to see her that much anymore. :-( Since there wasn't a lot of people there last night it was pretty much the three of us and three or four other people singing it was ridiculous how many times we got up there. At the end of the night Noah and I just opened the book and pointed at something for the other to sing. He picked Blaze of Glory for me which is a lot of fun to sing and one of my better songs of the night. That is the highlights of my last two karaoke experiences in a nut shell.

One Random Saturday

2007-02-11T21:05:00.000-05:00

I was supposed to be away in NY this weekend surprising Urs but little Logan decided he was comfortable and didn't actually arrive until this past Tuesday. Very excited that Mom and baby are both doing well but now I had a free weekend which very rarely happens to me. Saturday was a very full day of looking at a house in Natick (before you ask no not worth really talking about) then meeting up with my Mom because she wanted a new haircut and I had her come in and go to my hairdresser who is GREAT and then we went to lunch. Got home and had an hour to unwind until I had to leave and pick up Gretel to head to the to the Roller Derby in Winchester. Yes you read that correctly a Roller Derby and since someone asked me this when I told them. Yes it is two teams of girls on actual roller skates competing for points. Anyone that hasn't been to a Roller Derby you should really check it out sometime it was a lot of fun and surprisingly very easy to get caught up in. Before we even entered the Shriners Auditorium we somehow managed to get two free tickets. Well I had to pay for mine but a woman walks over to us while we are in line and gives us a free ticket, I told Gretel to take it. I get up to the window and ask for a single ticket and realize I paid for one but was given two. So I decide to go up to someone standing in line and hand them a free ticket. I figured I should pass along the good karma. Onto the Derby where it was Boston vs. Philadelphia (yes a team from Philadelphia traveled up to compete against the Boston team) and there were 1400 people there to watch the bout. Unfortunately Boston team did not win but if the refs didn't have their heads up their asses I think we would have done a lot better. I digress.

After the Roller Derby we decide to head to Charlie's Kitchen for some drinks and food. I find street parking in Harvard Square fairly easily and close to where we are going so I am happy. I am hanging out with everyone that was just at the bout and we have a round of drinks. I get a call from my sister Kathy that she is heading into Boston and going to go to Match so I call her back and tell her I will come meet up with her. Go back to the table and explain that I am going to go meet up with my sister. Everyone was very cool about it and I went back to my car to head in. I head over to the Mass Ave. Prudential area and find another street parking space man I am having good luck tonight except that I brought my scarf into the bout and it dropped on the floor so it was beer soaked and not really going to be able to wear that after. I forgot my gloves in my car. I call my sister and they are now at Sonsie. I get to the door and the person there tells me that I have to wait for some people to leave before I can get in Kathy tries to peak her head in to have the bouncer let me in. Finally I get in and Kathy and her friend Dawn are putting on their coats and we are going to Vox. I don't have any feeling in my hands so at this point why not go back outside and wait in another line. I ran into Danielle when I was walking to Sonsie so I know that she is meeting Bill and some other people at Vox.

Now I am with my sister and we are off to Vox and of course there is a line and of course it's full of young people. We do see Danielle and the boys appear and I introduce everyone to my sister and her friend Dawn. Kathy and Dawn decide to just go to Abe and Louie's and have a couple drinks and go home. She insists I stay with everyone else. While the rest of us are waiting outside Vox because the girl Bill is dating and Kevin are inside Vox for someones birthday. Since the rest of us don't know this person we convince Bill to not wait in the line anymore and let's go somewhere that there isn't a line. As we are walking away from Vox I tripped on my jeans which seems to be a habit when I have this pair of shoes on. It wasn't a little trip it was a legs come out from underneath me and BOOM. It was GREAT. So at this point Danielle tells Dane to take my arm to ensure that I don't fall again. We are heading to Newbury St.

Where did we end up but the grand opening party for the Acoute Salon on Newbury St. Bill and Travis get their hair done there and were invited so we were drinking free alcohol at a salon and enjoying the plentiful eye candy. At first we found a corner near the bar in the back with the beer and liquor and just planted ourselves there figuring that it would be a good place to stand for a lot of traffic and see the people who are there. Later in the night around midnight the crowd started thinning and it wasn't as elbow to elbow in the front and Dane and I were walking around checking everything out. We had a lot of fun hanging out and everyone else left around 12:30 but Dane and I were there until a little after 1. All in all a very fun night but if you told me that I would be spending my Saturday going to a Roller Derby and ending it drinking at the opening of a salon on Newbury St. I would tell you that you are crazy but I guess that is just another random night out. Never can tell what is going to happen next.