Blogging By Typhoid Meghan

This time I have a really good excuse for why I haven't posted in a while.  I have the plague.  Well not the plague but certainly a plague.  It started about 10 days ago as a mostly GI virus.  Thing One brought it home from preschool and proceeded to infect me, his parents, Thing Two and maybe the entire city of Boston.  The GI symptoms quickly and astonishingly morphed into a disgusting, chest rattling, nasty wet cough.  I saw the doctor and was diagnosed with viral bronchitis.  This basically means I treat the symptoms and wait for the sweet release of death, or recovery, whichever comes first.  I've got 50 bucks on death.

On top of the plague I am dealing with insane amounts of new information coming my way at school.  Do you know what 3 hours of Neuroanatomy feels like at 8pm?  I do.  It's not fun.  Not at all.

During this same period of time the weather in Boston has decided to do everything in its power to qualify for a schizophrenia diagnosis.  In my last post I mentioned that the weather was mild with highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s.  That's also what the weather is like right now.  In fact, I showed you a picture of campus just to prove how unseasonably warm and dry it was, remember?

Then this happened.

Yeah, snow.  We had a couple of days of heavy snow that ended up accumulating about 4-5 inches.  Then it was sunny for a bit, then it rained, and now I think the forecast is rain mixed with sun and snow. They want to cover all the bases here.  I guess the saying is true, if you don't like the weather in Boston then wait five minutes.  What this means for me is that just when I have the whole parka, scarf, gloves, hat, boots dance perfected, I have to turn around and start layering like it was fall.  It's all very confusing.

Here's something else that I've been having fun with while not blogging.

No, she isn't mine.  She lives downstairs and I just steal her when I need a little pick me up.  Wouldn't you? 

I'm going to get back to dying a slow death.  There are a couple of posts in the queue so either way there will be another post or two here soon.  

But I've Always Found My Way Somehow, By Taking The Long Way Around

First off, let me say that I'm a bad blogger given that it has been over a month since my last post.  I figured it was time for me to let all my supporters know what is going on with my life.  I've decided to break in down into a few helpful categories.

School:  I just began my second semester at Northeastern University's Graduate School of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology.  I had to write that all out because I still can't believe that I was accepted into this program.  I aced my first semester and hope to do the same this time around.  Something that has helped me through is two new girlfriends who are in my program.  We are crazy, funny, and we kind of just clicked.  I'm so thankful for them.  I'm not sure how we can only have known each other a few months, it feels like longer.  We are the three nerdy Musketeers.  We can complain about the guys here, and dating issues.  (Little known fact - There are almost no male Speech Language Pathologists.  It's a girls club.  Makes meeting guys on campus a bit difficult.  Apparently men don't like to talk about talking.  SURPRISE!)  Do I love Northeastern University?  Your answer is this photo from one of my classes on campus.

Work: I think I can describe my job in a few words: exhausting, incredibly fulfilling, life altering.  As I have mentioned, the family I work for is wonderful.  They are kind, generous and fun.  C is two-and-a-half and is a delightful handful.  We've started time-outs and are trying to cut back on the whining, but his smiles and dimples part the dark clouds.  His language is exploding and I usually feel like a translator.  I have known him since he was 20 months old and love to watch him grow and attach to me.  M is 8 months old and is hysterical.  I've know her since she was 7 weeks old and we have a special bond.  Her giggles are infectious and she is so easygoing.  She is so close to crawling and it really frustrates her that she can't.  I love them so much.

Home Life:  Well, I went home to California for 3 weeks over Christmas vacation.  It was wonderful, but weird. I was home, but it wasn't home. I didn't take a single picture (except the one I snapped of Jeff Corwin at the airport after we got off the same flight).

Then I came back to my cozy apartment and felt at home, and I consider that a blessing.  I don't get to spend much time here (I worked 50+ hours this week plus school), but it is home.  I feel so lucky to have found this place.  I spent Thanksgiving with the family who owns the house and lives downstairs.  It was wonderful.  A little touch football, some food, and laughter.  All wonderful.

Boston/Weather: I really have grown to love Boston, Cambridge and the surrounding areas.  I feel like the entire area is one big College.  The history is is wonderful, as are the people.  The Charles River is particularly spectacular.  I was warned repeatedly about the weather here, but it hasn't been too bad so far (knock wood).  We did have that one bad snowstorm on Halloween that devastated New England. Since then it has been pretty warm (Highs in the 40's and lows in the teens and 20's).  But...as I write this post the temperature outside is 4 degrees and our high is going to be 20.  It has been dry (no snow), just windy and cold.  I find it totally doable, but ask me again in February.  One fascinating/sad thing is that the Charles River is beginning to freeze, which is beautiful, but means no more Harvard Crew teams to see rowing each morning.

Future Plans: Well, as we all know, plans change, but here is a little taste.  I'm going back to California for Spring Break in early March.  Then in May and June I will be spending a month at a villa in Tuscany with the family I nanny for.  Just let that sink in.  Italy for a month, while being paid.  I also hope to continue to explore Boston and the Northeast.

Highs and Lows:  I'm not going to pretend that there haven't been hard times since my move.  Particularly since my return from California last week.  I try to think of this adage -  "Get a large group of people together and have them take their biggest problem in life and place it on a table.  After looking around at everyone's problems, each person takes their own problem back from the table".  I like to think hat I was given my challenges for a reason and I need to own them and work them through.  That's also why I chose Dixie Chicks lyrics for the title of this post.

The Long Way Around (abridged)

"I've been a long time gone now, maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down

But I've always found my way some how

By taking the long way

Taking the long way around

Well I fought with a stranger and I met myself 

I opened my mouth and I heard myself

It can get pretty lonely when you show yourself

Guess I could have been easier on myself  

But I, I could never follow

No I, I could never follow

Well I never seem to do it like anybody else 

Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down

If you ever want to find me I can still be found 

Taking the long way around"

A Bit More Seasonal

 Somehow this photo came out more like a painting.  I'm in love with it.

Fall In New England

All of the trees here are bare now, so I thought I would share some photos of what they looked like a month or so ago.  My first winter in New England is going to be interesting.

Northeastern University - Late Afternoon

I took this photo with my iPhone the other day. I guess I was walking, which caused the blur that I love. This was just after the time change which means it is already dark here at 4:30 pm.  More on how I have been handing this soon.

Boston Accents

I heard a repairman next door say that he left his khakis in his jacket.  It took me a few minutes of trying to imagine getting pants into a jacket pocket before I realized he didn't say "khakis" he said "Ka-kees" which in Boston translates to "car keys".

If you are given driving directions with street/exit names in them have the person write down the name!  You could spend an hour looking for the exist to "Wusta" before you realize it is spelled Worchester.

Walking Through History

I was on a walk in Cambridge the other day and almost passed this house without another glance.  The sign caught my attention and I'm glad I stopped to read it.  It's really crazy how much history is around every corner in this area.

Boston Driving Hints and Tips - 2

• There is a local radio station that starts its traffic segments with an old woman with a thick Boston accent saying things like "Put on my blinker? That's like giving information to the enemy" and "I can drive with one finger, my middle one".  I find the first one particularly accurate  My guess is that the average Bostonian's car horn wears out twice as fast as the average American's, and their blinkers last twice as long. 

• I have seen people being pulled over by the police, but I can't imagine what makes the cops choose them.  There must be some algorithm that the cops use to cull one insane driver from the herd.

• Boston is the only city I've seen where the school bus drivers are worse than the taxi drivers.

• I recently heard this explanation for why Boston's drivers are so bad, "Well, Boston is a city where people commute both ways with the sun in their eyes."  Yep.  That was the explanation I was given. Blame it on the Earth's rotation.  Wouldn't this have to apply to all cities where the downtown area lies East of the suburbs people commute from?  This has led me to start a subsegment of my Driving Tips and Hints posts: 

Terrible theories about why Boston drivers are so terrible

• Drivers in Boston know that they are never more than a mile from a world class hospital, so they figure they can risk it.  This is especially true since health insurance is mandatory in Massachusetts.  These people want to get their money's worth.

• Boston is full of equal parts crazy old ladies and new college students.  The old ladies can't remember how to drive and the students have no idea how to get anywhere.  

• The pedestrians are so bad that the drivers are constantly either having to avoid the pedestrians, or trying to hit them and get revenge.

Bad Blogger!

I know.  I suck.  I move 3,000 miles away and never call or write.  I apologize.  I'm not sure there is a good way to sum up how things are going here, but all in all I would say things are great.  I love my apartment and the area where I live.  I love school so far.  I love my job (most of the time, I mean, isn't that the best I can ask for?)

When I tell people the long and convoluted story of how I ended up in Boston working where I do and going to school, doing my research assistantship, etc, they are universally amazed.  "Clearly" they say "this was meant to be".  I completely agree.  Things have fallen into place so smoothly here that I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Maybe it was all those years of Catholic school that made me think "Jesus is dead, there is no way I'm allowed to be this happy".  (Note: I'm not Catholic, I was just indoctrinated by their schools for 10 years).  Well, the nuns were wrong, things can be awesome without anyone having to pay for it.  I'm sorry Sister Clarita, but that's how it is.  May you rest in peace.

I know that there are a million little stories that I won't have time to relay here and that makes me sad, because I really want to have some of them documented.  There is something I have learned from my photography that I have been able to transfer to my blogging and other areas of my life, and that is this: If you are too busy documenting you forget to do the experiencing.

I just thought I would take a moment on this, my first day of Graduate School, to let you know that I am alive and well.  No...I'm thriving.  I will share stories and photos again soon, and plan on being a better blogger.  I have a "Ramblings" post in the works which seems easier for me to write than a long story lately.

In the meantime, please enjoy some photos of my backyard and its occupants.  My apartment has 7 windows that look out onto this gorgeousness.  Seven.  SEVEN.  That's one, two, three...SEVEN! I cannot overstate the importance of the windows.  Oh, and there's a skylight too.  The backyard is home to a very long swing that just begs to be photographed at many angles, as well as a pool and much foliage.

Something tells me that Sister Clarita would be happy for me.  Jesus or no Jesus, I've got a view.

Boston Area Driving Hints And Tips

Okay, I have a confession to make.  I was wrong about how much it sucks to drive in Boston.  It sucks.  Hard.  I'm not sure what the other drivers are thinking but my thoughts usually go something like this:

   "Alrighty, pull out of the driveway and...wait, why is my street blocked off.  Oh, it's just a couple of hundred people double parked.  Everything is good...hang on, is this a rotary?  Damn, it is.  How many lanes is it?!  Why aren't there any lines?! Let me out!  Let me out!  I'm alive!!! Wait, why is everyone turning?  Is this a turn only lane?  But I'm in the middle lane! Okay, moving over.  Let me in!  Let me in!!  Ooh, that guy doesn't like me.  OH MY GOD THERE'S A TRAIN COMING!  AM I ON THE T LINE?!  That was close.  Now, the GPS says that my destination is at the next right.  Wait, there are three rights and four lefts at the next intersection.  Which fork do I take?!  Excuse me.  Pardon me.  Oh, go to hell! Okay, made it through the intersection.  Wait, why is that guy coming right at me?  Am I on a one way street?  OH MY GOD I AM!  But, wait, HE'S THE ONE GOING THE WRONG WAY!  Phew, I made it.  Now how do I get home?"

I'm sure I will continue this series as I learn to drive like a Bostonian, but here are my first observations:

1. People generally go 15-25 miles above the speed limit and will sit three inches off your rear bumper if you don't.
2. There are two places for informational road signs - six inches before an intersection and ten feet after an intersection (the latter saying, basically "you should have turned there, now you're screwed").
3. There are two ways, and only two ways, that people give directions here: "Oh, that's easy to get to" and "You can't get there from here".  
4. Blinkers are for pussies.
5. Merge and Yield are not recognized words in Massachusetts.
6. Why park when you can double park?  
7. A two lane road anywhere else is a four lane road here.  Most of the time there aren't lines on the street.  I imagine at some point there was a conversation like this:

             "Hey Bernie, how many lanes should this road be?"
             "I don't know Ray, I guess it depends on how big the cars are."
             "Then we shouldn't put lines on the road.  We don't want to confuse anyone."
             "Wicked smart man, wicked smart."

Complain about any of this and you will get the following explanation -
"Well, the roads were laid out for horses and carriages".

I understand that, but there have been some upgrades since then.  Right?

Move It

What can I say about my move to Boston?  I think one word sums it up well: Surprising.  I was surprised again and again by how calm I was.  I'm still sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

My mom and I flew out on 7/31 around 10pm and arrived in Boston early the next morning.  I didn't sleep on the plane.  At all.  Fun times.  When we arrived in Boston I discovered that one of my bags had been "misplaced".  And by "misplaced", I mean that it was probably sent to Boston via Madagascar and the Galapagos Islands, perhaps with a stop on Mars.  Luckily, the bag was dropped off on my doorstep sometime in the middle of the night having only gone to Philadelphia (but with a tan that suggested a more tropical locale.)

So, my mom and I spent the next three days waiting for my car and furniture to arrive and making many trips to Target and Ikea.  These trips were fun at first, but two hours in Ikea deciphering and translating is way too much time.  My right eye still starts to twitch whenever I see a letter with two little dots above it.  

As it stands right now, I am about 90% moved in (thanks, in large part, to the two guys downstairs who row crew at Harvard and have been my sherpas).  On 8/4 I dropped my mom at the airport and I drove down the coast to Martha's Vineyard.  (Note: the ocean is on the wrong side out here.  This may lead to some interesting navigation for a California girl).  I took the ferry here and am in paradise.  I'm sitting on the screened in porch looking out at the lighthouse and Vineyard Sound.  I can see why the Obamas and Kennedys hang out here.  

I will share photos of my place once it is completely set up.  Until then, enjoy some pictures from the Vineyard.  

Cleveland!

While I get together a post detailing my move, Boston, and what Martha's Vineyard is like, I want to show you this hysterical video about Cleveland.  My other top choice grad school, Case Western Reserve University, is in Cleveland.  I think Boston was the right choice.

Step One

The first tangible step in this whole cross-country move process happened on Friday: Greta the Jetta was packed full of my stuff and loaded onto a large truck. Right now I would guess that she is somewhere around the Rockies. A few days before we shipped her, Greta got a makeover in the form of a brand new paint job. The paint on her hood (the clear coat actually) was peeling off and I was concerned about what a Boston winter would do to any exposed paint. Now Greta looks great and will do just fine this winter.

For a while after I decided to go to Northeastern, I assumed that I would sell Greta here and use public transportation in Boston. Then I saw the difference in commute times from school to work (15 minute drive or 50 minute train and bus ride) and decided that having a car would give me so much more independence. I have had one car or another since I got my permit at 15 and I really wasn't looking forward to relying on public transportation for everything. I had heard horror stories about driving and parking in Boston though, so I had concerns. Then I visited and saw that it was no more complicated than driving and parking in San Francisco. Plus, having my car means that I can take little trips around the East Coast if I want (like to Martha's Vineyard!).

So, that's where things stand right now. Greta (packed with a ton of my stuff that would have been crazy expensive to ship) is on her way to Boston and looking good doing it. It was strange to hand her over, knowing that the next time I see her will be at my new place in Boston. Things are happening fast now folks. Really fast.

Pocket Sidekick

This is Kick*, the youngest member of the Harvard family.  I saw them a few weeks ago and got in a good photo shoot with her.  She was super cooperative and loved having her picture taken!

*Not using real names for the family

Insert Clever Title Here _______

I was tempted to title this post "AHHHHH!!", but I thought that it might scare some of my more delicate readers away. Since my last update on Boston I have signed a lease for the place I mentioned. This is a huge relief. Now I can finally picture where I will be living. I can imagine how I will decorate it and what life there will be like. The "apartment" is actually the top floor of a wonderful Victorian house in Brookline. It is MASSIVE compared to the places I saw when I visited in June. It has a large bedroom, living/dining room, kitchen, and (wait for it!) CLOSET SPACE! Also, it has a ton of windows and a skylight which makes for a bright and cheery place.

The entrance to the apartment is at the back of the house near the large backyard. There are a couple of decks on the way up that I can use as well. The house is owned by a wonderful couple with college aged kids and a black lab. I will have full use of the "grounds" of the house including the swimming pool! I am ridiculously happy about all of this. After looking at studio apartments all over Boston, I had a pretty sad idea of where I would be living. All I could picture were tiny studios (a room and bathroom), on busy roads with one or two windows usually looking right at a brick wall. No view. No natural light. I could never have imagined a third story place on a tree lined street, huge yard, pool, wonderful (non-smoking, which is harder to find in Massachusetts than California) family below me, free off-street parking (a HUGE perk in Boston with the snowplows and parking restrictions) and near the oldest country club in the nation (called simply "The Country Club"). The price of an apartment in Boston is ridiculous so I won't even go into that. When I feel a little lightheaded looking at the numbers, all I need to do is glance at this picture of the house and I am reminded of how lucky I am to have this place (which was on the market for about two seconds for the first time in three years).

I will be sure to add a ton more photos once I move in. Obviously, I have pictures of the interior of the apartment, but they are all of someone else's stuff. I wouldn't want you to think that my interior design skills are so poor.

So, the apartment is just the first (rather large) piece of this whole story. I need to set up the second part of the story with a little bit of information and background. The fall semester at Northeastern starts on September 7. Most students (undergrads that is), move in on September 1, and that's when most leases begin. I initially thought I too would be moving then, the day that moving vans take over the city. (Remember, Boston is pretty much owned by students between September and June. Boston is home to about 35 colleges and Universities like MIT, Harvard, NU, Boston College, Tufts, and Boston University. Over 100,000 students migrate there for school.)

That was the plan. Then, the family I will be working for when I move said that they wouldn't mind having my help for some of August too. And here's another piece of background for you - I have worked as a part time nanny for many years. I work on-call through an agency which means that I work part time for many families. At the beginning of this year I got a call from a woman in San Francisco who got my number from a mutual friend. The woman and her husband have a vacation rental here in Napa Valley and were looking for someone to watch their almost 2-year-old son when they visited. I did this several times and we really hit it off. Then, the crazy universe decided to do some matchmaking. Right around the time I decided to go to NU, the father of the family decided to go to Harvard to get his PhD, starting this Fall. We all joked about the serendipity and how we should keep in touch. Long story short, we realized that my school schedule would allow me a lot of time to work and they were looking for a nanny for 25-30 hours a week. Everything quickly fell into place. I will be nannying for their son (and brand-new baby girl!) as much as they need me. And let me just stress that they are the nicest people. I adore them. So, when they said that they could use me around August 15th, I thought "Why not!?". The owners of my apartment were initially looking for someone to move in on August 1st, right after their current tenant moves out, so the realtor thought an 8/15 move in would be more appealing to them than a 9/1 move in.

Then, I got an offer that I couldn't pass up. The family (now on referred to as the Harvards. And the kids will be Mac and Kick.) has a beach house on Martha's Vineyard. They decided to spend the first few weeks of August there and asked if I wanted to come work and play on the Vineyard for a few weeks, starting around August 1st. Are you kidding me?! Of course I want to spend a few weeks at the end of the Summer on a gorgeous island instead of in the hot and humid city. Duh, Winning! Could there be any better way to relieve the tension of moving than hanging at the beach?!

Well, that's where things stand right now. I will move in on August 1st. I will fly there with my mom, and my car is being shipped. I will spend a few days with my mom at my new place getting settled, then she will fly home and I will drive to the Vineyard. Hopefully there won't be too many hiccups in the arrangements. As always, I will keep y'all updated as much as possible. And again, thank you all for your support.

(Oh, and right now I an recovering from a head full of snot and lungs full of phlegm so blogging has been a bit hit and miss. I apologize.)

Pathway, Northeastern University

The Thing With The Guy In The Place

  I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to write a post about my trip to Boston.  I could give you excuses like jet lag, stress, busy work schedule, and so on.  It could have something to do with the fact that I tweaked my back last weekend...again.  Or, who knows, it could be because the new season of Toddlers and Tiaras is on and I just HAVE to see parents give their three year olds Red Bull, then wonder why their kids are melting down.  We'll never know.  Anyway, here's the story...

  The flight to Boston was long, but not too terrible.  Mostly I just kept thinking that I would be repeating the trip pretty often, and that wasn't really appealing.  The hotel was lovely, as were the people and the shopping.  My mom and I got some good quality mother-daughter time in, anticipating the fall when we won't see each other much.  We were in the city on Memorial Day which meant lots of tourists, some cool flag memorials, and busy tours.  The first day was also unbearably hot and humid, leaving me sweaty and frustrated.  Luckily, I was told that that kind of weather is not the norm, especially during the school year.  

  I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about what we did on the trip.  I will say that we did both city and harbor (pronounced hah-buh) tours, rode the T a lot, and saw a few movies (my abs are still sore from laughing so hard at Bridesmaids, a much needed emotional lift). We enjoyed a lightning storm, toured my school, and searched for apartments.  I loved the tour of my program, conducted by my advisor.  Northeastern's campus is well known, and is used as a model for other urban campuses.  This could be because they have a strong Architecture program which results in gorgeous buildings, grassy quads with painted Adirondack chairs, and rooftop gardens.  This means that the campus feels like a sanctuary in the middle of the city.  Calm and relaxed.  

  The apartment hunt didn't go as well  We met with two realtors.  One showed us absolutely abysmal studios, the other showed us nice studios, but nothing fantastic.  This left me frustrated.  VERY frustrated.  I didn't expect to land a place while I was there, but I would have liked to have some prospects.  The good news on this front is that I now have a possible place to live!  The papers are being signed and now all I can do is just hope that it all works out.  I will share more about it if/when it comes through.  Let me just tell you this - $1500 a month for a studio.  Yep.  Ugh!

  When I sat down to write this post I wanted to make sure that it was a true account and not a whitewashed story.  It most certainly was NOT all rainbows and unicorns.  I wanted to be clear about this because I don't want other people in this situation to think "Why is it hard for me, she made it seem like a dream?!"  My emotions on this trip were up and down like Charlie Sheen and his Tiger Blood.  Sometimes I was too excited to be scared, and sometimes I was too scared to think straight.  Until the trip, Boston had been just an idea, not a reality.  When I was finally there, a place I had never been and didn't know my way around, I kept thinking "I don't live here!  This isn't home!".  Now, I realize that this is true, I don't live there yet, and don't yet have ties to the city, but I was hoping to feel and immediate connection to the city like I had with the University.  It didn't happen.  Part of this was because I was tired, hot, stressed, and scared.  Part was because I couldn't look at the city through the objective eyes of a visitor.  I was there knowing that, come hell or high water, I will be moving there in a couple months.  A lot was riding on my relationship with the city.  One of the BIG stressors I have had, both during and after the trip, is that I don't know where I'm living yet.  I don't have a place to think of as home.  I can't distract myself by thinking of how I am going to decorate my new place, or what the area will be like to live in.  When that piece falls into place I know I will feel 100 pounds lighter.  I do know I will be taking a little piece of home with me - my car (Greta the Jetta).  I was initially planning on selling her here, but between work and school it became clear that a car would be a huge help and open many doors.  

  So, that's the story.  The good, the bad, and the ugly.  I will continue to update you this summer as my August 15 or September 1 move in date approaches.  Thank you all again for your support through this, and enjoy these pictures of my new city.