Days 436- 442 Out and About

 I spent a lot of time in my car this week, and I have to say, I loved the destinations but not the miles.  I kicked off the week by watching my niece and nephew perform in their dance recital.  I hadn't been around that many people in a really long time and it was a bit overwhelming but it didn't matter because watching my little dancing superstars up on stage was totally worth it!  Kudos to their dance studio for putting together a fantastic show during a pandemic.  Honestly, the quality of the dancing was spectacular and that's a testament to the power of art.  It didn't have to stop and this studio made sure it continued. Today I drove all the way to Carver for my twirling team's recital.  Going to practice was the last thing I did before lock down started last March so it was great to be able to see the kids perform today.

The weather was erratic this week and the weekend was predicted to be gross, so JO and I decided to take advantage of the lovely weather on Thursday to enjoy the patio at Colette.  This is one of the many restaurants that had to hibernate during the winter and it was unclear if it was going to make it to the other side of this.  Thankfully, they did because it's one of my favorite spots in Cambridge.  I love the bright colors, eclectic furniture, and beautiful lighting.  I love the food and drink and the atmosphere.  JO and I aren't ready to eat inside but Colette has a stunning patio and we certainly enjoyed ourselves!  

One of my kids digitally sculpted this replica of my favorite 2021 mug and I absolutely loved it!  

We've been living in some limbo lately while we wait for some puzzle pieces to fall into place and I'm kind of over it.  

This is my weekly plug for Lula Wiles new album!  So, so good!

The real estate market in Cambridge is out of control!  We saw this place while it was under construction and it was being marketed at a little over a million.  Look at what it sold for a year later.  

This weekend also marked the end of the mask mandate here in Massachusetts.  I'm not thrilled.  I think masking indoors still makes sense and I will continue to do so.  On Saturday we ran some errands and I was definitely keenly aware of who was and wasn't wearing masks.  I kept reminding myself that it was acceptable and that I was the one making the choice to keep it on.  I did get rather annoyed by people who were blatantly breaking the rules in the businesses that still required the masks.  That's just rude.  This "new normal" is definitely going to take some time to get used to.

And finally, it's time to abolish the filibuster!  It's kind of a matter of extreme urgency at this point.  Democracy is literally under attack!

Days 429-435 Beautiful Week to Enjoy Some Patios

 Oh my gosh.  The weather was just beautiful this week.  At one point my dad called us to tell us we had to eat out on a patio that night.  (I'm not going to say no to my dad.) We visited several of our favorite spots this week.

Dinner at Gran Gusto.  I'm so glad the pandemic helped us find this gem of a spot.  The food is excellent and so is the atmosphere.

Dinner at Sulmona brought to you by Moderna.  Sulmona never disappoints with their food and drink.

Dinner at Noir.  (I loved these champagne cocktails on the house for finally making it back to this beautiful spot.) We got to chatting with the couple at the table next to us.  It was their first time eating out since October and they were just so excited to be out of their living room.  It was a sweet moment and it was nice to connect with strangers again.

And finally, another great night at Nubar.  Nubar is always a special spot for us.  We lucked out and the impending thunderstorms held off and the weather was just perfect for a night on the patio.  It was fun to get dressed up and wear real shoes again, although I made JO hold my hand while we were walking, because I don't feel overly confident in my "walking in real shoes" skills.

It was also a big week for my city.  We had our first 0 Covid case day!  

I also got to watch the last installment of Boston Ballet at Your Home.  This work was entitled Process and Progress and featured three new works created during the past year.  These virtual programs have been such a treat and this was the best yet. All three works were created using Zoom, working with choreographers from across the world.  I loved hearing from the creators and what it was like to create in a "Zoom World."  So much of what they said resonated with me, as I've experienced similar things teaching online this year.  My connection with my students, like their connections with their dancers, was stronger than ever.  Being able to stretch yourself and have freedom to do things in a new way was powerful.  The last act of the ballet was filmed in two train stations in Boston and Cambridge.  It was this powerful statement on how dance and creation doesn't have to stop.  It can happen anywhere.  It doesn't have to be in a theater.  It was a beautiful piece and I really hope they release it again because the world deserves to see how beautiful things were created during a time when it felt like the world was stopping.

And now for a rant.  I went to get a pedicure yesterday.  I've resisted a lot of "extras" but I finally feel safe enough to go.  I went to a new salon that I had gone to back in April.  In April it was a great experience- clean, safe, distanced, etc.  Yesterday, not so much.  The salon was still taking reservations and there was a safe amount of people inside.  That being said, they had no problem with a mother and daughter sitting in the waiting area seats (which were taped off), eating apples and snacks, and coughing and sneezing with no effort made to cover their nose and mouth.  They both had their masks around their chins.  Just chomping on apples and sneezing and coughing.  The kicker- they never got their nails done and upon exiting the store, the mom firmly lifted her mask up over her nose and mouth. 😕 I would have left but my pedicure was in progress so I pulled out a second mask and doubled up.  The whole experience was a reality check that I'm not ready for the real world just yet. 😂

And finally, pulling a Britney Spears here and posting something random and vague, but I really do hate this walkway!

Days 422-428 What the Mask?

 This week was crazy and I hate writing that!  It means things are returning to the old normal.  Fast paced, no time, lots of work, etc.  While I love that my calendar is filling up with visits with friends, I really hate that other stuff is also cluttering it up again.  I'm trying to focus on other things, and enjoy the moment.  I'm pretty proud of how I spent my weekend.  A few hours of school work mixed in with fire pits, hiking, and brunch at Casa Cana.  (Speaking of brunch- this patio at Casa Cana is very underrated.  They have a parking lot, great food and drinks, and a beautiful outdoor space that makes you feel like you are in Palm Springs.)

This week, the CDC released new guidelines for fully vaccinated people.  Apparently we don't need masks indoors anymore.  This left a lot of us scratching our heads.  We tried the honor system back in the spring and that didn't work.  I'm super annoyed by this guidance and am sticking by what the experts I follow say.  Indoor masking is a necessity right now.  

I was happy to see that my favorite, local band got a stellar write up in Rolling Stones.  I'm really hoping Lula Wiles has an outdoor concert sometime soon.  I miss live music!

My current observation on the state of things- everyone is re-entering society and the equilibrium is all out of whack.  For instance, we went to Union Square on Friday Night.  We were joined by about 500 other people enjoying the Square which is odd.  Usually, Union is lively but not like that.  On Saturday we decided to eat out but we decided late.  There wasn't a table to be had in the city.  While I love that my restaurants are getting lots of customers, not being able to be spontaneous has taken some of the fun out of city living.  I'm hoping over the next few weeks things shake out and return to a more reasonable situation.

Days 415-421 It's May Which Means MCAS

 I often tell my kids, we are making history!  This week we will make more history by taking MCAS remotely.  I have so many feelings but I'll keep them to myself because I don't want to get in trouble.  As a result of MCAS stress and some other life stress, this past week had me feeling like a combination of all of these at once!  

Despite the craziness (and I mean craziness) I was able to meet up with a great friend for a real visit for the first time in a long time.  We met up a few times in the spring and summer but this was a real visit.  We weren't picnicking and we were both fully vaccinated.  We wanted to pick a good place for our first real outing and what better place than the fire pits at Bow Market!  We started at the first pit table and then moved up to the balcony to continue the evening.  The hostess was surprised I wasn't dining with "Jarod"and mentioned to my friend that everyone thinks we are a "cute couple."  We try!  It was a beautiful night to be at Bow and as usual, the food and drink was top notch but more importantly, I got to visit with a great friend thanks to our vaccines!

I also managed to hit class 300 this week!  I so enjoy the XTend Barre and Pilates classes.  It took less than a year for me to get to my 300th class.  I really hope I'm able to keep this up when we return to normal.

Speaking of normal, I had a lovely conversation with the saleswoman at Origins about not going back to the "old normal."  As my calendar starts filling up again, I'm feeling that stress creeping back in.  We both agreed that normal needs to be different.  We were all running around like crazy before and that wasn't great.  

One thing I am looking forward to is the return of the ballet.  I was so excited to get this email talking about next season!

As a teacher, seeing the White House recognize teachers and what they have gone through this year warmed my heart.  Very refreshing!

Since it was Teacher Appreciation Week,  JO was nice enough to take me to a fire pit at Bow Market.  This year, JO deserves some teacher appreciation love.  He's been my IT guy, my facilities guy, Google Meet tester, gotten me coffees and lunches, and all along the way he's listened to me laugh and cry, and cheered me and my kids on all year.  JO has already appreciated how hard teaching is, but this year he got a front row seat and I think it was even more eye opening for him.  We had an awesome time at the fire pit and it was just what I needed heading into MCAS week.

And finally, I couldn't agree more with this guy!  The shot was enough for me but if someone else needs to get something free to get their shot, be my guest.

Days 408-414 City Vicky is Making a Come Back

 This week was a great week!  It started with history being made at the joint Congressional address.  This was inspiring to see and I may have teared up a bit.

The best part about the week was the weekend.  I managed to do some extra work during the school week so that I could do a lot of fun things this weekend.  Saturday morning, we got up and headed into Boston to see the tulips, flowers, and beautiful blooming trees.  It's been a long time since we felt safe enough to go to Boston and it was just so fun to walk around and see the city.  It was a beautiful sunny, crisp spring morning and the flowers in the Public Gardens were just stunning.  

After the Public Gardens, we headed over to Marlborough Street to do some tree spotting.  One of my favorite signs of spring is the blooming trees that line Comm Ave and Marlborough Street.  I remember last year that we made a special trip into the city for a run so we wouldn't miss out on the trees. If a lockdown didn't stop me, I wasn't going to let school work stand in my way this year. 

This was the best tree and we actually stood on the sidewalk admiring this tree for quite a while.  

After the tree spotting, JO suggested we head over to Piatini for lunch.  Newbury Street has done an outstanding job with expanding patio seating at many of the restaurants which is just wonderful to see.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch on the patio.  It was just so nice to be out in Boston and feel safe again.  (Note- JO still has one more shot to go so our feeling of safety has more to do with peoples' behavior than with vaccines.)

Later that day we enjoyed an evening at the fire pits at Bow Market before heading to Gracie's for our first fluff gone of the season!

On Sunday we headed up to New Hampshire for our first hike of the season.  We enjoyed the 5.5 mile hike up to Gunstock and back down.  It was pretty breezy but the sun came out in time for us to enjoy our lunch on the summit.  

Of course this week wasn't without some problems...like the great dandelion scandal!  (Seriously, I can't believe this is even a thing.)

Also, dreaming of being able to eat indoors again.  This place will definitely be on my list!  

I'm so glad I gave myself the chance to enjoy this beautiful weekend to it's fullest!