Mark Erelli at Club Passim

Oh Club Passim, how I love you!  JO and I have been going to a lot of shows and we've discovered some great local artists.  Mark Erelli is one of our favorites.  We first heard him sing at the Sub Rosa show  two years ago.  It was clear to us that Mark is a gifted songwriter and singer.  When I saw he was going to have a show at Passim I grabbed tickets right away.  We were not disappointed.  Mark puts on an amazing show and has a special way of connecting with the audience!

The show was great and we'll be at Mark's next show for sure!

Boston Breakers

I've written before about how fun a Boston Breakers, our women's professional soccer team, game can be.  Well, last fall, while I was enjoying said games, I decided I needed to up my support of the team with season tickets.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a big sports fan, and I especially love women's sports.  I love that the little girls in my class can dream of being professional athletes.  When I was in 4th grade there were no professional women's teams and very few female athletes to watch on tv.  Having seen a former student of mine have that dream and grow up to make it a reality proves just how important these leagues are.

The first home game of the season was on a beautiful spring day towards the end of April.  The breakers play at Jordan Field near the Harvard football stadium, a short walk from Harvard Square.  JO and I walked over, found our seats, and settled in for a fun night of soccer.  The team looked like it had a lot of potential, with number 1 draft pick Rose LaValle, and some new international players, including Canadian Adriana Leon and Australian Rosie White.  We ended up winning the game, which was an added bonus!  Again, I can't say enough good things about attending a Breakers game!  The league features the best players in the world, tickets are inexpensive, and if you have kids autograph alley never disappoints!  After just one game, I was thrilled I had decided last fall to get season tickets!

The Spring Classic

In a sure sign of spring, the 5K season was up and running with the Spring Classic race.  I hadn't been able to really go running in the month leading up to the race, so I wasn't sure how this one was going to go, but it ended up great and I got a personal best!  It was lovely running weather, and I finally know this course inside and out, which helped a lot!

It felt great to get out and run again and feel strong afterwards.  Since the after party was super crowded, and poorly organized, we headed over to the Asgard for brunch and mimosas!  It was the last day of April vacation and a great way to head into the final stretch at school.

Science March

In what has become the "norm" in the new America, I attended yet another rally at the end of April.  JO and I, along with some friends, attended the Boston Science March.  I can't believe this actually had to happen.  I mean, what legitimate country, has to demonstrate to show the importance and reality of science?  The weather was crummy but there was a big turnout and felt good to stand up for what's right!

I had so much fun activating my "teacher" talent and helping JO decorate his lab coat!

Pretty much sums it up, right! 

Ole vs. 2.0

Ole Mexican Grill is one of the best restaurants in our neighborhood.  Olecito, it's burrito place across the street, has some of the best burritos in the city.  So when I heard that Ole had been sold and Olecito was moving across the street into the main restaurant I had a small panic attack.  After a short renovation, Ole opened back up and we had to check it out to make sure all was right in our Mexican food world.

Thankfully, this experiment seems to have worked out quite nicely.  The new owners kept the big bar in the front room along with most of the tables.  They took down the wall that separated the front room from the kitchen and put the burrito bar there.  The back dining room is the same, complete with it's beautiful fireplace.  The new setup allows you to get burritos and tacos and sit at the bar or any of the tables in the front room.  You can also order from the dinner menu at the bar.  The only con is the lack of cocktails at the bar, it's pretty much all tequila.  Not a bad thing, but they did use to have some excellent craft cocktails which are missed!  JO and I enjoyed our Friday night fiesta and will definitely be back quite often!

Rent

As April vacation was coming to a close, I had a chance to go see the 20th anniversary (that's a super scary number) of Rent!

Rent pretty much defined a huge chunk of my college life.  I remember when the musical came out, watching the performance on the Tony awards, reading all of the articles I could (thanks to that new thing called the internet...yes, I'm old), and going to see if four or five times in two years.  I loved how Rent took such a serious issue and reminded us all to live each day to it's fullest because there are no guarantees.  I loved how Rent brought different lifestyles into the spotlight and made you realize that "Love is love is love is love!"

When I heard Rent was touring for it's 20th anniversary (again, seriously, where did those twenty years go) I knew I just had to go.  The production was at the Shubert Theater, now known as the Boch Center.   This was a perfect theater for Rent to be performed in.  The Shubert is an older theater, small and intimate, and a little edgier than other theaters in Boston.  Other than the super "cozy" balcony seats, it's a really nice space and I couldn't find a bad seat in the house.

The performance was full of energy and life and was just as I had remembered.  Given our current political situation, it was also very telling that a lot of the issues that were so relevant in the late 90s are also an issue now~ lack of affordable housing, the opioid crisis, lack of healthcare, LGBTQ rights.  Maybe Rent needs to keep touring, keep educating, keep proving that no matter our differences we are all the same on the inside!

I Made It!

I made it through another school year, my 18th to be exact!  Obviously, that's why there have been no posts since April!  I'm back, and ready to catch up on all the fun city happenings from this spring and chronicle all the summer fun I'm sure to have before another school year starts :-)