I love it that

...the sky cleared this afternoon (after weeks of rain) enough for us to dash to White Pond, our favorite swimming spot. It was a nice respite, considering we have rain forecast for the rest of the week. Boo, hiss.

Oh for the love of movies

I'm a bit of a movie geek.

I know nothing about film per se.

I just love movies.

I can work up quite a happy dance in anticipation of going to a good, old-fashioned cinematic experience.

(I may have occasionally written movie release dates on my calendar.)

And there are some beauties coming up this summer so I had to share:

Meet me on the fifth row (stadium seating please). I'll be the one with popcorn, junior mints, a diet coke, and a big smile, saving you a seat. (May or may not be doing the happy dance.)

Bostony weekend

In New England, we seem to wait all winter lonnnng (all 6.5 months of it) for a lovely, blooming weekend like the one we just had.  Now that the dreary grey and brown landscape has perked up again, I can fall a bit in love with New England again.  Blue skies (full disclosure: with a little showers in the morning). Sunny. Light breezes.  As luck would have it, when that particular kind of Saturday rolled around we had some great reasons to be out and about enjoying it.

March of Dimes walk in the morning along the Charles.

Red Sox game in the afternoon.

Holy Boston baked beans! Now I remember why we like it here...

Now if only the Sox had won that game... 14-5 isn't pretty (you can see Sam's dismay in one of the photos). Eh...you can't have everything.  And I think New Englanders secretly enjoy having something to gripe about. It brings us all together in misery:)

Adele and me

For our anniversary gifts to each other in February, G and I went through the schedules for events this year in Boston and chose a handful that we would enjoy together. (What a treat. I think we'll do it every year...it's the gift that keeps on giving! Plus it makes me feel zesty to be out on the town with my guy.)

One of the ones we (read=me. I influenced this decision.) chose was Adele, Saturday May 2nd at the Orpheum. Oh, I love me some Adele. As the night drew closer we started realizing we had a problem. Both of our babysitter daughters had commitments that couldn't be changed and Sam's too young to stay home alone. But we had a plan B. 

Which fizzled. 

And a plan C--that on Saturday became impossible.  G kindly offered to send me with a friend (the Celtics game 7 that night might have had something to do with his generosity) and I tried a few but it was a beautiful spring Saturday in May!  Everyone already had plans & it was too last minute.  Even when we offered both tickets to anyone who could go that night, no one nibbled.

I was so sad.

An hour before the concert started, I sat down to listen to the cd and have a little pity party. The boys were camped in front of the tv with the Celtics.

I listened to about 30 seconds (and had a Facebook conversation with Jen) and decided to just go.  By myself (gasp!).

I've done movies by myself without blinking. Traveled solo a bit.  I'm generally kind of a happy-go-lucky-by-myself kind of person.  Solo concert-going felt kind of...lonelyish. 

But.

Oh. My. 

It was so worth it. She is one of those artists who is incredible live.

So talented.  And heartfelt, emotional. And young (she turns 21 this week).

I had chills. And (I'll admit) some inspiration tears.

So I've been a bit obsessed* since, humming & playing her music.

And I found footage of the Orpheum concert so you can come with me (virtually):

This is a sneak preview of a song on her next album:

And my favorite (already posted here; I'm redundant), a cover of the Bob Dylan song:

Also good:
Best for Last
Right as Rain

I was so glad I went.
But sorry not to share it with someone.

{Until now!}

* also? I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this: Afterwards I waited a long time in line for the ladies' room.  When I came out of the theater there was Adele!  Getting into her bus!  What did I do?  Walk coolly away? No.  Take a picture? No camera.  No, I ran over and asked for her autograph and she signed my (two) tickets. I'm sure when I walked away she thought what's with the loser soccer mom who came alone? And I was thinking what am I going to do with two scraps of paper with a sharpie scrawl on them?  What can I say? I was dazzled.

Witness to serendipity

Today I was meeting with a guy about a potential project.  We had never met but only spoken on the phone and via email.  After discussing lots of options for locations (suburbs? office? city? cafe?), we settled on a cafe near a subway stop in Somerville (right outside of Boston). Convenient and both of us knew where it was.

I got there first and scoped out all the tables.  I hate this part: trying to determine who is your meeting guy.  I know that (a) everyone in the cafe thinks this is like a meet-up from Match.com and (b) they are all watching to see if I get stood up. (C) I feel like I'm re-enacting Are You My Mother? in a post-modern, grown up version (Are you my meeting?  No?  Are you my meeting? No...okay, bye.)

After determining that every single man was NOT my meeting (so embarrassing),  I settled down to a table by the window and eventually let him find ME.  We had a great meeting, very productive, and all of the sudden he jumped up and knocked on the window at a passing pedestrian.  The guy outside did a double take and beamed with recognition.  Meeting guy jumped up, excused himself and said "that's my college roommate!" then dashed outside, where they hugged and talked for a few minutes and grinned at each other.

What are the chances?

~Meeting guy was in town from Chile, where he lives and works.  He's only in Boston once or twice a year.

~He hadn't seen his roommate for over 5 years and they had lost contact--no email, no Christmas cards, didn't know where the other was.

~Of all the places we discussed meeting, we chose this one place at this time where I chose a place by the window and his friend walked down the street into the "perfect storm" for crossing paths.

I think I was excited as meeting guy was (or almost) although  refrained from running out and hugging the guy myself.

I love serendipity!

(Also the movie Serendipity was cute.  Sometimes I think G looks a little like John Cusack.)