Adventures in Boston

Desk Plant: FAIL

2009-04-30T16:14:00.003-04:00

Came in last Monday to this:

AAAAAAND this week we are looking like this:

I moved it onto a higher shelf closer to some natural light although the crappy camera phone makes it look darker... wah waaah waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

Moving on... I'm headed to Petsmart & the grocery store tonite w/ a Zipcar so maybe I will pick something up...

AT Cure: Progress!

2009-04-19T14:10:00.004-04:00

Well, I have definitely made progress, but it is very true that you make a bigger mess before it gets better. Esp when you have no where for your outbox to go except in the area in front of the fireplace!

I made some good progress yesterday on my bedroom. All of my clean clothes are cleaned up and put away (BIG accomplishment), and my laundry is ready to be done today! I went through my bra/underwear/tank top drawer and cleaned a lot of it out. Some tanks went into the yard sale pile, but for the most part it all went into the trash. Really, nobody wants an old bra or a pair of panties my mom bought me that I have never worn cuz they are meant to look cute on an underwear model....yea, gross. And I straightened up my scary bookcase. Its not done, but at least it looks a little better till I have time to fully tackle and organize it. I did rearrange the bedroom furniture a few weeks ago and I am still really liking it. I also moved one of the wooden chairs next to my kitchen cart into the bedroom. I really like having a chair in the bedroom.

Bathroom is also almost completely done. Since the before picture I have gotten a new bigger bath rug that is a brighter teal that helps the room "pop". And I straightened out the mess shown where the towel rack is. I also got two bamboo soap dishes that I put on top of the white "things" above the sink. They definitely help add interest to the bathroom. Last nite I vacuumed up all the grossness. So all that is left is a good scrubbing of all fixtures and mopping the floor. Might get to that today...we'll see...

In the living/main room I bought an awesome mirror to hang over the sofa to help bounce some light around, moved the track lighting around to point some light in better spots and redid the wall above Wilbur. All of those things have helped with brightening up the room... a bit. I also tamed the cord octopus by the TV and bought a Pottery Barn style bookcase/tv stand from Chop Chop for only $33! That is a great little site to find some good cheap finds in the Boston area. And they do free delivery in the city!

Next project... the "desk area"/built in shelves by the windows. The upper shelves are ok... I just feel they are a bit cluttered w/ things I don't "love". That has really been helping my cure is asking myself "Do I LOVE it?". So I need to work on that, and then organize the paper disaster and random placement of the stereo.

After that... storage/coats/shoes/purses/dresses closet needs yet ANOTHER re-org and straighten. It just got one a few months ago... But I use it so much and it is so big for what it is, that it is a constant process.

Somewhere in that I WILL set up the wireless... I think. I think part of my hesitation with the wireless is that I may find myself online more than I already am. Which I really try to limit since I am online ALL DAY at work. But I want to set it up also just to prove to myself that I can do it!

First, I have some schoolwork to get to, then laundry & curing! Happy Sunday!

Project: Desk Plant

2009-04-16T16:02:00.007-04:00

Ok, so this can BARELY be called a project... except I turned it into one. I wanted a plant for my desk at work. Something to take care of at work, that would make me smile, etc. Every plant I saw at Target, Ikea, etc I was like "eh, bleh"...nothing jumped out and said "Pick me!"

THEN.... while purusing the $1 bins at Target I found MINI pots! That came w/ seeds and lil soil blocks. I brought them to work, added water, and VOILA! plants!

I was curious how long it would take me to kill...err GROW them, so I started taking pics on my beloved cr@ppy camera phone. I should have taken pics while I was planting and sowing them, but oh well. You just get the finished product.

Here is the pots after less than a week when I came in to find just a few seedlings springing! So exciting...

That was last Friday, April 10th I believe....

THEN just when I thought they would die over the weekend w/o water (yes, I did want to carry them home w/ me over the weekend... kinda like when you had a class pet (ie: hermit crab) in elementary school and the teacher would let a student bring it home for the weekend!)

Anyway...sidetrack... So I come in Monday morning to THIS:

WEEEEEE!

Ok, so that was actually today, but it still looked a lot like that on Monday, but the right one wasn't blooming too much yet.

So maybe I don't have too much of a brown thumb after all..... *knock on wood*

Wilbur: Neuter Complications

2009-04-16T11:11:00.003-04:00

Well, it has been an interesting month for poor lil Wilbur. He was sick the week before his neuter which resulted in an early trip to the vet for shots, medicine and some fun exams.

Then his neuter surgery did not go well... There were complications that were the vets fault that caused him to spend the weekend in the animal hospital and undergo another full surgery to repair the damage caused by the neuter. He is recovering nicely after a few days of stress. But it also looks like he has developed a inguinal hernia. YUCK! The surgeon will check it out when he goes in for stitches removal next Wednesday, and until then I just need to keep an eye out for signs of severe pain, not eating, etc. Which he has luckly had none of. He has been full energy and wanting to play as normal the past 24hrs. Whew!

Still keep the lil guy in your prayers!

(could he BE any cuter???)

Project: Wilbur

2009-03-30T13:07:00.006-04:00

Haha, "Project: Wilbur" makes me giggle. Sounds like a top secret military operation!

This project in my life is about raising my Boston Terrier puppy to be an upstanding citizen. At this point...he has a long way to go! He is as adorable as can be, but he only has some training (sit, stay, lay down, working on "beg")...and it all goes out the window when we go outside and he has other distractions!

In the next couple weeks he will be going through some new experiences that will definitely make a change to his personality, hopefully for the better, but not too different! Next week is his neutering surgery! He goes in for pre-surgery bloodwork after work on Monday, April 6th and then his surgery is all day Friday, April 10th. I picked that day so I could make sure I was there with him over the weekend at all times.

I will also be enrolling him in PetSmart obedience classes with me starting the end of April. They are 8 week classes to teach him more manners, training with distractions and overall obediance to my commands.

Whew... should be an interesting month for Wilbur!!

Project: AT Cure

2009-03-28T20:21:00.003-04:00

Its almost April!!! That means it's technically spring!!! Which means... Spring Cleaning!!

I really do love spring cleaning. When I get in the right mood, I can clean & organize for hours. Hopefully I will be getting in that mood a lot in the next few weeks!

Im working on the Apartment Therapy Spring Cure for the first and much needed time! I have been living in my apartment for about 10 months now and got 1/2 way settled then busy/not sure how long I was saying. I have finally decided that I will be resigning my lease, so will be here until at least June 2010! So let the official settling in begin! I have things to do like typical reorganizing and decluttering, but I also have a few projects including:

Setting up my wireless internet (I am VERY technically challenged...and continue to put this off. It really is a big "project" for me... :-/ )
Fixing my "jewelry situation", which includes a craft project involving finding well worn wood and my random assortment of Anthropolgie hooks (love)
Lightening up my dark wood living room...somehow...any ideas are MORE than welcome!
Adding interest to my boring white bedroom with horrible art that has been following me for a few years now. Considering painting an accent wall....

Here are my before pics taken via cell phone camera since my point and shoot is yet ANOTHER project needed to be taken care of (when I turn it on it zooms all the way in and won't zoom back out...hrmmm)

Apartment Therapy BEFORE pics...

I have a few other "projects" going on in my life at the moment that I am going to be blogging about on here as well. Check back for the excitement to follow!!!

Im alive...

2009-02-26T22:44:00.001-05:00

....barely... no reinforcements were sent in!!!

Spring is coming...spring is coming...spring is coming...

Cold Already!?

2008-10-07T13:22:00.003-04:00

Where did the summer go!?
Oh no... I am not sure if I am ready for this... Yesterday the high in the forecast was 54 degrees...in the first week of Oct!! I can't remember the last time I saw that during the day in LA! Oh dear... I can do it though! I have my scarves, peacoats, boots, uggs, heaters, gloves... Just need some actual snow boots and some legwarmers & thicker socks and I am all set!... I hope!
If you haven't heard from me by Dec... send in reinforcements!

June in Boston

2008-06-29T11:36:00.005-04:00

Yes, I have neglected to post on here, leaving some to believe I gave up, sank into a hole somewhere, etc. Actually, its the exact opposite! I am still loving Boston more than ever. Like I have said before, I really feel at home here. It still shocks me when I remember that I have only been here for just over 2 months! It feels like much longer. I am excited to see what the next 2-6 months has in store for me.

I did leave for almost a week to visit family in Maine and a quick weekend trip to Vegas that was planned before I moved. When I landed back in Boston after the trip I was so excited to be back and realized how much I missed it over the 5 days prior.

I am now hanging out & relaxing on my roofdeck having a summer drink and snack with Val and her dog Padme (who isnt as relaxed as Val & I! She hates the deck and seems like she thinks she will fall through the TINY cracks with each step! It quite cute...). Its so relaxing up here with the nice weather, just a bit overcast, but enough sun and breeze to make it really enjoyable and watching the sailboats on the Charles, etc.

I am so excited to have visitors over the month of July. My sister will be here July 3rd- 26th to nanny for a family she nannys for out in Seattle. They are originally from Boston area and have rented a house on the Cape for a month. They paid to have Claire come out to stay with them Tues-Thurs and then will send her back to Boston on the commuter rail to spend every weekend with me. I am excited to share with her whats its like living in the city, getting around by relying on public transportation, etc. Also in mid July one of my closest and friends and her 4yr old son, Conner are coming for a week as well. I am just as excited to spend time with them in my city and see the city through the eyes of a child, which I am already aware as can be completely exciting.

I also have some preliminary pics up of my apartment on my Picasa site:
http://picasaweb.google.com/sarbeaumont/Boston
I will have some more pics of being out in the city this month and of my apartment once my sister helps me with GOOD decorating :)
Hope everyone is well! I do miss my friends in LA...and hope to see you all sooner rather than later! MUAH!

Go Celtics!

2008-05-21T21:53:00.001-04:00

Sunday I went out with a friend to watch the very exciting Game 7 of the Celtics vs. Cavs game at a bar across the street from the arena they were playing in (TD Banknorth Garden...where I will be seeing NKOTB in Sept!!...don't judge! It will be fun!!!) It was so exciting being in the heart of Boston fans while the Celts took game 7 and moved on to the Conference Finals. And walking back when all of the fans that were just in the game were walking out, cheering, hollering, etc.
I have also been trampled by heards of Red Sox fans heading to Fenway Park on more than one occassion! Those people are motivated to get to their game! And I got my first ticket to a Red Sox game at Fenway park. Its not until Sept 25th, on Val's birthday, to watch the Red Sox take on the Cleveland Indians. Should be an exciting game if y'all remember the playoffs last year and how pumped I was about the Red Sox vs Indians series! The ticket is already posted on the fridge with the Red Sox season schedule. I am on my way to being a true Red Sox fan. I already have my hat too! Its hanging right next to my Indians hat ;-) haha.
Tomorrow is Game 2 of the NBA Conference finals. Celtics won game 1, of course...! Let's hope that Game 2 goes just as well!
GO BOSTON!

Busy in Boston!

2008-05-18T16:54:00.002-04:00

So the past week has been crazy & has flown by super fast. I have even started writing this blog 4 times now!. Last week was prep for moving including reorganizing my suitcases for the 27th time, chasing down checks, approvals & signatures, finding a moving company last minute to go out to West Bridgewater, MA to unload my ReloCube into their moving van & coming out to Beacon Hill because the ReloCube could not be dropped off in Beacon Hill...grrr! I also had a big 2 day meeting for work in which we had people from all over the US, the UK and Denmark here for a yearly meeting which included busy & exhausting days and late nights out. Then was the actual moving in day on Friday, running errands and then just vegging out at Val & Eggies after a long week with a glass of wine & watching 27 Dresses...ahhhh :- )

New Apartment!

2008-05-10T10:07:00.001-04:00

The most exciting part of this whole move...still hasn't happened! After much frustrations I finally confirmed my apartment about a week ago, but still cannot move in until the 15th! Which means, by the time I move in, I will have been living on Val & Edgar's couch for just about a month! I have started to have dreams about my bed, feather bed mattress pad, down comforter....ahhh I need to stop...I'm longing! But I keep reminding myself that in the end, this time on the futon will seem like nothing and I will be in my wonderful new apt!
I found the most adorable place in Beacon Hill! It is full of character & and old world feel. I almost feel like a blacksmith living in the 1700's! The front door is wooden arched w/ rod iron features and a big knocker. Even the door to my bedroom is a big wooden door. It is all refinished hardwood floors, an amazing brick fireplace, dark wooden built ins & window seating area. The entrance way is stone & exposed brick w/ a niche for a cool candle or statue or something...all kinds of ideas have been swirling in my head, but I still can't move in for a week!
Here are a couple pics...more to follow once I move in next weekend and start decorating!

Shedding Baggage

2008-05-10T00:13:00.001-04:00

So one of my big goals with this move is to start fresh. Shed my extra baggage (personal possessions as well as physical & emotional baggage as well) The first part was easy when I focused on packing up only the things I loved & knew I needed to take. Those were loaded into the cube first and just as I thought (and secretly hoped) there wasn't too much room for much else. So as Ali & Wendy can attest to...I shed a lot of actual extra baggage!

Next step, physical! I already was doing a good job of this in LA before I left. I had joined the gym...again! But had gotten into a very good routine of going almost every day right after work. I even had a personal trainer for about a month which showed me, that although he was helpful in pushing me further, I didn't need him as much as I thought I did for the motivation to get me into the gym each day. Now that I am in Boston, the gym memberships here are sky high! But luckily Val has been going to a small womens gym just down the street for only $30/mo. I started going this week and really like it.

Welcome to Beantown!

2008-05-09T18:43:00.001-04:00

Boston...Beantown...the Commonwealth...home of the Massholes, Patriots, Celtics and of course the Boston Red Sox. Also home of many prestigious colleges, MIT & Harvard, Boston Univ & Boston College, Northeastern, etc. Full of colonial history, Paul Revere's ride, the Old North Church, Bunker Hill, the Boston Tea Party, USS Constitution. And now, is the city I call home!

I have been here just about 3 weeks now and am loving every minute. From my morning walk down Cambridge Street to the T stop (subway stop), across the Charles River and into MIT campus while I walk across the street to Biogen Idec. From walking around the corner from the apt and already being in Boston Commons. Walking down Charles Street's old brick uneven sidewalks in heels and almost breaking my ankle everytime. Seeing the flower shops with fresh beautiful flowers on the sidewalk every morning. Overhearing one man ask another man he didnt know "what the score was" because he knew that because he was sitting on a bench reading a paper with headphones in...he HAD to be listening to the Red Sox game, and was getting ready for the 8pm Celtics tip off. Taking the subway home on Patriots Day back into the city and seeing the opposite train living the city full of people in Red Sox gear and "silver blankets" because they just finished running the Boston Marathon...and are now taking the subway home!

Where else are you going to be walking down a street and pass 2 old pubs, a Starbucks, the Old State House, CVS Pharmacy, the Old City Hall, now complete w/ a Ruth's Chris and the graveyard where Sam Adams is buried...all on one block! All these things and more are what make Boston a great town. Its a big city with a small town feel. I do not feel intimidated by the city, I do not feel that I am being judged. I feel comfortable and confident again. I can't wait to see what the city has in store for me!