Mamma Mia and Apple Pie

Whew, fourth of July came and went...

My time here in Boston is spending itself, and while my intent was to work to save money this summer, according to my bank statements, its more like my job is there to support my extended New England Holiday.

We had 4th of July off wednesday, and we began the day by going out to the old fort on Castle Island to watch the USS Constitution sail out (or be towed out) and fire off a 21 gun salute. The USCGC Eagle was out there too, which is another giant tall ship which was also kind of fun. Then we walked around the fort and watched the Blue Angels do flyovers.

In the afternoon, we headed over to the bandshell on the esplanade beside the Charles river to try to catch the Boston Pops 4th of July concert, but since we got there less than two hours before the performance was supposed to begin, it was impossible to get in. The esplanade park was absolutely packed. Seething mass of humanity, and major streets had been closed down to accommodate the movement of all the people.

We were lucky to find a small patch of grass in front of some other picnickers on the edge of the river, and as the afternoon wore on, the boggy grass and marsh plants got beat down and sat upon by an obnoxious and boisterous group of early 20somethings/late teens who chain smoked the entire time. Saori and I both wished we could just push them the extra foot into the river, although I'm sure they were being eaten alive by all the bugs they were fighting. We were also sitting next to a very quiet Indian man who works as a programmer for the US government, who hauled out his tripod to take firework photos.

The concert was not bad, as they broadcast the music around the park. A few selected works from John Williams as it was his 80th birthday, which is understandable, and a few pieces from ABBA which was completely bizarre. When I think of 4th of July and America, of course Mamma Mia jumps to mind. And Jennifer Hudson, who at least is an American.

The show was interrupted because of the threat of storms, so they told everyone to evacuate the park for about half an hour until they changed their mind and told everyone that they could go back to where they were waiting. Most people, who had fought tooth an nail for several hours to get to where they were, and to fight for their territory with the grit of pioneers, were not going to budge. It didn't rain, anyway.

At least, not until the fireworks started. And then it poured like the apocalypse was upon us. Our location to see the fireworks was great, right on the edge of the river, watching all the pleasurecraft on the charles, with MIT accross the river, and the city lit up at night, but we seriously got drenched out there.

The display was alright. Number one, I'm just not that into fireworks. Number two, after seeing the entire sky filled with fireworks in London bringing in the new year, the average American 4th of july is just not going to cut it, especially with all the waiting and fighting for space and crowding. I still do hate confined spaces, and we were basically on a island with literally no space to even sit down.

Anyway, we walked home and we were almost dry by the time we got back to the apartment.

Last weekend, we took it easy. Finally hit the Museum of fine arts which is right next door. While I bitched about the $20 entry fee (even for students!) the museum is pretty stellar, world class. Great American collection with famous portraits of patriots. Plus, we can get in free within the next ten days, which means we can come back next weekend for round two. Spent a few hours reading and lounging in a cafe nearby.

The next day, we went to Nantasket beach, a bit of a hike from the city. Without a car, you have to take the red line to Quincy Station, then take bus 220 to the depot in Higham, then there's a $2 shuttle which runs you to the beach. But I didn't know about the shuttle, so Saori gamely walked the 2 miles with me along the highway to the beach, and we caught a taxi back to the station.

The beach was wonderful. Not much space. A little rocky. Tons of people out enjoying the day. But the water was great. A mix of cold and warm as the tide was coming in, and it was amazing to be able to go out and play in the surf, body surf, and simply to float on our backs and close our eyes and let the waves wash us around. We spent about two hours at the beach, most of it in the water, and when we left, we both remarked about how invigorated we felt. Definately would go back.

The job goes well. Still making models at various scales. Feels like camp, making models and playing with cardboard and glue all day. Be nice if there were some cheap eats nearby.

Getting a lot of reading done. Finished Blue Death (a book about the history of Cholera and public waterworks), the biography John Adams which was excellent and definitely fits the place, and Bldg Blog  book which is a collection of essays, notes, and small articles about architecture, landscape, and infrastructure. I'm currently working my way though The Death and Life of Cities by Jane Jacobs, The Complete works of HR Lovecraft, and a book about ecological models of business, which is one of the hideously depressing things I've read in awhile (the only way we're not going to completely screw ourselves is  [read: total collapse of civilization] if corporations and the world economies decide to focus on something other than power or money).