It's Thanksgiving 2007

Luke, Rachel and I had a lovely Thanksgiving.

The meal turned out really really tasty. We had: tofurky, stuffing, green bean casserole, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffed sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. It was ALL vegan. I was primarily responsible for the sweet potatoes and they were voted the favorite dish!

With only three of us eating, we have lots of leftovers (which we ate for lunch the next day and it was maybe even better the second day). While cooking, we had fun listening to music and watching the "Friends" Thanksgiving episodes.

The theme of the day was doing whatever we wanted. For example, we spent half the day in our pajamas. We watched TV while we ate our dinner. We didn't leave the house. A common phrase was, "Do what you want - it's Thanksgiving 2007!"

It kinda felt like we were kids pretending to be adults. But I'm very proud of us because the meal really was good and we did it all on our own.

On Friday, the three of us lounged around and then finally got dressed and ran a few errands in JP. Then we went into Allston (another neighborhood of Boston) and ate at this really great vegan Asian restaurant. We ordered way too much food so we had more leftovers to add to the already packed fridge.

Luke and Rachel left today. I worked at a Cultural Bazaar in Cambridge all afternoon. Equal Exchange is one of the sponsors, so we were selling coffee, tea, chocolate and snacks. It was fun but tiring. I'm doing it again tomorrow. It's basically this big fair with handmade crafts from all over the world. I got a scarf, mittens and two bracelets.

A Very Vegan Thanksgiving

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! I'll be celebrating w/ Luke and Rachel. We're making lots of (hopefully) delicious vegan dishes. (They are vegan. I'm not but I am vegan-friendly.) They get in tonight and stay through Saturday.

I'm going to have a busy next couple of days. After work, I have to shop for the meal, then I'm going to a Tegan & Sara concert downtown. I'm really excited for that. By the time I get home, L&R will be at my apartment waiting for me.

Then cooking/eating/chillaxing all day Thursday and Friday. Then I'm working an Equal Exchange event in Cambridge on Saturday and Sunday (four hours each day).

Sending a Thanksgiving hug to everyone! I'm thankful for you!
<3
aks

Ashley and Molly do Boston

Well, Molly has come and gone. It was so great to see her and be silly and laugh a lot.

I picked up Molly at the airport on Thursday night. Her flight was late and there was some construction on the subway so we didn't get back to my apartment until after midnight. I had to work all day Friday so Mols did the Freedom Trail while I was working. Then we met back up and got dinner and drinks at a pub in JP with some of my co-workers. It was a fun time - Equal Exchangers are funny.

On Saturday, Mols and I got up and headed into downtown Boston and I showed her some of my favorite Boston spots. We then went to the Isabella Gardner Museum. Isabella was an extremely wealthy art collector who left it in her will that her house had to stay exactly as it was when she died. So now it's a museum and the place is gorgeous! There's a huge courtyard in the middle of the house and art and antiques everywhere. Sadly, we weren't allowed to take photos. Our final stop was Cambridge/Harvard Square before we went back to my apartment. We made a quick wardrobe change and then went to a co-worker's house for a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner. It was all vegetarian and soooo good. I haven't eaten so much food since I got to Boston! We had a great time chatting with Equal Exchangers again.

We were pretty tired from the day's walking so we went home after a few hours. Then I had to take Molly back to the airport first thing this morning. I was so exhausted that I took a 2.5 nap this afternoon.

I've officially been in Boston for two months now, although it feels like I've been here longer! I am so glad I am here.

Of course, I miss you all!

I'm famous! (Not really.)

Check this out (scroll down to the second item): http://eeretail.stores.yahoo.net/specials.html
To see a larger version, click on the photo.

Saturday in the City

So apparently it's winter now. The weather has been cold and after daylight saving time (and on top of that, being farther east in the time zone), it is completely dark by 5pm. It makes me sleepy. It's also officially Christmastime. Stores are pulling out the annual holiday decorations and I heard my first holiday jingle on a TV commercial last night. Most of you know my soft spot for Christmas music (most likely thanks to my father), but I try to hold out until after Thanksgiving.

Anyway, this morning I enjoyed sleeping in - I allowed myself some extra time to just lay in my warm bed. When I finally got up and dressed, I walked to the subway station. I hadn't eaten yet, so I decided to stop at the Dunkin' Donuts along the way and see what all the fuss is about. I have to admit, my egg and cheese toasted bagel was tasty. And my pumpkin latte was really good as well. But the whole time I was drinking it, I kept thinking about how it was consumerism in a cup. It felt like I was cheating on Equal Exchange. I drank my latte and ate my breakfast sandwich on the train as I rode downtown. It was the kind of Saturday morning that one expects to have in the city.

I decided to go to the library and open a membership. I didn't have any proof of local residency on hand, so I wasn't able to borrow anything yet. But I had a book with me so I just read for a while in one of the reading rooms. The library is enormous - and so beautiful. I think I could spend all day there.

I ran a few other errands and then came back home. I just finished watching "The Hours," which never fails to move me (it is one of my favorite films). Now I think I'll drink some hot tea and read before eventually going to bed. To think I used to go to the bar on Saturday nights!

I remember one morning getting up at dawn, there was such a sense of possibility. You know - that feeling? And I remember thinking to myself, 'So, this is the beginning of happiness. This is where it starts. And of course there will always be more.' It never occurred to me it wasn't the beginning. It was happiness. It was the moment. Right then.
-"The Hours"

I Love Turtles

The weekend flew by! Luke and Rachel got here on Thursday night and spent the night at my house. They stayed the next night at Rachel's brother's house, but came back here Saturday evening. We went out to dinner in JP and then hung around at my apartment - playing board games and chatting and stuff. Nate (a friend from MSU) also met up with us for a bit, so that was nice. It was a little mini-reunion!

Today we got up and went to the aquarium on the North End. We saw many fish, sharks, turtles and penguins. We also went to an IMAX show about prehistoric sea monsters.

It's been fun hanging out with them and having a familiar face around. Hopefully I'll be seeing them again at Thanksgiving!