cambridge in june

probably not the best condition to blog - but here we go...

My mantra since being in the city is, "forgive me, I'm from the country." My recent rural island isolation has resulted in some pretty awkward moments such as the one where I stuck a T ticket in backwards, (jamming the machine and requiring assistance from official T staff) as well as the admitting of - rather publicly - that I didn't even know that the NBA finals happened and were subsequently won by the (Boston!) Celtics ("oh, pro basketball?").

Laurie says I'm "scaffolding" (teacher lingo) by stopping in Boston and getting my stimulation on before NYC, and judging by my jumpy reaction to the post-parade tension between the many, many, many police and all those Sports fans - I am pretty sure she is on to something. I find myself looking up at buildings and signage instead of out over a landscape. As much as I treasure my very privileged view of Cypress island, i am loving these new views and their accompanying smells and sounds.

So aside from all the gazing and country/city comparisons I've been dropping cash all over the city. Ten recent purchases:

1) large iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts - which are as abundant as starbucks in seattle

2) yoga class - maybe the best I've ever had in a studio so gorgeous for a price so cheap I'm pretty sure its a front

3) shoes - I brought some really unseasonable footwear (turns out june is not so much cold and wet) so laurie patiently accompanied me to about six shoes stores as I searched for anything remotely cute/comfortable/and my size. I finally broke down, went to macy's and jammed by size nine feet into size 8.5 flats. My left heel is looking pretty freaking gory. I'm playing through.

4) A Voice and Nothing More by Mladden Dolar from the critical theory section of the Harvard Bookstore, the one not associated with Harvard.

5) T tickets (see above)

6) a bus ticket to New York for $15 from Fung Wa bus company, which promises to drop us of in Chinatown tommorrow.

7) lots and lots of very average beer (tasted like apricots?) from the People's Republic bar in central square. Odd music choices (bob Marley, phish, wilco) for a bar decorated with photos of che and strange soviet-ish painting. They have a pretty great tradition that i want instituted elsewhere - when a car was pulled over in front of the bar the lights went off, disco balls lowered and Bee gees blared - so as to better accommodate the flashing lights of the cop car. It was kind of amazing how well it worked out. Anyway, it made the bartender very happy.

8) 75 cents worth of cashews from the bar vending machine for laurie's very smart, very sweet, very drunk friend.

9) Dollar for shoe-less guy selling (stolen?found?donated?) gap jeans @ 3:00 a.m. in Harvard square

10) ice cream at a shop with astro turf on the walls (see right)

on to New York City.