Far be it from me to ignore a meme.

For those of you unaware of what the word "meme" means, you can find out here. Apparently I’ve been “tagged” by JSpad at 12 Frogs to tell 5 things about myself that people don't know. Since I generally don’t write about personal things, I suppose there is a lot about me that you all don’t know, but I’ll attempt to make this semi-interesting.

1) My day job is reading other people’s mail.

No, I don’t work for the Bush Administration. I’m an archivist and I work mainly with what are known in the biz as manuscript collections. Basically, this involves taking other people’s personal papers, arranging them into some semblance of order and then creating an inventory so that researchers (ie writers, professors, college students, documentary producers, etc., etc.) will be able to use the collections for. . .well. . .research. I’ve held in my hands, to name just a few, letters written by Vladimir Nobokov, Anais Nin, Che Guevara, Jackie Kennedy, Walt Disney and Oprah.

2) My 15 minutes of fame came and went in 9^th grade.

My 9^th grade year was spent at Christopher Columbus High School in the North End. In the spring of that year, Sears selected the Old North Church as a site to film a commercial for Sears paint. The premise was that Sears paint was so good that they were using it to spruce up the Old North Church. The production company needed extras to play a tour group. CCHS, being so close, turned out to be convenient and they contacted the principal to ask for some students to be extras in the commercial. The principal decided that this was a good way to encourage scholarship and allowed the students who had been on the honor roll the previous quarter to have a day off of school to shoot the paint commercial. I only saw it on television once. My theory was that it must have been shown more in non-Boston markets because people in Boston take the Old North Church for granted, but I don’t really know.

3) I did not grow up in Eastie.

What?!!! I hear you say. I know she’s said she grew up in East Boston. Well, it’s not completely untrue. My address was in Revere and that was where I went to school until High School, however, I spent most of my waking hours in East Boston, because my dad owned a restaurant in Eastie, which many long time residents will remember—Morelli’s Café (now currently the site of Kelly’s Square Pub at 84 Bennington St.) My cousins lived in Eastie and most of my friends, so even though I slept in Revere, I feel like I grew up in Eastie.

4) This falls under the category of sad.

I record General Hospital every day. I don’t necessarily watch it every day, but I’ve been watching the show since I was in junior high and I don’t see any reason to stop. Yes it’s hokey and melodramatic, but it’s so much fun. It’s my little guilty pleasure.

5) The Red Sox Organization is my nemesis.

Ok, maybe nemesis is a strong word, but because my birthday is in the beginning of October, the Sox screw up my birthday every year that they are in playoffs. It’s impossible to plan anything, because people either won’t go anywhere near downtown or they won’t go anywhere that does not involve a bar and several dozen TV’s all tuned to “the game.” I had this problem even for my 30^th birthday party! Ever since then, I try to go away for my birthday, so I don’t have to be in competition with the Sox.

I guess I'm supposed to tag 5 other people, but I'm only doing 3 because I'm a rebel:

Breakfast at Tiffany's: This is my buddy Tiffany's blog. She is awesome and she is my fellow Libra, however, I don't think the Red Sox Organization is also her nemesis. She actually likes baseball.

Cynical: A LIfe: Shelly's blog was one of the first Eastie blogs I came across after I started mine.

Webster Street Minutes: Lewis' posts always pop up in my google news alerts.

Upcoming art events.

Once again, thank you to Gloria Carrigg for keeping me in the loop:


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Connolly Branch Library

75th Anniversary Celebration

_______________________

75 Anniversario de la

Biblioteca Connolly

Celebrating 75th years of

service to the Community 1932-2007

Reception:

Monday April 30, 2007 from 6-9 PM

Carla Osberg and Gloria Carrigg will be Exhibiting

"Faces of JP", Exhibit curator Gloria Carrigg

Connolly Branch Library

433 Centre Street

Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Tel.617-522-1960

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Brookline Artists' Open Studios

April 28 & 29
11 AM-6 PM

Gloria will be exhibiting at the Brookline Senior Center at 93 Winchester St.

You can download a pdf of the studio map here.

Or visit the Brooline Artists' web site here.

It's Friday!! Time for fun.

You'll notice a theme a certain theme this week.

First, let me introduce you to the new sport of "Pug Bowling." Make sure to watch it all the way through for the end titles.



It's funny. I tend to have the same reaction to "Americas Funniest Home Videos" as this little guy.



And last but not least, to take us to the weekend, a perfect example of why dogs are better than some men.

Zumix Radio Blog

Just found out that Zumix Radio now has a blog. They've posted some great interviews done by the kids so that you can stream them right through the blog. I swear these kids do better interviews than half the adult interviewers I've heard. It's a nice source for Eastie news. The lastest posting is an interview of Blossom Hoag, Clerk of the Friends of the East Boston Greenway about the progress of the Greenway and the Bremen Street Park. If you are interested in the Greenway, the next council meeting is on April 26th at the Eastie YMCA.

Eastie makes it into the "Paper of Record."

Eastie made it into the New York Times this week in a book review of T.D. Thornton's book Not By A Long Shot, a chronicle of the 200o season at Suffolk Downs. The reviewer felt that Thornton got a little too focused on the running of the track, while neglecting the human subjects that showed up in his story. However, he points out the strength of the books saying:

The grim pleasures of Mr. Thornton’s book lie in the details of the daily racetrack routine, and the oddities of life at the gritty East Boston oval. When an unidentified carcass appears on the track, it inspires a furious round of betting in the press room. “I’m offering 100 to 1 on it being a mink,” an impromptu bookmaker says. “You also get to keep the pelt if it is.” The animal turns out to be a muskrat (10 to 1 odds).

Best of all are the races. Although he has an unfortunate tendency to use the word “steed,” Mr. Thornton describes horse races with great flair, even when they involve no-hopers like Lonicut, an ancient 10-year-old looking for his second lifetime win after 34 races. This is racing too. They can’t all make it to Churchill Downs in May.

I find this interesting given all the stories lately that have come out about the possibility of turning Suffolk Downs into a casino.

Coastal Development Massachusetts LLC, headed by developer Richard Fields of New York, has purchased the largest ownership interest in the company that runs Suffolk Downs racetrack. He is expected to try to turn the tired horse-racing venue into a modern entertainment complex that would include shops, restaurants, live entertainment, family activities, and -- if state government embraces it -- casino gambling.

I'm not sure how I feel about having a casino right in the middle of Eastie and Revere. I don't have a problem with casinos in Massachusetts as a rule, but it just seems weird to me that you would be able to ride the T to a casino. Also, I wonder what kind of traffic this would generate in the area. I know people feel like it could bring business to the area and that is definitely a possibility, but my experience of casinos is that once people get in them, they don't come out and explore the surrounding area. I wonder if it would actually draw business away from East Boston.

I love Flickr

I came across photos by a user named jspad, (who also writes 12frogs.) Her photos are really beautiful, but of course, I'm going to point you to her amazing Eastie photos. Check out this slide show. To wet your appetite, this is one of my favorites:

eastie as seen from boston, originally uploaded by jspad.

Friday Fun #3 (almost Saturday)

Kittens rock!!!

Another great Eastie Blogger

A great post about what it's like to live in Eastie on Fabulously Out There. She says:

I love leaving my house in the morning and walking by rows upon rows of triple deckers. The funky colors of the triple deckers, the diversity of people living in them.

I live in a neighborhood that's heavily Latino, and I love it. I love seeing parents who walk their kids to the bus stop. I love hearing Spanish all around me.

I love smelling the fresh bread at Spinelli's in the morning and I wonder what the Brazilian BBQ place could possibly be cooking at 8 a.m. when I walk by.

I couldn't agree more. Read the rest of her post here.

New Exhibit in J.P.

A new exhibit is opening this month curated by Gloria Carrigg. Check it out if you are in the neighborhood:

John Marshall Dike

Watercolor Exhibit

Sweet Christopher's
601 CentreStreet
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

For hours call: 617-522-1277

John Marshall Dike has exhibited in many public libraries, as well as his home studio gallery.

At the age 59, he recently retired from his artist position of fifteen years at the VA Hospital in Jamaica Plain.

John's artwork has received recognition awards from well recognized Artists Association in U.S. and abroad.

© John Marshall Dike