What's a Mint Julep?

I'm currently nursing a very big cup of coffee along side a big cup of water. 

Coffee to keep me up, last night was the Derby party for Sara's work. So much fun. 

Water to prepare me for Hip Hop Yoga tonight with Liz.

Yes you read that right, Hip Hop Yoga. We will be "ommming" to the musical stylings of Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas.  Equal parts excited and terrified.  I've gone to yoga classes and tivoed enough INHALE to be decently confident in my ability to downward/upward dog with the rest of them. However I've also gotten stuck in a yoga position and had to have Mom help me out.

This will be interesting for damn sure.

My standard form of exercise is running along the Charles. The beautiful, wonderful Charles. . . 

Yesterday I found myself in the Financial District looking for a place I was writing about for my internship.
(Related: Got feedback on my first piece, it was well received and will be on the website soon!)
((Also related: Next week I get to go to a restaurant and try some of their signature meals!))


Cannot be so close to the Wharf on a sunny day and not wander around.

On the T ride home there was what felt like hundreds of 8th graders. I was silently praying they would not be taking the same T as me, but alas no such luck.

 Too funny and awkward watching them for 6 stops. Painfully awkward actually, I had that secondhand embarrassment where you know you've been in that exact same position and you want it to stop so bad.

 (Looking at you girl who changed seats to sit next to the boy with the purple sunglasses).

Off to the races!

Liz and I met Sara in the North End for some pre-Kentucky-Derby-Work-Party beers. 

That T ride wasn't awkward at all (dripping in sarcasm). Everyone is in their casual clothes or some kind of Celtics gear and there's Liz and Brig, dressed for a party. Thankfully the hats were in a bag, because mine was definitely big enough to knock a couple people out.

The party was at the Seaport World Trade Center.  The place itself was gorgeous and the views of Boston were unreal.  It was fun putting faces to the names we hear in Sara's stories. 

Pictures that will give some hint as to the atmosphere we were in last evening...

Lists

This picture has nothing to do with anything. I just like it.

Cosmo interviewed Max Greenfield, who plays Schmidt on New Girl. Casually looking through the interview and I see this...


Q: Jess, Schmidt's roommate, is super quirky and girlie. What is some stuff women do that guys don't get?


A: I'll tell you right now what it is. Lists. All you guys want to do is make lists of things to do.


Now personally I think he should have just been honest and said guys don't get anything girls do. That said, the lists things is SPOT ON. At least for me. Lists that usually start with "#1. wake up", which I have been mocked for. I can't help it though, I like the outline.

.....

To Do, Today June 6th
1. Clean up around the apartment
2. Pilates or go for a run
3. Shower
4. Look over application and turn it in
5. Go to the places you need to write about for MSB


...See I am aware that all of that is stuff I was definitely going to do today anyways.
In fact I'm cheating because I already did clean up around the apartment. But I just like getting it all down anyway.

Here's a list thats subject to change.

This Summer..

1. Get a job. Seriously.

2. Go to the MFA when it's free on Wednesday and draw

3. Run, run, run. Hartford Half in October

4. Take pictures everyday. Draw everyday.

5. Read more.

6. Don't forget that sometime July you have an online summer class

7. Kick ass at internship

8. Go to Yankees v. Red Sox

That list could continue for the entire summer so I might as well just chop it off there. Eventually it'll be a list of things I did do this summer which is always fun. When we were younger, Emily and I would make predictions. Obviously it was mostly about boys and always super hopeful. However we quit that game when we realized our "predictions" were coming true in all the worst versions of themselves. 

Things have been good this week. Feeling positive about one job (fingers crossed that I didn't just jinx it) and tomorrow we're attending a Kentucky Derby themed party for Sara's work! Last night we were all casually sitting around on our computers in our big hats. I guess we're all a little excited.

Internship has started, hence the picture right below this. 

No I do not work at a pet store, I did however write about them. My first review for MySecretBoston is about Audrey's Pet Store. It still needs to be edited and such but eventually it will be on the website! 

Last night Sar and I went to the bar for trivia while Liz had her soccer game. We desperately wanted to go to the game and heckle everyone and cheer embarrassingly for Liz, but sadly did not have the means of transportation. Much to Liz's delight and our dismay. 

Anyway, we're at the bar and supposedly there is a certain crowd that is usually at said bar for trivia. I was promised attractive businessy bros that a couple years ago were probably at the college bar and now have jobs. But once a bro always a bro.

So they're like better dressed versions of the selves they were in college. With jobs.

ALAS they were no where to be found. The bar was actually pretty empty, which can be attributed to the fact that it was a beautiful sunshiney day so maybe people were outside? (or maybe these business "men" do not exist and Sar and Liz have been joking?)

Out we went! Into the wild. Just a casual hunt for a liquor store, and then Sar and I sat along the Charles and like the classiest of ladies drank wine from the bottle. While listening to a little Arcade Fire and having great conversation.

(And avoiding the heron that looked like it was hungry and was not against drinking it's calories and stealing our wine.)

FUN FACT I've learned about myself in the past week, which sadly will never make it onto a resume BUT IS A PRETTY COOL TRICK....

I can now open a bottle of wine with a pair of scissors, apartment keys or a butter knife.

Related: I love wine.

Relatedx2: Invest in a real wine opener.

I don't want to brag...oh wait yes I do that is a great trick! Excuse me, a great SKILL.

On Wednesday's the Museum of Fine Arts is open after 4 for free. 

(Well technically they ask if you want to donate any money but my goodness I'm poor leave me alone!)

I will definitely be going again and bringing my sketchbook. I liked it in there. Some kinda weird stuff in the contemporary art section that annoyed me, but that's always the case.  Like how the heck does someone get three white cubes sitting next to each other in a museum? PSCH.

Maybe when I grow up I will have a Museum-of-art-I-deem-worthy and only put in good sketching and things I really like. Naturally I will highlight all my greatest works. 

JOKES about that. But honestly some of the stuff, excuse me art, in the contemporary section were not what I would consider art. 

Their current exhibition was Alex Katz prints. Those I really liked. It was kinda Andy Warhol-esque in a way. There was also a boy sketching one of them and I wanted to stand behind him and breathe down his neck and watch him draw. (It didn't hurt he was kinda cute). I held back no worries.  

It was pretty cool. I only spent an hour in there because
I was off to meet Sara so I will definitely be going back.

And mostly I've just been wandering and running and applying for jobs. 

This weekend we will play on Friday and then head home Saturday for Kik's prom. WHICH IS JUST NUTS TO ME. She's so old! I'm so old! Oh man oh man oh man. 

Expect a super nostalgic post about how I'm old and miss things, and by things I mean getting super dressed up and taking pictures. Why don't we have dances in college?

Oh wait we do, it's the bar and it's terrifying. 

Finally all together so today the Connolly's did Mother's Day. Got a nice family photo out of it.

(Not so secret secret... I LOVE THESE PEOPLE)

Tonight

Officially moved to Boston! 

And by moved to, I mean staying with Liz and Sar for the summer. 

I mean you know it's pretty serious when keys are exchanged. 

It hasn't really hit me yet that HERE I AM. I think it's because I have no set schedule yet. So I still feel like this is a joke vacation and there is a final to study for or paper to write that I'm forgetting. Thing is, at home if I have free time, it usually means a run or a nap (okay let's be honest, a nap). Here though it's like when I was in Florence, there is SO MUCH to explore that napping would just be rude. The whole city would think I was just rude for sleeping when I could be aimlessly wandering.

Which is just what I did today. Applied for jobs that will pay me and then proceeded to go for a run and then walk around a bit. Tomorrow there will be loads more of that.

Friday night I got back to Southbury and proceeded to talk Mom and Sean's ears off. My day to day in Jersey left me talking to a dog for the majority and I was slightly starved for humans. (Kristina was great but had homework, friends of her own and a bed time). I hadn't seen my brother in actual months and my Mommabear in what FELT like months (one week) so I was happy to stay up talking. 

Saturday we were up and at 'em...I know that's a phrase but it's weird to type. Maybe its one of those things people just say? I won't write it again. ANYWAY Saturday we awoke from slumber and were off to Bahston. Moving me in conveniently coincided with Earthfest sponsored by WholeFoods and Radio 92.9. This meant that the free samples were healthy and the music was good! We had a lunch of free samples- pizza and Nantucket Nectar. We should have really stocked up on those dranks because MY GOODNESS it was hot. (For some of us, others were smart and sat in the shady spots). 

We had a spot right by the water and adjacent to the stage. Plopped ourselves down and enjoyed the atmosphere, patiently waiting for Third Eye Blinds appearance. 

I dozed off at one point and opened my eyes to find Liz gone. Where was she? Oh just off getting the best lemonade you ever did taste. We were all a little too sunned and it did just the trick!

Here's our man Stephan Jenkins, on stage in sweltering heat in a black hoodie.

 Only you Stephan, only you.

The four of us than went to Tasty Burger, which never fails to be the most delicious burger and fries. Once Sean and Kiks were on the road again, Liz and I got back, rested a bit and then Sara returned from Reach The Beach. After some deliberation and showers we decided that it was only fitting to go out for a bit. I'm glad we did, and I'm pretty sure so are the majority of people that got a kick out of our dance moves at the bar. Silliest/weirdest moves definitely go to the three of us on Saturday!

On Sunday it was glorious out so Liz and I walked to the park. Spent the day reading/napping/drawing in the park till it was time for Liz to go to yoga. 

We also so a tragic duckling/parent separation and than A REUNION! It was beautiful.

Sar and I got salads and they were delicious, so I took a picture (OF COURSE)

That's been Boston so far. There will be plenty more pictures and stories. Cheers

More to Come..