Birthday party at Golden Temple

The E Room early in the evening. I prefer to call it the spaceship though. Later most of the tables are moved to make room for dancing.

Cousins! Alexis, myself and Lauren. I'm not drunk (that came later) just squinty from the flash.

DJ with CDs was replaced by DJ with bucket hat. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. I will be sure to report back when I find out.

I wish I had more photos but I left my digital camera at home and my phone was dying. You'll just have to imagine me dancing my butt off.

So Long Meadow Glenn Mall

So long 90's Nails

After 37 years the Meadow Glenn Mall in Medford is closing its doors. I'm not surprised as the mall is very dated and mostly used as a gathering place for walking groups and the elderly. My last visit was in January of last year, which I blogged about here.

I honestly can't even remember why I went there since the mall is a bit out of the way for me.

There's something a bit depressing but also nostalgic about dated malls, which is why I was drawn to take pictures on my last trip. If I lived closer and had more time I would go for one last visit.

Kohl's and Marshalls are the only stores remaining open. The mall's 40 or so other stores have until the end of February to move everything out but the mall will be closed to the public as of February 1. It's being reported that the Rochester N.Y. grocery chain, Wegman's will be taking over the space. This would be the fifth Wegman's in Massachusetts.

I hope that the people who use the mall for a gathering place can find an alternative. I wish there were some indoor tracks in the Boston area. I think they would be very popular.

Check out the link to Ron Newman's flicker set below for more Meadow Glenn pictures.

More info at:

Boston.com "This Medford mall is closing, and the photos are really depressing"

Wicked Local Medford "Medford walking, community groups displaced by Meadow Glen Mall closing"

Ron's Newman's Flicker "Last Days of the Meadow Glenn"

Reasons why living in the city is the worst

But Ginny I thought you loved living in the city? Of course I do but it's not all roses and cute rabbits riding the T. Let's take a look at the darker side of city living.

REASONS WHY LIVING IN THE CITY IS THE WORST.

1. Rent is ridiculous. 

I hope you like people because you're going to need to live with six of them to afford rent. To move in all you need is first, last security, realtor fee that's a full months rent, pet fee and the sacrifice of your first born child. You're going to pay dearly for this tiny apartment that's falling apart around you. That's if you're lucky enough to find an apartment that isn't rented out to someone else while you're still standing in it.

2. It smells. 

You're walking down the street wondering if that was a rat or a squirrel that just ran by and then it hits you, the stench of something foul. What is it? Sewage? Trash? A vegan hipster who uses all natural deodorant or no deodorant at all? You'll never know.

3. Public transit is the worst. 

It smells, it's expensive, the employees hate you, it's crowded and doesn't work half the time because weather is happening.

You're guaranteed to encounter at least one person who is doing something extra disgusting like gutting a fish on the train or clipping their fingernails.

4. People are the worst.

They touch you, they shove you out of the way, they walk right into you because they're not going to move, they cut you in line when you're trying to buy your wine which you just don't do people! God forbid someone says excuse me or thank you or here let me buy that wine for putting up with me.

5. Pretentious bars and restaurants. 

Why hello there, we just created this craft cocktail made from truffles, tears and jalapenos. I hope you enjoy my urban bartender uniform featuring this lovely plaid button down shirt.

Can a girl just get a good old fashioned margarita or maybe a bud light that doesn't cost the price of a while six pack?

I would also like a larger portion of this food because I am an American and I have the right to a full plate of food if I'm paying $28.00 for my meal.

And maybe sometimes a girl just wants some unlimited salad and breadsticks from the Olive Garden but no, you offer me some experimental fusion food that is not even unlimited. Why must you be so expensive and lacking in breadsticks?

If you live in the city please feel free to share your worst stories. I live for that stuff.

Colds and winter birthdays are the worst

I've been a miserable sneezy mess all week. I felt it coming on early last week and I was hoping it was just allergies but no, it's a cold. Blast you winter! I had been planning on getting my license renewed but I believe they need a new photo from me and I don't want to look like Rudolph on my license. Who came up with the idea of your license expiring on your birthday? Happy birthday you have to go to the DMV sucker!

I knew I had to be a good girl and rest up so I stayed in all weekend which is very rare for me. I didn't leave the apartment except for a trip to the corner store. I read my book, I watched Pride & Prejudice and the new PBS drama Mercy Street, I took naps, I made myself pancakes, I stared out the window at the snow. I get bored pretty easily when stuck inside but I tried to make the best of it.

Saturday night I really want a glass of wine or a beer but I knew that would be a bad idea. The wine and the beer will be there when I'm better. I probably wouldn't have been able to really taste it and that's what I was craving, the taste, so no point in drinking when you can't even taste it.

I'm starting to feel better today. As much as I hate getting sick at least I got it out of the way before my birthday party next weekend. Last year Derek was sick for my party and the year before it was me. We're aiming for no one being sick this year.

I wish I had a summer birthday. You don't have to worry about snowstorms, colds or the Super Bowl interrupting your birthday plans. One year I'm going to go somewhere tropical on my birthday so I can see what it's like to have a "summer" birthday. It's good to have goals.

How anonymous are you online?

As a blogger I probably share too much about myself online. Now that I'm a bit older I don't spill my guts on the interwebs quite like I used to, but my face is still plastered all over this blog. 

My friend Fiona recently started a blog (I 100% take credit for inspiring her) and when she posted a picture of me in a blog post this is what it looked like.

Paraffin treatment or cartoon surgery?

I laughed because I look like I came straight out of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I thought Fiona did it for fun but she did it in case I didn't want my face on her blog. I thought that was very nice of her but assured her that I don't mind my face on her blog. 

I think if I had a government job or worked with kids I would be more careful about posting photos of myself on a blog. One rule I do have is that I never post about clients on my blog. That is absolutely confidential and I could get in big trouble for that. I have come across a couple of blogs where I'm pretty sure if the blogger's employer found the blog, they would be fired. It's not worth it.

Some bloggers share everything. I'm talking semi nude photos of themselves or their children. If someone wants to pose topless and post that online, well that's their business but when I see naked pictures of kids on instagram or on a blog I cringe. There are a lot of creeps on the internet and what might seem like a cute, harmless photo to me and you could be seen and used in a bad way by some internet perv.

The worst is when you're reading a blog and then BAM topless photo. Yikes, I wasn't expecting that. The best part was when a blogger's mother commented on a post with a topless photo of the blogger. I then imagined my mother seeing me like that online and died from embarrassment at the thought of it. 

There are times when I wonder what a blogger looks like *cough cough* Gia and Spark *cough cough*, but I understand why they would want to be semi-anonymous online. There's a lot of crazy people out there! It also gives them an air of mystery. What do they actually look like?

The downside of resting nice face

I've blogged before about how I have "resting nice face". Sometimes this can lead to meeting fun, interesting people but sometimes it can lead straight to conversation hell.

I went to Ward 8 last night for drinks for my friend Amy's birthday. I met Amy on Valentines Day many years ago volunteering at a soup kitchen. When I first got to the bar there was a woman by herself sitting near Amy. I started talking to Amy and her friends and at some point the woman interjected herself into the conversation. It was general chit chat so no harm done there. I had no idea what was to come.

Amy walks over to the entrance of the bar to greet some more friends coming in. It was at this point that I became trapped in a 45 minute one sided conversation. I barely say anything while this woman tells me her whole life story. I even know the details of every coat she owns including where she purchased them and for how much. Amy tried to rescue me by pulling me away to "introduce" me to someone and the woman followed me and kept talking. I was really getting annoyed at this point because I would like to spend time with my friend on her birthday.

I don't even remember why she finally left, I was just thrilled when she did. Amy apologized for not rescuing me. I told her she tried but we're both too nice so I was doomed.

Joe, maybe your daughter can help me with my resting bitch face.

That's a lot of balls y'all

Are you playing the Powerball? It's up to 1.5 billion and it seems like everyone is buying tickets. I'm not one to gamble or play the lottery but when all of my coworkers were going in on tickets I decided I had no choice. If I didn't go in then they would definitely win and I would be the only one not getting a piece of that sweet Powerball pie. Now that I've put in my $2.00 we're pretty much guaranteed to lose. I really have no luck when it comes to games of chance.

It's fun to fantasize about what I would do if I won. My fantasies include paying off debt, buying a reasonably priced motor vehicle and a house that has a dishwasher and a washer and dryer. I would not take the lump sum payment, I would take the annuity to save on taxes. I've got it all planned out.

Why can't someone reasonable like me win? It always ends up being some elderly person in the Midwest or J. Lo's mom.

I can't take credit for the title of this post. I saw it on a sign outside my local convenience store and it made me laugh.

Danielle, Apt B

I feel bad for Danielle. Having a package stolen sucks and to have it be something of sentimental value is even worse. I usually have my packages delivered to my work except for the cat litter I order from Amazon. I figure if someone goes through all that effort to steal a very heavy box and then opens it up to discover it's cat litter, that would be pretty hilarious.

I hope Danielle gets her records back but I have a feeling they won't be returned.

Today is No Pants Day on the T. I'm renting a Zipcar and going food shopping. #nopantsboston

It's pouring rain out today and it's No Pants Day on the T. I plan on renting a Zipcar and doing a big food shopping trip. I will be wearing pants. Try to stay dry if you do participate. Maybe bring a towel to sit on and dry off with.

Here's a video by James Cobalt of last years ride in Boston.


The ride starts at 2 pm and the pants free after party is at McGreevy's at 3:30. You can find out more info on the event Facebook page.

Saturday catnap

What a cute little brat.

What's in the bag?

New gloves!

Cute and lined for maximum warmth and maximum cuteness.

Where is the baby? Also please consider donating to my GoFundMe for my new soundproof mansion.

1) The baby is in one of those bags.

B) The baby is under all of the bags.

CAT) The bags are her "baby" and they are going for a stroll.

Polls are now open! Don't forget to vote in the comments.

P.S. Can you tell I'm really really tired, not because I have a baby but because I have to deal with baby college students who like to scream Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of their lungs at one in the morning. I'm considering leaving them a passive aggressive note on their door. I'm also considering starting a GoFundMe to purchase a soundproof mansion. I'll have a pool so if you contribute you can come buy and swim in it sometimes. It will be nice and quiet.

1 Second Everyday is the perfect app for a documenter

On January 1st I discovered an app called 1 Second Everyday. Perfect timing because the idea behind the app is that you take the moments of your life and then the app puts those moments together into one continuous movie. As someone who loves documenting I absolutely love this idea. I plan on using the app to document my year but you could also use it to take daily videos or photos of a pet, child or a vacation. The app let's you have multiple timelines and you can pick the date range that you want compiled.

Here's a screenshot from my phone with my daily clips so far.

I plan on using all video clips but you can use photos a well. The video clips are trimmed in the app to be either one second long or 1.5 seconds long depending on your preference. You can take a longer video and pick which part you want to trim and use for that day.

Derek and I have a bet going regarding this app. He thinks I won't make it the whole year while I say, YES I WILL. I can't miss a day though or I lose the bet. The stakes are high. The winner gets to decide what we do for the whole day! I'm already planning a lovely dinner out that involves Derek having to eat mayo. Kidding Derek! Or am I? ....

Holidaze

It seems everyone has been having a tough time getting back to the grind this week. After a mild Christmas here in Boston winter has arrived. It was 8 degrees when I woke up yesterday. My gloves are nowhere to be found and I didn't bother to look before it got cold because it hadn't felt like winter yet.

Despite the cold, the sun is shining and we're halfway through the week.

I also have some homemade chicken soup waiting for me at home for dinner. I suppose that's one good thing about the cold. Soup time.

Things I did over the weekend:

+ Took mom to hot pot for the first time with Derek. She liked it!
+ Visited my cousin and baby Kallie. Welcome to the world little lady.
+ Finished the latest season of Wentworth on Netflix.

Frankie and Ferguson are still my favorite characters. Ferguson is just so evil but it makes for good tv.

Me when someone takes the last french fry.

So that's my midweek update. Hope you had a good start to 2016.