random thoughts – Day 1,360 – (Thursday) – oversampled

Night three of being out and it was another winner. The City of Lowell Culinary Celebration was at Lowell Memorial Auditorium and I was lucky to be able attend for the Bank. 

Imagine if you will … 17 restaurants from Lowell with food samples. And I sampled. Chinese food, Dominican, Barbecue, Greek, American and some that I don’t even know what they were but they were delicious. I didn't sample them all. 

At 7:00, Booty Votex took the stage. I’d heard of them but never heard them. Imagine if you will … an 11-piece band filling the stage. Lots of brass. Lots of green shiny fabric. Disco music that sent me back to all those nights at Cathay Island in Leominster, Valentino’s in Fitchburg, Faces in Cambridge, and whatever that place was called in the old Worcester Galleria. Such good times. 

Booty Vortex!

From the first song, Booty Vortex had people on the floor from pre-teens to retirees. Some people came to the venue prepared to dance to this band. There were silver lame jeans. Sequins. Serious disco moves. I did not join the action on the floor. Because I failed to pace myself, I was too full of plantains, pad thai, spring rolls, Greek meatballs, pulled pork, and more. 

Instead of running reconnaissance for an overview of the offerings, I dove in fork first at the first table I arrived at. Had I approached things in a strategic manner, I would have learned that there was a ring of food tables in the outer hallway, and another one inside the main hall. Duh. Rookie move. 

Upskirting the
smokestack tree.

With luck I won’t need to eat again until Monday. The food coma should be gone by then.

On the way home, I drove down Cabot Street to check out the Wannalancit smokestack tree up close. Like, from pretty much underneath. It was on the way, there was no traffic and plenty of parking spots, so yes please. 

All in all, it was another good night.

random thoughts – Day 1,359 – (Wednesday) – surprises

Snowing!

The day had some surprises. The first was when I opened the bathroom blinds after carefully dressing for chilly weather in a camel colored cashmere turtleneck, with camel colored pants that are just too long enough to require heeled boots. My weather app, consulted before dressing, did not mention snow, but there it was, falling from the sky. 

Snow usually means sensible non-skid footwear to handle the slick surfaces of the sidewalk on the block near work. Changing to flat shoes would then have required different pants and there was no time to start over. The boots were exchanged for a another pair with a Thinsulate lining and fingers were crossed for the best. The snow didn't last long, in the air or on the ground.

The next surprise is that suddenly, I have a sort of a social life. It’s pretty exciting. 

Last week it was the Whistler House Museum event, and this week had Boozy Book Club on Tuesday. Today it was a surprise invitation to attend a cocktail event and the Merrimack Repertory Theatre tonight. Tomorrow there is another event on my calendar, and so far I’m feeling like I could get used to this. As much as it feels that I love staying home, it also turns out I might have missed the social scene, planned and spontaneous.

The cocktail event was at Cobblestone’s, which is across the street from the office in a really cool old building and has great food and drinks. Our private room had meatball sliders, buffalo chicken spring rolls, flaky pastry triangle things with a dot of marinara on top, plus pasta primavera, a veggie and cheese tray, and a bowl of amazing cauliflower in a sauce coating.

MRT set for A Christmas Carol.

After the Cobblestone’s gathering, it was brisk walk in the chilly air to MRT for this year’s production of A Christmas Carol. I saw last year’s production and loved it, and this year’s version was different enough that it felt fresh and new. I had no moments of “oh, I remember that from last time,” and a colleague who had also seen last year’s staging said the same thing. Kudos and my appreciation to MRT for switching it up and making it new. Kind of like my shiny new sort-of social life.

random thoughts – Day 1,358 – (Tuesday) – book club and hotel

I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about Boozy Book Club on Tuesday nights instead of Thursdays. The restaurant/bar we meet at felt surprisingly busy for so early in the week, but saying that makes it sound like I’ve been there early in the week more than twice, and I have not. Thursday was always a great night to be out for a beer and book chat, but so far, the Tuesday timing just feels a little confusing. The Fuggly Sweater beer by Ithaca Beer Company was pretty good. 

Half the book club group tonight was new people and it was fun, but also weird, because the longer-term club members arrived earlier and sat at one end of the table. The new folks ended up together at the other end. The book was The Book Club Hotel, a lighthearted novel about three friends who met in college and have their own little book club and take a trip each year. In the book, they are at an inn in Vermont. I would classify the book as the "holiday fluff genre," which is probably not an official book category. The hotel in the book has a cozy library and sounds delightful.

During the pre-meeting conversation at my end of the table (longer-term book clubbers), Amy mentioned she had recently booked a reservation for January at Library Hotel in mid-town New York City. The floors are based on the Dewey Decimal System and there are packages that come with wine and classic novels.  Clearly, now that I know about it, I need to go there. It sounds like a dream and really exists, so now I have a travel goal for 2024. 

Part of a hot mess.

Of course, the space in my head will debate if it makes sense for me to go all the way to NYC to stay in a hotel that I would likely not want to leave. It might go as well as “I want to go to Cuba at the first legal possible chance.” I still haven’t been, or even begun to formulate a plan to go. 

Realistically, I could book a budget-friendly week-long vacation at The BungaLowell and start reading through the piles of books waiting to be read. Travel would be a breeze, but maid and room service would be seriously lacking. And the ambiance would be better if someone could come and organize my books. Any system would work – by genre, by author, by color of the book spine. Really, any system will do, along with an extra bookcase, because all four bookcases and the built-in shelves in the alcove near the bed are a hot mess and getting worse.  

random thoughts – Day 1,357 – (Monday) – lobby

Lobby sliver.

I had the pleasure and joy of visiting the office of an oral surgeon today for a consultation. The building was large, and when I walked into the reception area, it felt like walking into the lobby of a hotel or an inn. There were armchairs, loveseats arranged to form triangles, and toss pillows, lamps, and plants. The colors and textures were pleasing and the thought danced through my head that the place certainly felt expensive. 

In addition to the expertly chosen artwork that provided a feel of elegance, class, and coordination, there were three portraits on the wall. Each was matted and framed with an expensive piece of paper below the photo declaring the subject a graduate of "Boston University" (2) or "Universitas Tuftensis" (1). No Harvard? Hmmmm.

A trip to the restroom was needed. It was papered in a smooth deep blue-green wall covering in a pattern that looked like a  crocodile or alligator skin texture. The door and frame were painted in a matching solid color. 

Color looks much
deeper in real life.

I spent too much time in the restroom admiring the wallpaper and the paint and tried to photograph it because I really liked the color and the pattern. I wanted to remember it and maybe even hunt it down, but it came out several shades lighter and less impressive in the photos. 

After the rest room, I had barely sat on a loveseat and hadn’t yet formulated a plan for a discreet lobby photo before the assistant was calling me to the exam room.

The consultation was quick. I was there for barely five minutes, but a lot of big medical words were said. They all began with “possible” followed by variations that ended in “oma.” My dental hygienist, the reason I was there in the first place, was commended for her sharp eye. 

The whole thing was a blur. Nothing is definite and the only way to know anything for certain is a biopsy, so I get to go back in a couple weeks so tissue can be cut from my mouth. Can’t wait. Maybe I can get a lobby picture and more accurate bathroom wallpaper and paint image.

random thoughts – Day 1,356 – (Sunday) – St. Francis

While looking for soup bowls at St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop on Saturday, I saw a figurine of St. Francis, patron saint of the environment, animals, and birds on a shelf amidst some other nondescript houseware items. Tagged at $6, the material looked like wood but wasn’t. St. Francis had a bird in his right hand and deer stood beside his left leg. I couldn’t think of where in the house it might go.

There were two sweaters and a blouse I don’t really need, but justified buying because it supports a charity. I went back to look at St. Francis again and talked myself fully out of it because it seemed too large and it didn’t have a dog in it. 

Decorating has
commenced.

Sunday morning, I drank coffee, did laundry, and thought about going to the gym but didn’t because it was raining. Kitchen inspiration struck in the form of rice, chicken from the freezer, grated cheese ends, and mixed frozen vegetables that made a delicious lunch. 

The four-foot tabletop silver foil tree was retrieved from the basement and set up. Two storage tubs were rummaged through for some specific glass ornaments. Multiple trips up and down the basement stairs were catalogued as a workout to further justify not going to the gym. 

After years of no broken ornaments, two broke today. One fell down the basement stairs and smashed, the other broke when my thumb went through it while removing it from the box. There was a time when either of those events would have resulted in a full blown hissy fit, but there is very little energy for that nonsense anymore and living alone there is no audience, so there really is no point. I cleaned up the mess. 

And suddenly, I thought of St. Francis at St. Vincent’s and wanted to go back.

Back in the store, there were different figurines than yesterday on the shelf and St. Francis was gone. To make the trip “worth it” I looked at the clothing. I found a cashmere sweater, a wool jacket, a flannel shirt, and two Princess House crystal coasters. Five gorgeous men’s size large cashmere vee necks hung on the rack with the coats and I wished for a nanosecond there was a person in my life to buy them for. A return trip to housewares confirmed the absence of St. Francis.

Later, more things were hung on the tree – two tassels found in the sewing desk while looking for a needle and thread, three ornaments bought in Korea, five paper ornaments made by a friend, six plastic bangle bracelets from a bag of costume jewelry another friend gave me. And some of Moose’s and Winston’s tags and licenses. 

Maybe someday there will be another St. Francis in my path and maybe I won’t neglect to buy him. Lesson learned. Maybe.

random thoughts – Day 1,355 – (Saturday) – four events

Today had an activity level that was 100% flashback, and in the best way. It kicked off with tossing on jeans and a sweater and a ride to Fitchburg for the Finnish Breakfast at Saima Park. There were several artists there selling items including paintings, ornaments, and knitwear. From Saima, it was off to St. Joseph’s Church Christmas Festival. Along the way, there was a gas station with gas at $3.05 a gallon. (For reference, gas is more expensive in Lowell.) I pulled in, but the place was busy and I couldn’t get to a pump on the correct side for the tank so I continued on.

The event at St. Joe’s was the usual – many, many raffle baskets and items like a Christmas tree covered in scratch tickets, an army of craft vendors, a ton of Christmas decorations at crazy low prices, and food including lunch items and Canadian meat pies. I skipped the raffles and headed straight to the back of the hall with the decorations. I spent $6 and got six tinsel wreaths and two beaded garlands. The garlands can replace the floral ones I’ve been using (when I bother to use them) that were castoffs from Mom when she moved. The new garland is much more compact for storage.

From St. Joe’s it was back to the gas station. The route took me past a Cumberland Farms where the gas was $3.01 for Smart Pay users and $3.11 for non-members. I wasn’t quick enough to pull in and continued to the $3.05 station which was still busy, so I drove past that one, too.

I drove around a little in the section of town where I grew up. I went up Rollstone Street past the old sandbank at Leighton that is now full of homes, past where Mummu lived, past the homes where my high school friends Beth, Julie, Judy, and Cindy once lived, then past the Middle School that was a Junior High when I attended it. There was another Cumberland Farms gas station near the school, where I got gas for $3.13 and vowed to finish signing up for the SmartPay Rewards program so I can enjoy the lowest prices.

Back in Lowell, there was time to visit St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop where there was a lot of Princess House crystal but I already have enough of that stuff. I was really looking for the scarce style of soup bowls I can’t seem to find anywhere. No housewares were bought but I found two sweaters and a silk blouse.

The purchases were dropped onto the kitchen table, an outfit change took place, and it was off to the gym for a quick flirtation with the treadmill and the massage chair before the next event. There was a poster in the vestibule that advertised fuel savings as a Planet Fitness perk and I now have another potential option for cheaper gas.

Gym clothes were exchanged for jeans, a blouse, blue boots, and a long coat. By 1:15 I was at The Brush to help set up refreshments for the reception beginning at 2:00. Several of us set up the food table with stuffed grape leaves, hummus, veggies and dip, meat and cheese rolls, sandwich wrap slices, cookies, and brownies. There was a good sized crowd for the reception and most of the food was eaten which makes the cleanup a lot easier.

After our reception, there was another one a block away at Art League of Lowell. ALL was celebrating an exhibit and their 20^th anniversary. The gallery was filled with people, many of whom had been at The Brush, and more food.

Musical globes?

When I left ALL, I took a walk over to City Hall Plaza to look at the Nativity and the Buddha displays. There is a tent on the plaza that we can see from the office and today I got too see it is hung with globes. Occasionally, globes would light up and make music. It was quite cool. 

Arriving back at home at 5:00, it was time to relax. By that point I had been to four events plus the gym, and it was reminiscent of the pace of life when I was 30 and dashed about between work, the gym, school, photography class, a second job, countless social events, and the gas station. It was kind of fun. 

There was the fourth outfit change of the day, this time into soft and cozy pants imprinted with penguins wearing scarves. That's were the similarities to life at 30, 40, or 50 ended. There is no way I would have sat around the house alone on a Saturday night and been happy about it back then.

random thoughts – Day 1,354 – (Friday) – the universe?

There is a belief system where if you want something, you think it or say it out loud and the universe will make it happen. The flip side involves focusing on what you don’t want to happen and that happening. Basically, you get what you focus on. I have lived both sides of this magical coin.

A long time ago in Worcester, I had a great apartment and my dream job as a staff writer. I worked in a historic building a block away from an outlet mall with great stores (like Ann Taylor) where I often went shopping on my lunch hour and found great sales. One work day I went out to pick up something for lunch. I was wearing new pants, recently acquired from the nearby outlet mall.

As I crossed the street, sandwich in a bag and bottled drink in hand, I thought “Watch me trip and ruin my new pants,” and I kid you not, that is exactly what happened. I tripped on the curb, my bottle of iced tea rolled down the gutter, my knee hit the sidewalk, and my new black pinstripe pants had a big scuff mark and my knee had a new bloody bruise. It was shocking in its immediacy. It was mere seconds between the thought and the result and I was pissed and crushed and fully aware that my thought had led to an immediate effect. And my new pants were ruined. Universe?

Today was another one of those days, but where the result was significantly more favorable.

I was at a midday event at the Brush Art Gallery and Studios and someone asked if I would be at an event tonight at the Whistler House Museum, site of the birthplace of world-renowned artist James McNeill Whistler. You might know his mother. She’s kind of famous.

I said, “no, but I wish I was going.” When I returned to the office an hour later, the first email I saw was a message asking if I could attend the event at Whistler House in place of a colleague who could not attend. Holy crap. Of course, my answer was absolutely yes. Duh. Did I not just say this out loud, a mere two blocks away an hour ago?

The event has a color theme each year and this year, it was red and black. I had an outfit in mind before I even knew I was going so it was really easy when I bolted home from work to change. There was even a plan B, in case Plan A didn’t fit.

I arrived home at 5:20 and headed to the closet. By 5:50, I was headed out again, dressed in Plan A – red pants with a black lace overlay, a red camisole under a black mesh top with sequin stripes, and a red beaded necklace.

Shortly after 6:00 I was circling the block for parking and a few minutes later, was inside at the event. There were colleagues, a former colleague, and fellow board members from The Brush in attendance.

Whistler House Museum.

There were interesting conversations with people I knew and those I hadn't met until tonight. There was a good amount of time chatting with a textile artist and soon a painter originally from Scotland entered the conversation to compliment my new acquaintance on her red beret. It turned out they had a mutual friend, another textile artist located in a different part of the state and currently in France. It really felt like they were supposed to meet each other, and with any luck, we will all see each other again at two art receptions on Saturday. That’s the unofficial plan anyway. And the whole thing was perfect. 

Whistler House.

The entire night had the magical qualities of introductions and conversations that seemed destined to happen. I met people who are good friends of the head of my department at work, and had fun conversations with people about photography and paintings and how Lowell is misunderstood outside the city limits and often maligned by people who have never bothered to visit the place. And I choose to think the universe tossed us all together to have a fabulous night of connections and community.

All of this happened in the beautiful home where James MacNeil Whistler was born which is always filled with beautiful artwork and currently hosts a magnificent Christmas tree and elegant decorations.  It was the best night in ages. Five stars. Highly recommend.