Ready for our Close Up

Shannon and I, New Year’s 2006!


On the eve of my Tampa arrival, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on New Year’s Eve’s past. Above is a shot of me with my friend Shannon (the person I’m flying to Florida to see) in our awesome 2006 glasses. You see, when Shannon and I first discovered these flashy, eye-catching, stylish 2006 glasses being sold for $10-a-piece on a table in Boston Common, we were thrilled. In fact, we dubbed the glasses, ‘The best purchase of 2005!’, a title we continue to reference to this day. Every year since, we have made it our mission to track down flashing glasses to place on our faces when the clock strikes 12. Now, as 2010 approaches, the double-zero effect that has worked so well for the last nine years is no more. Here, some examples of how the ‘10s will look:

Goggles and Glasses

Shades of Fun

Virginia Toy

Imprint Items

Countdown to 2010

Northwestern Wildcats Purple Hoodie, $59.95, available at collegefootballstore.com.

Monday and Tuesday this week seem to be nothing more than a tiny pause — the lame duck days of 2009 — before the New Year’s festivities begin. Me? I’m traveling to Tampa, Florida where I plan on becoming a fair weather fan of the Northwestern Wildcats at the Outback Bowl. The way I see it, I didn’t have a college team to support. No football team in grad school either. As a result, this New Year’s trip is kind of a big deal. I’m ready to go full force with my Wildcats pride – my friend’s fiancé is an alum and I’m relying on him to teach me all I need to know to blend in. Something else I’m contemplating? Making an investment in some team merch to wear to the Big Game. After all, purple is my favorite color.

I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas

The view from my cab window at midnight in New York.

That dream turned into a reality this weekend. Nothing like a Nor’easter to get everyone in the holiday spirit! It also changed my travel plans quite a bit. Instead of returning from Boston on Sunday, I (luckily) was able to switch my Sunday afternoon bus ticket to a Saturday evening ticket on the Acela Express. I was sad to leave Boston early, but being on the train in a blizzard was just so cool. The entire ride was an adventure, up to the final minutes when we approached a city without a skyline, thanks to the white out weather conditions in New York. Anyways, once I arrived and found a cab, I managed to hang out the window and snap a few pics. Enjoy!

A Trip Home, A Slice of Pie

A slice of Upper Crust pizza, yummmm!

It’s official — one week until Christmas! I’m celebrating early with a quick trip home to Boston for a friend’s baby shower. Other than that, no big plans while I’m in town, except maybe budgeting in some time for a bit of last minute holiday shopping in Beacon Hill. Crush, Moxie, Holiday — they’re all places on my list. And if time allows, nothing would make me happier than grabbing a slice of pizza at Upper Crust. To me, it’s comfort food. For the two years I lived downtown in Boston, it was always my dinner of choice.

Nutcracker Magic

The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center, 2009.

Last night, I had the chance to see The Nutcracker put on by the New York City Ballet. When I was in the fourth grade, a close friend of mine starred as Clara in the Boston Ballet’s version of the show. I remember going with my family to see it — I got dressed up in my holiday best, and sat, completely mesmerized by my friend’s performance. Afterwards, I met her backstage and begged her to autograph my program (she wrote, “I hope we dance together someday!” haha). I was so proud/impressed/awestruck of her accomplishment. To me, she was a superstar. ::: Maybe that’s why, for me, seeing The Nutcracker never gets old. It reminds me of that night as a kid when I saw all my friend’s dreams come true. My friend is no longer dancing — in fact, she gave it up a while ago — but every time the curtain opens and I see Clara appear on the stage, I think of her and that moment. In the eyes of a fourth grader, it was as close as life could get to being purely magical.


(image courtesy of artspace.blogspot.com)