Pirates, ponies and pups in wagons

Monday, June 18, 2007
Pirates, ponies, and pups in wagons..... Current mood: content Category: Life
I already sent this via mass-email. Some of you may have already read this. Sorry, I didn't feel like being creative in writing something new.

-Aljolynn


Hello Everyone! I know it's been a while since I've written one of these. My apologies for beign so distant. But I'm getting a bit more organized in my life now that I have a job, though I am now looking for a place. I'll stop getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning, ay?

For a couple of months I was temping as an Executive Assistant at a bank in Cambridge. Currently, I'm an Administrative Assistant for a Financial Consulting firm. I work right next to the State House (just in case some of you don't remember, I now reside in Massachusetts). I freakin' love my job; I'm constantly in motion, I get to walk through a park everyday on my way to work. If there's a protest happening in front of the State House, I'm one of the first people to witness it. For example, the other day voting was taking place on the ban of Gay Marriage. At 7:45 a.m. 50 people were staning outside with signs protesting the vote. The news crews were just getting their jazz together. Come 2:45 p.m. people are still outside of the State House but there are hundreds among hundreds. One side of Beacon Street is filled with people against (the StateHouse sidewalk) the ban and on the other side (the Boston Commons sidewalk) are the people for the ban. For the most part, it was pretty tame. Then at 3:16 not a protesting soul on the street. After the vote was done, people didn't feel the need to hang around any longer.

Now, it was great to have witnessed this but man was I hurting not having a camera. So that was the last straw. On Friday, I finally bought a digital SLR; it's a Nikon D40. A good amateur camera. I just need something to help build the ole portfolio. But I not only just need the camera, I also need to carry it with me at all times. So many times have I walked around the city and regret not having a camera with me. A few days ago, I was walking out of the subway and the first thing I see is this group of homeless fellas standing and sitting around this one bench. It was a grand sight of meeting a greeting a society that I wasn't a part of. I would have taken that photo and titled it, "The Gentlemen's Club." With their cigarettes in hand, hands waving in the air with one hand in the pocket. It was almost like a real "gentleman's club" but outside for all to see and men who were homeless. I almost bought them some brandy.

This weekend I headed East to Rockport (http://www.rockportusa.com/). A fun beach town with pirates, ponies, and pups in wagons. It's a place for Artists. I think I saw about 25 galleries or so in just one little town. I almost felt like I was walking around Chelsea in Manhattan. I chatted with a few of the gallery owners and the artists they were representing. I've really come to be a big supporter of art. Welll, I always have but I'm becoming more active in knowing more about the artists and the galleries. The only thing is, I can't afford the beautiful pieces that I see. I just tried to find the business cards of the galleries but am unable to locate them but one gallery displayed works of two brilliant artists of two very different mediums. Garden Sculpture by Laurence W. Zuelke and Photography by Steven Sternbach. If you'd like more information on them let me know and I can send you links to the artists' websites. The photographer, I was most impressed by because he experiments with time and lighting. One photo by him looked like a crisp winter's morning sunrise. The thing is.....it was shot at 1:00 a.m. and the light he used was a street light. He had the shutter (the thing that brings in the light) open for over 5 minutes. FIVE MINUTES!!!! Whoa! To come up with that, is amazing. You can be sure that I will be phoning him to have him be my mentor. ;o) Well not really but maybe.

Onto the town. Many towns by the water in Massachusetts are fishing towns. So imagine that. Imagine the town in "The Perfect Storm" which took place in Gloucester, Massachusetts only 30 minutes (perhaps less) away from Rockport. The town offers Hawaiian Shave Ice, restaurants by the sea, galleries upon galleries, beach shops, ice cream shops, cafes, Scallywags, rock walking, gelato eating, wagon riding dogs, fairy festivals (www.caera.info), 1.5 hour sailing trips, and a grand view of the ocean. I have pictures to help you visualize my day in Rockport. Next weekend I will be heading to Manchester. Oh! My. Goodness! The train ride from Beverly (a town close to where I live) to Rockport is amazing! You get views of beautiful foliage, beach towns, and the ocean. It's amazing! I didn't want to get off the train in fear of disappoint of what is out there by foot. I probably saw five bays on the way. If the window had been washed I would've taken photos of my view.

Anyway, whatelse has been happening? I'm still meeting some great people. I've hung out with some of my co-workers a few times. And, I'm very excited for a Northwest visit to the North East from my parents. I'll be showing taking them along The Freedom Trail in good ole Baa-stan and showing them pirates in the town of Rockport or maybe have them smell the sweet scent of fish in Gloucester.

I'm not sure what's in store for me this summer other than the great visit, Independence Day, and just exploring New England. I'd like to try to come home but I'm not sure how well that will go over since I need to find a place to live in the city and Tax-Extension Season beginning at the end of August (I wanted to come home for Bumbershoot). Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I miss everyone! But I'm having a great time in Boston. I have so much more to see and do, which excites me like none other.

If any of you get a chance to make it out East let me know because I'd love to show you around my current home. Maybe, we can make it to a Red Sox game, which I haven't yet down....but will! By golly!

Okay, when you get a chance do check out my photography website, which is of course a work in progress. But man am I excited that I got a digital SLR!!!! I'm like a little girl with a lollipop playing hop scotch!

http://asperber.zenfolio.com "Where I live....."

Pretty soon I'll be adding photos of the area where I work and perhaps some of my favorite people of Boston Commons. There's one fella that I walk by everyday and he always says..."Oh one time.One time I see you today." Then if I walk past him three times, "Oh three times! Three times I see you today!" On Fridays he always says, "See you Monday." He appreciates that I acknowledge him and say hi. That's all people really need sometimes, is to be acknowledged, no matter the social status. Heck, even I'd like to hello from strangers too!


Let the good times roll..............

-Aljolynn

P.S. My favorite parts of Boston so far:

Charles Street - reminds me of London.
www.beaconhillonline.com

North End - Boston's own Little Italy (Kiera you would love it my little Bambina!) http://www.northendboston.com/

Cambridge - Davis Square/Central Square
http://www.bostonsquares.com/davis
http://www.centralsquarecambridge.com/

Newbury Street - also very European and oh so chic.....at times I can't handle it. But I do so enjoy watching people smoke out of a hookah right outside on the street. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah (Just in case some of you don't know what that is)
http://www.newbury-st.com/