Hey-Hey! August 24, 2009

That’s how to say hello in Swedish. It sounds kind of dorky in English but I said it all the time in Sweden. Don’t you learn so much at this blog?

So I’m currently relaxing after a quick bike trip to the grocery (we were out of peanut butter!!) and trying to gear up to continue my summer reading expedition. The book is actually pretty interesting, I just am a little anxious about school starting so I’m taking school ultra-seriously. Here’s me right now…

I took a different photo with a panicked face but it just looked like I was yawning or something. And can I just brag that I’m typing this post on my brand new, super beautiful MacBook Pro? Well, I am! Yes, you too can own your own brand new computer after spilling water on your old one. But I have to say, I love it and it’s prrretty and I’m keeping it away from all liquid beverages. The dry ones are okay.

Here’s a glimpse of the book I made for the Art House Sketchbook Project that I may or may not have mentioned awhile ago. I signed up for 3 Art House projects this summer and have one left to do. Here’s my sketchbook with reduced pages because I am lazy…

My book had the assigned theme of, “This is where we start” and you read it backwards. It is a picture book of all the things I love(d) as a kid, teenager and adult. It was fun to make but I also felt a bit pressured by it because I wanted to get it done before school started.

Heh, here’s also a drawing I did right before I moved…

I got watercolor brushes for ink the other day and am in love now.

Life in Philadelphia has been good, as of yet. Yesterday was a lovely barbecue thrown by my new roommates for their birthdays. Extremely nice group of people. And then I went to a try out yoga class and realized I need to get back into it, I was like an old person.

If only I could sleep through the night, I would be pretty contented!

City In Review: Boston and Somerville, MA August 19, 2009

Unfortunately, all my photos of these cities have somehow erased themselves. Bah!

Breakdown: I spent 1 1/2 years living in Boston, 1 year in Porter Square (Somerville) and 1 year in Davis Square (Somerville). Let’s start with Boston. On the whole, I was pretty unimpressed with Boston. People barely look at one another there and there seems to be a general blahness for creativity. Restaurants, bars and whatnot are extremely expensive for not that fun a time and the girls dress boring. Lots of fancy shoes and uptight outfits. I’m not too surprised because of the expensive stores with terrible thrift shopping choices. Folks tend to be interested in overpriced clubs with no imagination in design, amusement or drinks. I found very few friendly, genuine people, which makes all the downsides much worse. Even the art school kids are somewhat boring. No offense. I know because I actually was one. The good news is that it is beautiful. Really! Snow, spring, sleet. It’s a lovely city. And very safe. And just like anywhere else, people are obsessed with their dogs.

Somerville was a very different story. On the whole, it tends to be younger people or people who make less money. It’s less pretty, a tad grittier but much more friendly. It has some great groceries, coffee shops and parks that really cough up a lot of character. Porter Square has the potential to be interesting. There is a fantastic bookstore and natural shop. But the dreaded Shaw’s and gym’s make it easily forgettable. Davis Square is full of life but I wonder if it’s going the way of a strip mall due to some fancy Bowl N Board moving in and the funky video store going out of business. We’ll see!

An awesome attraction is the Somerville Movie Theater. It was once actually a play theater and all the movies are screened onstage. There are cool owl carvings and lots of ornate gold trimmings. Plus, there is the Museum of Bad Art in the basement. Free entry with any movie ticket! And they serve beer. What a great place to be.

People are nice there. Not super nice but they’re funny and don’t mind chatting a bit. And of course, they love their dogs but they also love their cats too. I really enjoyed my last year though and met some interesting and stimulating folks that I’m going to miss a lot.

How will Philadelphia stand against these experiences? Find out in 2 years! Hah, of course, I will be sharing my impressions along the way.

Adventure!