Monday, November 13, 2006

Boston You're My Home



I left for Boston as planned last Thursday. Another 'lively' visit, starting with Carl my cabbie. He talked endlessly about the immigrants in Boston and how nobody likes anybody. "But you I like," he said. He thinks the new Black governor is great. I don't know what Deval Patrick has but he put some serious mojo on the natives of the Commonwealth. They all seem to love the guy. Took the MTEL on Saturday. There must have been 200 people at Quincy High School taking the test. The first part took me most of the four hours we were given. I took a break and had lunch at a chinese restaurant in Quincy Center. The second test also took about four hours. Brutal. I was so relieved when it was over. Noe the only thing left is to wait for the results. The girl I walked back to the T with told me she'd taken the literacy exam 4 times. I think if I was in her shoes I'd consider a new occupation! The realtor I was supposed to meet with stood me up and so did Emilie. I never heard from either of them after making a few calls. No matter. The hosts at the B&B were fabulous again, much friendlier since it was my second stay...not that they weren't friendly the first time. They were more relaxed, joking like we were old friends. Met up with Joanne again. Thursday night, she and I goofed a bit at Copley Flair and a few shops in Downtown Crossing before heading to Filene's Basement. Oh yes...I love Filene's...I do! do! do! When I move to Boston, I'll probably be too broke to do so much shopping. Better yet, I'll have a life and won't need to do so much shopping. It was nighttime and I wanted desperately to see the inside of the BPL again but Filene's was the mission. After a bit of shopping, we stopped at Finagle a Bagel. I had coffee and Joanne had a vegetable wrap. I headed to Morrison House on the Red Line. Friday with nothing to do since the realtor was a no show I did...what else....shopped. I love Davis Square. The place has an eclectic mix of very insane, very crazy and not so crazy. I fit right in. I went to Porter Square and met a sweet little lady from New York who relocated to Boston 13 years ago. She said it's noce to hear that people from the outside like the city. I only seem to meet nice people in Boston. Here because everyone lives in their cars, I never meet anyone. I feel less isolated in Boston where I really don't know anyone. But everday I talk to friends. I don't think of the people I meet as strangers at all. Whenever I go out into the city, it picks me right up. I feel great just being in the mix. It feels great to be alive in Boston. I met Fumiko at the B&B. She came over from Japan to take a test as well but we were testing in different locations. She went to school in Boston but had never been to Filene's. Imagine that! She and I hit it off and she was sad to see me go. I wish we had gone into the city together. On Sunday we all took pics together, Ron Linde, Fumiko and me. All in all a good trip until of course I got back home....Soon Boston, soon.....