Date #30 - Don't Rub Me the Wrong Way

For date #30, we went to have TH fitted for a casket. He's decided he wants to go out face down.

Just kidding, of course. I don't believe we'll be needing coffins anytime soon.
Or ever....since we plan to be cremated.

For date #30 we went not to the funeral parlor but to a massage parlour for a Couple's Massage.
Once again, we were cashing in a discount voucher before it expired. However, this non-descript place in the basement of an office building in Quincy would never be mistaken for a spa at the Four Season. It was reassuring to know we hadn't paid full price.

In the tiny waiting area, we were greeted by our masseuse and masseur who informed us they were preparing the room and would call us in shortly. When they walked away, TH looked at me and said, "Please don't tell me that I'm getting massaged by a man." Of course not, I assured him..."he's doing me."

Hmmm....I never saw TH change his mind so fast!!!

Once in the room, they left us alone to undress and climb on the tables. TH was still so squeemish about a man giving him a massage, that he left his boxer shorts on and completely buried himself under the sheets. LOL

But wait a minute....something's missing from this picture. 
Me.
Oh that's right, I'm taking the picture. But where's my table?

Now this is how we envisioned a couple's massage.

Or, if we couldn't be head-to-head, then side-by-side would do

But our couple's massage was way less romantic than it sounds. And the reason I don't have any similar photos of the two of us together is because....

WE WEREN'T EVEN IN THE SAME zipcode ROOM. 

Our tables were in two separate rooms, with the pocket doors between the rooms left wide open. We were about 8-10 feet apart...you could have parallel-parked an SUV between us. The only thing we shared during this massage was the same music system that was propped on a chair between the two rooms.

There were no flowers, no candles, no champagne, no chocolates, no ocean views, and no interaction of any kind. Most of the time we couldn't even see each other because our heads were face-down or the therapists were standing between us.

The only redeeming value of this date was that the hour-long massages were indeed fabulous. They were so relaxing that we each admitted to dozing off briefly not unlike many of our more recent romantic encounters.

We were briefly left alone again after the massages to dress, but with the therapists waiting just outside the door (for their tips) there was no opportunity or desire to get frisky.

Date over!

Date #29 - When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie...

While researching ideas for dates, we've learned of so many things we never knew existed in our wonderful city. And so many of them are free. One fun fact we discovered is that the Museum of Science on Friday nites, and Boston University on Wednesday nites, open their observatories to the public, weather permitting.

One night in November, we were leaving Cambridge and driving across the river when we couldn't help but notice a beautiful full moon with one bright star to its right. It happened to be a Wednesday evening, the sky was crystal clear, and Boston University was directly in front of us....so why not? Nothing like an impromptu date nite!

A college campus is a cool place to hang on a weeknight. There is just so much vibrant energy around young minds at work and play. And, surprisingly for a school night, there were also quite a few families with young children at the observatory. But who could miss the chance to see such a beautiful moon up close? As it turns out, that bright object we thought was a star...it was actually Jupiter.

And what this graphic doesn't show is that, with the powerful telescopes on the roof at BU, Jupiter's moons were clearly visible as well that evening. It was awesome!

Here's a photo taken with my cheap phone....where you can't see Jupiter or its moons, but our moon was still a sight to behold.

Thanks to the endless spring we have enjoyed this autumn, it was a beautiful nite to be up on that roof, looking up at the moon and down at the city. The views over the river were spectacular...I wish I had pictures that would do them justice. Here's the Hyatt Regency across the river.

"When the stars make you drool, just like a pasta fazool.....that's amore!"

Here's the late, great, Dean Martin sharing our sentiments for what turned out to be a very romantic date.

Date #28 - Love that Dirty Water

Well our 36th anniversary has come and gone....
YES we completed our 35 dates...
YES we are still married...
YES I will blog about the 8 remaining dates. And YES I know I am waaaay behind schedule, so for that I apologize, but thanks for hanging in there with us and sharing the journey.

Date #28 was the ONLY date we went on in the month of October. And it was now so long ago I can't remember why. The California branch of our family tree was here for a week in the middle of the month, and we had our first ever sleep-over with both grandsons....best night ever! We also learned we would welcome another grandchild on the west coast in May, and we had an early first birthday party for grandson M. Other than that, our only excuse for not dating is that work (and soccer) and life probably got in the way.

For Date #28, we went "Down by the River, Down by the banks of the River Charles."  Since our first grandson C was born, we have spent a lot of time on the Cambridge side of the river, walking our grandbaby and our grand-dog. Last spring Groupon was offering discount vouchers for a riverboat tour, and our son thought it would be a fun family outing, so we purchased four coupons and promptly forgot about them. Occasionally we would remember and try to coordinate our schedules during the summer, but there never seemed to be a good time.

The vouchers were set to expire October 15th so, rather than have them go to waste, we turned them into a last-minute date. While we were in line for our tickets, we gave the two remaining vouchers to a pair of women waiting in front of us. Turns out they weren't tourists either, just two women from Cambridge who had nothing better to do on a lovely autumn day. LOL.

The one-hour cruise left from the Cambridgeside Galleria Mall. Our tour narrator was a lovely lady from Dorchester with quite an accent.
No...not a Boston accent.
She was from Dorchester, England and had a lovely British lilt.
But really?!? There are no local born-and-bred college students they could have hired? I am sure that visiting tourists would much prefer to hear an authentic Bostonian like TH mangle the local language, rather than a proper Brit speaking the king's English.

Nonetheless, it was a beautiful and clear fall day, and the views of the Boston skyline were spectacular from the river.

We did learn a lot of fun facts from our tour guide (none of which I remember at the moment), but many we already knew (the Smoot measurements on Mass Av Bridge). I do remember that she messed up the poem that explains the weather light atop the old John Hancock building. She also made a disparaging remark about Charlestown, calling it one of the poorer parts of town. I guess she hasn't priced the real estate there lately! LOL

One of the highlights of the voyage was riding under the BU bridge, one of only three bridges in the world that spans water above a railroad bridge.

Did you know that Portland, Oregon and Lisbon, Portugal are the two only other places in the world where a boat can sail under a train, that's traveling under a car, that's driving under an airplane? That's a pretty astonishing piece of trivia when you think about it. And who actually did the research to confirm that?

This date was probably the most uneventful of all our dates so far. There was no alcohol or food involved; just the two of us floating down the river, pointing out shapes in the puffy clouds, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine...and each other. And sometimes, that's all you need!

Date #27 - The Oompa Loompa Tour

The eating portion of our date project continued with a visit to the Taza Chocolate Factory in Somerville. TH was all on board for this date. He considers himself a chocolate connoisseur, although his taste for chocolate doesn't extend much beyond his Oreo Cookies. I wasn't sure this would qualify as an original date because we have been to Chocolate World in Hershey about 20 times (my brother lives nearby).

However, the Hershey tour is nothing but a disneyesque ride where you never actually see the inside of the factory. At the end of that ride, they give you ONE tiny snack size portion of a Hershey Bar. We are guilty of riding the tour numerous times on one visit, just to get that tease of chocolate at the end. But I can now honestely say that, until our visit to Taza, we had never visited a chocolate factory.

This tour is amazing, and only costs $5. The tour starts and ends of course in the factory store where, amazingly, they provide free samples of all their chocolate. Free UNLIMITED samples. Whoa boy, talk about entering the danger zone:

Because we had arrived about 20 minutes early, we had nothing to do but taste every sample... several times. And then we washed it down with their heavenly hot chocolate. Oh lordy....talk about decadence. And this is nothing like the sweet American or European chocolate we've all grown up on. This is pure organic Mexican style chocolate...heavenly. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet, and we were instantly addicted and unable to stop.

Finally, it was time to don our hair nets for the tour. Here's TH holding a cocoa pod.

And it was an amazing tour. Taza is one of the few bean-to-bar operations, and they do it in this amazingly tiny space with just a handful of employees. We were able to visit all areas of the production:

Here are the beans imported from Dominican Republic where they are harvested as part of a fair trade agreement with farms that do no employ child or slave labor.

Then they are winnowed and made into chocolate liquid. It's really an amazing process. The name Taza comes from the Spanish word for ''cup'. One of the cofounders lived in Mexico and was taken by the custom of having a cup of hot cocoa every day. It's a great story and you can read all about it on their website.

And along the tour, they continue to offer you chocolate as they explain the different flavors and processes. However, our taste buds were pretty shot at that point and I actually had to refuse several of the samples.

We couldn't enter the actual chocolate making room because it was in production. Here are the real life oompa-loompas at work:

And even the wrapping, packaging, and shipping process is all done by hand with less than a half dozen employees.

When ready to ship, all local deliveries are made by bicycle or vendors can pick the product up at the factory. And shipping is done via eco-friendly methods only. They are serious about sustainability.

Our date ended early on this evening because, once again, we had eaten dessert first and ruined our appetite. All plans to continue on to dinner and drinks were quickly abandoned as we rolled out of the factory, like Augustus Gloop and Violet Beauregard...Shame on us!

Date #26 - Crepes a la Google

For our 26th date, we wanted to take a cooking class. We had many options to choose from, that included everything from soup for beginners, to five course meals with wine pairings, to make-your-own-pasta, to gingerbread cookie house creations. We finally decided on.....(drum roll)....making crepes.

TH and I have always been big crepe fans. Early in our marriage, when eating out was always a treat, one of our favorite restaurants was a creperie in Faneuil Hall called The Magic Pan. We don't have the pleasure of enjoying crepes too often anymore as that restaurant is now long gone, and there aren't any local creperies in our area certainly none close enough to deliver take-out, and we never EVER thought to cook them ourselves. They just appeared too complicated, and we didn't own a crepe-maker.

The scene of our date: Dore Creperie in downtown Boston. This was a new restaurant and, as fast as it appeared, it is already gone. They claim to have been Boston's first pop-up restaurant/creperie. A former lunch spot, Sandwich Press, moved out of this Beacon Street location with five months remaining on their lease. So the investors decided to pop-up a creperie from June to November.

It was basically a one-man show, and Greg was the man. He was our teacher and the head crepe chef. He also had a couple interns working with him. The class was held in the evening after the creperie closed for the day.

There were three other couples and another single woman taking the class with us. We started out seated on the customer side of the counter while Greg and crew showed a powerpoint presentation of the history of the crepe. Then Greg started to demonstrate how early crepes were made with buckwheat. As he was ladling the batter onto the griddle, I happened to ask where he acquired his culinary skills. Without looking up or so much as a pause he answered, "Google."

Google? Did he just say, Google?

We all looked at each other, quite puzzled, not sure we'd hear his answer correctly. Google? Really?

Surely he was going to say, Gotcha!  But he didn't.

Greg readily admitted that he had no culinary background and had never made a crepe before this summer. When the partners decided on a creperie, they bought some crepe griddles, and turned to Google for a batter recipe and crepe-making directions. Kinda funny. Did I mention they are already out of business?

And then it was our turn to come around the glass and learn to make crepes. We started mixing two different types of batter...one sweet and one savory. It was a bit crowded in the mixing corner.

From there, it was time to make the crepes. Interestingly enough, we didn't get to use our freshly made batter to make our crepes. Instead we all ladled from a large vat of batter next to the griddles. I have a sneaky suspicion that the batter we ultimately used is a pre-made commercial concoction, while the batters we had just mixed would probably have tasted like paste.

With very minimal instruction, we each got to work creating one sweet and one savory crepe, using any of the dozens of available fillings. Here's TH working the griddle:

And here's his savory "pizza" crepe under construction.

When all was said and done, there wasn't a whole lot to learn about making crepes. As long as you have the proper griddle and the little wooden spreader...you are all set. The secret is in the filling and the folding. As you can see, we didn't do so well on the folding:

I don't even remember what I made, but I do recall that most of us created more than two different crepes. And once again we ate WAY TOO MUCH. Everyone in the class just kept turning out crepes, and we just kept on tasting. We were supposed to select a winner that would be featured on the next day's menu...but by the time we got around to deciding on a favorite, we were all too full to care.

And remember all that batter we created at the start of the class? Well, as a going away gift, we all received large cardboard soda cups filled with our very own batter ....so that we could go home and continue to make crepes. We also received $10 gift cards, just in case we might want to return for more crepes.

The name for the creperie, Dore, comes from the French word for gold. But I think it's safe to say that this 5-month pop-up venture did not line anyone's pocket with gold. I followed them on Twitter until they closed, and every day there were giving away crepes and offering discounts or free crepes to all the college students. With discount vouchers which everybody had that evening, the class was just $30 per person. I guarantee we all ate and drank more than our money's worth...not to mention the free batter and the gift cards we took home. Did I mention they are no longer in business?

As for those gift cards? Gave them to a former colleague who still works downtown. And the batter? Well I'd love to tell you that TH and I went right out and bought a crepe griddle and put our newly learned skills to work. But that didn't happen. After schlepping the four large cups of batter home on the subway, they sat in our fridge for another week and then they went in to the trash, unopened.

However, I'm sure we'd have no problem replicating that batter if the crepe-making bug every bites again. Because, even though we didn't write down the recipe....I suspect it's readily available on Google.

Date #25 - Howdy, Rex

"Howdy there, Folks, we're glad to see you...in Boom...Boom...Boomtown" 

If you are over 40 and grew up in the greater Boston area, you probably know the rest of the words to this song, and you definitely know exactly what Boomtown is. It was a locally produced kids television show in the 50s and 60s, hosted by a real cowboy named Rex Trailer who became an icon in New England. Everyone has nostalgic memories of Boomtown tucked safely away. And if you were lucky, you actually might have gone on Boomtown.

Neither TH or I ever got to go on Boomtown. Or Bozo, or Major Mudd, or Romper Room, or any of the other great shows created for us Baby Boomers in the early decades of television. But even more than wanting to go on Boomtown, I always wanted to go on the school vacation trips to Sunny California that were heavily promoted by sponsor Crimson Travel. But I had as much chance of going to Disneyland and KnottsBerry Farm with Rex, as I had of blasting off to the moon with Major Mudd. Didn't happen.

I did, however, host a backyard carnival to raise money for MDA with a kit I received from Rex in the mail. He was an Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and in later years we had the opportunity to meet Rex at several MDA events where we introduced him to our sons...but they weren't the least bit impressed. How could you not love a tall, handsome, singing cowboy who could twirl a mean lasso?!

So imagine our surprise when we heard that Rex Trailer was going to appear at our local library on a recent Monday evening.

Rex Trailer?

          Really?

                  Right here in South Boston?

The funny thing is that, everyone we shared the news with asked the same question: "Is he still alive?"

Turns out that Rex is very much alive and kicking at the age of 83. Apparently, this is the 55th anniversary year since the inception of Boomtown. Five years ago, a producer named Michael Bavaro (in conjunction with Rex) created a documentary film with nostalgic footage to commemorate Boomtown's 50th birthday. And now, 5 years later, Rex is on a tour through New England screening the video. TH and I rushed right over and grabbed front row seats to spend an evening with this legend from our past.

It's interesting how an adult perspective differs so greatly than that seen through the eyes of a child. (I am always amazed when I ride by my seemingly mammoth childhood sledding hills and realize they were nothing more than slight inclines.) The child in us yearns for everything to remain exactly as we remember, and it's a shock and disappointment to discover that everything changes and ages along with us.

Such was the experience on this particular evening when Rex finally walked in. Oh he still wore a cowboy hat and bolo tie, but gone was the tall, handsome hero with the booming baritone. In his place stood a wizened old man with a weak little voice, who struggled to keep his dentures suctioned in when he spoke.

But it was still the same Rex we all knew and loved. When he walked in, he said, "Howdy, Boys and Girls" and you can bet that we all shouted out, "Howdy, Rex!"

The documentary was great and brought back a rush of wonderful memories. The video also featured many celebrities, such as Jay Leno and Tom Bergeron, who grew up with Boomtown and shared their fond remembrances.

When the film ended, Rex shared some stories of his own and answered questions. His body might now be a shadow of its former self, but there is nothing wrong with Rex's mind...he's still sharp as a dagger.

Nothing wrong with his penmanship, either. Here's our autographed copy of the DVD, featuring a much younger Rex Trailer on the cover:

This is definitely a keeper. There is some great old footage from two decades of Boomtown with Rex Trailer and all his sidekicks through the years. If you want to feel like you are 9 years old again, check out The Official Rex Trailer Fan Club.

This turned out to be among our favorite dates. Did I mention how much we love and use the library? You never know what you'll find there!

"So dosy-do and swing around, grab your gal and promenade down to Boom,.........BOOM,...............BOOMTOWN!"

Date #24 - Paying it Forward

To any of the readers still following this blog, my apologies for the long breaks between posts. It's just that life keeps getting in the way and, truthfully, after sitting at a computer all day at work, that's usually the last thing I want to do when I'm home. But thanks for hanging in there as we wind our way very rapidly toward our 36th anniversary just three weeks away.

And although I haven't been blogging, we have been dating....but barely. After taking most of the summer off...we went on a 7 date spree in the last two weeks of September. Then we had exactly one date in October, and one more in November....but the month is not over.

Date #24 was a volunteer event. When we started this dating project and began planning what types of dates we would have...volunteering was high on our list. And we kicked it right off with date #2. But now I'm chagrined to say that this is only our second volunteer date and it came almost ten months after the first. However, I will give a shout-out to TH for his volunteer efforts. He has been president of our local youth soccer league since its inception in 1985 and he sets up the fields and nets at daybreak every Saturday and Sunday in the fall....BY HIMSELF.

Now back to our date. And since it was a volunteer effort, this will not be a long post because I believe that charity should be performed as silently as possible without blowing our own horn or patting ourselves on the back.

On September 18th, we were proud to be two of the 900 volunteers at The Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. We were stationed at the finish line in Copley Square on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon where our job was: bus loaders. We were also question answerers...or at least that's what the back of our T-shirts claimed.

TH and I directed the walkers to the yellow school bus shuttles that would take them back to the start line. And since there were 4 starting points, it was our responsibility to ensure that they boarded the correct buses. Not a very big responsibility, but very rewarding; it was great to see the smiles of accomplishment and the gratitude of the tired walkers as they realized they were done walking and were getting to put their feet up for the ride back. It was also very humbling, as many teams of walkers wore customized t-shirts honoring a cancer patient. Most heartbreaking were the T-shirts with so many photos of wonderful children who had not survived. Here's the Manchester Monarchs hockey team; they walked with the picture of a beautiful little girl attached to their game jerseys.

Copley Square was transformed into a giant block party, with a huge performance stage and food booths. Huge props to the vendors that provided refreshments for the 8500 walkers and the volunteers. The Weathervane Restaurant provided hot, fresh clam chowder all day long. Domino's Pizza and Nathan's Hot Dogs served their signature dishes. Belmont Springs gave away gallons of water, Ga-Ga Ice Cream served up great desserts, and Willow Tree had fresh chicken salad. All delicious. We tried them all....several times!

Here we are with our official volunteer T-Shirts and Caps:

It was a long date for us, but it was an even longer day for all the walkers; many that walked the entire 26.5 mile Boston Marathon route. Together they pledged to donate 7.5 million to the Jimmy Fund to assist the Dana Farber Cancer Center in their quest to eradicate cancer.

Two dates ago, we listened to Michael Moore rail against a country where colleges are forced to their knees to beg for funds to help students continue their education. Well, we would prefer to see a future where nobody has to walk or run or hold telethons or wear colored ribbons to raise funds/awareness about cancer or any other deadly disease. Until then, however, we all need to continue to do our part.

And before I end this post, for those who have been counting the days until the next Blue Velour Alert...here it is:
We have been having an unseasonably warm Autumn. Despite a nor'easter that dumped up to two feet of snow in some areas of New England the last weekend of October, we have been enjoying temperatures in the 60's ever since. But that didn't deter TH from digging out the blue velour for a trip to Ikea on November 5th.

And he didn't stop there...the very next day he wore his other blue velour. And he might have worn them again but our washer broke the following day and we weren't able to do laundry until two days ago...and he hasn't learned how to use the new-fangled washer.

So the blue velour stayed in hibernation from May 23rd until November 4th....less than 6 months.
Some habits are just too hard to break... like TH for example. I think I'll have to keep him!

Date #23 - Gluttons 'R Us

So it appears we have entered the EATING zone of this Eat, Play, Love tour we're on. For this date we had planned to attend a trade show, followed by drinks and dinner. We only made it through the first portion...

Three hours of all the desserts we could eat...Yum! 

Editorial aside: Anytime I write the word 'dessert' I always think of the crazy spelling rules and songs I learned in grammar school that have stayed with me and served me well for half a century. I can't remember which nun taught me that the way to remember the difference between desert and dessert was that "they put an extra S in dessert because you always want a second serving,"  but I've never spelled it incorrectly since!

Now back to our date.

Let me start by saying that desserts do not call my name. Rarely, if ever, will I order dessert at a restaurant. Growing up, we never had dessert unless it was somebody's birthday. And while raising our own sons, dessert was never more than homemade chocolate chip cookies. Mind you, there were always boxes of Twinkies or Hostess Cupcakes atop the refrigerator, but those were primarily for TH as the boys did not have a sweet tooth. Even today, while I pack my breakfast and lunch to take to work everyday....this is what TH packs......

Yup, that is the sum total of what he takes to work every day. A plastic bag with exactly three Oreo and three Chips Ahoy cookies. Nothing more. And he even packs it the night before so he won't forget!!

So this date was right up his alley. While desserts do not call to me... they yell TH's name out loud. That said, I have been known to heed the whisper of anything with ice cream, nuts or whipped cream, so I didn't frown when he suggested this date. Thanks to discount vouchers we were able to get into this show at the Sheraton Boston for $15 each, and it's safe to say we got our money's worth and then some.

From the moment we walked in, it was difficult to choose a starting point. Everything looked and smelled lovely.

This blue cake was on the Konditor Meister table. And while they didn't give out samples from the wedding cake, they did give out the most decadent cups filled with chocolate fudge...it was sinful.

These babies were filled to the rim with nothing but chocolate, and you could have all you wanted.

I don't remember how many we ate, but I assure you it was way too many!

And speaking of sinful, this dessert stopped me in my tracks and reminded me why most of the civilized world hates America....

behold...the world's largest cannoli.

It was made by Golden Cannoli, was 12 feet long, and weighed over 300 pounds. Was this really necessary?! Really?!  Do you have any idea how many needy people could be fed on what it cost to make this dessert? And for what?...it certainly wasn't anything worth raving about. And once it was displayed like that in the open air for a weekend I'm sure it was no longer edible.

To assuage their guilt, I'm sure, this company had a table where they served two-inch cannoli's for a suggested donation of $1 each that they promised to donate to charity. Proof positive that even they realized how excessive their claim to fame was.

That's why I don't understand the showcase competitions that are so popular nowadays; where top pastry chefs get together and create these massive displays that are beautiful but completely non-edible when through. Now I love art as much as the next person, but let's create art that will live on in posterity...and not use food that could be feeding millions instead of landing in the dumpster the next day.

And who created fondant? It may be beautiful to look at, but completely tasteless. Give me plain old whipped cream or butter cream frosting any day!

And speaking of whipped cream....not a trace of it in the entire place. And ice cream? There were actually two vendors there with tables, but I am not even going to give them a plug because they don't deserve it. While every other vendor was giving away cupcake size portions of their product, the two ice cream vendors gave out the teeniest, tiniest samples. I wish I thought to take a picture, but I was so enraged. When I tell you that they had the nerve to hand me a thimble-size serving on the end of a plastic spoon, I am not exaggerating! It wasn't even worth getting back in line for.

But that doesn't mean that we went hungry. On the contrary, we ate enough to feed a small third world nation...heck, it felt like we consumed a third world nation.

There was plenty of cake from Finale

and giant whoopie pies from the Whoopie Monster

But the biggest line in the place was here....

Hint was giving away 12 oz bottles of fruit flavored water, that was soooo refreshing after all that sugar and butter, we went back for seconds and thirds. Needless to say, they were one of the few booths that ran out of supply before the afternoon was over.

We did not even stay the allotted three hours. We were like wild animals that have no idea when they are full and just continue to eat. and eat. and eat. Finally, we both looked at each other and decided this was not fun anymore. Even TH surrendered. Who's idea was this for a date? Forget the dinner and drinks that were to follow.

We gave away our wristbands at the door to two unsuspecting souls, and then we waddled on over to the bus for the long bloated ride home. I think our next date needs to be someplace we have never been together....the GYM!!!

Date #22 - Monologue from a Mad Man

We're baaaack!!  And to paraphrase Mark Twain..."Rumors of our break-up are greatly exaggerated."

Life got in the way and we stopped dating this summer, simply because we were having way too much fun with weddings, grandsons, parties, cape/beach trips, grandsons, supper club, bike rides, a hurricane, and doing what we love most...hanging with our grandsons.

I snuck off to Santa Monica yet again for one more week before reporting back to work on August 17th, and for the next month I barely came up for air...let alone a date. Our niece K stayed with us for two and half weeks before she moved into her dorm at Lesley and it was fun having another female in the house. And then TH was mega busy with the start of his 27th season as president of the soccer league.

But our dating drought ended the 15th of September when we embarked on a grueling dating marathon with no less than seven dates before the month was over, so now we are back on track to get those 35 dates in as we race to the exciting finish line. Fasten your seatbelts....

First stop: Bunker Hill Community College (one of my many alma maters) for their Compelling Conversations Speaker Series where we had the pleasure of spending an evening listening to one of my heroes:

Yes, that's right...Michael Moore. And while it wasn't a conversation thus my title, it was certainly compelling.

I wasn't sure how TH would feel about this date, as he is an ultra-conservative (albeit registered democrat) who votes republican in every major election. But I figured they had at least two things in common...they both love to rant, and neither one has ever been accused of having any fashion style.

The event was held in the gymnasium with general seating for the first 1500 applicants who pre-registered, and everyone else could watch it on closed-circuit monitors in a separate conference hall. We arrived 90 minutes early (because we are old and anal)... but it was enough to score front row seats on the "left" side of the aisle. Well...that's a relative term. We were in the very first row of the peanut gallery BEHIND the velvet ropes that separated us from the seating for the very important people who didn't need to take their seats until 5 minutes before the presentation school trustees and selected students who were to cover the event. Luckily I brought some paperwork from the office to occupy my time while we waited.

.......and waited.

................and waited.

Finally at 6:15 we were informed that Moore's train from New York had been delayed and he would be arriving momentarily. Boston was the second stop of his tour to promote his new book "Here Comes Trouble"...but thanks to Amtrak, we would have to wait just a bit longer for trouble to arrive.

In the meantime, one of the school's directors took the mike to remind everyone that the evening was also serving as an opportunity to raise much needed funds for the school's emergency assistance programs that provide grant money to students for when life's unexpected obstacles might get in the way of completing their education. He informed us we had all received envelopes in our programs that evening and students were making their way through the gymnasium with tote bags on their shoulders to collect the donations. Did we somehow make a wrong turn into Sunday mass?

The director then introduced the college president who kept her remarks very brief (thank you) before introducing the man of the hour. And there he was, his rumpled self, looking like he'd just rolled out of the sleeping car berth, wearing his usual baggy attire, unzipped hoodie, and a red BHCC hat that he was handed to swap out for his ever-present Detroit Tigers cap as he mounted the stage.

Michael Moore. Of course he didn't apologize for being late. But he did take the opportunity to criticize our country's rail system that had come to a halt simply because lightning had struck the tracks ahead of his train.

And then the ranting really began. He was so spitting mad, because he had apparently arrived in time to hear the director's plea for funds, that he put aside whatever topic he had previous planned to instead express his outrage that our great nation is sending community colleges to their knees, begging for auto repair and babysitting money for their students, while wall street and the banking industry continue to raid our pension funds and render us homeless.

He then put his money where his mouth was and made a pledge to match every single dollar raised that evening, up to ten thousand dollars. I was thrilled to read in his blog the next day that we almost achieved that magic number. His perspective.  Yet, when the audience gave him a standing ovation, he demanded strongly that we STOP and explained that he had been very blessed in his career. He further madly informed us that the combined wealth of the 400 richest Americans was GREATER THAN the total earnings of the other 300 million citizens combined. (Think about that for a minute.)


Then he settled down, somewhat, and the rest of his presentation was heartfelt and pure Michael Moore. Of course he railed against the Republicans, but he also expressed his disappointment at some of the decisions made by the man he was so proud to call President. Nonetheless, he staunchly defended Obama and the Democrats.

He talked sports, predicting that Boston would meet his beloved Tigers in the post-season. He only got that half-right. Go Tigers. He also bragged that he and Tim Thomas graduated from the same high school in Michigan.

Here's a view from our front-row seats. LOL.

Here's a better view from the mini-tron:

Then Moore took a seat and proceeded to read excerpts from his new book of anectodal short stories subtitled: Stories from my life. Both stories he shared were touching insights into the life of a young man born to be a rabble rouser. He tells of winning an essay contest sponsored by the "whites-only" Elks Club while still a teenager, where he turned the tables on their racial membership policies and earned an invitation to testify before congress. He also writes about becoming the youngest elected official in the nation when he won a seat on the school board while still a high school student. But he didn't let hubris get in the way of his humility as he recounted one of his greatest regrets at not speaking out for a fellow student who was not allowed to graduate by the very same asshole vice-principal that spurred Moore to run for office just so he could fire the man. I venture to say with certainty that Michael Moore has NEVER remained silent against another injustice.

After he shared the two chapters, there was only time for questions from two audience members before the evening came to a disappointing end. Although it was late, we would gladly have listened to him all night. It was the first book tour reading I've ever attended where, not only did the author not remain to sign books, there weren't any copies of the book for sale! I'm sure Michael Moore is not worried about book sales.

And while I don't think TH is ready to move over and sit permanently on the liberal side of the aisle, he did admit to enjoying the evening with Michael Moore. And we were definitely not at Sunday mass he never nodded off, not once.

Date #21 - Saints and Segways

Our dates and this blog have apparently been on extended summer vacation because we only went on exactly one (count 'em) date during the month of July...and we just barely managed to squeeze that one in during the waning hours on the last day of the month. That's what I get for bragging that we were right on schedule when we crossed the midpoint date!

But we weren't exactly sitting home playing cribbage during July. The first half of the month was spent on a Whale Watch on the 4th of July, visiting the Butterfly Place, spending days on the Cape and at local beaches, riding our bikes extensively, and attending a lovely wedding in Topsfield where we later spent the night in Amesbury. None of those qualified as dates, however, because it was rarely just the two of us, and those were invitation events, or things we'd done before, or fun grandparenting occasions.

The latter part of the month was spent on the west coast where most of our family and many dear friends traveled to celebrate our younger son's wedding in Malibu. It was a fabulous event, J&K really know how to throw a party! And I stayed in Santa Monica for the week that followed to hang with Grandbaby M. Thus, there wasn't much time for dating in July.

Now finally back to the one date we did manage to make time for...

We had discount Groupon vouchers for a one-hour Segway tour along the Boston Harborfront. When we called to redeem our coupons, the only remaining slots were for the last tour of the evening...the 7pm sunset tour. It would be a perfect way to spend a warm Sunday evening following a HOT summer day.

And, as an added bonus, the Boston Glider office/garage is located at the base of Hanover Street in the North End. Now, if it's a Sunday nite in the summer, you can guarantee there's a saint being carried through the streets of Boston's North End. This particular Sunday was the culmination of the Feast of Saint Joseph. The segway training area was just steps from the event stage where The Ray Cavicchio Orchestra featuring Sharon "Z" was performing. Where do they find these acts?

Here's TH (orange shirt wearing the helmet) watching the performers while waiting for our safety lesson to start.

Once we signed our life away, watched a safety film, refused to have our photo taken, and learned to ride the Segway... we were ready to roll. Our tour guide was a nice young college lad named Sam, from County Kerry, who was working here for the summer. And he was thrilled to learn that TH and I, along with the other three girls in our group, were all locals and he could skip the historical portion of the tour. Because we obviously knew far more about Boston than he did! We just wanted to ride the Segways...so we dispensed with the radio headsets and off we went.

We followed Sam along the Commercial Street waterfront, through Christopher Columbus Park, and around the back of the Mariott Long Wharf. The view was spectacular, although the journey was a bit hairy as we rode in single file on the SIDEWALK, and had to dodge hundreds of pedestrian tourists while getting used to navigating the vehicles. Who knew that Segways did not have brakes?!

Sam led us to an area he referred to as the Segway Playground, where we met up with two other tour groups, also led by Irish students. It's a wide open area on the wharf and, although there were still plenty of tourists out and about, we were able to "play"....have races, ride up and down ramps, and even bounce down stairs. Who knew?

Here's a photo of the playground. Sam is in the light blue shirt without a helmet on the right. He was a hottie rather cute and not bad to look at from the rear either. And, even though it was against company policy, he was kind enough to take this photo of the "daters".

Once playtime was over, the tour continued. We rode past the Aquarium and through the Boston Harbor Hotel, over the Northern Ave Bridge, and around the Moakley Courthouse. From there we continued on the Harbor Walk past Louis and the ICA to the Pier 4 parking lot. It was a great vantage point from which to watch the sun set over Boston Harbor. It was almost romantic... if not for the fact we were standing on precarious vehicles and with four other riders alongside.

In the parking lot we had one more race but, truthfully it's far less exciting than it sounds. The top speed of the machines is 9 miles per hour. That's right...NINE. You could walk faster and win the race. And, when you press it to the top speed, the big bar that's in front of you pushes back against your midsection to slow you right back down.

From there we made our way across the Children's Museum Wharf, over the Congress Street Bridge, behind the Intercontinental Hotel, and back to Atlantic Avenue. Darkness was setting in quickly on the return trip which made navigating the pedestrian obstacle course a completely new extreme sport. However, we arrived unscathed, without incident and it was actually a relief to dismount from the machines. I was glad we'd only taken the one hour tour. It is quite numbing to have your legs stationary on a vibrating vehicle for all that time.

The St. Joseph's feast was still in full swing when we returned. And while this part of the evening didn't officially qualify as part of our date because we attend the feasts every summer, that didn't stop us from wandering around inhaling the delicious scents while enjoying the music, the crowds, and (as always) the gelato.

Buona Notte!