Rain Shower

Tonight after my exercise class with Jenn and Drew (which turned into dinner with Jenn and Drew), I was delayed in coming home because I had to run by the new place to take some measurements. I had decided to walk home, but once I got outside, a light rain was falling. So I dashed up to Copley Square to the T. 

Before I went down to board my train, I snapped a few photos.

Maybe it was the post-exercise high. Maybe it was the warm fuzzy feeling I had after spending time in my new place. Maybe it was the two glasses of wine I'd had with dinner.

But I stood there, watching the rain, feeling it fall on my face... and felt surprisingly content. The oppressive humidity of the last few days melted away into a calm cool that felt almost cleansing... 

And I was content. 100% completely, totally content with my surroundings, my situation, my life.

I finally feel like I am where I belong. And it 100% completely, totally rocks. 

Vacay Recap

You know your vacation was super relaxing when the only picture you took was of this:

After all of the heinous weather we've been having in Boston, we were actually blessed with four gorgeous days of sunshine... enough for me to even get a little color! That color may have been pink at first, but now it's fading into a nice brown base tan. Hopefully the rain ends soon so that I can keep it up!

In addition to my little familia, my parents' good friends the DeSmets were also in Sandwich -- just two doors down on the beach. It's weird when kids you used to babysit turn into sophomores and juniors in college. They are at least learning things though, as evidenced by the only other item on my camera, which is now posted on YouTube for your viewing pleasure:

We all decided that night that it was our mission to make Andy famous. So we posted this on YouTube. You should tell all your friends, so that he can have more than 41 views! Do it. It'll make a growing boy happy. 

Boat Day

Spring has finally shown its face in Boston! The weather is my favorite type... cool-ish, but with a big, bright warm sun. This weekend was exceptionally beautiful, and it was perfect for a boat day. My classmate Carl and his wife Jamie live on her Dad's boat, and they hosted a bunch of us this Saturday for some grilling and sunshine.

We also toasted with the first Sangria of the season, courtesy of Jackie. Sangria is one of those things that no one really knows how to make... we just make it up as we go along. The plan is to use the summer to perfect the concoction, so that by Labor Day we've got the best drink made up!

Humberto, manning the grill. We had a great assortment of treats, and a wide variety of sausages -- including a venison sausage made by Scott's dad (who shot it himself, btw)... which invariably led to a lot of jokes about "Scott's dad's sausage." I swear, we are in graduate school, not pre-school!

Despite the somewhat ominous clouds in the background of this shot, it really was a nice day! Note Trevor's super-appropriate "boat attire" on the left. 

His fiancée was thrilled at his wardrobe choice, by the way. Hah!

And there was one other very special attendee, Carl and Jamie's Boston Terrier, Maracas. So appropriate for a couple of BU alums! Most of the day she played with her fox... until Marcus and Scott distracted her with a plastic water bottle.

And that's all that I managed to capture on film before the camera died! :( But thanks to Carl and Jamie for a fun day out on the harbor!

And do not fear, bloggy friends... I'm charging up the camera in anticipation of the Cinco de Mayo festivities on Thursday, and the Cohort Talent Show and Red Sox game on Friday night! Now if I can just make it through this last week of classes alive...

Lots of Updates

So it's been a while. I mentioned to my mom that I had a free evening and she not so subtly mentioned, "you should update your blog!" I can take a hint.

One of the reasons that I've been a bit MIA is because of the dreaded MBA internship search. It's been stressful to say the least! I had one perfectly terrible "avatar" interview (imagine a Skype interview where you can't see or hear the other person), and a lot of resumes sent out into the void to no response... and the mounting pressures of 1) the fact that an internship is required for my program and 2) taking an unpaid internship was looking like a distinct possibility, which had another set of added stresses!

I didn't blog much about it because I knew I'd sound whiny and paranoid and insecure (and WHO wants to read that?)... but as you can see I'm back on the old blog. And that's because, yep you guessed it! I have an internship! To maintain some sense of digital anonymity, all I will say is that this particular company makes an item that you put on your feet when you workout, and they tend to emblazon their products with the letter "N." It's such a great opportunity, and it's in the exact field I want to work in (Cause Marketing) and I am so excited that everything worked out. It was surreal, actually... I interviewed at 9 a.m. and had an offer at 3 p.m.!

So in other news, Spring is FINALLY coming to Boston! The snow is melting, they are refilling the ponds and fountains, and I actually wore a COTTON jacket today! So many people have asked me how I am doing with the weather here, and the answer is "still loving it!" Spring has so much promise, with the crisp air, clear skies, and fresh fresh air. It's turning out to be quite pretty:

The other exciting thing in my life right now is... I now have curtains! Seriously, this is the most exciting thing that's happened to me lately -- THIS IS WHY I DON'T BLOG! My mom was here last week, and helped me with a little DIY project to hang curtains in my room, which is as bright as noon come about 6 a.m. I'm waiting for one more panel to arrive via Target.com, but here's a little sneak peek. Once it's all done, I'll post the full before and after.

And, yes, mother. I didn't make my bed today.

Other fun things from the almost-spring... visits from some of my faves - Kim, Alex and Mary, my first Boston St. Paddy's Day (which merits its own post), and celebrating Diana's big 3-0! It seems like only yesterday we were all celebrating our 21st birthdays, and now we are planning 30th bashes. 

And that's the update. I pledge to be better in the coming months!

Wintry Mix

So we've had a little bit of snow in Boston this winter.

Since December, we've had 70.1 inches of snow. For the record, that is 7 more inches than my height. It is also only 15" less than Shaq's height (as boston.com has been so great about documenting for us online). The average season sees about 41.8" in November - April, and the record-breaking '95/'96 season racked up 107.6 inches.

In other words -- I picked a hell of a time to move to Boston!

Today, despite many hopes and rumors to the contrary, was not a snow day for BU. It was for just about every other academic institution in this fair city, but not us (personally, I think it was because at 1 p.m. yesterday they made the call to close the school at 5 p.m. and cancel all night classes, and then it promptly stopped snowing at 4 p.m.). The photos above were taken during my morning commute to school (note the absence of any other forms of intelligent life).

I left about 10 minutes earlier than normal, just to make sure I had enough time to get to class. I boarded the T at Coolidge Corner, per usual, and claimed my bit of floor space. I was 5 minutes into a particularly trying level of Angry Birds, when I noticed we weren't moving. It seems that a train had stopped 4 stops ahead at St. Mary's and they were "trying to push it out of the way." After about 10 minutes or so, we crept to the next stop, waited a few minutes, then crept to Kent St. After a few more minutes stalled, our driver came back on the loud speaker to let us know that the pushing had failed, and they were going to try again.

So we waited. I conquered the Angry Birds level and moved on to another. The driver comes back on the loudspeaker to inform us that while this new attempt at pushing worked, the train then "lost air" and had to be "refilled." I really hope that has something to do with the breaks and not air for, like, breathing, because that could get scary. He reassured us that we'd "get moving soon."

But 15 minutes later, the doors simply opened. We were told we could walk back two stops to Coolidge Corner and take a shuttle to Kenmore, and that they were sorry for the inconvenience. So here was my dilemma - backtrack a quarter mile to shove onto a bus with a bunch of people to Kenmore (which is my stop) or walk three quarters of a mile to school. 

The walk seemed like a good idea -- until I realized that not one inch of Beacon St. had been plowed yet - the street or the sidewalk. 

And after class, I was greeted with a new kind of winter hell: the "wintry mix." This roughly means a mixture of snow, hail and rain coming down at the same time. Awesome. Let's just say that right now I'm wrapped in my duvet and my clothes are all in the dryer. 

But all of this is not to complain, just to communicate. My mother said I'm "making memories!" I'm also about to make myself an Irish coffee, to get through my accounting homework and class tonight! 

In Which Bronwen Figures Out How to Post Videos

So I know that -- being from Southern California and all -- I'm supposed to probably hate the snow and complain about it a lot... or make snide comments like "what's all this white stuff" and such... but I just can't.

I'm in love!

I love how pretty everything looks when it snows. And yes, it does turn ugly and slushy and gross, but it feels so peaceful when the snow is falling and everything is so white and pristine*. Like this:

So I'm a huge dope and didn't turn my iPhone the right way... but I'm glad to see that Blogger has turned it right side up for me (they post half of my photos sideways, so I'm amazed they got this one right). Turn up your sound... you can hear the snow hitting my umbrella!

And speaking of the cold, here's another little gem for you all. If you're friends with me on Facebook (or Gchat) sorry this is a duplicate. It also bears mention that my mother sent this to me.

*What does that say about me? Maybe I'm racist?

Ugly Snow

Remember how we talked about my beautiful winter wonderland the other day?

It looked kind of like this:

And it still does, until you look down.

Brown snow and slush... not so much. I just have to remember to look up!

More snow in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday. I'm looking forward to a fresh dusting to make everything pristine again! :)

Back to Boston

Since I'd been gone for three whole weeks, Mother Nature decided to welcome me back to Boston with a HUGE snowstorm, my first since moving to the East!

On Monday, they pre-emptively called a Snow Day for today (Wednesday). And it was bad. It finally let up a little while ago, and I was able to jump out and take a few photos before it got dark. We got about 2 feet today.

The street looks like a Winter Wonderland.

Thank goodness Santa brought Snow Boots this year!

Project 365: 106/365

The one upside to all this cold weather? Finally getting to wear all of the boots and tights I've accumulated over the years!

Project 365: 103/365

With all of the leaves dying and falling off of the trees, we actually have a few city views from our apartment.

Trying to enjoy the last of these blue skies... before they give way to snow! Apparently it is "unseasonably warm" this year -- about 50 degrees F. Heh.

Project 365: 101/365

Good Morning, America - how are ya?

Just thought I'd run you all through my typical morning as of late. Just to set the scene - I go to bed anywhere between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. in a freezing cold room, wrapped up in my blankets and duvet.

4:45 a.m. - Heat goes on
5:00 a.m. - Wake up in cold sweat, throw duvet off
6:15 a.m. - Heat goes off
6:45 a.m. - First alarm goes off. Throw duvet back on because it's freezing. Hit snooze.
6:49 a.m. - Hit snooze.
6:53 a.m. - Check body temperature. If warm, get up and locate slippers. Make bed. If cold, hit snooze.

At that point, I generally shuffle down to the kitchen and make coffee (it's half caff, I'm not completely off the wagon), whereupon I return to my room and start checking e-mail and the various online tools that my MBA program uses to get information to the students. I'm also trying to blog at this point as well. At some point, I also eat, shower, do my hair, get dressed, pack my lunch and get out the door by 9 a.m. to be at school by about 9:30 a.m.

And then the fun REALLY begins!

Project 365: 100/365

Ok, maybe I wasn't entirely truthful yesterday.

Not ALL of the leaves are brown.

Sky's still gray though.

Project 365: 99/365

It's really hard to love Boston when it's so icky out...

Those of you who are my friends on Facebook saw my post the other day... and it's true. All the leaves ARE brown, and the sky IS gray. The stress of this semester and the gloomy weather have me doing some SERIOUS California dreaming... only a month and a day till I fly back for break!

Project 365: 97/365

Everyone keeps asking me how the weather is here. It's cold.

Right now? 41, feels like 34.

Here's another number for ya - 39. As in the number of days till I am back in Long Beach, where right now it is a balmy 60.

Oh, and it's going to get worse. I have to keep reminding myself of that!

Project 365: 93/365

It was 40 degrees out today when I was walking to school. My ears were very cold. So after class I went to H&M and bought a hat. Duh. That's what any normal person would do.

I have issues with hats, for many reasons including that I have a large head. I think I can probably pull this one off... what do you think?

Project 365: 63/365

It's shaping up to be a very rainy week here in Boston. I'd love it if I didn't have to go outside in it!

A Real Update... for a Change

When I get around to posting today's photo, it will be number 50! I can't believe how fast these last 7 weeks have gone by!

School has pretty much settled into what I think is going to be its routine. It looks like this: wake up, eat, shower (etc.), re-read materials for class, pack a lunch, head to campus, eat said lunch, class, study time, more class, walk home, make dinner, study, sleep. 

And you wonder why a lot of my photo posts are back-dated!

I'm finally able to answer one question definitively though - what classes are you taking? Since we're in the first year core curriculum, we don't get to pick or schedule our own classes, so I've never been able to give a good answer to that question. I'm taking classes in Organizational Business, Marketing Management, Finance, Accounting, and Statistics. These are the courses that take up the bulk of my week. I'm also enrolled in a Career Management course, Executive Skills, and my Career Community. 

One of the most frustrating things about the scheduling here is that it's not predictable. Ask me where I'll be on  a Monday at 1 p.m., and I can only tell you SMG room 322. It might be Marketing, it might be Stats. It might be a 90 minute class, it might be a 3 hour class. Sometimes we think we have Marketing, but our Stats professor shows up. It can be a little hard to keep straight, so I just have to take it one week at a time in terms of scheduling. Thankfully, the Graduate Programs Office sent each cohort a Google calendar with our schedule, so it's not impossible to keep track of.

We had our first big project due last week, which we completed with our teams. It was a case analysis on Meg Whitman at eBay, followed by an analysis of one of the international countries where eBay operates. It was a ton of work, and the first substantial assignment we'd completed with our teams. We had a marathon four-hour class on Friday for all of the presentations, and then headed to the pub after to blow off some steam. It was really great how many people came up and complimented our team, and me personally as well. I was really flattered! Public Speaking isn't something I'm bad at (thank you Mormon church), but it's not exactly something I'd do for fun!

We're gearing up now for our Integrated Project, which is the biggest part of our grade in pretty much all of our classes. The gist is - we have to pick a consumer product brand, evaluate it, and make a proposal to revitalize that brand and decide whether or not our "company" should purchase it. Once that really kicks off, I fully expect my life to end as I know it!

I've also been fighting my homebody tendencies since coming to Boston, trying to be social and make friends. It's so hard when my bed is so comfy and my TV so large! Just kidding. It's definitely a different scene here than in LA - a lot more casual (I have only worn heels out once!) and not so clubby. I'm trying to work the Groupon/Living Social deals to be able to stretch my student budget over all of the things I want to do. 

It's funny, after Labor Day, it's like a switch was flipped. It's now Fall - cool and crisp, yet still sunny and clear out. This is definitely new... and nice... but it's hard to not go out and buy lots of boots and cozy sweaters. I can't wait until I have an income again! 

Anyway, more later. If there are any specific questions you have, send them my way via e-mail or in the comments, and I'll do a big question answering post this weekend. 

Project 365: 22/365

Second day of cold rain and fog today... more on the forecast for tomorrow. What's up, Northeast? I thought it was still August here!