Tag: boston

feelings

reason #32 to stay up past your bedtime

abby mumford

GUSTER.

they are one of those bands that blow you away EVERY SINGLE TIME you see them live. and i’ve seen them more times than i can count. they just have this charisma on stage that doesn’t translate to CD. they truly enjoy their fans and that, in turn, makes it even more fun to see them over and over.

and you know what makes a guster concert EVEN MORE FUN than usual? going with two friends, one of whom doesn’t know he’s going.

i’m normally a professional sekrit keeper. i never even let on that i know any information, let alone do the “i know something you don’t know” song and dance. and up until yesterday, this was no exception. in fact, the fall has been going so fast (seriously, we’re only 2 days away from november? huminah, what?) that the guster concert snuck up on me. (read: i forgot about it) but it worked out supremely well because i saw L&N last weekend, and that could have been prime sekrit slipping time.

but nope. N had no clue what L and i were planning. in fact, N didn’t even know i was joining in on the festivities until he saw my sweet ride (shocks. pegs. LUCKY.) driving into the parking lot. i was so excited (and admittedly, a bit hopped up on sugar free red bull) that as i waved hello, slid into the car and heard my phone’s google calendar event reminder, i grabbed my phone, waved it around, and yelled, “GUSTER CONCERT!!!!!!!”

*crickets chirping*

N grinned, but looked over at wifey L to see if he was allowed to know the details of tonight’s event. L sputtered, “but he didn’t know yet.”

oops.

and just like that, i was given the pink slip out of the professional ranks of sekrit keeping.

fortunately, we were now able to have N (a portland, ME local) drive us to a good restaurant and then find us street parking without us having to throw him off the scent. or having to have L drive and me navigate. (we all know what happens when i’m in charge of directions…) and fortunately, the release of the sekrit didn’t detonate any fireworks or tempers or contracts on my life. and seeing guster live (again) was as amazing as we were anticipating. those boys sure put in a lot of practice and it shows in the show. the lights. the sounds. the talking to the audience. brian singing the “50 states” song. the new songs. the old songs. it’s all genius.

i wanted to SHARE some guster with you, but i couldn’t find a proper video of them live (not that it would have done them any justice because a video of them live doesn’t equate to actually being in the same room with them), so instead, here’s a little acoustical lullabye.

you’re welcome.

and next time they’re at a venue near you, stock up on red bull, caffeine, and wave goodbye to your pillow. trust me, it’s worth the lost beauty sleep.

 

oops.

general

wicked

abby mumford

this word wicked has many meanings. it usually takes the form of an adjective or an adverb. it can even be used as slang (which, yes, i have adopted. i mean, come on, i’ve been in massachusetts for 7.5 years now. it was inevitable.)

but last night, it took the form of a proper noun, as in this:

gosh golly gee wiz bumble mumble HOLY COW it is so amazing. it makes me cry and laugh and cheer and sing along and swoon and tear up and applaud and grin and smile and squeeeeee. it’s so amazing. and it’s the second time i’ve seen it. the first time, i was in NYC at THE show with idina menzel and kristin chenoweth. ms. chenoweth was out sick that day, but idina graced the stage and oh my ever did she.

but last night, jackie burns was playing the title role and she’s no second fiddle. her green skin and her voice were truly stunning. and chandra lee schwartz as glinda? as my roommate would say, it blew my mind grapes. there were so many little bits (and big bits) i had forgotten about. it’s funny! and the music is gorgeous. and this second round of actors really made it their own. i know it was the same play as the first time, but this felt unique and wonderful. i was surprised by how different the same play could be with a fresh new set of actors. it’s snarky and charming and powerful, oh my! i can’t believe i waited this long to see it again. it was totally worth the wait. however, i also feel it would have been worth it not to wait, which means i would have seen it 5 or 6 times by now. my wallet would be a lot lighter, sure, but so would my soul. you could even say it would be defying gravity. oh, did you see what i did there? little inside information. if you’ve seen the show, you know what i’m talking about. if you haven’t seen the show. what the frick are you waiting for??? go see it!

after that first viewing, because i adored it so much, i decided to read gregory mcguire’s book of the same name. (well, wait, it’s not WICKED, the musical. it’s actually WICKED: LIFE AND TIMES OF THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST.) it’s a rare event that can get me to say this, but i actually liked the musical better than the book. i know. can you believe i just said i liked something more than a book? (sorry, Book. this time, it’s true.) it’s probably because i pretty much adore the disneyification of anything and that book? it’s heavy on the politics and light on the fluffy, singing animals. and that’s not to say the musical is full of furry talking mammals. i mean, it is, but it’s so much more. the spirit of the book matches the spirit of the musical, but they get to the end results in different ways. and that’s fine. i just choose to watch the musical (twice) rather than read the book (once). which, GAH, i still can’t believe i’m saying. i always like the book better [than the movie/musical/tv show]. i guess there has to be a rule breaking situation. this is mine.

speaking of disneyifications, our BOOK HUNGRY selection for october is BEAUTY by robin mckinley. if you want to join in, feel free to pick up a copy at your local library or indie book store. our reviews will go up on 10/21, so there’s your deadline. start reading!

feelings

wonder woman

abby mumford

it started with a haircut the week before i went to italy. i went to the same woman i’ve been going to for a year + now. but i went to a different salon. her OWN salon. the doors had opened the day before and while the restorations weren’t 100% complete, her attitude was overjoyed, sheer joyfulness, blissful happiness.

i’m beginning to think she infused a bit of that into the shampoo, and combed it through my hair with the conditioner, tousled in some with the mousse, and spritzed it in with the hairspray because i have gotten more compliments on my hair/appearance (in person, in pictures) than ever before.

i like to think it’s magic because who doesn’t want a spot of magic incorporated into their life?

of course, it could also be a bit of me shining out. i’ve been through some tougher times than i’d like to admit and while i thought i was past the darkness before, it seems i really am now. it’s apparent in my facial expressions. when i smile, i actually mean it. and i’m wearing a smile more often these days. i think that’s what people are seeing. it’s nice to know my hard work is paying off.

though, it never hurts to have a wand in your back pocket or at the very least, a hairdresser who can style your hair to complement your face AND your attitude.

travel

travel-o-city

abby mumford

i’ve found myself in more planes, trains, buses, cabs, and cars in september/october than i have over the course of the entire rest of the year. i suppose this is why my summer was so slow. it was the calm before the frenzy of fall travel. as i sit here, in my apartment, sandwiched between two weekends away, i can’t help but think about the art of traveling.

AIR TRAVEL. this route allows you to go the further the fastest. great for international and cross country travel. however, with all of the security measures at airports, you have to make sure your shoes are easy to slip on/off, that your carry on bag can in fact fit into the overhead compartment, that your jewelry/accessories/coat/sweater are easy to take off so you don’t send that metal detector into a beeping fit, and that all your toiletries are 3 oz or less and fit into one minuscule zip lock bag. your ipod (or cd player and stack of cd’s, if that’s how you roll) is a must to drown out the crying babies OR seat mate who can’t take the hint that you’d rather sleep (or watch tv or pull out your own fingernails) than hear about their aunt linda’s nephew’s twin sister’s daughter who wrote a really awesome book about napkins that should totally be published by the company you work for.

ROAD TRAVEL. this option allows you the most control. you drive the car. you pick the route. you can see what’s going on ahead, behind, and next to you at all times. you can pack as much as you want. in no particular shape or form or container. however, there are other cars (with idiot drivers) in them that you have to contend with. and bathrooms aren’t readily accessible. and radio stations come and go. and traffic. you never know exactly when or where or how long you’ll be stuck there. and those cops sure know how to show up just when you press the accelerator.

RAIL TRAVEL. this option deletes the traffic on the road problem, but it’s about as expensive as a flight, without the quickness factor. it takes about the same time as driving (well, if you drove on roads without other cars or construction). it’s got almost the same (must fit into the overhead compartment) packing issues as the plane, but it does not have the whole security thing. which means, oh yeah, liquids in a container larger than 3 ounces. party! of course, all of this applies to US trains. if you’re in, say, italy, YOU SHOULD TAKE THE TRAIN. the system is practically flawless. the destinations are endless. and, well, you’ve probably already got your tiny suitcase packed from the plane ride over.

BUS TRAVEL. this is by far the most economical. the most expensive ticket i’ve ever purchased was $13. and that one i giggled at because, really, $13. i can totally afford that. (i should have paid more attention to the evil sounding 13. it was just the start of a horrid bus ride home. let’s just say that megabus has the worst customer service ever. both rides (to and from NYC) were beyond ridiculous. i got there in one piece, so yes, that was good, but no, i’ll never take them again. i’ll cough up $4 more to take the bolt bus.) you can pack a bag with no size restrictions because the undercarriage of the bus can hold a lot of luggage. and there are no security measures, so again, party on with your big bottles. (of course, you must keep in mind that you still have to take public transportation to and from the bus, so you’ll have to drag/carry whatever you packed. think of your back! and the uneven brick sidewalks! pack light.) there is that road traffic to contend with, so keep that in mind while planning the trip, especially if you’re going into Manhattan around rush hour. eesh. bad idea.

and now that you have my travel breakdown, let’s hope your (or my) plane, train, car, or bus doesn’t break down on your next trip away from home.

feelings

emergency! is there a doctor in the hou…you mean me?

abby mumford

despite the fact i’m a very calm person on a day to day basis, i’m the one who comes unglued in an emergency situation. maybe that’s one of the reasons i love katniss from HUNGER GAMES or katsa from THE GRACELING. they’re both super strong, lead the way, take charge kind of gals. they rise during an emergency while i? i slink behind the nearest tree.

except for sunday. my friend C was in town this weekend for a conference. the conference was in providence, but due to its proximity to boston (and her 3 friends who live up here), she opted for the free hotel room, aka my apartment. she called on sunday to let me know she was heading back from the conference. when she called again not even 15 minutes later, i jokingly answered the phone “leave a message at the beep.”

i flung the silliness aside when her voice, near tears, said, “my car is smoking and i’m pulled over on the side of the road.”

gulp.

and then, i spewed every calm and rational thought i had/could have had about what to do when you and your car are broken on the side of the road. because i had to. because she was freaking out. because i wasn’t allowed to. because two girls freaking out is about an constructive as eating soup with a fork. after she calmed down and after i promised to come get her if need be, we hung up since there wasn’t much else for me to do/say while she waited for the AAA tow truck to come and tow and assess the damage. plus, i’m sure she wanted to call her dad (or BF) for more soothing thoughts on what to do when it looks like your car has suddenly developed a smoking habit.

she called back 10 minutes later to say that yes, her car was kaput and she needed me to come get her. i got some vague directions from her (via the tow truck guy) that i should take 95 to this exit to 2 lights to a left turn to look for the mobil station. i was 100 % calm as i said “sure thing. i’m leaving now. sit tight.” i hung up the phone, took a deep breath, my towel fell and i properly freaked out (what? i had just gotten out of the shower) about how i was supposed to get to her. i scrambled into some clothes, swiped on mascara, and called another friend to confirm that to get to 95, i have to take 93 first.

i hop in my car, eye the 1/4 full tank of gas and begin the battle with Rudy*, my GPS. i had the directions from the tow truck guy which, albeit a bit vague, seemed easy. except for the part where i didn’t know how to get there (95) from here (my apartment). i didn’t have an address for where C was, except that it’s a mobil station in between boston and providence. Rudy wanted me to go this way and then recalculating and then take take exit and then recalculating about 53 times. i only had a wisp of a notion of where 93 and 95 met up, but i suspected those highways were my best bet rather than the circular side streets the GPS wanted me to take. and then began the battle with myself. hello?! i have a GPS, follow it. but really? can i trust Rudy? or should i trust mr. tow truck? i decided to go for the latter even though it meant i had to listen to “recalculating” every 5 minutes.

did i mention my car was basically on fumes at that point? this is really rare for me because i’m paranoid about running out of gas. if my car is under 1/2 full, i fill it. i don’t drive that much and with both coaching and playing lacrosse seasons over, i’ve been driving even less. the last time i was in the car, i was only going .5 miles down the road to pick up heavy groceries and thought, hmm, i should fill up. “next time” i thought. and you see? see what happens when i procrastinate?

i have to don my savior cape and rescue C.

what a nightmare that would have been if i had run out of gas. and i had to say to my tow guy, “could you drag me to the mobil off route 160? cause that’s where my friend is and i need to get her.” a classic comedy of errors that was narrowly avoided. *phew*

but what’s my point about all of this? (besides reinforcing to myself that i should never, ever, ever procrastinate again). my point is that when i HAD to be calm, cool, collected, i was. i was still able to freak out (after talking to C and before driving to get her) because she wasn’t able to see that (well, except for when i told her). which translates to my next writing project. i’ve been so scared to start it because, well, i don’t know where to start. i don’t have a plot. i don’t have a firm character in mind. i’ve been frozen. hiding in the bushes. like i usually do when emergencies come calling. but sunday’s adventures showed me that i can do it. i can find 95 without the help of Rudy. i can be calm enough to convince C that everything is going to be alright. because it is. and that’s this next project will go because i’m the only one who can write it. i need to stop being scared and start driving, err, writing.

another lesson learned during all this? it’s really nice to be able to call your mom and/or dad and say “help. what do i do?” and let them do their mom/dad thing and hug you through the phone. because as grown up as we have to be sometimes, there’s still nothing better than allowing yourself a moment of adolescent wallowing to mom/dad when the adult world is too scary to deal with.

*why’s my GPS called Rudy? that’s thanks to my roommate. during one long, delirious drive, she starting laughing to herself. in between giggles she asked if i had named my GPS. i said no. she pointed to it and said you should call her Rudy because she gives you the ROUTE. (so technically, the spelling should be ROUTEY). and that’s that.