Day trip to Essex and Gloucester

Recently did a day trip to Gloucester and Essex with my friend MPK. We tend to like to go with his sis TK but she was unavailable and I had to change the dates. (Current situation of taking care of family and some finagling with the sister).

I got to try tosome Woodman's fried clams. This was the highlight of the trip. But knowing my friend, I had to be a bit prepared for our trip. I had to do some work errands post office and drop off a UPS package. Then I find out there is construction on the "D" line and I did not know where to pick up the bus. I ended up walking over to the "E" Line. Then I got off from the #39 bus at Prudential to get some tourist info. (I am glad I had the foresight as it aided with our travel plans with maps/addresses and phone numbers). I made it our preordained time of 10:30 and I got there at 10:36AM. (phew!) One of the escalators at PORTER is being fixed. (It is the deepest train stop that I am aware of in the Boston metro system). By the time I walked up to the top, I was very tired.

Woodmans was fun and enjoyable. Then we did the Essex Shipbuilders Museum (it is listed as one of the things to do before you die). We did get caught in a huge passing thunderstorm. I did get drenched. Luckily after we were in the musuem, it was all over and the sun was out.
We learned how important white oak is great for ships as they do not have mold and are strong. Also it was only until after WWII when iron was cheaper that wood ships slowly got out of commission. At the height of ship building there were 15 ship builders that lined up along the Essex area. Now there is the occasional boat that is built but not like before.
Then with our limited time we decided to go to Cogswell Grant (A local historic home) filled with tons of American Folk Art (the former owner) loved to collect things---ostrich eggs, birds, shaker boxes, paintings of local area inhabitants etc. This musuem is only by tour only (one every hour). We lucked out and got onto the 3pm tour.

Then off to Gloucester we went driving along 133 and then took the requisite pics with the Fishermen's Wives memorial and the Fishermen's Memorial before driving quickly through the Main Street of Gloucester. I took some pics of the cool Town Hall and we visited the Cape Ann Historical Museum. The special exhibit was nice. I liked some of the permanent collection stuff---the ivory figurines of Chun Lung and Chun Ling (Qin Dynasty in China the Emperor and his consort) which was really cool.

Then we made some purchases and got caught in the rain storm (before drivin back into Boston). I had some dinner plans in the South End but I got there slightly later than expected despite the North Shore traffic.

Spending time in the Hospital....

Recently I have had to spend a lot of time in hospitals. I read an interesting book on patient advocacy and being a smart patient. When you see loved ones in the hospital, you want them to have the best care. The book gave great advice and what to do when you are at the hospital. Since many are a bit overwhelmed, it is always a great idea to have a loved one or close friend not to be alone but with someone they trust to be around them.

The bit of time while I was with my family member, I realized you are helpful with their needs and expressing for them what they are feeling. Being patient and waiting is not fun as you are whiling away alot of time. Trying to keep your energy and spirits up can be hard. But I have learned to be using my time wisely doing errands and reading up on newspapers and magazines as well as library books. Waiting in the patient waiting room gets me a bit stir crazy.
The worst feeling you can have, or I felt at least is the feeling of hopelessness. All you can do is put your faith in the higher beings above and expect the best. Trust the doctors and nurses who are just doing their jobs--saving lives.

One thing the book (YOU the patient) mentioned was talk to the nurses. They can give you the ins and outs of the doctors. I have to say the surgeon I dealt with is awesome. The nurse agreed with us and said that for doctors to maintain her level of patient advocacy and empathy for someone her level is not the norm unfortunately. She has excellent bed side manner, willing to answer questions, very thorough and smart. She is a teacher at Harvard Medical School and did her residency in the local Longwood Area hospitals. We are lucky to have many great hospitals in the Boston area.

Any loved one having a family member have procedures or medical surgeries does not want to hear many things and one of them is "abnormality". This stemming from a rare condition and causing the procedure to be longer and harder due to this "abnoramility". Follow up tests and the ton of tests prior to the procedure occurred as the surgeon wanted to be sure and confident.

I just talked to some friends. Some advice, don't always take the doctor's word as gold---have healthy skepticism, get a second opinion (especially for big procedures) and always be prepared and with questions. An informed patient is a good patient. Detecting illnesses early is a good preventative measure and health is your wealth!

Sneak Peek -No Reservations

David Lee (Seattle Times photo credit)

A few nights ago, my friend AF invited me to see "No Reservations" a sneak peek at Fenway on Tuesday night this week. The timing could not have come better for me, life has been a bit busy and dreary due to being responsible. So luckily with some last minute finagling I was able to go.
I got there early before the 8pm Sneak Peek time and stood in line at 7pm. My friend AF got there at around 7:20. By that time the line was big and a bit congested. I felt a bit crowded as there was not much order. But I am here for a free movie, it has been some time I was part of a SNEAK PEEK.

The movie was a little under 2 hours and a much needed escape. Based loosely on a 2002 German film called "Mostly Martha", "No Reservations" turned out to be quiet enjoyable. It was good to see Aaron Eckhart and Catherine Zeta-Jones along with Abgail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) together and they all were solid in their roles. The movies focuses on executive chef Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones) runs her kitchen and life with rigid control. She does not know why she goes to therapy, but knows if she does not her boss will fire her. When dealing with a family crisis causing her 9 year old niece Zoe (Abgail Breslin) to live her, her life is thrown in upheaval. In her absence, Nick (Aaron Eckhart) is hired to watch over Kate's kitched. The usual dance of awkward moments and nervousness erupt to later evolve into romance between the two chefs among other things.

I really did enjoy the food scenes, but when chatting with AF, there is not much reality when it is the height of dinner service, you do not have the luxury not to be rushed and sing a song. Only one point seemed realistic for dinner service. AF informed that the leads took some cooking classes to be more believable and it showed. The food was gorgeous and I wanted to try the saffron sauce!!

Forgetting the keys....

Small things can make life miserable such as forgetting your keys. The worst time was last winter. I locked myself out and it would have cost me $150 to get the landlord to send someone (weekend!). (YUP my money is better spent on other stuff than having the landlord open the door for me!) I tried to wait it out for my room mate, turns out my battery for my cell phone died (I did not memorize his number) and my sis (decided that night to go to her boyfriends). So let's just say for 10 hours I was stuck a mix outside and at our kind neighbor's apartment. (If it were not for that situation, I would have not met our neighbor Jenny!). I promised myself not to do that again.

Well rushing out of the office, I forgot my keys again. Luckily my mom was visiting me. So she was able to open the doors. HFV-one of my roomie's-is finishing his thesis. So he comes home late and my sis decided not to return that night. (Thanks mom!) Monday would have been bad (Need keys to get into the office, but luckily I was able to make separate arrangements.). Really not fun to have to deal with this to be honest! Luckily someone is around in the area and I was able to get the keys. Phew! Otherwise it would have been really ugly!

Now I have to keep them in my bag and not take them out (unless of course when I need them!). Organization books always say items should have a home. I couldn't agree more.

Two Documentaries at the MFA-The Art Collector and Buddy

Last weekend was a bit busy being the first weekend back in town. It was overall not too humid but did rain on Sunday (I had carried around an umbrella Saturday under my sister's warning of showers that never came.)

I spent alot of time at the MFA this past weekend. I caught up on some of the short term exhibits and caught two films on two different people. One was "BUDDY" about Providence's notorious but wildy popular former Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island. The other is the documentary on Allen Stone an art collector in a piece entitled "The Art Collector" by his daughter Olympia Stone.

Both were good but in different ways. Vincent Cianci was the first non Irish Mayor and overcame discrimination and many hardships to be the longest running mayor in Providence despite all odds. Brash, confident, charming, authoritative etc. there were many adjectives used to describe this dynamic man. He was a republican (initially) who won beating the odds against the Irish Democrats for his first term. In a subsequent term, he changed to become an independent which enabled him to win yet again
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www.buddycianci.com (source)

As the longest-serving mayor in modern day history, Buddy Cianci remains one of the country's most controversial political figures. Cianci's unflagging popularity and extraordinary career comebacks have baffled political analysts and frustrated federal investigators. Brilliant and aggressive, charming and ruthless, Cianci is described by supporters and critics alike as a political survivor.

“Buddy”, the documentary, paints a complex portrait of the often contradictory and always audacious public figure who became the youngest man and the first Italian-American to become mayor of Providence, and a Republican who unseated a Democrat stronghold of more than thirty years. From his early promise as an attorney prosecuting organized crime to his success overseeing Providence's "renaissance," the film tracks Cianci's entanglements with city council opposition, union skirmishes, personal scandals, and criminal indictments. The result is a fascinating study of American local politics and a surprising tale of a man who, in the words of one commentator, "has a city as his mistress."

All content copyright © 2003, 2006 Laurel Hill Films LLC. ============================================================
Next is "The Art Collector" Allen Stone was a great documentary of the Late great Allen Stone who was very influential on the NY arts scene back since the 1960's.

Dina Maxwell Smith, 1988
Allan Stone (NY Times)
February 5, 2007 -BU LAW SCHOOL (source)
Allan StonePhoto by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Allan Stone ('58) the Subject of Documentary "The Collector"
Allan Stone ('58), the late New York-based art gallery owner and art collector, is the subject of the upcoming documentary "The Collector," which explores his 46-year career.
In "The Collector," Olympia Stone sets out to understand her father's obsessive passion for art. Throughout the film, viewers are guided through nearly five decades of art history, from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art’s emergence. Artists, art dealers, critics and family members reminisce upon the life of Stone, who passed away in December, 2006.

After graduating from BU Law and moving to New York to practice law, Stone spent much of his time giving free legal advice to artists like Elaine de Kooning. In 1960, Stone abandoned a legal career on Wall Street to open a Manhattan gallery showcasing the works of Abstract Expressionists and then-emerging artists such as Cesar and Wayne Thiebaud. A world-renowned art expert, Stone influenced the rise of New York City as the center of the international art world.

The Allan Stone Gallery, located in an old firehouse on East 90th Street in Manhattan, will continue under the direction of his daughter Claudia Stone.

Manga arrived to our humble abode....

My sister loves her anime, manga and video games. So naturally I am curious and will look at what she reads and talks about. I do like some things and I have to watch Sasuke on G4, I think Olivia Munn is cool! Plus I will read her mangas when they come to our place. I must admit, there are others I would not touch with a ten foot pole.
Two recent translations (take about 2-5 months sometimes more) to get one copy does take time. She just finished collecting *Kare Kano!

The Wallflower- (Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge) -Chronicles a girl who refuses to change but she has strange companions (loves Halloween, the dark,great cook) but a beautiful heart. (*wikipedia---Sunako Nakahara shuns all forms of beauty after being called "ugly" by her first crush. This scars her to be reclusive.) Her aunt wants her to be a proper young lady. In comes four "creatures of light" attractive : Oda Takenaga, Touyama Yukinojou (aka YUKI), Morii Ranmaru, and Takano Kyouhei, all are commissioned to live rent free if they can change Sunako into her Aunt's idea of a "Proper Lady". (ie Wear a dress, make up and be conventionally attractive)

Boys Over Flowers (Hana Yori Dango)----Makino is a strong girl from modest means. She attends a private school but it is ruled by F4--lead by Tsukasa a cocky, rich, curly haired young man who mixes up his Japanese but terrorizes and bullies everyone in school. As the story progresses, the unlikely pair begin to like each other but there will be tons of twists and turns throughout their relationship---Tsukasa' mom rejecting Makino, Tsukasa's inability to connect with Makino etc.

His and Hers Circumstance (Kare Kano)---Chronicles the relationship of two Yukino Miyazawa and Soichiro Arima tops students who both struggle and have many obstacles from friends, family and school before realizing their feelings for each other. Soichiro is smart and handsome but he is not what he seems. Yukino is a top student but what everyone does not know, it is all a facade and she is afraid to show her "true self" to others. To keep up appearances, she studies hard and is actually sloppy! Initially, Yukino loathes Soichiro when he transfers into her high school as he poses a threat to destroy her tidy world of praise and academic glory.

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(source-wikipedia-below)
The Wallflower (ヤマトナデシコ七変化, Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge?) is a manga and anime series by Tomoko Hayakawa.[2] Alternative titles include Perfect Girl Evolution, and Sunako of Many Forms.[3] The anime series ended in March 2007 while the manga is still ongoing.

The series is serialized in Bessatsu Friend in Japan, and released in North America by Del Rey Manga, with English translation by David Ury. It is published in Singapore in English by Chuang Yi as My Fair Lady. The series is also published in Indonesia by Level Comics.
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/yamanade/ (Nihongo-Japanese)

Boys Over Flowers (花より男子, Hana yori Dango?) is a Japanese shōjo manga series written by Yoko Kamio. It was serialized in the bi-weekly anthology magazine, Margaret, which is aimed at high-school-age girls. The manga series ran continuously from October 1992 to September 2003, and has been collected into 36 volumes. There are 24 translated to English so far.
Recently, the series has started to be released in a deluxe edition (larger pages and with all the color artwork from the magazine reproduced).

By 2003, the story had been adapted in Japan into an anime TV series, a live-action television drama, an animated movie set in a parallel universe, and a live-action movie. It has also served as the basis for a live-action drama TV series from Taiwan called Meteor Garden ( 流星花園; Liu Xing Hua Yuan), which has spawned off an idol-singer group, F4. Also, an all-new Japanese live-action drama series premiered on October 2005 on TBS. Season one of the live-action drama ended in December 2005, spanning 9 forty-minute episodes (with an hour-long final episode special).

By Summer 2003, both the manga and anime TV series were available in English in the United States and Canada from VIZ Media under the title, Boys Over Flowers.

In July of 2006 a Yomikiri (short story) was released in issue 15 of Margaret magazine.
In January of 2007 TBS began airing season 2 of the live-action drama, which spanned 11 episodes and concluded in March.

彼氏彼女の事情
His and Her Circumstances (彼氏彼女の事情, Kareshi Kanojo no Jijō?), commonly abreviated to Kare Kano (カレカノ, Kare Kano?), is a 21 volume manga series by Masami Tsuda, and a 26 episode TV anime series directed by Hideaki Anno of Gainax. The English anime, distributed by Right Stuf International, is titled His and Her Circumstances (a direct translation of the Japanese title) and the English manga, published by TOKYOPOP, is titled Kare Kano, a popular abbreviation of the Japanese title. The series is licensed by Enoki Films USA under the title Tales at North Hills High; however, Right Stuf opted to use the original title of "Kareshi Kanojo no Jijō", translated to English as the aforementioned "His and Her Circumstances".

(source for The Wallflower ,Hana Yori Dango, Kare Kano info from wikipedia)