Dear Wendy
Dear Wendy

Weekend Open Thread

positive energy

This has been a very weird week. Who needs a hug? Who needs a drink? Who needs to vent? Who has a bit of good news or a funny story to share?

Let’s re-convene here on Monday and hope for a much, much better week.

60 comments… add one
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    bittergaymark April 19, 2013, 6:11 pm

    Rough week here. Aside form the world blowing up at large… I had THREE gigs implode on me all due to circumstances completely beyond my control. Truthfully, they weren’t even “great” gigs, but I was sincerely trying to make the best of things… (Hiring freeze killed one, and two other film projects fell apart over sudden funding issues after many wasted hours of meetings, and intensive prop list constructions… Bah!

    And then — in spite of all that pointless drama, I’ve had to be funny in not one, not two, but THREE improv shows and seem to have succeeded on the most part… But DAMN! Am I ever getting rather weary of it always being my cookie that’s somehow crumbling… You know it’s been a bad year when a friend sincerely tells you over lunch… “Hey, it could be worse. Both your legs couldn’t have been blown off…” True. Very true. But seriously? The only way my life could suck more if I had both legs blasted into meet shreds by a couple of mad boy Russians? Oh dear… yikes. Just yikes…

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    iwannatalktosampson April 19, 2013, 6:19 pm

    I have nothing positive to say about anything. Life sucks.

    Fine I take it back – my dog is awesome.

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      iwannatalktosampson April 19, 2013, 6:25 pm

      Also – can I just say – you know your life sucks when you just can’t be bothered to get drunk. It’s not that I don’t want to BE drunk – I am just out of emotional and physical energy to get from point A to B.

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    • HmC April 19, 2013, 6:51 pm

      What gives iwanna? You’re being cryptic so clearly you don’t want to share but I’m a little tipsy myself and I like hearing your perspective and I’m bummed to see your sails with the wind taken out of them.

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        iwannatalktosampson April 20, 2013, 9:51 am

        I know I’m totally being that asshole that’s vaguebooking. It’s just I don’t want to tell everyone in case it ends up not happening. But you will all have an answer by next week. And seriously – the events of the world are bumming me out a lot too. It feels weird to be so sad about it – like it’s Boston’s grief and I’m just trying to get attention – but it just hurts me in such a weird place that someone would bomb marathon runners. It’s like trying to kill the strong. Like I know if I ran a marathon I would be so proud of myself. I would be lucky to make it out alive. And they took a good, happy place full of achievement and goals and motivation that is in the human spirit and literally blew it up.

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      • Taylor April 20, 2013, 2:11 pm

        Totally get that, and I don’t think I could run a mile. Hope your stuff picks up!

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      • HmC April 20, 2013, 3:56 pm

        Well all the best to you in whatever you’re dealing with. And I know what you mean about the bombing… Jesus that perspective really is depressing.

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      • Guy Friday April 20, 2013, 6:25 pm

        If you want to cheer up, go find the clip of the anthem at the Bruins-Sabres game on Tuesday. Or watch Steven Colbert or Jon Stewart’s Tuesday show openings. Or go look at the pictures of the THOUSANDS of people who came out for that little boy’s funeral, not to be there but to form a human wall so that the Westboro Baptist Church couldn’t get anywhere close to it.

        It’s OK to feel down about Boston, but speaking as a native (albeit transplanted) Bostonian, we love you too, and we’re getting off the mat as we speak. We’ll help you get back up too. They fucked with the wrong city, with the wrong people. We’ll be back for next year’s marathon even stronger, because that’s just what we do; we take whatever you can throw at us, and we come back for more. So come on over and have some chowder; we’re buying 🙂

        (Also, “It’s just I don’t want to tell everyone in case it ends up not happening?” Friendly advice: shut your brain off for a bit and trust your instincts on whatever it is.)

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      • lets_be_honest April 22, 2013, 10:16 am

        Thinking about you Iwanna. Hope everything works out the way its supposed to 🙂

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    Miel April 19, 2013, 6:44 pm

    Hey guys,

    This is completely unrelated to any of the crap that happened this week. But it put a smile on my face, and I just wanted to share that with you.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6He0FWoFj0
    This is Tim, the happiest restaurant’s owner I’ve ever seen. His restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and Hugs ! I hope everyone’s watching this can feel a bit of his joy right now.

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    • LuckySeven April 19, 2013, 7:10 pm

      Thanks Miel!!! I work with people who have developmental disabilities, and this was really cool to see. He had me at the dance off on his way to work : )

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      CatsMeow April 19, 2013, 8:45 pm

      Aw, I like that!

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    mylaray April 19, 2013, 6:52 pm

    This week I’ve tried harder to commit more random acts of kindness than usual. It makes me feel better just to help someone in a week like this where everyone is on edge, and I hope it helps bring people together to be more generous and kind. I know I’ve been pretty on edge and I feel suspicious of every stranger that acts odd, and it makes me sad that I feel that way.

    And after seeing the news report about the lockdown being over, I hope everyone in the Boston area continues to stay safe!

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      mylaray April 19, 2013, 7:01 pm

      Also I’ve been so stressed this week (and also the past few weeks for other reasons) and I’m losing weight, which I do not need to happen! I’m excited about cooking some good home cooked food this weekend and hopefully I’ll put that weight back on. Food always makes me feel good.

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  • lemongrass April 19, 2013, 7:24 pm

    E had his first round of immunizations this week and I was prepared for hell- fevers, fussiness, no sleeping. Surprisingly I had the complete opposite. He slept off the vaccines and it was so nice. He still woke up the same times at night but he didn’t fight the sleep- he just fell asleep when he was tired. I feel like I barely parented. Hell, I baked bread from scratch I had so little to do with him! He’s back to his normal self now although I now have him falling asleep in his swing which is much, much easier. Other than that, I am a bit down on my weight. I haven’t lost much since my initial weight loss and I still have 17 lbs more to go. I’m totally jealous of all the moms at baby group who the weight just “fell off.”

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  • Holly April 19, 2013, 7:28 pm

    This woman at my office (department lead, but not my department) is going around and loudly talking about the happy hour she’s planning with my boss and a bunch of other people in the office, and it’s incredibly.. aggravating, in the “please stop blatantly making it obvious I’m not in the office clique” way. I mean, it’s been a ton of things – other happy hours, hanging out at people’s houses, going to out lunch together, etc, and by no means do you need to invite everyone or me or whatever, but could you not be so loud and annoying about announcing who’s getting the invite?

    I already feel like I don’t belong here/that no one likes me, and this isn’t helping. I’m trying to be as friendly and accessible as possible, making jokes when the right time hits/I’m prompted, bringing office cookies, asking coworkers questions about themselves, etc, and every inch of progress I make (as an introvert) feels wiped out when crap like this happens.

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    • Addie Pray April 20, 2013, 6:07 am

      That’s annoying. Why is she being so exclusive? Maybe she thinks you don’t want to come for some reason? If I overheard coworkers talking about a happy hour, I’d probably say “hey, is there room for one more? if yes I could use a happy hour!”…. but maybe not. Usually I’m good at telling when it’s an exclusive thing and when it’s likely a “more the merrier” thing. And if they were blabbing about it like that woman, I’d probably think it was a “more the merrier” thing – because otherwise why blab? So I say you just crash next time!

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  • LuckySeven April 19, 2013, 7:12 pm

    I need to do all 4! But seriously, my issues, such as a quick 911 call at 5pm about a patient, can’t even compare to this ugliness that happened this week in Boston. So tonight I am going to suck it up and finish notes for work and then have a drink! And probably watch the video that Miel linked again; it’s just that awesome for me right now.

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    CatsMeow April 19, 2013, 8:32 pm

    Earlier this week I found some crackers in my desk drawer. They were the little individually wrapped Saltines you get with salads sometimes, and I had a few packages of them. I ate one pack, no problem. Then I ate another, and it was good too. Then I ate ANOTHER… and the taste of chemicals filled my mouth and nostrils. I spit it out in my wastebasket and ran to the bathroom and rinsed my mouth but the taste would NOT go away! Then I started panicking and I felt dizzy and nauseous, convinced that I had somehow poisoned myself. But here I am… totally fine…

    Anyway, that was a pointless story. I’m just bored. I have to move this weekend. I know I’ve been talking about moving for about a month and a half, but I’ve really been dragging out the process. I started in March by cleaning and purging. Then I’ve been gradually moving small stuff to the new place, but this weekend is the REAL DEAL. My family’s coming to lift all the heavy stuff, and I’m getting a U-Haul and everything. It’s going to suck balls. I hate moving more than anything.

    Also, I’m moving to a more, how shall I say, urban area? I like it a lot, but my mom worries too much and I know she is going to HATE IT. I’ve already listened to her bitch at me… and then she got my grandma going… and my aunt… I hate how whenever I make a decision I have to justify it to my entire extended family. Anyway, here is what I will like about my new street: It’s close to highways. There are coffee shops, bakeries, restaurants, bars, art galleries, and other shops all within short walking distance. They’re all cute independent businesses. My belly dance studio is on the street. There are always fun events happening – for instance, last weekend a friend came to help me move and we got sidetracked by a “margarita-off” where we sampled a bunch of margaritas (for cheap!) and voted on the best one. Tomorrow there’s a record store day block party and then my belly dance teacher’s troupe is performing. See? I already love my new neighborhood. And here is what I like about my apartment: functional fireplace, walk-in closet with the washer/dryer IN IT, open floor plan, wood floors, and ceiling fans with remotes. Oh, and? It’s cheaper than what I’ve got now. So see? My mom can suck it. I love my new apartment.

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    • Addie Pray April 20, 2013, 6:09 am

      Your new neighborhood sounds awesome! I can’t wait until you move and and tell us about all the fun stuff happening outside your door.

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      iwannatalktosampson April 20, 2013, 9:48 am

      Yeah your apartment sounds ADORABLE. Yay for urban areas with beaucoup de stuff to do.

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    findingtheearth April 19, 2013, 9:12 pm

    Hey- tomorrow is Record Store Day for any music fans. Go support your local record store- buy some cd’s, some vinyl. It’s a great way to support a local, independent business.

    After that lil plug- I was super grumpy all week too. I have PPD, and it sucks sucks sucks. I am having some sangria after my lil goes to bed, and going to try to put myself in a better mood.

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    CatsMeow April 19, 2013, 8:52 pm

    If anyone feels like killing time doing something mildly amusing…

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      CatsMeow April 19, 2013, 8:53 pm

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      • Taylor April 20, 2013, 2:15 pm

        Yikes! So, I have some issues being super literal, and my husband is laughing his ass off right now bc he watched me 1. shake my laptop (gently) and then 2. figure out it was a mouse thing, then jump a foot in the air when the sound kicked in.

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        CatsMeow April 20, 2013, 6:29 pm

        haha awesome

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  • footsytoesies April 19, 2013, 10:22 pm

    I’d say I need a hug. Had a d&c Wed at abt 8 weeks gestation for a nom-viable pregnancy. This was after trying for 2 yrs to get another baby. Oh well.

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      Fabelle April 20, 2013, 7:33 am

      I’m sorry 🙁

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    • Titian23 April 20, 2013, 9:58 am

      I’m so sorry for your loss.

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    • lemongrass April 20, 2013, 2:14 pm

      I’m so sorry. I hope you and your partner can lean on each other during this hard time.

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    • Taylor April 20, 2013, 2:17 pm

      *Hug*

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      Wendy April 20, 2013, 1:40 pm

      So sorry. Be good to yourself as you heal.

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  • Sue Jones April 19, 2013, 11:16 pm

    I picked my son up from school, and took him to his music lesson, whereupon he proceeded to have a massive nosebleed. Music lesson cancelled. The week was just sort of like that….

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  • Addie Pray April 19, 2013, 11:27 pm

    I need a hug. I’d like a giant bear hug from someone who will hold me for a bit and maybe pet my hair. I’ve had a good week though – works been good, my diet has been good, my friends are good, my family is good. I just want a hug – can’t I get a hug? Also, my ex boyfriend texted me and I’ve been feeling confused. Also, every time I see or meet an eligible bachelor, I compare him to my ex and I am immediately not interested and I can’t help but think of my ex and I miss him. Or the idea of him. Or at least the good parts of him. On wed.night and tonight I met dudes – just there, during happy hour – who were just not my type and each time that happens it makes me feel worse! I’m much better off NOT meeting men. I don’t miss my ex when I’m with my girlfriends or running errands or doing yoga. It’s just when I meet men, then I miss him.

    I WANT A HUG. WHO WILL GIVE ME A HUG?

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    • Megan_A_Mess April 19, 2013, 11:53 pm

      I will totally give you a great big bear hug complete with hair pets, if I can get one in return.

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    • honeybeenicki April 20, 2013, 3:55 pm

      I’m not much of a hugger, but I can scrounge one up if need be 🙂 You know how I try to make people feel better? I feed them. Good old fashioned oh-so-bad-for-you Italian food is my specialty.

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        iwannatalktosampson April 20, 2013, 4:35 pm

        I feed people when they’re sad too. I should have been born in the south because really I feed people for everything.

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  • Megan_A_Mess April 19, 2013, 11:50 pm

    I have all four! The bad outweigh the good this week though. And I’ve felt really bad because of the Boston bombings, which I haven’t been paying too much attention to, but that’s because my favorite aunt (and one of my most favorite people in the world) is dying.

    In January, she underwent a bone marrow transplant, and in March, was released. She was doing fantastic for a few weeks, and then was readmitted for dehydration/nausea/stomach problems. After hearing very little from her or her husband over the last two weeks, we learned on Monday that she would not win her battle with lymphoma. She had a “complication” on Wednesday, where her prognosis was updated that she would have one to two weeks left, and they were trying to get her well enough to go home and pass in peace. She came home today, complete with hospital bed and hospice, and I will be going to see her for the first time in almost nine months, probably to say goodbye. I’m trying my hardest to hold it together, especially for my mom, (it’s her younger sister) but some moments, I’m fine, and it’s a normal moment, like nothing is wrong. In another, I can’t stop crying and I feel like I’ll never be happy again.

    This passing feels weird to me, and I think it’s because I’ve never experience this type of loss yet. My grandparents, and great uncles and aunts have passed away, and I’ve even had a few classmates/friends from school pass away as well. But I’ve never had an aunt or uncle, or parent pass yet, and I haven’t watched them go through something like this. With my grandparents and greats, it was old age, and with my classmates it was accidents. I don’t think I’ve had to watch someone affected by cancer like this. It’s truly heartbreaking. All I can think about is her kids too, and that just breaks my heart all over. Her daughter is 17, and her son is 13, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would have been like to lose my mom at that age, let alone to watch her suffer.

    I really thought this year was going to be good for my mom and I. We both have awesome paying jobs currently (she’s been unemployed for over a year now) so we’re getting caught up on bills, my boyfriend finally got his settlement money from his accident, and we were about to starting letting our immediate family know we’re engaged, but now it all seems to pointless. Plus I have finals, a fast approaching and shortened Spring semester coming up, and I’m not fitting in at work. I wish I could just take the summer off and crawl out of bed when school starts in September.

    The biggest thing out of all of this is that I’ve actually stayed sober through this whole thing. I don’t even have the urge to drink. I’m pretty sure tomorrow night (after I go and visit her) I’ll finish my bottle of Jack Daniels, but right now, I’m not even in the mood.

    Is this what growing up is like? This shit sucks.

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    • Addie Pray April 20, 2013, 6:04 am

      Oh I am sorry! Your poor aunt, and her husband, and her children, and your mom, and you – this is horrible and heartbreaking. And it’s not fair. I am truly sorry!

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      • Megan_A_Mess April 20, 2013, 10:50 am

        Thank you so much Addie Pray. You’re right, it isn’t fair. I totally want to throw a 28-year-old-at-the-end-of-her-rope temper tantrum, complete with foot-stomping, breakables throwing, crying, screaming, and sobbing. But, as they say in internet speak, ain’t nobody got time for that! <3

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      • Taylor April 20, 2013, 2:25 pm

        After my dad died, I had a meltdown once outside a gas station. I kicked a porta-potty, and proceeded to sob for a while, then felt better, used the porta-potty, and proceeded on my way. Your grief is your own, and you get to express it the way you need to express it. I am very sorry about your aunt =(

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  • MissyC April 20, 2013, 4:37 am

    It’s been such a weird week. A weird couple of months, really. I’ve got all four!

    I knew moving to Europe and not knowing anyone (except for cheating, idiot, jackass ex who keeps insisting we maintain “some sort of relationship”), but I don’t think I was really prepared for how lonely and isolating it would feel here. I moved from Los Angeles to this small town (130,000 people) and in 2 weeks I’ll be moving to the only apartment I could find, in a suburb of this town. I’m 9 hours ahead of all my folks in LA and the time difference has been pretty difficult. I’ve spent lots of nights catching up on TV shows because the public transportation stops running around midnight, and taxis are offensively, oppressively expensive.

    I’ve got a crush on a coworker of mine and just found out that he has a girlfriend. Which is totally fine and should not be a big deal at all, but it really bummed me out. Partly because I’m feeling so damn lonely here, and partly because I feel like I haven’t had much of a social life here and he’s just generally fun to be around.

    Ok, so that covers hug, vent, drink. There is some good news to report though. After 2 months of being here and the temperature not being above about 50 degrees (and having snow at least one day every week) temperatures were finally spring-like this week! No rain! 75 degrees! Drinking morning coffee on the office balcony and beers on the patio outside the office! I’ve recently started working with a new group of people and while my primary group is a bit closed off, this new group is really fantastic. I’ve gone out with them a couple of times, and I think I can finally start to feel like I’m making some friends here.

    So it’s not all bad! I’ve just been feeling all “woe is me” lately. I was able to watch some of the news coverage yesterday, and it was so emotional to watch. I woke up this morning to the news that the second suspect was caught and it instantly put a smile on my face. I’m glad Bostonians have their city back! And hopefully can start to feel safe again.

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      Miel April 20, 2013, 10:26 am

      Where are you in Europe ?
      I’ve spent some time by myself in Germany, and I’ve also travelled with family in other european countries. 130,000 people was about the size of where I was living, and there were some great and not so great sides to that !

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      • MissyC April 20, 2013, 10:59 am

        I’m living in Switzerland. I miss living in a big city but trying to stay positive! Shops here are closed after 7pm during the week, at 6 on Saturdays, and are not open at all on Sunday so that part has been a little tough. I usually forget, and on the way to the store I realize I have 15 minutes to “shop,” which ends up being grab the first things I see for dinner. Or decide to buy a new top another day. I grew up in a city about this size and it was great — and it would be great to live in a place like this if I had a family — but it’s taking some getting used to as a single gal not knowing many people.

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        Miel April 20, 2013, 3:21 pm

        When I was in Germany it was the same with shops being closed early and closed on Sunday. One Sunday I literally had no food in the fridge, except like… ketchup, and the grocery store was closed, the restaurants were closed, I lived too far from the city center (same kind of small city you are in), and I just slept until 1pm because I knew I would probably not eat much during the day.
        Then last year I was in the US (I’m usually living in Canada), and I would get scared like “oh no ! we are Sunday, the grocery store will be closed !” and everyone would be laughing at me. And my grocery store was actually open from 5am to 3am, and I would still run to buy stuff before “it closes at 6pm”, because I would forget where I am.

        One of my dream was to live in Switzerland at some point, but I won’t blame you to feel lonely and upset by all the different things. It’s sometime so hard to live in a place that seems familiar (“western, first-world country) and yet so different from home. Sometime I was so angry that “things were different” I would cry and think “life is unfair” (and it’s so not). Then I would force myself, for a week, to come up with one positive thing everyday about the city I’m in and the people I meet. Sometimes it was small like “the weather is nicer here”, or “my neighbors actually say hi to me in the morning”. And then after a couple of days I would feel better and be happy again that I’m living such an adventure, living on another continent.

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      • MissyC April 21, 2013, 4:43 pm

        Thanks Miel, that’s a really great idea!

        I’ve also been trying to reverse my thinking when I’m feeling down. For example if I’m upset because I’m craving some food I can’t buy here, I try to think of something that I’ve discovered here that I’ll miss after I’m not living here any more.

        I’ve also been living in a temporary flat and move in the middle of next week, so I think finally feeling like I have my own place (and a great new mattress instead of one that feels like a slab of rock!) will definitely help. Plus it’s right next to a bakery. I don’t think I can be too perpetually upset if I walk out my front door and smell croissants all the time.

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        genevathene April 21, 2013, 3:35 am

        Just sent you an email! Adjusting to Switzerland can be tough — especially on those dreaded Sundays when nothing is open and it’s pouring down rain. But the weather is getting better and better, which means hiking season in the mountains will start. And there’s no better place to be than Switzerland for that!

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    Fabelle April 20, 2013, 7:40 am

    It’s been a pretty weird week. I was training a new coworker on the phones so she can cover me when I’m away or whatever, & while it was fun (I had a real-life person to talk to throughout the day!!) (Yeah, if you guys saw the way my desk is set up, you’d understand why this is shocking, haha) Anyway, WHILE IT WAS FUN & all, I was getting paranoid that, like, they were having me train my new replacement & planning to fire me?? I’ve been looking for a new job, but DO NOT want to leave this one until that happens…I need money!

    Anyway. I saw the news last night (the CBS channel was giving pretty straight news, none of the pointless speculating of Fox, CNN, ABC, or any other channel) & was so happy. There was a live feed of it on the screen, & the crowd actually cheered. Nothing manic, but just some cheers & clapping, and I was relieved for everybody. Glad you’re safe again, Boston!

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    • Addie Pray April 20, 2013, 7:47 am

      What do you do?

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        Fabelle April 20, 2013, 9:09 am

        I’m a receptionist in this big corporate building, so I sit out in the lobby right before where people “badge” in through the doors. Sometimes people will chat with me or whatever, but my co-workers (the people working under the same supervisor) are situated in the back & only come out to relieve me for breaks. It gets lonely! (But, on the other hand, there’s no petty office drama)

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        Fabelle April 20, 2013, 9:13 am

        AND I can DW all day, haha

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      • Addie Pray April 20, 2013, 10:35 am

        Thankfully for us!

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    mandalee April 20, 2013, 11:53 am

    It’s so nice to see the nearby neighborhood’s back to normal this morning in and around Boston. I took my friend back to her house today which is the block where the whole Thursday night/Friday morning shootout happened, and the yellow tape, blood, and all that terrible stuff was gone. People were extra friendly, all the neighborhood was walking around and talking, everyone was hugging, and my friend’s next door neighbor who is unique character, was giving people passing through the neighborhood a tour of the bullet holes with a beer in his hand and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and it just made me laugh. It was just so comforting to see a different scene than we saw yesterday.

    Today, all our friends are planning to get together and drink/laugh/cry and just be together after everything we went through last week. As terrible as everything was, it was so great to see all my friends staying in touch, updating each other, helping each other out, and being there for one another.

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    L April 20, 2013, 12:40 pm

    It was a rough week for me too. I had to make a couple really tough decisions in the last 24 hours. I won’t go into detail, but I’m just very glad I have a supportive boyfriend and supportive friends and family who care deeply for me.

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  • Callifax April 20, 2013, 3:20 pm

    I’m a Bostonian, and overall it’s been a really weird week. I was fortunate enough that all of my friends and family were far from the explosion, but it still hit really hard – my boyfriend’s office building is right in downtown, about a mile away from where everything happened. I work in Cambridge, and could have been down there in fifteen minute had I wanted to go. And then yesterday we were in lock down all day – we live in Newton, which is one town over from Watertown. All was quiet on our end, thankfully, but it was certainly stressful to be locked inside, especially as the hours wore on.

    BUT…last night, they caught the second suspect, and although it’ll take a while for the city to totally heal and we’ll all mourn the loss of those who died, it does feel as though the world is a little bit sunnier and the colors are getting a little brighter. I had been walking around in a depressive funk all week, and finally I feel a little bit more like myself. It’s also encouraging to know how great our police department here is, and how much Boston was able to come together during this time.

    My heart goes out to people impacted by the explosion in Texas and by the earthquake in China. Here’s hoping that this upcoming week is much better than the last.

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    othy April 20, 2013, 7:14 pm

    Some good news – I ran my first half marathon today. It was pouring rain, with temperatures around 40 degrees, but the feel of the crowd was amazing. Everyone seemed to be trying extra hard to honor those hurt and killed in Boston on Monday. It was even cooler to see a contingent of runners who ran the marathon in Boston who ran in SLC today, who all crossed the finish line at 4:09:43.

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  • footsytoesies April 20, 2013, 11:48 pm

    Just wanted to thank you all for your kindness.

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    MELH April 21, 2013, 4:30 pm

    This is something that brought me a little brightness in a rough week:

    Teddy Kremer is a man with Down’s syndrome who won an opportunity to be a bat boy for the Reds. Everyone liked him so much they had him back this year. He asked one of the players to hit him a home run, and he did. I got to watch it live, but the pictures in this story just made me smile during a sad week.

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  • painted_lady April 21, 2013, 11:58 pm

    Really cute story that made me smile: Friday I was waiting outside for friends to pick me up so we could go to the local rodeo (yes, really – they’re actually pretty fun!). A school bus pulls up, and out hops our next door neighbor’s daughter who’s like 8 and super cute (Mom let her get cherry red streaks in her little bob, and she’s a really sweet kid). The bus driver shouts after her, “Your mom says you gotta go up the front stairs!” and she goes, “But they’re creepy! I’m scared!” She’s right; everyone is supposed to keep their porch lights on, but the 2nd floor neighbors don’t, and they play really angry rap music like 18 hours a day, so going up the two flights of stairs in pitch black is really pretty freaky. The bus driver insists, so kid opens the door and just stands there. The bus driver yells, “Go on in!” And kid goes, “No! It’s scary!” They go back and forth for awhile like this, and finally kid goes inside and shuts the door. Bus drives off, kid comes out and kinda grins at me, like, got her, and I say, “The back stairs are open, want me to walk you up?” The back stairs are outside, and there’s a gate that locks if we let it close, but the third floor – so just me and Walter, and Mom and Mom’s boyfriend, who are friends of ours – are the only ones who use those stairs so we always leave it open. She looks at me with this completely overjoyed expression and goes, “YES!” so I walked her up, said hi to her mom, and went on my way. Cute, cute, cute.

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    • painted_lady April 22, 2013, 12:12 am

      Also, one of my dumbass high school seniors asked me what I was going to do for 4/20. I told him he must be celebrating early if he honestly thought I was going to tell him, “Oh yeah, I’m gonna smoke a big ol’ bowl the second I get up!” For real, kid?

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