Snowy Night in Cambridge

This weekend we had our first big snow of winter. Very cold but very pretty. I went for drinks with teachers after work on Friday, despite the accumulating snow (by the way, Tavern makes a surprisingly strong martini)--and on SundayI watched movies (Mad Men looks really good!) and read books (I highly recommend 'Davita's Harp' by Chaim Potok), and made tomato soup and eggplant and melted mazorella sandwiches. Other good things to do in Boston in winter: go iceskating on the Frog Pond in the Boston Common, take afternoon tea at one of the pretty hotels like Four Seasons, or enjoy a free concert or lecture at Harvard. Trinity Church in Copley Square also has free organ concerts during the week.

North End at Night

The North End in Boston is the 'Italian' section of town. There are many delicious Italian restaurants, bakeries, cafes, meat and cheese shops, and some charming independently owned boutiques. At night the streets buzz with action and the smell of garlic and tomatoes perfume the air. The North End is close to Quincy Market and the waterfront. If you go, make sure you are hungry and leave room for dessert!

Teacher Charlene has party

Last weekend teacher Charlene had a party at her place to celebrate the Obama win and view the famous Martin Luther King speech from 1963. Great party, great food, great discussion (Leah moderated a debate on race, politics, and love...nicely done Leah). Happy Birthday Makiko! (by the way, Charlene made a fabulous feast of mac and cheese, chicken, rice, and beans)

Potluck Party

This past weekend teacher Alex (in the blue dress holding the spoon) had a potluck party for Boston Lifers. The food was wonderful: Alex made a delicious macaroni and cheese, So Yeon made Korean pancakes which I am now addicted to, Miho (with baby Layla) brought a chicken with soy sauce that was to die for, Shaina brought a fancy vegan apple pie, and the list goes on (by the way, I made a warm apple cake with icecream--a recipe I found in the New York Times). Alex was the perfect host and it was so nice to get a chance to relax and hang out. Also, Katie's father is big and imposing so nobody mess with him.

More Halloween Pictures

Joy to the World! A New President for the USA!

Barack Obama wins and makes history as the first black president of the United States. What an amazing past couple of days. Teachers Leah, Charlene and I went to the Copley Plaza rally to listen to Obama's acceptance speech, and then on to Buwkowski's for drinks. People were singing, dancing, and cheering in the streets. It was a real celebration of hope and possiblity for the future. I also thinkmany Americans feel excitement that the rest of the world seems to be rejoicing over the result of the election--how nice for the United States to feel welcomed back into the world community after 8 difficult years. (by the way, the batteries in my camera stopped working after only taking a few pictures on Tuesday night--so I will post pictures of election night once I get my hands on Charlene or Leah's pictures)

Halloween Party for Staff and Students

On Saturday Boston Life held it's first annual Halloween party. Most everyone dressed in costumes (I loved Kassandra's fortune teller costume, and Makiko was a fabulous spider woman!) Food and drink were served and it was a very spooky night. Halloween is a fun holiday celebrated by both the dead, undead, and living. Children go trick or treating for candy, and adults attend parties. This is the one opportunity all year where you can be something completely different from your normal self. Debbie was a Moroccan princess, Joe was a bloody scientist, Alex was an elegant flapper, Aya was a beautiful witch, Joyce was a farmer, Katie was little red riding hood, Charlene was a pirate, Natsuyo was a dark angel, Takeshi was the guy from Scream, Erica was Audrey Hepburn, and I was a vampire. The party gossip includes: Takeshi scared little Jyouji with his scream mask, Joe handed out vials of sake (which Katie says tastes like a punch in the stomach), and Charlene and Harrison had a passionate debate about marriage. Now coming up on November 27 is my second favorite holiday, Thanksgiving!

The Mysteries of Whipped Cream

We recently said goodbye to our dear volunteer Minako (in black and white stripes) who went home to Japan. The party was girls only (with the exception of Minako's husband) and we had a lovely time playing games, talking and laughing. I made a chocolate mousse cake with chocolate ganache topping and a dark cookie crust bottom (and fresh whipped cream) and everyone brought delicious desserts and wines. Minako's rice cakes were yum! By the way, here in the United States we have a crazy invention called 'whipped cream in a can.' It's not so great but it reminds me of the Korean husband and wife couple who discovered whipped cream in a can when they came to Boston-- and they fell in love with this miracle of fake cream! They were amazed that a product of this type existed. One day the wife brought in the can of whipped cream--she was very frustrated. She couldn't figure out how to get the whipped cream out of the can. Being the whipped cream expert I am, I showed her how to squirt the cream out of the can by bending the top of the nozzle with your finger. This delighted her and for the rest of the day she proceeded to squirt whipped cream on slips of paper, her notebook, and other objects. (you can also find cheese in a can in the supermarkets--very disgusting--who is the person that thought it necessary to make cheese even more convenient by canning it?)

Halloween is Coming!

On Friday, October 31, Americans will be celebrating Halloween, a fun and spooky celebration with candy, ridiculous costumes, trick or treating, and parties. At 7pm this Friday there is a party at Boston Life. Everyone is welcome so do bring family and friends and wear a costume! (food, drinks, and good times will be served). Yes, I will be wearing my costume to work all day--many offices have holiday parties and costume contests and it is usually quite acceptable for adults to wear a costume to work on Halloween (and of course children wear their costumes to school). On Saturday night, teacher Charlene and I went to an early Halloween party at my friend Don's house. It was a nice time and Don made delicious treats. (Charlene is the pirate and I am the scary lady vampire).