Hello From Boston

Well here I am in Boston. I moved in last week into my place, which I affectionately call my shoebox, and have slowly been getting acclimated.

The sticker shock has been something that has taken some adjustment, but then the prices are wierd here. In Colorado if you get organic food, say from Wild Oats, it' s rather expensive. Here there is an organic grocery store 5 minutes away that is actually cheaper then normal grocery stores. I bought enough food for three good meals and drinks for only 13 dollars. $4 a meal isn't bad at all, especially if it is all organic.

I love the area I am in, Newbury St. It is usually fairly quiet until around 10:30am and then things steadily pick up as more and more people will be seen strolling up and down the street. The street is filled with outdoor cafes so in the evening hours the low hum of people socializing can be heard eminating from the ground below my window. There is also a couple guys who come buy fairly regularly in and play guitar for several hours in the evening, which sounds like it could be annoying yet isn't.

Perusing through the local independent papers here makes me desperately wish I was rich. There is so much going on, and so many things to do it makes my head spin - and my wallet ache.

I start classes today, which I am rather excited about. We had a mandatory orientation yesterday and it really got me even more excited than I already had been. I was able to sit down and chat with my faculty advisor for about 45 minutes. He turned out to be a really friendly guy and I had a great time chatting about film with him.

On a sidenote, one of the new facutly members in the Film and Television department sat next to me during part of the orientation. Why is this important you ask? Well it turns out he served as Executive Producer on Sesame Street for almost 20 years, and he also used to be a writer for All in The Family and Happy Days. It was somewhat surreal sitting next to the guy who oversaw the show I watched frequently as a little kid. I wanted to ask him if cookie monster really liked cookies that much or if they just played that up for the show =).

Any way things are going well and I am loving Boston. Now if I can just finish unpacking everything will be good.

Farewell to the Greatest Ever

Most of you who know me should know that I am fanatical when it comes to football. I grew up with the sport, playing it all through highschool and following it religously.

My favorite player - in any sport - to this day is Jerry Rice. He had so many jaw dropping moments on the field that one could spend pages recounting them. From the diving catch he made for a touchdown with a seperated shoulder against San Diego on the Superbowl to the 60 yard, one handed reception he made while looking down at the sideline so he wouldn't step out of bounds - Jerry Rice never ceased to amaze.

It wasn't just his on-field play that endeared him to me. He was the ultimate team player and the fans player too. Week after week he would autograph his gloves and hand them kids in the stands as he walked off the field. In a day when many players are all about causing stirs in the media and me first attitudes, the biggest media splashes he would make usually centered on the fact that he would come out on the field an hour before the rest of the team and run laps while revving up the crowds who had shown up early.

Just reading his daily workout routine made me tired. As a sports player myself, I looked up to him as a model of how to conduct oneself on the field and off - a model of how one should define their work ethic.

He retired today, and to me the world of football seems just a little dimmer. Thanks for the twenty years Jerry.