A Week of Boston Culture - Part 2

The day after the MFA excursion I took my friend to the Aquarium for free (another perk from work) (that rhymed). This marks the third time I have been to the Aquarium, and each time I am still taken in like a little kid, staring at the fish swimming aimlessly back and forth.

It is funny how, when watching animals, we as human beings automatically begin to anthropomorphize each movement they make. The expressions they have on their faces (even though in the case of fish, their expressions NEVER change), the attitude they seem to have about the things they are endeavoring to achieve...etc. My friend commented that fish always look like they are always a little bit late for wherever they are going. They are fast, but not too fast, and they have looks in their eyes like "Man, I wish my alarm hadn't stalled this morning. My boss is gonna fry me up...."

This particular trip to the Aquarium was chock full of large groups of children, each one of them behaving as though their view to the fish was way more important than mine, because they are the kids and adults don't need to have fun. We should just be happy to wait behind and get a half-tank view of everything. Not so. Kids, sorry, but I didn't make this trip especially so I could ensure your comfort. "I think I'll go to the Aquarium tomorrow so I can help people make their children a little happier today..." is not what went through my mind. Love kids. Kids in groups are bound to take over every situation like Napoleon conquered Europe. Only there is no Russia to keep them from getting any further. There are only possible responsible adults. One chaperone per 20,000 kids. Not quite enough.

Still, there is always an abundance of beautiful animals to keep my eyes occupied there, and the magic does not leave just because I no longer have the same mentality as my shorter, noisier fellow visitors. The huge turtle in the main tank is a wonder to behold, the octopus is still the most bad-ass creature there, and to be honest, it is adorable hearing ten kids simultaneously screeching that they see Dory, and that they want to find Squidwerd.

Fun fact: There are no live squid in tanks at the Aquarium. Only cuttlefish and our friend the octopus.

And jellyfish....like this one...

A Week of Boston Culture - Part 1

Gotta take a break from thinking/talking/writing/uploading pictures about France.

My last several days in Boston have been very unusual for a resident of any city. Most people go to museums and tourist spots in other cities. Yet here I am, a resident of about three years, and I have been acting like a total newbie.

Beginning with a lone trip to the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts, for those of you who are not familiar with Boston...or my place of work) I figured it was time to see the new exhibit, and it was totally worth the hour walk through the whole city that I decided to take beforehand. I work at a satellite store for the MFA, but the actual museum is about 20 mins away by the T, and I don't get over there very often. Each day I stare at the beautiful prints by painters of the Italian Renaissance, and hear people rave about the exhibit, and I put it on my list to go see it when there is nothing better to do. It turns out that Thursday was just such a day. Nothing to do, no one to call, no excuses.

Flora by Titian (my favorite piece in the exhibit)

The exhibit, it turns out, was as good as everyone keeps saying, and I was very full of art by the end of the visit. I still have to go back and check out the Mexican exhibit because I was just too tired to take it in fully. I headed upstairs and saw some of my favorite art, breathed in the beautiful cold-wet-clay smell that most museums have, then lay down on a couch in the main entrance hall to stare up at the John Singer Sargent murals. Each time I am in that room I desperately wish I could fly, so I could be close enough to touch the beautiful work that others executed so far above my head. Even the scrolls that cap the columns which hold the ceiling so far out of reach make my fingertips ache with the desire to be a part of their existence.

The MFA is the second museum to capture my imagination so fully, and it is the first that I have frequented relatively often. Whenever I am there, the amount of people visiting is relatively small, and though I know that must be hard in terms of bringing in money, it makes my experience all the better. I don't have to be constantly surrounded by flash photography, and screeching children who have no good way to appreciate the beauty that is being so generously displayed. It certainly helps that I have been able to attend the museum for free due to my student ID and my employment with the gift shop. Otherwise I may have attended only once, and always wished I could go back. By this point, I give a pretty decent tour of the galleries and the art itself.

The artistic aspect of Boston cultural life that I enjoy is that the city doesn't overly brag about the fact that it harbors so many good venues for viewing art, be it classic, contemporary, scientific, or historical. It is simply there if you want to go see it, and the road to get to each place is packed with scenic and historical Bostonian goodies.

Time For Reflection

This is the first of the entries I will do about France after the fact. This one is bound to be fun because I am including the video blog (Vlog) that we made during the trip...and it is long, but if you want to live vicariously through me you are going to have to bear it.

I just want to say a few things to clarify.

1) French people are a lot like Americans. Why? Because we are both very proud nationalities but we have a hard time accepting that same behavior from other countries. Otherwise I loved everybody I met.

2) French food is amazing, and the baguettes are great...but I can only go so long without a burrito.

3) Paris is a beautiful town, and any amount of undue dirtiness is only because it is a city, and like all other cities there are a lot of people who tend not to consider the cleanliness of their living place when trying to extinguish a cigarette. I was not alarmed by the dirtiness in the least.

4) I will go into MUCH more detail in the next couple of days to come.

And there you have it folks! There's really nothing like a good Vlog if I do say so myself.