Back to Boston

I took the Lucky Star with Jess to Boston on Friday evening. We arrived at 11:30pm and split off from there. I kissed her goodbye outside of the station, and she went back through the glass doors to the subway. I walked to Chinatown and was struck by how nice it was outside, a crisp 50 some degrees, and thought of an old coworker who said his perfect weather was 56 degrees.

I met with Alex and her boyfriend Dom at their apartment after trying to get them to meet me by the gate. I dropped my bag off in their apartment and we went to Taiwan cafe. I ordered pig ears which I haven't had in the East coast for years, and both her and Dom ate them. Alex and Dom seemed to be enjoying their time together, with my sister talking more naturally. Dom had just put together a reel for class, and I told him about my experience with reels.

After dinner we went back to their place on Essex. I was struck by how close it was to the restaurant and its location in general. We watched a bit of Batman and didn't speak much, and they retired before the film was over. I turned off the movie pretty soon after they had gone to bed, and laid on their leather couch with a fleece blanket that looked like the snuggy body blanket that's sold through infomericals. There was a lot of noise coming from the street below, drunken people and some shady activity. Drug dealers stand in a parking lot adjacent to their building, immediately below their bedroom window. The bathroom also sporadically made this loud noise like gas escaping, and these distractions kept me awake for a while.

I woke up to that same bathroom noise at around 7:30, and with the light so bright from the windows I couldn't fall asleep again. Dom had some filmmaking books that I paged through. Alex got up and was out with me around 9:30, and made me tea and cereal and was sweet in her hospitality. She did some calls for her stage managing work, and I went on the internet and not so subtly asked what she wanted that she couldn't afford. She mentioned a PSP, and I decided to get one and drop it off for her.

I said goodbye to Alex and Dom and walked towards the Prudential center, making my way down boylston along Boston Common. There was some sort of baseball event going on at the diamond, and I cut through the garden which looked well groomed and pretty. Couples were taking photos by the statues, and as I walked over the bridge I paused for a photo with the sun right behind the subjects, and I thought about how dark they would look in contrast. Near the end of the park on the Arlington side there's a fountain and I threw a couple of pennies in there.

I bought the PSP at gamestop after gettling disoriented in copley place exchange. I called Alex and said I'd forgotten something at her apartment, and she kind of guessed at what I was doing. I dropped off the PSP w/Dom and met up w/my father who was in town buying groceries, and we made the trip back to Northborough.

A year flies by

Incredible how quickly time passes. Safe to say my first year in New York has been a success. I returned to work at Essence for a fair rate, and have made a lot of videos promoting their brand. Through the job I traveled to Chicago, and New Orleans, and saw formidable Beyonce in concert.

I also took a trip to Puerto Rico with Jess, watched my sister move into her new place, received a few college application essay drafts from my brother, and painted my apartment. It still feels pretty bare in here.

In general, I felt a lot of the time was a wait for summer, and when it came it came wet and fast, and left as discreetly as it arrived. Fall is almost officially here.

Recently I did a shoot in Westport, Connecticut, with a director I met through Essence. I was very impressed by the serenity and the wealth of the place. It was a cooking show pilot featuring two grandmothers, and took place at their home. Pictures below:

The two "Mimi's." That's how they were referred to by the kids. That's the director, Jason, on the left, with another shooter whose name I've forgotten.
Their porch. After the shoot, which went well into the evening, I sat on one of those chairs and looked at the vast view, listening to the water rush up.

Their back 'yard' was a private backbeach. We ate smothered steak, mash potatoes, and roasted corn at that table, long after the sun had set.