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A real girls weekend…what a concept! It has been a long time since I took a trip on my own, so it was sorely needed. It all started when my good friend from college, Lidia, asked me if I wanted to go see Duran Duran together. We went to one of their shows many years back, in the mid-nineties, and I have to say it was one of the best Duran Duran concerts I have ever been at. It was basically a greatest hit show, so we danced and sang like 14 years old…except that at the end of the show we were exhausted, and completely aching… The last time DD played in San Diego it was on my due date…if Keegan would have been born late, I probably would have gone, but he was early. Thanks Keegan!

Anyway, DD were touring again, to promote their new album, and playing shows both near San Diego and in Las Vegas, where Lidia lives. Luck, once again was not on my side: I was in Italy at that time. Then Lidia came up with the prefect plan: they had a show in Boston, at the end of October. Lidia lived in Boston for 5 years, so she would be happy to go back, and I have always wanted to visit, plus the show was on a Friday night: I could not pass it up.

First I had to make sure it was OK with Matt: after all, he is the one that would have to be with Keegan for two and half days. After getting the green light, we bought tickets and booked the flight. I was very excited and a little nervous, just because Keegan is still in the “mommie” phase, and always wants me around.

We both left on Thursday night, with a red eye flight. Going at the airport alone, with only carry on luggage for a “short” 5 hours flight was a dream! I flew Jet Blue that, when not keeping passengers hostage on the tarmac for 7+ hours, it is a really “comfortable” airline. I was able to catch a little sleep, and met Lidia at the airport.

I got all my warmest clothes on and I have to say I was able not to freeze…but man it was chilly!

some cars had snow on them…welcome to Massachusetts

We immediately got a nice, warm breakfast and headed to the hotel. We were able to get an early check in so we snoozed a few hours, to get ready for the evening. When we woke up, the sun was still shining, and we went for a walk to the beautiful Public Gardens. We enjoyed the mild temperature and catching up: we have not seen each other in a while.

real fall and Autumn leaves

We had the mandatory stop at the Ducklings statue, and a photo-op at the Cheers pub.

We walked the replica of the London Bridge…we both have been at the one in London: now we are only missing the real one in Arizona.

We got an early dinner in an Irish pub, where I could taste an awesome cup of clam chowder, with mussel and fries, and of course a Samuel Adams OcktoberFest beer. Maybe not the best combo, but still delicious. Now that I have a smart phone, I had email a picture of it to Matt right away. (-:

We walked home, and watching the lit up marquee got us excited for the show that was only few blocks away, at the Wang Theater.

Needless to say, the crowd was the same exact crowd of 30 years ago: a bunch of teenage girls, now 30 years older, and with husbands and kids in tow. Quite interesting. The show was great: it is a small theater, so even if we were sitting in the balcony, we could see quite well. The show focused on the last album quite a bit, which fortunately I have bought and listened to (and it is pretty good), but of course they played many old hits, which are always more fun.

This was definitely not your 80s concert:
• we had assigned seas, instead of waiting for hours outside, and then fight to the death for getting access to the first rows
• no injuries or burns
• Simon made a lot of jokes and I can now almost fully understand
• The security was not only not searching for hidden cameras or recorders, but getting out of the way when you were taking pictures or video with cameras or smart phones

You can see a lot of them on YouTube, and Lidia made amazing pictures.

• the hysterical screaming was almost non-existent (thank God)
• I only spotted 1 real lighter during slow songs. In fact, even Simon le Bon asked the crowd to turn on their cell phones, and lighters. It prompted me to download the Zippo app…so very sad!

John is still hot…

… even if Simon is the one who aged the best

guess what song are they playing now?

What did not change:
• my determination to see them again next time to come
• it was a fun show, and we had a great time
• the songs still sounded great
• Simon still missed a few notes
• my determination to see them again next time to come
• the show was packed with enthusiastic fans, despite my parents guess that by the nineties nobody will even know who they were. (-:

I guess you can’t deny your past. I tell this to my students all the time: choose your band wisely, because these will be the bands you will listen to for the rest of your life. You can like more, different bands— and I do — but there will always a soft spot in your heart for the music of your adolescence and early twenties.

The next morning we woke up under gray skies and ominous forecast: an apocalyptic storm was coming, and we better be prepared. This was a major bummer, since we had the full day for exploring the city a we wanted to go to Salem for the annual Halloween celebration. Anyway, we took it as it came, and we went visiting the city. Lidia was an excellent tour guide: we walked most of the freedom trail, we say the Paul Rivere’s house, and Samuel Adams’ grave, with a couple of detours to Dunkin’ Donuts, Lidia’s favorite coffee shop.

We visited the Main Public Library, which is amazing: it looks like a classic museum, and it is so beautiful. They have several special room, including a map room, with little nooks for children to read themed books or play related activities.

It also had a wonderful courtyard, with a Mother and Child statue fountain.

I crossed the finish line at the Boston marathon, the closest I will ever be to the actual event.

We just meandered the street, catching civil war impersonator at any corner.

We saw Samuel Adam’s grave and Benjamin Franklin’s statue: I had to get a picture of him since he was born on my birthday…or is it the other way around?

In the same square there was the democratic Donkey, and a place to stand in opposition.

a cool bridge, but I don’t remember the name

Boston is definitely a beautiful city, and I do want to come Back sometime, to spend more time here.

We had lunch at Regina’s Pizzeria in the Italian neighborhood, North End.

Just as we finished up, it started raining. And we are not talking about San Diego rain: it poured. We quickly caught the subway, and headed to the Samuel Adams Brewery for a free tour. We had to wait a while, but it was warm and dry, so we did not mind.

The tour was fun, and pretty short and lead to the tasting part: we tried three different beers, and we enjoyed them all. Samuel Adams is one of my favorite beers anyway.

With rain still pouring we headed back to the hotel to rest and relax. Salem was out of the questions, and the train to Cambridge, our alternate location, was under construction, so taking the alternate buses in this messy weather was not an option. So we walked to a nice, warm, Irish pub for a great dinner. We relaxed and chatted, and then watched the first snow fall down. It was cold, and windy but it was fun to see snow falling: I am not sure when was the last time I saw real snow.

We slowly walked back, watching all the “kids” heading to their parties in skimpy clothing. This made me realize that young people are crazy everywhere: in San Diego you see them walking on the boardwalk in t-shirt, shorts and sheep skin Uggs boots, even if it is 70 out. In Boston, you see them wearing coats, dress clothing and flip flops even if it is 50 outside. Or you see them wearing shorts and skimpy dresses even if it is snowing…like the famous Italian verse says: quant’e’ bella giovinezza… (how beautiful is youth).

The next morning, bright and early, I headed to the airport (thank you Lidia for riding the bus with me). Of course the sun was shining and the weather was mild. I had to be in Boston the only night they had a major storm! Oh well, it does not matter: I had a wonderful time, and it went by way too quickly. Thank you Lidia for coming up with the idea and thank you Matt for encouraging me to go.

The flight back was unremarkablele, except for the mad rush to board: despite being at the airport 1.5 hour early, I was the last one to board. It took 50 minutes to clear security, including having to wait to for the result of the full body scan. I still made it in time to buy a small replica of the airplane I was flying in for Keegan, and then I settled in. The flight was quite pleasant. Free xm radio, synced mostly on 80s and 90s music, and I even caught a video of Wild Boys on Vh1 classic…I had the chance to read uninterrupted for hours—which was a wonderful vacation in itself— a very interesting, if haunting book, Room, which I really liked.

We landed early, and I caught a cab only to arrive at an empty home: Matt and Keegan were at the zoo.

It was great to see them both, and even greater to know that Keegan was very good, and he had a great “guys’ weekend”.  Matt kept him busy, and while he was very happy to see me, I sighed with relief, knowing that, despite his mommy phase, I can leave him without worry…

Does that mean I can do more girls weekends?????

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It has been only 6 weeks since we got back from Italy, but it feels like the trip was a very long time ago. Maybe this is because we have been so incredibly busy in these 6 weeks that time flew by. And with the holidays coming, including someone’s big 4th birthday, I don’t see any slowing down.

So, let’s recap:the trip back was probably the best and easiest to date. While I still had to deal with a few issues in regard of the car seat, no one questioned Keegan’s age (and I event told him to lie..) and we were able to get the seat on both flights. And this meant, he stayed in his seat…buckled…without protest! For the short flight, Keegan fell asleep as we landed in London, seriously, but he woke up easily. On the long, intercontinental flight, Keegan stayed seated the WHOLE flight (except for potty breaks), and mainly buckled. We are talking 11+ hours, in his seat…The headrest TV helped a lot. He watched two movies back to back, including Cars 2. He never watches a full movie, and here he is, watching two back to back on his personal entertainment system. Great! So I got to read and watch movies too. Falling asleep took a while, but covering him with a blanket did the trick. He slept a few hours and so did I. So, all in all, despite the serious hassle, the car seat was a great thing. I am worried what I am going to do next year without it!

Matt picked us up with a nice bunch of flowers and a big smile on his face. At home, I have found a clean and tidy house and a beautiful vase of “anniversary” flowers. This years were the best one yet!

After we got married, I told him I would like to have for our anniversary, the same flowers that were in my bouquet, and every year since he bought them. Not an easy task, even with a labelled photo: of course, I chose flowers for my bouquet that are completely out of season, so he needs to order them in advanced. What a great husband!

Keegan was not disappointed either: there were “welcome home” gifts waiting for him.

He was excited to see all his old toys and books, and to show daddy the new ones he got in Italy. But he was absolutely ecstatic when he saw his Halloween costume: Dash from the Incredibles. He tried it on immediately, and kept on wearing it almost every day since.

Is it Halloween yet?

Back in San Diego it was Fall time. Let me start by saying that is absolutely not true that San Diego has no seasons. It is pretty obvious when it is Fall time: the days are shorter, it is not quite as warm, especially at night, the occasional rain falls and the marine layer is a very rare affair. And for you skeptics, here it is: we do have deciduous trees too.

There. So don’t talk to me about leaves or seasons. And no, I don’t miss the cold and snow, AT ALL.

Of course it took Keegan a good week to get over the jet lag — and therefore it took us a whole week to be able to get any sleep at all —but this has not stopped him a bit. As soon as we got back, we started up our social life. Hannah’s birthday party was set for the Saturday after we got back, and we headed there after an epic nap (courtesy of jet lag). It was a nice way to start out the routine. Keegan was very shy at first, but quickly warmed up with cupcakes.

He also went back to preschool, the very next day after we arrived. He got readjusted very quickly, and it felt like he never left. His friends had been asking about him, and missed him, so they were very happy to see him, and so was Keegan to see them. I got the cutest picture of him and two of his girl friends. That was the day he could not leave without kissing them.

MacKenzie, Julia and Keegan swinging away…

…and joking around

The following weekend we went to “night-time beach”, as Keegan calls it. With shorter days, it is pretty easy to stay past sunset. It was quite chilly, but we still had fun running around, playing with the sun toys and even dipping our (well, theirs) feet in the water.

There were a few things going on that night: one environmental group was…well, we are not sure exactly what they were doing, but it was interesting to see them. The group created a maze of luminaries and then invited everyone to walk through the maze. Strange but fascinating.

There were also people creating memorials for Steve Jobs on the sand.They drew a large Apple logo and wrote messages.

It was moving. Being a Mac person, Steve Jobs’ death affected me deeply. Not sure why. His genius and his creativity will be sorely missed. Obviously I was not the only one. All the Apple stores became shrines, with flowers and thousand of colored sticky notes attached to the window, carrying messages and memories. In UTC someone even brought an old Mac II. So sad.

Even Keegan got “involved”; when he saw the memorial website, and asked me about it, and we talked how Steve Jobs is not here anymore. He became very serious and he said “how sad”. He knows Steve Jobs as the guy who helped design his iPod. Keegan has been talking more about death lately, but while he does seem to understand what it is, he does not seem too scared or worried.

On October 18, we celebrated Matt’s birthday. Keegan was excited, told everyone at school and could not wait for the evening so we could open the presents. We went out for dinner, and as a “birthday cake” we had ice cream. By the way, Matt expressly requested ice cream and not cake. I was not trying to escape my responsibilities as a wife. (-: And Steven Colbert AmeriCone Dream is probably one of the best flavors yet. Try it out.

The end of October means only one thing: Halloween!!!! This year must have been the best one yet. Keegan was so excited about it, and could not wait. He chose his costume, and he had a few test runs, literally… Halloween also meant Pumpkin Patch, or a bunch of rides with a few pumpkins thrown in for good measure. This year MacKenzie came with us, so it was twice the fun. The kids tried a lot of rides, and the train, and of course the super huge slide.He was not quite as tiny this time around, so I did not get any weird stares.

Enough pictures, I am ready to go in

They had so much fun together, and we got quite a few picture perfect moments. Aren’t they adorable?

Of course the pumpkin patch is mainly for the rides: the pumpkin themselves are a little overpriced. We got ours at the grocery store, a week before Halloween. Bad idea: the pumpkin molded, shriveled up and died well before the big day. We even tried to torch the inside…no luck. Oh well, Keegan got to enjoy two different pumpkins. He “helped” decorate the first one.

The second one was quickly (Keegan was not helping) carved the day before Halloween.

This year, I even added a few decorations, getting carried away by my little guy’s enthusiasm. Nothing over the top as the inflatable ghost some of our neighbors had, but it made the house look more festive. And it was a great way to show off our new grass and curb plants. So nice not to have to look at dirt anymore.

We had one more social event, Alyce’s birthday party. Keegan met Alyce at gym class. It was at Boomer’s, a cute place with rides and mini golf. Keegan tried all the rides and even tried mini golf, something I am absolutely horrible at.

October 31st finally arrived. Keegan could not contain his excitement. He started the day by wearing his Incredibles underwear and donning his costume for school. At 10.30, I met him at school for the annual Halloween Parade: walking around the block, in costume, and going Trick or Treating at the local stores.

waiting for the green light from their teacher

The mask lasted only the time it took to take the picture

Dash-Keegan and Puss in Boots-Kelsen. In the back Woody-Van

A candy break followed.

When I picked him up in the afternoon, we played a few carnival games and went home to get ready for the big night.

To complete his costume, we had to style his hair back. Not an easy task. Even with a maximum hold gel, his hair would stick straight up.

we are ready to go

We arrange to meet the neighborhood kids: it was a group of 7. They had a great time, and I have to say that this year there were a lot more kids in the neighborhood, walking around in costume.

He got so much candy, his pumpkin was too heavy and I had to empty it out in my bag. After a full hour, Keegan and the other kids could not take it anymore, and headed back home to sort out booty.

Keegan organized all his candies in categories and picked his favorite 5. Of course he chose all the pack containing many pieces, like M&M and skittles. The rest will go to mom’s workplace…except for white chocolate Kit Kats, my absolute favorite. Amazingly enough, he went to bed easily, despite the sugar high…

These 6 weeks were pretty full of adult fun as well. Matt and I went to see two of my favorite shows: Hair and The Rocky Horror Show. I have never seen Hair before and I was impressed: the production was great and still moving after all these years, even though very different from the movie. The fact that the Occupy San Diego encampment was just outside the theater, made it more poignant, even though, I do realize that 60’s anti -war protest cannot even compare to the Wall Street protest of today.

On a lighter note, the Rocky Horror Show was amazing as always. We got our prop bag and I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I still think is an amazing show. The actors were great, and there were a few in the public shouting comments and come-backs like in the movie theater. The actors often improvised based on these audience participation. This is definitely a show I will watch again and again.

Finally, I had my girls’ weekend in Boston, watching Duran Duran. I will talk about it in a later post, but let me just say it was GREAT (even with the storm of the century).

So, all in all, it was a great way to get back into our routine here in San Diego, and now, after taking a deep breath, we are getting ready for the crazy holiday season.

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