Beloved Boston...A Re-Post

You can't live in Boston today and not reflect on the events of a year ago. 
This was posted on Tues April 16,th, 2013, the day after the bombings.

I wasn't there.

Neither my kids nor my husband were there. We were all safe.

She in NYC, is the one who alerted me of the events via text. He, safe on the golf course with my dad, 70 miles away from the war zone. My husband ensconced safely at his desk and I, enjoying a rare day off with my mom.

I wasn't there, but I could have easily been there like I had so many years before.
I can only share with you how most of us Bostonian who live here felt when the first waves of info came in:

It was 3:15, and I'm shopping at Neiman Marcus in a local suburb. Frick texted me. It read, "Mom, did a bomb go off at the marathon?" "Are u there?" "No."I replied." H/O"

I stopped, and searched the web on my iPhone. I googled Boston Marathon 2013. Nothing. I searched some more nothing. I then searched "bomb at Boston Marathon." I found the footage. I clicked on to the raw video and heard the news that a bomb had gone off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The report  said it was a, "horrific scene". It went on to describe bloodied streets and loss of limbs and I immediately went into safety mode. I started mentally checking off my family members.

That's what everyone that lives here did.

The first text was sent to my best friend. She lives in Boston and is an avid runner. I knew the answer before I finished typing the text, so I immediately placed a call to her seconds after I pressed the send button. I couldn't wait. She answered, "I'm ok." She was crying.
"Thank God," I said. "Were you there?"

"Can," she said between sobs. "I was right there. I had just decided that it was getting cold and that I had shit to do and that it was time to go home." "I felt the blast behind me and turned to see the smoke."
I was so glad she was ok. So glad she was safe. So shocked that she had been so close. She hadn't even called her mom. I let her go, telling her I loved her and to call her mom.

Then I went over the familial list:
I come from a large family and the majority of us are 20-50. Prime Marathon viewing years. The texts began furiously. While I was walking through the store, word got out and people everywhere could be seen either talking on their smartphones or looking at their smartphones. I drove home because no one really wanted to NOT be in front of a TV at this point and we listened to Boston Sports radio, which turned into news talk on the ride home. It was an uneasy next few hours as we awaited word on the family safety. It wasn't until 6:15 that we knew for sure that both my 26 immediate family members were ok and my husband's 11 members were safe. We were lucky.

Then the worst news of all came.

3 people had died and one of them an 8 yr old boy.

Hundreds of people had been injured. It was worse than we could have imagined. I felt at that moment that life had changed.

We were glued to the TV for the rest of the night as I'm sure you were too.

Trying to make the best of a horrid day which was no happy holiday after all.

Let The Sunshine In

• With such a warm and gorgeous, sunny Saturday, I was struck by how many of us were "amazed" by the warm weather. It has been so cold here for so long that we forgot what good weather felt like....

• Frick and Frack spent the weekend together in NYC. Yes, I know they are old enough to handle it without Mama and the fact that I called and texted them both six thousand times has nothing to do with the fact that they ignored 90 percent of those calls and texts. Does it?

• Busy week for me. I have one of the biggest days ever at The Candy Bar on Wednesday..,wish me luck!

• I can hardly believe it has been a year since the Boston Marathon bombings. This week the news media of the world will descend on our fair city to tell the amazing stories of the victims and survivors. I pray God will keep the city safe and watch over us as we commemorate the tragic events of last year. I personally believe that this year's Boston Marathon will probably be one of the safest places in the world to be during the race. 

• I baked two incredible pies for Easter yesterday. Jus sayin...

• Looking forward to seeing "The Other Woman". Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Brooklyn Decker all team up to bring down Leslie Mann's cheating husband. I have a personal interest in infidelity since I have experienced it first hand. Cheating men are scum and deserve everything bad that happens to them because karma is a bitch and you don't want to piss off a bitch who is pissed off. I love it when Hollywood dramatizes the sweet vindication!

• Nurse Jackie on Showtime is BACK....speaking of bitches who you don't want to piss off..

Boston You're My Home

Recently my new favorite TV pastime has been Netflix. My favorite is "House of Cards" starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. Juicy, edgy, evil and down right horrid is the best way to describe Kevin Spacey's "Frank Underwood" character. During the Academy Awards telecast on Sunday, Spacey came out to present an award in character. He began his speech in his best 'Frank Underwood', much to the crowd's delight.

I had mentioned to my BFF that I loved Spacey and the Netflix series and the next day she sent me this:

Cuddles and love to Kevin and Boston! You are much more the man than Frank Underwood could ever be.

BIG PAPI: (addressing the crowd at Fenway before the first game after the Marathon bombings) "This Is Our Fu*king City!"

YES! We bring home the bacon in a BIG way, at home!!
Congrats to the Sox and to the Nation for another World Championship!!

I'm sure you guys are sick of all the Red Sox hooplah around the Daily Dandy(unless you are a Boston fan), but I swear, this post is the BEST of all.

This was written by a Philadelphia sports blogger from the blog Crossing Broad on Oct 23, 2013, named Kyle Scott who had just about had enough...
Boston, that is. I love this so much! Much more than words will describe. Read it to the end as his hatred is palpable, and I caution: lots of f-bombs.
The post, is as follows, entitled:

  "Go Screw, Boston"/Kyle Scott

I’ve spent the past two hours trying to find something – literally anything – to write about. I came close to posting, in-full, a reader rant on Paul Holmgren, but it got incoherent towards the end and, well, I’m the only one who is allowed to be incoherent around here. So that was out. And there’s nothing else going on. What the hell are you supposed to write about when local teams have won three games IN THE PAST MONTH and any more posts about ex-Philly folks killing it would be trolling?

But then it hit me: Today is Boston day in the sports world. Yet again, Boston.

I love Boston as a city. If there’s one place I had to move, it’d probably be there. Big city stuff in a smaller package. Relatively clean. Beaches nearby. History. An indigenous community.

Great sports teams…

… all of whom can go fuck themselves.

Just in the last 10 years:

Patriots

Won Super Bowl in 2003

Won Super Bowl in 2004

Lost Super Bowl in 2007

Lost Super Bowl in 2011

Four Super Bowls in 10 years, and that’s not counting their Super Bowl win in 2001 and Super Bowl loss in 1996. 

Bruins

Won Stanley Cup in 2011

Lost Stanley Cup in 2013

Two of the last three Stanley Cup Finals.

Celtics

Won NBA Championship in 2008

Lost NBA Finals in 2010

Two Finals appearances, one win, and a thrilling seven-game series with the Heat in the past five years.

Red Sox

Won World Series in 2004

Won World Series in 2007

In World Series in 2013

86-year drought and then two World Series wins in three years, followed by another World Series appearance this year.

In the past 10 years, Boston teams have won six championships (each at least one) and participated in 11 Finals series. And that doesn’t count the several conference-league finals the Patriots, Celtics and Red Sox have played in and lost.

During that same timeframe, Philadelphia has seen four Finals series– 2004 Eagles (lost), 2008 Phillies (won– that’s still hard to write), 2009 Phillies (lost) and 2010 Flyers (lost). Nothing since, and no playoffs in what will wind up being close to two years, if not more. And, as you know, one championship in 30 years.

Every fucking six months a Boston team is either competing for a championship or in the semifinals. Like clockwork, the sports world always comes back to and centers on Boston, so we can all talk about their townspeople and beards. The Red Sox break an 86-year drought in epic fashion. Bill Belichick creates a mini dynasty, beats the Eagles along the way, and Tom Brady marries a supermodel. The Bruins win a seven-game Finals series with a 400-year-old goalie and then, two years later, get back there after a three-goal comeback in THE THIRD PERIOD of Game 7 of the first round. The Celtics assemble an unlikable Dream Team, win the title, and Kevin Garnett screams into a microphone. The Red Sox bottom out, bounce back, and, of course with their beards and pine tar, are right back in the World Series. THEY’RE ALWAYS IN THE MIDDLE OF SHIT. And if it’s not winning, it’s drama. Aaron Hernandez. EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE RED SOX. Spygate. Beergate. Gronk’s existence. Doc Rivers and Bill Simmons. You name it, it probably happened in or involves someone from Boston.

Obviously, it’s hard to root against the Red Sox this year, as their World Series appearance comes on the heels of the Boston Bombing. They’re the sentimental favorite, and rightfully so. But fuck if their obnoxious beards and we’re not the Yankees shtick isn’t trying really hard to make that not the case. Hey, Mike Napoli– YOU LOOK LIKE AN ASSHOLE. Salt– Do they really fucking call you that? You’re an insanely mediocre baseball player. You can’t grow facial hair, Shane. Oh yeah, just for good, historic measure, let’s grand slam our way into the Series with a former Phillie hitting one, and Big Papi, who doesn’t age, hitting another, which produced an iconic photo with Boston’s finest throwing his fists in the air in a photo composed by God himself because he loves him some Irish Catholic Bostonians. Oh and now there’s a rainbow and a pot of gold over the fucking Monster? Fuck you all.

I hate sports right now.

Pin Up Terror

Really Rolling Stone?

There is a distinct difference between these two covers.
Discuss.....

It's All Good..

All good things today!

• Frick is on her way home from the Big Apple!!! Congrats to my baby girl for successfully completing her first year of under grad at NYU!! I'm so happy she's on her way home, I could just blow a whole bunch of bubbles!!

• Those AWESOME Boston Bruins pulled it off last night!!! I gotta say, I had given up. With a little over seven minutes to play and down 4-1, I gave up all hope and turned the game off. It wasn't until later, while I was taking a relaxing hot tub outside, that Frack came out and informed me that I was missing an EPIC Bruins comeback. We watched the overtime together and YES! I called it! I said to Frack, when the B's were pressing in the crease, "they're gonna score". Frack replied, "I don't think so. The rest is Bruins history. Boston Strong is an understatement. Thank you Boston for always providing us with the most amazing, come from behind, exciting victories! It's no wonder we are sports obsessed in this town. You always deliver!!

• I am a blessed woman. Blessed to have a wonderful family that gave me the most incredible mother's day and which continues to support me in everything I do. And truly blessed to have the most talented and amazing staff at The Candy Bar. We just completed a long week and my staff stepped up and produced awesome work! I couldn't be prouder of the things that we are accomplishing at the store. 

I am grateful for all of my blessings. 

What are you grateful for?