Hometown Townie

If you grew up in these parts, like I did, there is one thing we know to be true, yet it never ceases to amaze me. We, Bostonians, are true "townies". What I mean by "townie" is that deep down inside we are true to the place we grew up, the culture and the local traditions. And in this town it's all about sports.

Rooting for the hometown team is so much more than a past time around here-it's a passion but what really amazes me is that it knows no boundaries nor age bracket. Take for example our beloved New England Patriots. Saturday was the first game for the home town team in the NFL playoffs which was at home at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. The streets, shops, malls and restaurants everywhere were a sea of  red white and blue Pats logos. Everybody was talking about it, preparing for it and anxiously waiting for it, like a little kid on Christmas Eve. The Patriots playoff game was a huge event for everyone in New England.

The funny thing is people who never follow football instantly become armchair experts, glued to a televised game that they never would have watched previously. Brady, Edelman, Amendola and Gronkowski become like family and even old ladies can tell you that My Tommy threw for over 300 yards, AGAIN,  in Saturday's game. The short pass from Brady to Edelman who launched a 51 yard bomb to Amendola to tie the game? A complete game changer and people are still talking about that one in the grocery store checkout line and at the post office. It just never gets old. Even little kids are talking about the legalities of the Patriots ineligible plays. No one in this town is safe from Patriots fever.

And I guess that's the way it should be. Shouldn't it? Something special uniting people of all kinds and bringing them together, if only for a short time? Whatever the reason may be; the fever, the passion for a game that is uniquely American and a team that is distinctly ours, I wouldn't have it any other way.
I doubt I could ignore it.
It's a way of life for us townies.
All of us.

Domestic Bliss

Home sweet home, yes home is where the heart is. The older I get the harder I work and the harder I work the more I appreciate quiet time at home.

I was thinking on Sunday, after spending most of the morning/early afternoon in my pajamas, "Is this OK?" By 1:00 pm the guilt got to me and I knew it had to get dressed and get going. Growing up, my mom always made sure that we got up, had breakfast and got dressed for the day. Unless you were sick and then pajamas all day was considered legal and legit, but if you weren't sick then lounging around all day in your pajamas was not OK. In fact, it was considered lazy and that just wasn't something that we did.

But here I am thinking that I did all of nothing on Sunday (my only day off) and I am left wondering if there is something wrong with doing nothing. And by nothing I mean not leaving my house much less the comfort of my sofa. Sure I did some productive stuff on said sofa; answered emails, laundry, did some online Xmas shopping, read some magazines that clutter my kitchen inbox, watched a movie or two and chilled out. I didn't even attempt my favorite Sunday pastime which is cooking.

Again, is there something wrong with doing nothing?

I figure I work hard all week and rarely spend any quality time at home, so staying home on a Sunday has got to be OK, isn't it?
Like, who am I looking for validation from?
I've got to be the one that is OK with it and right about now I feel that being home doing nothing is something sweet.

This Accessory Is Not Supported

I recently purchased a new iPhone 5S with an upgrade I had from my wireless provider. I got the 32G too, because I'm damn tired of it telling me that my storage is full. In any case, I love my new phone SO MUCH...that I am ridiculously protective of my week-old device. My smart phone, like most people's, is my life line. It is constantly near me, on my person or in my bag and the separation anxiety I feel when I don't have it borders on dramatic. The pictures and videos I take on it chronicle my life day to day. I've even been known to be talking on my phone whilst furiously looking around for my telephone, only to realized that I am, indeed, talking on my telephone. It's the best mini-PC/tablet on the planet. Period.

So imagine my dismay when I woke up this am to find my new phone plugged into a rogue charger.

Horror and shock, are the two words that come to mind. I immediately went to that "Who Did This?" place in my head until I realized that someone was actually doing me a favor. They couldn't have know that the charger "cross breeding" would offend me. How could they? I keep my original charging device safely enclosed in my purse so that I know where it is at all times. So that the charger thieves that reside in my house can now fight over the other, more common chargers that are left around the kitchen counter. So that I could keep the purest form of my iPhone 5S in near factory condition without the corruption of a black market, miscreant charger.

When I saw the above message on my virginal device this morning I had to accept the truth.

My iPhone 5S is now like the rest of them. Corrupted and flawed, it's eminency has been diminished. It's a shame really, but I decided that my iPhone 5S and I will press on. We will make a new life for ourselves and persevere. I understand that these knock-off chargers are infiltrating society today at breakneck speed. My own home had been tainted. I also understand that only in a dire battery situation, would I even consider the consequences of going over the the dark side of phone charging. Instead I will  try to minimize our exposure to such threats the best I can.

I can't support a accessory that won't support me. I don't even have to like it.