cruisin' the Charles

So I've dabbled with Groupons, Living Social, and now Google Offers!  There was some article that came out a cople weeks ago that said these "coupons" weren't actually as big a discount as they sometimes tout!  One instance was a "Groupon" for a cleaning company that claimed it was 75% off, but then when the reporter or person called the cleaning company for a regular inquiry, the "Groupon" was really only a 30% discount.  (Or something like that.)  I haven't bought too many --- a few for restuarants we usually go to or restuarants/adventures we've been wanting to try.

Anyway.  A few months back, I saw a Groupon for a Charles River Cruise and picked up two for the in-laws visiting in August.  However, turns out they had plans and didn't really have time to use them!  So about a week before they expired, Tim and I went on a cruise on the Charles.  :]

Hello!

As you can see... it was fun and scenic, but not very exciting.  :oP

The tour guide lady says this is the only place where a plane can fly over a car driving over a train that's going over a boat.  :]  Neato.

Do you buy Groupons (or the like)?

                                    

house centipedes not welcomed!

Last night, I was just about to serve up some chocolate mousse I saw this GIANT BUG scurry across the kitchen floor and under the fridge!  I, of course, just starred and yelped, "OH MY GOSH, IT'S SO BIG" while Tim was like... "why didn't you kill it... you're even wearing shoes." (Flip flops.  Inside flip flops.)

Tim eventually found it scurrying towards our back door and killededed it!  WHOO!  He said it was probably a house centipede.  I've seen centipedes (apparently only brown centipedes) and was like... those (brown centipedes) are small, this is not the same kind!  So I go and Google "house centipede" and OH MY... they are NASTY (in the "it has too many legs, it's too big, and it frightens me" kind of way).  And it's the same kind that ran across our kitchen floor!  They are so gross, I don't want to post a picture here so you can click here for house centipede to see, or Google "house centipede."

I think I've found smaller versions (babies?) around before.  But this was the big mama!  Eeech.  >_<  It's appearance is most likely due to the fact we've been turning on the heat (or rather, Tim has.  I'm used to arctic temperatures inside the house and being told to just put on a sweater.  Hah!) and we're forcing all residents in the heater vents to relocate.  o_O

This was one New England species (I'm sure they exist in California but not in my house back home!  At least not this big...) I didn't want to discover!  Lets go back to pretty snails that move really slowly...

Have you found any strange bugs in your house?
                                                  

pumpkin jars

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Aren't these SUPER cute?  Too bad I am TOO lazy to make them.  But they seem easy enough!  (Coating the inside with paint!)  Found them on Make It - Love It, who adapted them from Martha.

I also FINALLY bought a little pumpkin today.  From a rushed, slightly impatient man at the farmer's market which was closing.  I obviously asked too many questions... "how much are the pumpkins?"... "can I have a bag?"

Not sure what we're doing with it yet.  Whether we'll have time to carve (it's kind of small...) it or if I'll just draw on it.  :oP

Do you have a pumpkin this year?
                                                     

chill

It was 45° this morning.

                                  

swirly snail: update!

So I believe my swirly snail... whom I've named Andi... is a grove snail!  Also known as a brown lipped snail or a Cepaea nemoralis!  :D

Kinda looks like this yah? (But mine is way prettier.  :oP)

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There aren't too many good pictures of grove snails out there so I'm very happy about my captures, and the swirly pattern is extra gorgeously solid on the one I found.

I also started researching about snails and slugs.  There are SO many cool ones!  :oP  (Who knew I'd like snails and slugs.  They're so slimy and gross.  I was telling Tim that I probably like snails mostly cause they have a shell so you don't have to touch the goopy wiggly part of them.)


Of course there is also the vast world of sea slugs!  Check out this dragon slug!!  SUPER cool huh?

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Totally looks like something from Pokemon or Power Rangers or something.  :oP  It's called a nudibranch, which includes all kinds of other "soft-bodied, marine gastropod mollucks."

I'm so excited about the Living Social coupon thingie we got for the aquarium!!!  :D  Jelly fish are so fun to look at!!!
                       

swirly snail

What a beauty!  And I almost stepped on it.

 A couple weeks ago, I saw this little snail crawling abouts on my way to work

Doesn't it have the prettest shell you've ever sawed?

A slug with a pretty ornament  :oP

Feeeeeelers!  Or rather, those are its eyes.  :]

There were snails in my backyard when I was little and they were pretty ugly.  Boring, brown shells that crunched easily.  (I don't think I killed any on purpose!  They were usually empty when I found out they crunched easily!)  Who knew they came with such beautiful shells!  Kinda wish I kept it for a pet!  Cause who knows what happened to it after I walked on.  Maybe a dog licked it. 

I just googled about snails and there are SO MANY COOL ONES!  Who knew.  I love New England!  :oP  Now I'm on a mission to identify my snail!  Will report back if successful.

                        

Heidi & Jobe visit!

We shall start with recapping Heidi and Jobe's visit!  It was fabulous!  I love having friends from home visit (and family and all our visitors).  :D

Of course we had to start things off right with a big ole breakfast from Henrietta's Table!

Then we moseyed on downtown and took the ferry to Charlestown to see the USS Constitution.

Dinner at The Kebab Factory

(Ok... yes we need to introduce some new places to our visitors, but we'll just say these are the 2011 edition places!  We'll change it up next year!)

On their second day here we went to Rockport!  This is the Halibut Point State Park.

The Proposal was shot here!  (It was supposed to be "Alaska.")  :D  :D  :D

It was rainy but still very quaint!

And quite stormy!

We explored downtown some more on the third day!  This squirrel posed for me in Boston Common.

Jobe modeling in Beacon  Hill.  HAHA.

So Martha Stewart!  :D

Thanks for visiting Jobe and Heidi!  COME BACK SOON!!  :D

                                      

baby shower cake!!

A diaper cake that is!

I'm really proud of my very first diaper cake!! (Making one, not receiving one.  haha.)

The surprise baby shower went very well and I will be back sometime (hopefully this weekend) to tell you all about it!  (And all the other things going on!)

RR

So Heidi and Jobe were here visitng last week (can't believe it's almost been a week already!)  It was great fun.  Too short actually!  They flew into Maine and then drove down here, then continued their adventures at Niagara Falls and NYC, those lucky ducks!

I will post about their visit in a bit.  Maybe tomorrow.  But today.  We post about something more important.

Behold.

This incredible action shot courtesy of Heidi and her megazoom camera

 Wait what?  You can't see who that is?

Yes, that is the fine Ryan Reynolds.  Whom we've taken to call RR.

One of my favorite actors.  In the flesh.  Within air molecule sharing distance.  {{inhales}}  Then {{squeals}}!  :D  They are shooting RIPD (Rest in Peace Department) right here in Boston!  It's a movie coming out in 2013 about "a recently slain cop joins a team of undead police officers working for the Rest in Peace Department and tries to find the man who murdered him" (imbd.com) yada yada yada have I mentioned Ryan Reynolds is in it?  :oP  (And Kevin Bacon and Jeff Bridges.)

Here's one of the prop cars

Here's a smashed version of the prop car

We first saw them shooting on Saturday.  We went back Monday to see if they were still shooting but they weren't.  :(  But here's the spot where Mr. Reynolds was standing!

 There's been reports of RR walking his dog Baxter in the Boston Public Gardens (which we also went to but did not see him there.)  I found out where they were filming on Tuesday and a co-worker and I decided to go "check it out"... even though it was all the way in East Boston!  hahah.  But since it out was out a pier, all we could see was a bunch of film trailers/equipment, a buttload of cops, and a catering table.  :(  Apparently this co-worker has a friend who's actually working on the set!  They will be filming downtown again this weekend but I'm too busy to gooooo.  :(  Why can't they film during the weekends when I'm basically working downtown?!

This was one of the highlights when the Frondas were visiting.  And Boston is great.  :D  I'll let you know if I go stalk visit another filming location anytime soon...  Mr. Reynolds, please don't leave Boston yet!