Cold Weather is Creeping into Boston

I know I have been terrible about updating, but my schedule keeps me extremely busy.  But I will take the time now to update you on life the past few weeks.

As for work, things are pretty much the same as usual, just continuing to get busier.  I am still loving the job, and of course the people I work with.  I have had a few more volleyball games, field hockey games, and home football games.  I was actually in charge of one Football game while my boss was out of town, and everything ran smoothly!  I have started my winter sports coverage, which for now is Men's and Women's Ice Hockey.  I haven't seen a men's game yet, but I saw my first women's game this past Saturday.  And I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  We also hosted a Lacrosse tournament on campus about 2 weeks ago, and I got to see my first lacrosse game (both men and women).  Not sure how I feel about that sport yet, but it might grow on me once I see more games.  Other than that, work is pretty much the same as usual.

Life in Boston is still great!  The group of interns in the athletic department have begun hanging out more, and we have had some fun times.  My roommate and I continue to enjoy the city as well.  No adventures in the city that are extremely exciting, but I have settled into the city now so I feel like it is just normal everyday living here now.

Yesterday I got to experience something new, Head of the Charles.  It's one of the largest boat races in the world if you haven't heard of it.  It was interesting, but also a little boring.  They do staggered starts, so you really can't tell who is winning b/c it all depends on their end time.  But it was cool to watch, along with the hundreds of thousands of other people there.  There were some teams in the race from southern schools which I thought was neat.  Thankfully since I work at Harvard I got a prime spot to watch at Weld Boathouse (women's boathouse). Here are some pictures:

Some exciting news for this upcoming weekend:  Malisa is coming to visit me!!  She will be here on Thursday, and I am extremely excited!  I will update next week about our adventures this weekend.  Then in November Ashlea is coming to visit me, and we already have tickets to a Celtics game.  Can't wait to show both of them around Boston!

And now for my difference between Boston and the south. . . . IT'S ALREADY COLD UP HERE!!!!  I wear a coat everyday, and at night it gets down into the 30's.  Crazy to experience this in October!!!  But anyway, that is all until next time!

Flying back South!

I have not been keeping up with my blogging lately, so sorry!  Work and life in general have been extremely busy, but I will give you an update now.

First, let me thank everyone for keeping me in their thoughts.  My situation at home has been resolved by me moving to a new house!  My roommate Alison and I decided that the best solution would be to find a new house to move to, and we are now settled in at the new place.  We have now been there for about 2 weeks, and so far it is much better.  The moving process was quite stressful, but everything is done now. I will try to take some pictures and post later of the new place.  We still live in the same area, and I am still able to walk to work.  So everything worked out well!

Alison moving stuff to our new house in my grocery cart.

As for work, things have really picked up and I love it!!  I have had a few field hockey games, and we had our first home football game.  Field hockey setup and game management has become quite routine, and I have begun to really enjoy watching the sport.  It is an extremely athletic sport, and I feel like I learn new rules and aspects of the game at every one I attend.  Football was a completely different experience for me, coming from the SEC.  My role was basically just providing support where needed on game day, so I got to help out with a recruiting BBQ.  It was extremely interesting noting the differences from my experience with Auburn recruiting to this event.  The event was a large BBQ (burgers and hot dogs cooked by the coaches and staff) for all sports that had recruits in for the weekend.  It was a much more relaxed and simple event than what I was used to with football recruiting.  Basically I just floated around, made sure food didn't run out, and made sure no one was there that shouldn't be.  And of course I got to enjoy the food!  During the game, we stood on the sidelines for the first half, and the second half we collected tables and signs that had been placed out before the game.  Then, my job was done for the night.  This game occurred on the same night that Auburn played Clemson.  So as soon as the game was done, my roommate and I headed into the square to find a TV to catch the end of the game.  Wow, I got to tune in right as the stress began.  Glad Auburn pulled through!

Bit of an empty stadium at the Harvard football game.  The rest of the stadium had more people, but this was the faculty and staff section.

Harvard vs Holy Cross

Work was slower last week, I only had one field hockey game.  I went to the Red Sox game on Tuesday with the other interns at work.  Lots of fun!  Then on Thursday, I flew back down south!!


I flew to Hattiesburg on Thursday night to visit my roomie Caroline, because her birthday was the previous Monday.  I had loads of fun, got to see lots of people I miss, and ate a ton of good food!  I really enjoyed my time with everyone!  I got to drive Caroline's car, I was totally afraid I had forgotten how to drive.  I got to eat at all the yummy places I have missed (even though I have found some good food here, I must say the South has better food-might be why Mississippi is the fattest state).  I got to lay out by the pool, because 65 degree weather doesn't exist in South Mississippi yet.  And I got to watch a full Auburn game on TV, from beginning to end.  This was the first one I had watched all season, and it was a good one!  Then on Sunday, it was time for me to fly back.  And I had quite a long day at the airport.  My flight was supposed to go to Memphis and then to Boston, however due to flight delays I had to switch to flying into Atlanta then to Boston.  But I did get upgraded to first class, so that was nice!  Got home at 1:00 am this morning, and headed into work at 9:00 am.

I got to drive!!! Don't worry I was stopped when I took this picture.

Yummy Crescent City food!!

I have another Northern vs Southern experience to share.  On my flight to Mississippi, I had a flight from Boston to DC, then DC to Jackson.  It was really amusing to notice the differences on the flights.  My first flight was very quiet  (except for the obnoxious little child behind me).  Then I get on the place to head to Jackson, and the entire atmosphere changed!  Everyone was talking to everyone else, figuring out if they knew similar people, making business and personal connections, etc.  It was quite amusing.  I got to sit by the sweetest older lady who was flying from Virginia to Jackson to visit relatives.  She doesn't fly very often, so I helped her out with her seat belt, food tray, and getting her carry-on down.  It was actually quite refreshing to be surrounded by so many friendly people.  Not saying that I have met rude people in Boston, but it is rare to see people go out of their way to get to know complete strangers.


Well, that is all for now!  I tried to upload some pics into this blog, but it isn't working currently.  So pics to come soon!

Bump, Set, Spike!

Sorry for not updating sooner, but life has been crazy for the past couple of days.  Work has definitely started picking up.  This past weekend was a dive into the world of event management.

Friday (9/3) was the beginning of a long (but enjoyable) weekend for me.  We had a women's volleyball tournament starting on Friday and ending Saturday night.  I watched a total of 8 volleyball matches, and I feel I am now an expert on the sport.  My basic responsibilities for the tournament were set up and break down, hiring a staff, working with the refs on any needs they had, and anything else that popped up along the way.  It was a long weekend, with a lot of girls who made me feel quite short.  The hardest part of the weekend was the temperature in Friday in the gym.  The volleyball courts are on the fourth floor of one of the athletic facilities, and there is no air conditioning.  The building was recently painted, and the windows were painted shut.  Let's just say I began to sweat just sitting in a chair.  The heat index in the gym got up to 97 degrees on Friday.  Luckily Saturday was a lot cooler (and I got to leave the gym for a little while due to a Field Hockey game).  Overall the tournament was a success!

As I said, there was also a Field Hockey game on Saturday, and one on Monday.  These ran very smoothly, thanks to our awesome workers from the Ice Hockey team.  Harvard won both games, and the events were a success.

Then Tuesday was my day of rest!!  I had the day off, and besides visiting the grocery store, I stayed on the couch with a book.  It was amazing!  I did make a purchase at the grocery store that made me feel like I really live in a city now.  I bought a small grocery buggy to take to and from the store with me since I have to walk there.  It kinda makes me feel like a homeless person, b/c just being honest I see them with these all the time.  But I do believe it will be a wonderful thing to have!  It helped me with my groceries on the way home, so I am already enjoying it.

Then it was back to work on Wednesday, and this week has been rather relaxing after the craziness of last week.  We only have a football scrimmage, which is today.  Our staff isn't doing a lot with this event, so I will have a nice relaxing weekend.  My roommate Alison has some friends coming into town, so we will be hanging out with them this weekend.  Should be fun!

On a side note, I am currently dealing with a stressful situation where I live.  So please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.  Hoping everything works out for the best!

RPL = Rain, Patriots, and Laundry

So last week held a lot of adventure and new experiences for me, which for the most part were enjoyable.  Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were spent getting ready for my first game experience!  And, let's just say the sky fell out from Monday-Wednesday.  Therefore, everything I had to do had to be done in the rain.  Monday and Tuesday were mainly administrative (emailing coaches and officials, and making sure I had everything I would need) as well a a little setup (locker rooms for visiting teams).  Then the big day was Wednesday!  We had two soccer scrimmages and a field hockey game.  Soccer isn't my sport to cover, but I helped out with set up for that game.  The only way to describe the set-up is that everything was wet, and the rain still kept coming.  We got soaked, but we got everything set up to go.  The only thing that was a pain was dragging the portable scoreboard out because we had to use a different field due to the massive amounts of rain.  That sucker was quite heavy! Then it was time for field hockey, my sport to cover.  It was actually quite easy because we didn't do a full setup due to the rain.  I ran the game clock/scoreboard, and everything went quite smoothly if I do say so myself. Other than that the week at work was pretty uneventful, except a big surprise we got on Monday . . .

We got free Patriots tickets to the preseason game against the Rams on Thursday!!!  V.I.P. parking and V.I.P. lounge passes, and of course great seats (I don't have my pics uploaded yet, but check back b/c I will put some up).  It was awesome!  My coworker and two other interns from communications all went.  The pregame food included beef tenderloin, seafood risotto, and lamb as well as some veggies, breads and deserts.  We listened to a hall of fame member speak (a guy who played OLine back in the day for the Pats), took pictures with the mascot, and the guys took pictures with the cheerleaders.  Then we ventured to our seats, and we had great seats in the bottom bowl around the 10 yard line.  Sadly the Patriots lost, but it was still a fun game.  One cool thing was that my old roommate from Hattiesburg is married to one of the guys who plays for the Rams.  So I got to see him play, first familiar face in Boston, but it was out on the field!

Then it was time for the weekend!  My roommate Alison and I ventured out in Harvard Square on Friday night with the 2 guys who are interns in communications.  It was a lot of fun, and we got late night burritos (not from taco bell).  Then Saturday Alison and I went to dinner and to Inman Square with some of her friends from school.  Lots of fun again!  Sunday we did brunch with this same group at a really cool vegetarian place (no I have not turned vegetarian, but one of the guys in the group was).   And then it was an afternoon filled with couches and TV.

And now the new week work has begun!  Upcoming events for this week include a field hockey game and 8 total volleyball games (we have a tournament this weekend).

My new experience for the week:  I paid someone else to do my laundry!! It was amazing!  I am not a fan of washing clothes, and I have been known in the past to buy new stuff to avoid the process.  I have not had anyone else to do my laundry since I lived at home (minus the times I have brought dirty clothes home when I would visit).  Therefore, this was an awesome experience for me.  You may be thinking, wow you are quite lazy.  But consider the fact that I don't have a car, there is no washer and dryer in my house, the closest laundry-mat is like 2-3 miles away, and I usually wait about a month to wash clothes.  So a process I already do not enjoy would become even more of a pain because I would have to haul a heavy laundry bag all over town.  So, I decided to visit Flint's Cleaners  and it was a great experience.  They are located right around the block from my house, and I just dropped off on Saturday and picked up on Monday.  I could really get spoiled by this whole process!

Also another interesting fact I have learned about Northerners is that they assume all people from the south enjoy country music.  I have had at least 4 people shocked by the fact that an Alabamian native is not a fan of country music.  Just because the music comes from the south doesn't mean I have to like it!

Well that is all for now!!

Beginning to Belong

Time for an update, after a week absence from the blogging world.  I am proud to report that I no longer feel like I am just visiting Boston, I actually am beginning to feel like I belong here.  I have my routines, places I like to eat, and have figured out the TV time changes b/c of eastern time.  Boston is really starting to grow on me!

The past week was mostly work centered, with some roommate bonding time thrown in.  Throughout the week the girl I work with and I got to do walk through's of all the facility set-ups for our sports.  Field Hockey isn't going to be a very difficult set up, but Volleyball is pretty intense.  Thankfully the men's volleyball team helps with it all, because I am not tall enough to put up nets!

We also had a few boat launches from out boat house.  Basically, Harvard groups book dinner tour boats and they dock at the Harvard Boat House.  Since it is an athletic facility we are in charge of it.  Basically all we do is open the doors when they get there, and then go back when they are docking to leave.  Not too hard.

Other than that, work has just been mainly administrative this week.  Still learning a lot to get ready for the upcoming sports!  My first game is Wednesday!!

On a more social side, I have hung out with my roommates this week and have had a blast.  Tuesday we did roommate dinner, Mexican style.  Thanks to Kara, a roommate from Maine, the dinner was fabulous!  Then Friday night Alison (another roommate from Maine) and I ventured into the Back Bay area for dinner and a fun night with a few friends (Allin-one of Kara's friend we met a few weeks ago, and Allin's two friends from New York).  The area was really cool!  Saturday Alison and I spent most of the day on the couch, and then went to see Eat Pray Love in Harvard Square.  After that we met up with some of her friends from school, and I got to meet some more awesome Mainers! 

Then, I like to call Sunday "The Day of Food".  We went to the Breakfast Club for lunch and I had the most amazing meatloaf, mashed potatoes and asparagus (which I ate every bite of).  Then Alison and I went to the grocery stores to pick up supplies to make these (these aren't our actual ones, but the online pic):

Just imagine: sugar cookies, peanut butter, melted chocolate and marshmallow fluff.  All I am can say it YUMMY!  These were like heaven to eat.  Then Phil, one of the roommates, made ravioli for dinner.  So, basically all I did on Sunday was eat and eat and eat. 

Some of you may not understand the humor in the following picture that I am using to close my blog today, but those of you on that adventurous Spring Break in the RV will get it.  Never in a million years did I think I would see this on the streets of Boston, MA:

I will update you on life again soon!

Bachelor's + 2 Master's = Bathroom Duty

Well this weekend was pretty uneventful, but still enjoyable.  My roommates all went out of town for the weekend, so I had the house all to myself.  Being the pretty independent person I am, I usually enjoy alone time every now and then.  While I did enjoy it some, it was very weird having an empty house.  Made me miss my doggie, Max, and his cold noes!

Well my weekend began early on Friday.  I got off work at 12:00 because I was coming in Sunday to work.  I went to eat with the girl who works with me, the new assistant field hockey coaches and the 2 new assistant men's soccer coaches.  I discovered the joys of the business building dinning hall, they have everything!  Then I went home, grabbed a blanket and a book, and decided to enjoy the beautiful weather.  If you know me, then you know I love books.  You also know I love the sun.  So I found a spot in the park by the river with the sun shining on me, and camped out on my blanket for an afternoon of reading.  If I had to imagine what Heaven would be like for me, this would be pretty close.

Saturday was a lazy day.  I spent the morning inside, and then explored Harvard Square some more.  I found where the new Anthropologie will be opening at the end of this month (yay!).  Then I gave my mom a tour of my house on Skype since she didn't get to adventure up here for the move.  And then I spent the night reading and catching up on some TV.

Sunday was my first day to work an event!  The Boston Breakers (a women's professional soccer team) play their games at Harvard Stadium.  They bring their own event crew, so we are basically just here in case anything goes wrong.  My day consisted of delivering a microphone, opening parking lot gates, turning on lights, replacing paper towels b/c our maintenance crew wasn't working, getting the score board up and running, taking down the flag at the end of the game, shutting the gates, and getting the microphone back.  Everything was great, except the flag part.  I am not usually afraid of heights, but this got my adrenaline pumping.  We had to climb to the very top of the stadium, walk around the top to the flag pole, and then proceed to get the flag down.  Well the wind was blowing, and the flag is 3 times my size.  I pretty much was afraid the whole time that the wind would whip me off the top of the stadium.  But we got it down, and I survived.  So not a whole lot to do, but it was still fun to begin working events.  It was also nice to start off slow at my first event.  

So, not very eventful as far as weekends go.  But I am still enjoying Boston, and the weather has been amazing.  I actually slept with my fan off last night, I know crazy!

Funny Story for the day:  This doesn't really have a lot to do with southern/northern differences but I found it amusing.  As I said earlier we had to replace paper towels in the women's restroom during the soccer game.  We usually have a maintenance crew who does all this work, but they were not working the game today.  So my boss and I had to do this ourselves.   We have a pretty friendly operations crew that is hired to work our games (gates, parking, etc).  As I was walking past a couple of them carrying my paper towels, they started laughing.  Then one said, I bet you never thought that after 4 years of undergrad and 2 years of grad school that you would be put on bathroom duty.  I just had to laugh to myself, because even bathroom duty is enjoyable when you are doing something you love!

Well that is all for now, I hope to have some more eventful experiences to share soon!

Working Hard for the Money!

So my job has begun!! And so far it has been great.  I am working with a girl who ran track at Michigan, went to Northeastern for grad school, and is training for the 2012 Olympics.  She is extremely nice, and very tall (which I guess compared to me doesn't take a whole lot).  Her and I share an office which is beside the gym that staff gets to use, which is awesome.  Right now the gym hours are a little restricted, but once the semester starts back I can fit in a work out after I get done with work!

Well, my first day was yesterday, and we didn't really do a whole lot.  Basically we got a tour of all the athletic facilities (which are nice but don't really compare to huge sports schools).  Then we went to lunch with both of our bosses.  Our "big boss", as I like to call him b/c he is over our other boss, has worked at Harvard for 25 years and is full of knowledge about everything.  His sister owns a restaurant in Harvard Square area so we went to lunch there.  Then we got a tour, and a lot of his knowledge, of Harvard Square.  Then it was back to the office for about an hour.  I know, sounds like such a rough day.

Today was my second day, and again it wasn't very stressful.  Basically this morning we spent some time getting familiar with the computer systems and organizing our schedules.  I will be covering field hockey (never seen a game in my life), women's volleyball, and we will both be covering football (yay, my fav sport).  So I went over some info for each of those, and organized my calendar.  I know my job sounds so thrilling already, but I promise it will pick up soon!  Then it was lunch time so I walked home (only half a mile away) and ate.  Then the afternoon was spent riding around in the new golf cart looking at facilities.  Again I know it sounds oh so stressful, and I am sure many of you are wondering how I have survived so far.  But soon the sports' seasons will begin, and my work will really kick into full gear.  The first game I will be covering is August 25th, I will get to witness my field hockey game!  They have an astro-turf field, and they actually water it before games so the ball rolls/slides/whatever easier.

So before I kinda had no idea what in the world I would be doing for this job besides working events.  But I have now found out some of my duties and I am excited to start.  Basically, I do a lot of the logistics work for the games (scheduling student workers, reserving fields, setting up fields, payroll for workers, managing officials, and a lot of other background work that goes into the games).  Some of you may not think this sounds interesting or appealing, but I love it b/c I know sporting events can't function without it.

Story for the day: So on the first day we met whole lot of people.  The girl I work with is from Chicago, so everyone would ask where we were from and just kinda nod when she told them.  Well, when I said Alabama I got a few pauses, and wow you are really from the south responses.  Although one lady (head women's basketball coach) told me m accent was very disappointing because it wasn't southern enough, haha!  Guess I will have to bust out a few more y'alls and fixin' too's.

Until later. . .