May 18, 2012

Make the Holidays Merry

A Christmas tree inside a home.
Image via Wikipedia

I’ve been thinking about the holidays a lot lately. This time of the year is so much fun! I love the festive music, the decorations, the scrapbooking I can do, the food, and all the great times with my family. I also know that a lot of people aren’t as fortunate as I am. Many people suffer severe depression during the holiday season. Maybe they are depressed because of the bad economy, losing their jobs, or not having any family around. Whatever the reason, I know that many people turn to drugs or alcohol to help them cope with the holidays. This is the most wonderful time of the year! If you are feeling down and not quite into the Christmas spirit, let me offer some help.

1. If you are turning to drugs or alcohol to help you cope, seek help. Addictions are very real and you’ll never really be ever to get over the problem until you ask for professional help. You can find some wonderful information at LaPalomaTreatment.com to help you get started.

2. Do some service. I’ve found that the one sure way for me to get out of a funk and into a better mood is to serve other people. You can always find someone who is more down on their luck than you. Think about volunteering at the local homeless shelter.

3. Put a smile on your face. Sure, this might be a little cheesy, but when you are smiling, others around you will smile too! A smile is contagious. That’s one thing that I hope really catches on this holiday season.

The holidays can be a stressful time, but they don’t have to be. Think about all the many blessings you have and celebrate the good. Even if things in your life aren’t the best, surely there is something you can be grateful for.

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Things To Do In Boston Any Time Of Year

When you visit the greater Boston area make sure you do everything you can to make your trip a memorable one. The Boston area is home to some of the best entertainment anywhere in the country. It’s a tourist hot spot and a city with a lot of personality and neighborhoods that make an American town what we have come to know and love. So when you arrive look into these things to do.

When you get off the plane you’ll be looking to score great tickets in town. You might want to wait til you get here so you can figure out the weather and just to see what strikes you. If you do that then try Ace Ticket. They have the line on all the hot tickets in town. Make sure if you are looking to go to catch a game or a big concert in town that you give these people a call.

Now, there are great experiences in Boston but none may be better than the American Repertory Theatre. Located near the famed Harvard University you will be able to catch some of the best theater you have ever seen. the American Repertory puts on plays all year round and provides a unique experience. They bring in new, progressive plays as well as people from different types of theater to work together to bring you a wonderful and altogether different theater experience. It’s worth checking out and should be a must in your vacation itinerary.

If you are in for a little bit of light fun and a lot of amazement then try the Big Apple Circus. There you will see highly skilled performer doing what they do best and you will be telling your family and friends about it for weeks to come. Make sure these things are must do’s when you get to the greater Boston area.

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Brookline Living

Boston: Skyline from Fenway Park
Image by wallyg via Flickr

Brookline, often mistaken for a Boston neighborhood or district, is actually its own entity. Nestled on the western outskirts of the city, Brookline is noticeably different in terms of its atmosphere, and has retained many of the desirable aspects of a town while affording its residents most of the benefits of city living, particularly in terms of its dining options.

Brookline Restaurants

On the more affordable end of the dining spectrum, Anna’s Tacqueria is perhaps Brookline’s most famous restaurant. Get in line and watch as your burrito is made assembly-line style, with workers slinging ingredients around with practiced skill. In a city largely devoid of authentic Mexican food, Anna’s is a veritable oasis, with a variety of tasty options. Just down Beacon Street from Anna’s is the Washington Square Tavern, which features outstanding service, great food (try the truffle fries), and an impressive selection of single-malt whiskies. Across the street from the Washington Square Tavern is the Publick House, one of the country’s most highly regarded craft beer bars. Draft selections range from Dogfish Head to Allagash White, and are rotated frequently.

Brookline Lifestyle

Brookline’s residents are lucky enough to have a choice of two streetcar/subway lines running through their town, so getting into Boston is easy. Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox, is particularly easy to get to via the “T”, with a streetcar stop right outside the ballpark. Since Boston is notorious for being a difficult city to park in, the T makes life a lot easier for Brookliners venturing into the city for the day. Brookline is also blessed with several parks. Since many houses in Brookline are spaced closely, yard space is hard to come by, even for those with million-dollar budgets. Luckily, Brookline’s parks are spacious and well kept, and most Brookline neighborhoods have a park within easy walking distance. An additional benefit of the parks is that they make it easy for Brookline residents to meet their neighbors.

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The Boston College of Slang

You’ve just arrived in Greater Boston to attend one of the region’s sixty-nine colleges. Make that seventy. There’s one school you didn’t sign up for. Pay attention because you’ll be tested. First of all you’re not in Boston. It’s the “Hub”, as in “the hub of the solar system”. You can thank Oliver Wendell Holmes for that one. Who’s he? Where you from, Cow Hampshire?

Nobody from Boston expects you to grasp the local slang immediately, or for that matter, ever. That’s what separates the townspeople from the students like you. Trying to pretend you grew up in a three decker over in South Boston is just a bad idea. Do what the smart freshmen do. Just be quiet and listen.

And don’t refer to Boston as “beantown”. You might as well hang a sign on your back that says “wicked dense”. Of all the colorful jargon you’ll be exposed to, “wicked” may be the most common. You can start using wicked and get away with it if you use it correctly as an adverb. The locals won’t mind if you try it on for size, but be aware of how much you use it.

Start with the basics. Get to know your left from your right. Specifically, understand the difference between your “bang” and your “hook”. When driving, you “bang” a left and you “hook” right. Or maybe you don’t have to worry about it, because as a student you probably can’t afford a car. Besides, roadwork in Boston was the inspiration for “you can’t get there from here”.

It’s also good to know that you may be referred to based on where you go to school. If you go to Harvard, you’re a “Barney”, referring to the trolley barns just off campus. If you attend Tufts over in Medford, you’re “Jumbo”, based on the school mascot. (You can also be called “Dumbo” if your athletic scholarship fails to impress.) “Zoomass” is a nickname for students attending the University of Massachusetts. It’s all in good fun, so enjoy the nicknames while you’re young and studying in Boston!

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Coffee Shops in Boston

Boston, being the center for finance and commerce that it is, is a city fueled by coffee. Late night projects blur into early morning board meetings with little more than a quick coffee run to keep the bleary, red-eyes awake and alert. Because of this Boston is a city full of coffee shops. But Bostonians don’t just settle for your ordinary, run of the mill, chain coffee shops, many Boston coffee shops are destinations in and of themselves and feature premium, small-batch coffee that is roasted right on the premises.

One such coffee shop is the Boston Common Coffee Company. Located in the heart of Boston Commons, the BCCC has developed a loyal customer base since their opening in 2004. Now, The Boston Common Coffee Company roast all their coffee in small-batches in their private roasting facility to guarantee not only that their coffee is the freshest available but that it is fair-trade certified. All pastries are made on site by an acclaimed pastry chef who bakes everything from scratch. There are four locations to buy both small-batch and wholesale.

One of the oldest and most famous coffee shops in Boston is Café Vittoria. Café Vittoria was founded in 1929 as a small Italian Café in the heart of the Italian-American community in Boston and has since become a popular tourist destination. Featuring vintage roasters and espresso machines, Café Vittoria is a place to bask in the ambiance of classic Italian café and savor what life used to be like.

Another classic coffe shop is Polcari’s Coffee located in the heart of downtown on Salem Street. Founded in 1932, Polcari has been a Boston staple for decades and features the finest premium roasts from around the world. Polcari’s is a popular local spot that has the old world charm and warmth of a neighborhood coffee shop from a bygone era.

No matter where you are in Boston there is bound to be a coffee shop nearby. Make sure you stop by one of these featured cafes next time you are in the area.

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