Artiscence

Few weeks ago, I found myself in Boston, Massachusetts. On my way out of Boston, at the downtown crossing square, I asked a food vendor lady to take a photo of me, as I politely pass her my iPod. Lo and behold, when I looked at the photo, I found this woman, with the yellow face, staring straight ahead in my photo. At first glance, I thought her eyes were closed, but they are actually open. You can see two distinct dots that I suppose represent her pupils. Is she smiling? Is she frowning? Or is she just dispassionately looking on?                   And because she's already in my pictures, I decided to take a couple of photos of her, just for her.

Twas the evening before my birthday. Good food, appealing atmosphere and a vibrant mariachi. Twas a memorable night in downtown Cancun, Mexico.  I asked a few locals where to eat and a good number of them pointed me to La Parilla. So, I made my way there. It's a little hidden, so someone expecting a huge sign by the entrance might miss it. The mariachi played through-out but they weren't loud, almost like listening to music in any typical restaurant really, except here, you can see the people singing. My meal was about 160pesos, roughly $12.  Not bad! La Parilla

I am leaving Woods Hole and the Cape in a few weeks. I have signed a new lease in Providence and I've bowed out of my current lease here in Woods Hole. I will miss the Cape, but surprisingly, I am looking forward to going back to Providence, Rhode Island. I was there for a year, but I never got to see RI as I would have wanted. It was my first year of graduate school and I could think of nothing less than making it past year one. Now, that I will be going back, I feel different. I purposely rented an apartment a fair distance from campus because I felt a need to. I am now close to the end of my 3rd year and it's a long way from 1st year. Anyway, Woods Hole and the Cape is still mine for a while and I will take this time in between lab to explore all the places I've already visited before and all the places I haven't visited yet. I'm really excited about the whale watching (it's really the only one I haven't been to). Martha's Vineyard ...

Miami is all water looking down from the plane window, with pockets of swamps, and wetlands checkered across the open space. And all water looking out the taxi window,  with bays and ports in the distance across the main roads. And all water looking out the balcony where I stayed... All water, a bit gray, but very gorgeous. One of the fun part about the Miami (and later on, Jamaica) trip is, I lived for a week with 3 others ladies (one friend from college into grad school, one friend from grad sch and one a new friend). I am one of those people who label stuff and know where everything is located in my bag. In other words, I do not litter or let my things wander, as you will see below, but, I had to accommodate their differences as they accommodate my eccentricities. Our flexibility and mutual respect made for a most memorable trip. :). I will go into details later, but suffice to say, my weirdness and fondness of the unusual, their "extra" zest f...