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i'm in a surprisingly good mood tonight despite the fact that i have no real reasons to be so. another full eight hours block of work today, more again tomorrow, and i'm already scheduled to do a little bit of work this saturday as well. i'm not complaining, i try not to mix my feelings up with work (with varying degrees of success). when people ask me if i like my job, it's hard for me to answer. i don't hate it, but i don't love it either. it's just work, right? i am so detached from my current career path. work, rest, work, rest, repeat repeat repeat.

hey! that doesn't sound like somebody who's feeling all cheerful tonight for no reason!

after work, with the weather outside a "survey says: beautiful" of blue skies and white clouds and temperature in the 50's (yesterday was 50's as well, but the sky was partially overcast), i just had to go out running, really take advantage of the final hour of daylight, despite the fact that i already ran not more than 24 hours ago. i asked no less than 3 different fellow coworkers if they wanted to join me but no takers (i have to remember that not everybody thinks running is fun. most people think it's crazy and painful). a solo run it is then! hmmm, i had a very bad run though, if you can even call it running. i seriously cramped up during the first mile and had to walk it off, one hand on my diaphragm, the other stretching out my body. when i started running again, a few minutes later i cramped up once more. i ended up jogging intermittently around the charles river. the only consolation i can take out of today's run would be 1) the amazing view of boston bathed in the golden sunlight of the setting sun, the river shimmering, the city like a breathtaking mirage sparkling across the water dotted with crew and sailboats, 2) running behind this really attractive blonde, whom eventually i had to pass, but what i liked about her was that she wasn't exactly running fast but i guess her motto is "slow and steady" because when i slowed down to a walk because of cramping pains, she eventually caught up to me and passed me, and 3) i really got to enjoy the nice weather. on the bad side, now i am experiencing some mild leg and feet pains because i overran myself into the red. but i don't care, i think it was worth it! next time the weather gets this nice, i'm going to restrain myself and not reach for my running shoes and my short shorts but rather i'm grabbing my camera and walking out to the path around the charles to take photos. i saw so many photographers out there today, very smart, because the lighting was just perfect. you can't take a bad shot! every one is like a postcard.

i got back to the office, changed into my civilian clothes, and left work in no great hurry. our office on binney street - at least the downstairs office - is just a great location because when you come out, you can see boston's twin tower of the john hancock building and the prundential center off in the distance. they're not so apparent during the daytime, but at nights when the sky is dark and the skyscrapers are lit up, they just stand out. so even though i'm no longer working in boston, i can still catch glimpses of it, savoring every eyeful.


hancock from
the office

full moon
over broadway

full moon
over broadway

there was also a full moon tonight. i was just looking off to the horizon when i was spooked out by this giant yellowish ball in the sky. the moon is funny, it looks very big but that's just an optical illusion. it's actually very small, and that becomes painfully obvious when you try to take photos of it, like what i was doing. suddenly the moon loses all its lunar majesty and becomes this overexposed ball in the sky.

feeling kind of bad from an ill-timed run, i made my way to the starbucks inside the marriott hotel and got myself a large chai latte. i don't care what people say! i love the chai latte! this was actually my second visit to starbucks, earlier in the week, i made a morning visit prior to arriving late for work. can you guess what i got? anyway, as the night grew longer, the weather started to get cold and it felt good to wrap my hands around the warm cup of spicy beverage. i rode my two stops up to harvard square, sipping on my still warm drink and smiling at some teenagers taking photos of themselves on the subway train. i was young like that once too. before i started buying and drinking chai lattes for $3.20 a serving.

there's a one-legged man who's a frequent patron of the 73 bus that i ride to and from belmont. he gets along on a pair of crutches (don't be silly, he doesn't hop around), it's pretty interesting, i wonder how he lost his leg? maybe he's a war veteran, but he doesn't look that old. anyway, here's a little trick i learned: when the bus rolls around, most times the driver will stop and position the door right where the one-legged man is standing on the curb. so, if you want to board the before everyone else, stand right behind the one-legged man.

going home on the bus, i stared outside, looking with lazy interest through the windows of all the houses that went by. people sitting in their living room watching television or reading a book, preparing dinner in the kitchen, eating supper in the dining room, the lives of people flashing before my eyes, all safe and sound in their cozy homes. it made my feel all fuzzy inside, while i continued to sip from my starbucks chai latte. i'm not sure what my dreams are, but if you asked me not so long ago, i would've never said owning my own place. but now, looking at these people in their houses and knowing that soon i will be joining their ranks, it makes me feel in some way connected to them. this is like some collective experience, and sooner or later everyone will at least have an opportunity to own his/her own place.

walking home from the bus stop i finally took a snapshot of this big sign that one of my neighbor's recently erected earlier this week. "vote april 1st, monahan, better for belmont." i have never voted in a town election before (and, sad, to say, this streak will probably continue). past few weeks we've been getting flyers and brochures and letters in the mail from prospective candidates for various local positions, and i don't even look at them before throwing them out. what a responsible citizen i am! but i think belmont is so boring, what kind of excitement can you get out of holding a public office? what power can you wield? "hey man, i can get you a free dog license, don't worry about it," or maybe, "i'll get the highway department to prune your bushes, free of charge." can a town get any better than this? and i'm being totally serious.

homefront news: wrote the broker an e-mail asking about the discrepancy between the advertised square footage and the actual number in the master deed, and also asked for a copy of the floorplan of the apartment. i gathered up all my financial documents, my poorly invested ameritrade portfolio, a few fidelity mutual funds, my merrill lynch and manulife retirement accounts plus that one year where i put some money into a prudential ira, various bank statements, and my prudential life insurance policy. you don't live at home for that many years and not have some dollars kicking around. this weekend when i finally do my taxes, i'm also going to print out a copy of my returns from last year to add to the pile of evidence i'll need to secure my mortgage.