A full Friday post is coming.
It was tough to pare down my highlights to 15, but I did it yesterday if you're interested.
There are a few international flavors on the calendar and a few more that might sound like a good time for you.
If you're in the mood for Italian, this weekend is the Madonna Della Cava Feast in the North End. For something more low-key yet authentic, one could take the Orange Line to Malden for the annual Feast of St Rocco.
Even though the Dominican Festival not listed on the Franklin Park site (or even listed on its own website), there's a good chance that you hang with a lot of Dominicans in the park with music and food.
Also in Jamaica Plain this weekend is a Lebanese festival which will have entertainment but may be more like a Lebanese grandmother who wants you to eat.
About Monday's "The Big Lebowski" screening/party at the Coolidge Corner is already sold out. (It's like someone pissing on your rug.)
I'm easing my way back into this thing, so check out the calendar that will be updated later.
Hey, I saw a Literary Trivia night at Tommy Doyle's. It's $12 so I'm not listing it. If you saw it at The Phoenix, it's at Kendall Square instead of Harvard Square.
If I'm going to drink a mediocre beer, I gladly choose Narragansett for its local roots and their desire to open a dedicated brewing facility in Rhode Island. (I believe they produce at a 3rd-party brewery in upstate NY.)
As a "Jaws" fan, I think it would be cool to look like ol' Quint and spout movie quotes while I'm quaffing a few beers this summer:
I'm on their mailing list, and the retro cans were supposedly available as of July 12. Although I haven't been actively searching, the 18-packs were not in the package stores I've visited.
Of course there are more flavorful beers to promote locavore drinking, but feel free to leave a comment if you see the old-school cans in the Boston area.
If you want to win a BluRay copy of the shark movie, post a photo or video that involves crushing the can on Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr -- and use hashtag #CrushItLikeQuint.
So this was the "Poem of the Day" in my inbox, and I wanted to share. I like to imagine Amy Lowell writing this many July 4th's in Brookline or Cambridge.
To Recap:
There is a lot to do today...
Including Harborfest & Tall Ships and fireworks...
It's probably too late to print out decorations or get a cheap boat ride, but there's always next year.
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"Pyrotechnics"
by Amy Lowell
I
Our meeting was like the upward swish of a rocket
In the blue night.
I do not know when it burst;
But now I stand gaping,
In a glory of falling stars.
II
Hola! Hola! shouts the crowd, as the catherine-wheels sputter and turn.
Hola! They cheer the flower-pots and set pieces.
And nobody heeds the cries of a young man in shirt-sleeves,
Who has burnt his fingers setting them off.
III
A King and Queen, and a couple of Generals,
Flame in colored lights;
Putting out the stars,
And making a great glare over the people wandering among the booths.
They are very beautiful and impressive,
And all the people say "Ah!"
By and by they begin to go out,
Little by little.
The King's crown goes first,
Then his eyes,
Then his nose and chin.
The Queen goes out from the bottom up,
Until only the topmost jewel of her tiara is left.
Then that, too, goes;
And there is nothing but a frame of twisted wires,
With the stars twinkling through it.
Whether you're staying around town or getting into town, you don't need to spend much to have a good time.
It's the beginning of "Free Fun Fridays", and today's cultural freebies include the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Peabody Essex Museum, and the Museum of African American History.
They're dancing in the street tonight in Cambridge. And a one-man play about Occupy Boston is being workshopped further down Mass Ave.
It won't rain all day, Harborfest people.
Of course, there's plenty of good music tonight.
More cheap info is forthcoming...
Have you ever been to Ward Maps on Mass Ave (near Porter Sq)? I recently saw that they sell prints of my favorite T map as seen above.
I'm not taking credit for someone else's success, but I feel a small twinge of pride since I encouraged the artist to sell reproductions after putting it on a Bostonist post and a CTB post.
There are some items in the store that sell for $10 or less, however I have eagerly spent more to but vintage maps of Boston and beyond. It's one of the coolest stores in the metro area.
As mundane the image may be, it is so mind-blowing that the advances of science allows us to see our celestial clockwork like early astronomers could only dream about. (It seems this feed is on New Mexico time.)
While it would be nice to expound philosophically, let's review Monty Python's "Galaxy Song":
Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving
And revolving at 900 miles an hour.
It's orbiting at 19 miles a second, so it's reckoned,
The sun that is the source of all our power.
Now the sun, and you and me, and all the stars that we can see,
Are moving at a million miles a day,
In the outer spiral arm, at 40,000 miles an hour,
Of a galaxy we call the Milky Way.
Our galaxy itself contains a hundred billion stars;
It's a hundred thousand light-years side to side;
It bulges in the middle sixteen thousand light-years thick,
But out by us it's just three thousand light-years wide.
We're thirty thousand light-years from Galactic Central Point,
We go 'round every two hundred million years;
And our galaxy itself is one of millions of billions
In this amazing and expanding universe.
Our universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding,
In all of the directions it can whiz;
As fast as it can go, at the speed of light, you know,
Twelve million miles a minute and that's the fastest speed there is.
So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure,
How amazingly unlikely is your birth;
And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere out in space,
'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth!
Hey, it's not too late to get some construction paper and put in a poem to say, "Thanks Mom!"
Any of today's cheapness could be enjoyable with or without a maternal unit whether it's flowers, ducklings, art, country, toy pianos, or adult-size rock guitars.
That's the kind of stuff on the Sunday calendar.
There might be a Dr Sketchy session at Great Scott this afternoon too, but it looks very tentative.
Here's the calendar for the next couple days. Some of Wednesdays gigs are only $10 if buy tickets in advance (i.e. today).
Some of today's options include:
Harvard's President is talking Civil War history at BPL... Suffolk's NORML chapter has a bunch of speakers and non-smokable hemp samples... One of the few remaining Beat poets is getting an award (to go with his Pulitzer) at MIT... Live experimental cinema at the Brattle... Free music near the Fenway and Union Square...
It's not on the calendar, but a new HBO show is having a screening tonight that requires a RSVP.
There are also scotch tastings through Friday in the Seaport District that might still have spaces to RSVP.
No need to think about the weekend. Mondays can be fun-days...
Just a few blocks apart in Cambridge, there are two discussions that appeal to different crowds: Education and NFL professionals discuss how gridiron analytical methods could be applied to classrooms. And a former Federal Reserve Chairman will chat with a law professor and a business professor.
The BPL is celebrating Shakespeare's birthday this month beginning with Laurence Olivier's 1948 version of "Hamlet" which may seem long and slow to some, but it's a touchstone for other actors who portray the Danish prince.
A live play in Davis Square promises to be a stimulating post-modern comedy that questions the experience of seeing a play, and tonight is "Pay-what-you-can Night" before the final 3 performances this weekend.
The Rock 'n' Roll Rumble is back, and preliminary-round gigs are going down at TT's this week except for Wednesday. Catch a couple bands you already like and/or find some new favorites like tonight's strong lineup including Thick Shakes and Animal Talk.
If you prefer continuity over variety, you can catch the garage-punk antix of Hunx and a couple other bands at Great Scott.
It hasn't been around as long as the Rumble, but Boston's annual electronic music festival Together could run for the foreseeable future. It's more than music, and there are many events from now through Sunday that fall between $10 and free.
A guy named Tony wrote and asked if I would share a graphic that he & his team designed on ethical behavior and wealth. (It seems like he comes from an accounting background.)
They're looking for your feedback, so I won't give my opinion that might color your judgement. Of course, click it for the full-size image.
If you leave comments, I'll let him know to check them.
By the way, Occupy Boston is still active even though they don't camp out anymore.
Created by: AccountingDegreeOnline.net
There is still a chance to the Bruins' & Celtics' championship banners in Dorchester for free until 8pm...
The annual Women in Comedy Festival is happening through the weekend, and some related shows are under $10 like a free open-mic near Fenway Park and a show near Central Square...
There's metal at O'Brien's... and indie-rock at TT the Bear's...
The annual Irish Film Festival begins tonight with a (basically) sold-out screening at the Brattle then moving to the Somerville Theatre through Monday...
BTW: There's also a "Mad Men" party on MON 3/26 in Kenmore Square that requires an RSVP. You're supposed to dress in that style, and it's sponsored by Stuff & Canadian Club.
FYI: It's too late to RSVP for the SNL & Satire discussion with Bill Murray on TUES 3/27. The good news: If you read the fine print, you still have an equal chance to get in.
More to come...
Perhaps tonight would be a good opportunity to go to your favorite bar, because it's very likely going to be packed tomorrow.
Luke O'Neil nailed St. Paddy's Day in the Metro this week. I'll have my Saturday options up soon, but gird your loins if you think going to a bar on a sunny, 54° St. Patrick's Day on a weekend!
I figure it's better to have a brief post in the middle of the week.
There is stuff on tonight's calendar for: authors yearning to be published... those curious about inequality from economists' POV... anyone into jazz/world/rock or folk/rock...
Like I said last Tuesday, Union Sq is a good spot to hear free music like The Honors or Kristen Ford Band.
Don't forget tomorrow is Pi Day, so there are a couple related cheap events.
Until I do a full post, these are some Friday highlights:
There are free science/nature films at the Museum of Science all day... And a documentary about graffiti artists at BU...
There are open studios in the South End and Mission Hill as well as art receptions in Kenmore Square and Jamaica Plain...
There are theatre performances at BU -- serious and not-as-serious...
Find synthy magic at the Magic Room...
Blues in Davis Square...
Metal in Union Square... And twanginess at a Mexican restaurant down the street...
FYI: I saw the 2-for-1 coupon in the Dig this week (page 8) if you and a friend feel like some comedy.
One of my short-term goals is to simply do better than yesterday (or last week). I believe I will succeed today.
Just in case, the Friday cheapness is below.
FYI: There is a promo code for free advance tix to this weekend's Boston Globe Travel Show.
If you think you're likely to enter contests/giveaways, you're eventually going to give up your contact info...
Since V-Day is next week, I offer some tips that are basically the same tips as last year.
It's one of those artifical holidays, and I believe in expressing affection throughout the year. However you might be in need of some ideas for next Tuesday.
My hope is not to act like a cheap bastard -- but to maximize the experience for the effort whether it's time or money.
So even though the Kinsale may have a 2-for-1 entree deal, cooking for your lover would probably be more romantic.
Maybe I'll come up with better ideas. Does anyone have suggestions?
FYI: Wednesday's cheapness is on the calendar.
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* Write a note of adoration in 25 words or less. Brevity is forceful, there's less opportunity to screw it up. Make it a haiku for poetic flair. Use some creative paper (and creative doesn't have to be fancy)...
* Why write something when you can use previously-tested literary panty-droppers?
* If none of those don't feel right and you can't find something appropriate on this page filled with love poems, then you have to write something original.
* Just look into their eyes, and say something heartfelt.
* Maybe a little image with some text may do the trick.
* SomeEcards has the best cynical messages for this and every occasion.
* Digital valentine candy is fun, low calorie, sustainable, and cheap:
* Get a jug of wine and incense; call it "60s free love night".
* Have a movie night and make up a sexy game -- for example, "Drive": whenever there is a car scene, someone has to close their eyes and pretend the other person is Ryan Gosling...
* Have an indoor picnic of any kind. Even if you get fancy stuff, it'll probably be cheaper and no reservation is required.
* When was the last time you gave a massage?
* If you're going to give a present, consider supporting an independent store of any kind (some hints).
* Spread the love, go with the "heart" theme and give blood together.
* I like making a mix CD.
* Of course a good, old-fashioned shag is nice any time of year...
I'm going to try an experiment.
The calendar for today and tomorrow is below, and I'm going to pretend that tomorrow is Friday.
There's a monthly open-stage night that takes its maiden voyage tonight at Arts at the Armory Cafe. The masterminds are Mike & Sophia who are behind Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling and many other cool projects, so it's going to be pretty cool. Give your best 5 minutes of whatever (or sit back and enjoy).
On Thursday there are several art receptions, a reading by an anarchist/steampunk novelist, and a burlesque/rock show.
If you look below:
Someone wanted to write a preview about an Irish art exhibit at BC.
There is info about this week's (WED & THUR) MBTA public meetings.
Happy New Year!
I can't believe I'm in friggin' Maine again, but I hope all had a good night and have a great year to come!
~rob
