Living in an artsy world

(c) Alina Rubezhova 2013 - Instagram filter 

I've always wanted to be the artsy type.

But, the thought of anything involving art scares the hell out of me - I'm not graceful, my hands shake and a paintbrush is daunting to say the least. Not to mention, art class wasn't the easiest to get by in high school. So, instead I envied those who mastered the skill of drawing. But yesterday, I got to bring out my inner Picasso. Okay, well not Picasso - but he's the only name I could think of that sounded hip enough. A group of my friends got to experience Urban Art Bar - a fun little studio located in South Boston.

I should start by saying that UAB is my client for Boston University's PRLab - so I do technically work for them, but I'm putting all bias aside and being completely sincere. Naturally I had to experience the atmosphere to get a better understanding of what UAB does. Now that I've gone to a class, I'm going to shamelessly promote them to all of my friends. I walked in with the thought that my painting would resemble a child's finger paint slob-kebob, but I walked out with what I deem a masterpiece. It was a rendition of Boston's Frog Pond - guided by our teacher, Vicki. And to add on to that - everyone in the class did well, especially considering none of us had painted before.

So I'll start with the step-by-step of what you have to look forward to.

1) We came in just before 6:30, which is when the class starts. And we picked our seats at the front of the house and settled in. The studio itself is cute - there's artwork around the wall (of the pieces that the artists teach). The studio was lined with canvas around and paint brushes laid out. You have the option to get a drink at the bar - beer or wine. UAB finally got its liquor license, but there's a small selection of bottled beers (including Angry Orchard) and your typical red and white wines.

The walls with the beautiful artwork

2) A little after 6:30 as everyone piled in, Vicki introduced herself. She had a fun personality with the mantra that there is no complaining about your masterpiece. Basically, no matter what you do, it's yours and it's beautiful! Which really is inspiring to a group of non-artists. She began by introducing us to the different brushes (we had a set of five).

3) Then, she started us off with the first step (I'll post pictures every few steps so as to not overload you with visuals - and to not give away how to paint this!) and gave us a few minutes to complete it as she played some upbeat music. Okay, the first step wasn't bad at all. It required drawing a curved line through the middle of our painting. I did it! Afterwards, she had us paint above the line with our acrylic paints, mixing colors like the seasoned artist I'm becoming. The sky. I painted a sky! I swear, I've found a new calling.

4) Finally Vicki got us here:

5) A few steps after this, we got a little bit of a break to get food, socialize, get a few drinks - but mainly to let the paint dry. If you're hungry - there's a Dominos right next door and a Hess station nearby as well. Being the candy fiend I am, I ran over to the Hess to get my favorite: Sour Patch Watermelon. I'm really surprised I've made it this far without a cavity. 

Anyway, when everyone was situated we moved on to the next step of painting. Vicki did a great job instructing because I finally ended up somewhere here:

And then brace yourself...(seriously, brace yourself because I'm convinced I'm a master artist at this point)...

Voila - my very own Frog Pond to hang anywhere I please. :)

Needless to say, I'm impressed. The class went smoothly - went pretty much exactly the entire three hours and I walked out feeling very proud of my work.

So, if you're bored of the usual day-to-day activities, gather a group of friends and reserve a spot for one of the paintings! You won't regret it and you'll have a blast doing it.

-A.

Staying fit during Boston winters

Photo attributed to RelaxingMusic

I'm one of those girls who is fitness obsessed. Yoga, spinning, running, etc. You name it - I love it. Since running with the Boston winter wind isn't exactly on top of my to-do list, I try to find other ways to stay in shape during the cold months. I tend to do Insanity or run the track at the gym, but let's face it - that can get very routine and boring. So, because I'm always looking for new ways to work out, I decided to make a post about one of my favorite spots in the BU area: Sweat and Soul Yoga.

They offer both yoga and spin classes; but let's start with spin. These aren't your regular spin classes. The bikes actually move with you, making for an intense 45 minute pump up. The instructor blasts fun music, lights down low with the black light on and you really sweat. It's a lot of sprinting, sitting, standing, turning and "hills". If you're looking for a cardio workout that's truly different, I recommend this. It's not easy, but it's definitely a blast. And the best part? To start, they offer a 2 classes for $20 promotion for new students. Otherwise it does run a little pricy at $18 per class.

Now onto yoga. This is my perfect go-to when it's cold outside and I want to warm myself up. The room is kept at a warmer temperature than most yoga classes I've been to, but not quite hot yoga. Again, the name sweat and soul really fits. I've only gone to two instructors but I've enjoyed each class. Most classes run an hour and a half, which is a bit lengthy but it never feels that long. It gives me that time of day for myself, without breaking my budget. Classes are only $10 and on weekends they offer a community class for $5.

Any other fun fit winter ideas?

Valentine's Day in Boston

As I get deeper into this semester, I'm realizing how busy grad school life is becoming. Countless hours of client work, reading and papers make for a very exhausted me. But, everyone has to take a break for Valentine's Day. In a relationship or not, at least make it an excuse to love it or hate it.

Lucky for me, my boyfriend came to town (but a drinking extravaganza with the girls can never hurt anyone...well, okay not never.)

I was so excited to jump on this opportunity as an excuse to go to a restaurant in the North End and to finally make my way to Mike's Pastry. I'll start with the restaurant mini-review.

We went to Panza, on Hanover St. The calamari was some of the best I've ever had. The waiter gave us the option for small or large and actually recommended a small (thanks for the money saving). It had this spectacular sauce on it and it was gone pretty damn fast. It also came out VERY quickly - but then again we got there at 5 before the rush. I proceeded to order salmon with butternut squash risotto, and let me tell you: that was one of the most flavorful dishes I've ever tasted. The risotto melted in your mouth. My boyfriend ordered veal saltimbocca which also was delicious and came with pasta in a side bowl. I still contend that mine was better though :). So basically, the food we got was on point. I read up on reviews prior to going and some people mentioned ordering a bottle of wine rather than a glass if you plan on drinking more than one. Accordingly, we ordered a delicious bottle of Malbec for $20, which in my opinion is not expensive at all - whereas a glass started at $6/pour. As for the place, it was a nice small and quaint place on Hanover and the staff was all Italian (as far as I saw). It was a great authentic experience and I recommend it to anyone who's looking for a North End restaurant that won't break the wallet.

Finally, Mike's Pastry came next. Literally, finally. I've been meaning to go ever since I visited my Mom two years back. Every time I've passed by since the line was practically around the corner, and I expected the worst on Valentine's Day. But nope! We barely had to wait (and there were even seats available). We did take it to go however so we could enjoy it in the comfort of my warm apartment. We decided to get a slice of the red velvet cake as well as a mint chocolate chip cannoli. I've never been crazy about cannoli's because they tend to be too sweet, but this was to die for. The red velvet cake was also delicious and I didn't expect any less. Next time, however, I was told to get the lobster claws. Another excuse to make my way over there again!

I know I complain about Boston far too often, but I swear it's not always that bad! And I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can continue my adventures. But for now, I'll watch the snow drift and listen to the wind smack against my windows.

Till next time!
- A

Snowpocalyspe, Boston style.

I haven't updated in what seems like forever. I've actually just been busy with school and surprisingly enjoying Boston. I know...who would've imagined?

As many of you know, Nemo swam into town and dumped a bunch of snow on us. Roughly two feet if I'm not mistaken. As much as I can complain (and complain) about Boston winters, snow days and snowy activities have maybe made up for some of the bad.

Yup, all cars! That'll be fun to dig out.

Being from NY, I'm not surprised by the amount of snow...I'm just surprised it's been so long since we actually got a massive snowstorm. I cannot even remember the last blizzard I experienced and I'll be damned if I don't fall back into childhood and explore.

So, I ventured out today. While all the adults were shoveling, I pummeled through snow in my rain boots (because I forgot all my snow stuff at home). Cars were covered to the top with snow from plows attempting to clean the streets. People were sledding, skiing and snowshoeing through the streets while the city workers tried to make the main roads passable for cars. While my shoes may not have sufficed, since I stepped into a two foot mound of snow and all of it went down to my toes, I can't say I regret the adventure. It may have been cold and windy, but it sure was beautiful and made me appreciate this city that much more.

note: edited with Instagram filter; Cleveland Circle area

But just remember guys, before you venture out in the snow don't forget the necessities:

• warm gloves
• some sort of head gear, whether a hat, earmuffs or a headband
• thick socks
• layers (don't expect to just wear jeans and get away with it)
• if you have, snow pants are a must
• proper shoe attire (I came home thinking my toes were going to break off. So. Cold.)
• quality jacket. My double-NorthFace, fleece and thermal did a great job of keeping my upper body warm

And here's two things you may not regret bringing: a thermos of hot chocolate and a sled. Because who knows when you'll come upon an awesome hill? 

It's Christmas time, it's Christmas time!

It's the first day of December and I woke up to snow - which actually, I couldn't be happier. Minus the cold temperatures, I love everything about this time of year. Snow (and of course snowboarding) Christmas (and everything involved), and the overall jovial spirit of everyone. I've already watched Elf and engulfed myself in Christmas music. I also went to the Boston Common tree lighting and that's basically the point of this post in the first place.

I've been to the Rockefeller Tree lighting ceremony only one time in my 23 years surprisingly. Now, since I am biased I can say that no, this didn't compare. The Rockefeller tree is usually around 100 feet whereas this one was just about 50. But gorgeous nonetheless.

It started off with performances...one being a creepy musical performance by a man in a Grinch costume replica and another of a man in a kilt playing the bagpipes (which was pretty cool actually). Finally, this big performance of the night was by American Idol finalist, Elliott Yamin. I stopped watching the show after season 2, so I wasn't familiar with him - but his voice was absolutely phenomenal.

Finally, at 8 on the dot - we counted down to the lighting of the tree. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...and fireworks blasted through the sky and the tree was lit. It's lit, it's lit....it's finally Christmas time!

You might say I'm a little bit crazed by this time of year. I am.

I'll continue on my journey that night. My friend and I also decided to make our way to Max Brenner (aka chocolate heaven) to gorge ourselves in chocolate. And that I did. With my chocolate martini and my peanut butter chocolate sundae, you could say I left happy.

So while I do find myself complaining about the city, I can say that when I'm avoiding cab rides, I am truly happy to be living in a city. Which is what I've always dreamed of anyway. New York City, you're next.

Seen on the T

I was riding the T the other night and I legitimately got a glimpse of this:

Now if you look closely, that is in fact a Country Crock tub of butter.

My first thought was: I'm going to throw up.
My second thought...well action: Stare
Third: Keep staring so I can confirm my unnerving thought. She's gotta take a bite soon.

Ok...so she wasn't eating butter. It was mashed potatoes. Which at a quick glance looks like butter anyway. But that led to different series of thoughts...

• Do you own Tupperware...you know...that thing they sell at the grocery stores for a low price that stores food...?
• How dare you almost make me throw up?
• Did you just have some leftover butter spread just hanging out in the fridge and you thought to yourself...my oh my this would go great with my mashed potatoes?
• What came first...the mashed potatoes or the butter...?
• Don't come out in public and scar people for a brief moment and expect to not be judged. What I'm doing right now is totally human. In fact, I'm going to take a picture and send it to my friends. The world needs to see this actually. Let me blog about it too. Yes, yes this would make a great blog entry.

...Among the few thoughts I had.

So guys...life lesson: don't eat food out of butter containers. Because you will get stared at. And you will most likely get secretly photographed. And now the whole entire world knows that you like butter. 

Always amused and confused, 

-A.

Don't put Boris in a corner...

(Not my photo)

Who's Boris you ask? Well, that's simple. My car. But if you ask why I named my car, I can't provide you a very good answer other than 'because I wanted to.'

I recently decided to bring Boris, er, my car, to Boston with me - I mean...it beats taking the Megabus to New York City and then Metro North home. The last time I went home here was a brief time log of my journey:

• Woke up at 8 in the morning
• Hopped on the 'T' around 8:30
• Got to South Station 9:30
• Hopped on my bus at 10
• Got into NYC around 2:30
• Trekked my way to Grand Central
• Got "home home" at 4:30

Not necessarily what I call a fun day. And with a car, that trip would have taken only a measly 3 and a half hours - instead of the eight hour journey that was my day. So instead of making that reverse trip back to Boston, I hopped in my car at 3:30 and got into Boston around 7. Much better right?

Well it was. Until I realized the nightmare that is parking in Boston...especially on a Sunday night. Clearly I don't have a Massachusetts license plate, nor do I plan on changing that - so I have to drive around until I find street parking that does not have that ever-so-hated "Resident Parking Only" sign. Lucky for me I knew of one prime location by my apartment. But on a Sunday night, it was of course packed. I drove three blocks up and magically found a spot. I was in the clear.

In the clear until "street cleaning" hours - which for that side of the street was the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month between the hours of 8 and noon.

So I moved my car to an ideal spot by my apartment. Moved my car again because there was no sign about street cleaning - which I assume is an evil plot to give me a ticket for being there at the wrong time because I didn't know about the obvious street cleaning that isn't posted. Had to take my cat to the vet. Got back early, and made a fool of myself trying to parallel park in another spot (by the way, I'm awful and am used to parking in my driveway). Then had to pick my cat up from the vet and trek my way back during rush hour to my apartment.

That's another great story. "Massholes" are awful drivers. They cut you off and make last minute turns sans blinker, and on streets that have roundabouts this really throws me off. But I'll steer clear of getting too deep into this topic. Let's get back to parking.

Having my car here is going to make it very easy for me to go home for Thanksgiving (my birthday: I'm thankful for being born). But I've also been told to try to not bring it back. Why? Snow. I mean it snowed in early November, so it seems likely that it should snow between Thanksgiving and Christmas break - and parking in Boston without a Massachusetts plate (and without neighborhood "stickers") during a "snow emergency" sounds like a whole other set of problems I don't want to deal with.

I'm thinking maybe it's starting to be worth it to drop $150 a month for a parking spot...

Until then...

-A.