The last few days

I had planned on doing several errands this morning, but it's too damn cold outside. The temperature was 9 this morning, and the wind chill made it feel like -10. My windows are all opaque with frost, despite the clear, sunny day.

Because the outside world is closed for awhile, I might as well use this time to put up pictures and such.



Fitting in with the locals at the ducklings statues.

Jenn's visit was great, but, as always, too short. This time especially. Apart from the overall excitement surrounding our engagement, we had a blast in the city doing all sorts of fun things that I've been wanting to do, but had no one to do them with.



The Spot where it all went down.

We walked the South End, looking at different streets on which we might search for apartments in a few months, and we celebrated our engagement with dinner in the North End and champagne and fondue at a jazz club in the Leather District.

The next day we spent baking cookies my grandmother sent us and watching movies, and we went out for Thai and, later, a trip into a pharaoh's tomb in this cool, interactive adventure game in Fenway.



That door/woman is so short/tall.

Later in the week, we walked The Freedom Trail and had a St. Louis-style dinner with Imo's Pizza, toasted ravioli and a salad with Provel cheese. We waited for snow that dinner come until morning, and I turned Jenn on to something that might test the foundation of our relationship: Dr. Mario. Jenn is now hopelessly addicted, and I might need to rally my friends for a SNES intervention.

Then came Dec. 31. We decided to experience First Night which is an outdoor artistic and cultural celebration on New Year's Eve. It started in Boston in 1976 and it has spread to other cities in the U.S. and across the world, and it features music, dance, comedy, art, ice sculptures and fireworks.

It was awesome, which is probably why it typically draws 1 million people to downtown Boston. I could definitely see us doing it again, and next year we would have a good idea of how to best spend our time and where to go, because the options are almost overwhelming.



Copley Square.



Ice sculptures in Copley Square.



Boston Common.



Ice sculptures in the Common.



Happy New Year!

We counted down to midnight, went home and drank champagne and talked about what an exciting year 2008 will be. It will be busy — we have to find a job for Jenn, find a two-bedroom apartment in the city, move Jenn and her stuff up here AND plan a wedding — but we're both looking forward to it.