Taylor Swift Summer into Hozier Autumn
I, Carrion (Icarian)
I know I just moved to Boston, but it feels like I’ve lived here for a year already. Maybe it’s because I moved in, started work, and had a different dinner engagement every single night that first week. To give a vibe summary in terms of Taylor Swift Eras, I am leaving my Story Of Us/ Midnight Rain era and firmly into my Sparks Fly/ Enchanted era.
Before I get ahead of myself, let me tell you about my last weeks in Vermont. Make sure you click the title to see the whole email!
We last left off right before Amanda, Abby, and Alexa (AAA) arrived. I was a little in my feelings and work was crazy because we were down 4 people due to the Beyonce Tour passing through New York. AAA stepped up to help at the theater- scratch that Tripple A roadside assistance answered our distress beacon and made sure the show went on. We went to see Barbie, played uno, roasted a chicken, and stayed up until 2 a.m. talking about nothing. It was exactly like Uni (in the best way)!
Tripple A went North to Burlington, and my single A went down to NYC to meet up with the family for a flight to Madeira Portugal.
Madiera was a really tiring tip and for sure one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Our trip coincided with a big heatwave, which made it much more challenging to navigate this scarcely air-conditioned island. It will for sure be a while before we rally the family again for another big trip.
Madiera is full of caves, beautiful views, and different biomes. This trip reminded me how afraid of heights I am. Can’t say I’ve thrown up off the side of a trail from fear before- the views were very worth it. I can’t recommend the laurel grilled meat and the Sunrise Peaks hike enough. I do wish we spent more time on the beautiful black sand beaches. Take a look at the cloud waterfall in the bottom center. I could not believe my eyes when I saw this.
The last supper and the last opening night were really lovely send-offs for this summer. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this summer stock. I for sure was not expecting to feel so much love so fast from a group of strangers. It was not the ideal summer anyone dreamed of, there were many ups and downs, but I don’t know what I would have done if I were anywhere else.
As per Dorset front-of-house tradition, we surprised the birthday boy with a cake after opening the show. Alex’s big reaction is because this was the first time in a long time he got cake for his birthday.
We all piled into Amelia II the Honda Pilot to celebrate Alex’s birthday at Earth Sky Time. It was an eventful night. The world record for largest stack of pancakes was attempted. I have no idea if they won, but we all ate a head-sized pancake with Vermont maple syrup out of our honor-bound duty to combat food waste.
The next morning I was off to Boston.
My last views of Dorset, Bye By Brunch with Elizabeth, and Furniture Assembly with Liam.
I left Dorset in the nick of time. That very same weekend, everyone tested positive for Covid, and the season was canceled. Despite spending time with all the positive people all weekend, I skated by unscathed.
I spent one night in Wayland gathering my furniture and repacking. The cause of so much of my moving troubles was this cool industrial bedframe Clare gave me, the catch is that it did not come with screws. I am lucky that Liam offered to help me move. Otherwise, I would not have survived the five hours this bed took to assemble including the two Home Depot trips.
The highlight of moving in was bumping into Jack that evening at Ikea. Alexa was there with me for moral support. The way she tells it, all of a sudden I was one foot in the air swinging in a circle in a big bear hug. I missed them so much.
I started work the day after moving in, but I was able to take that Friday off for one last beach day. We were chased off the beach by a gnarly storm. You can kind of see it rolling in in the bottom right photo. I had plans that evening anyways, so the timing worked out perfectly.
Ok, it was a date…
I was not and continue to be unprepared to have met someone I like so much.
I’ve been taking advantage of the proximity to my Mum and Dad, and Eva has quickly become my favorite person. She can’t fully pronounce my name so she calls me Ari-eva. She also calls Goldfish Crackers cookie fish. I can’t confirm this, but Dad says that she wakes up every morning and asks when I will be coming over. I try to come over as often as I can.
I didn’t take many photos of this event because I was working. This was the fundraiser for the non-profit I work for. It was a wholesome event despite the low turnout due to the bad weather. My Mum won this absolutely massive fanny pack in the raffle fundraiser. It can fit five whole bagels in it. Lastly, that is Sunsquach, our local cryptid. I don’t know what their real origin is, but they only appeared once the clouds rolled in. Is it a coincidence that they have never been seen in the same room as the sun? Is Sunsquach the sun???
In an extreme display of excellent decision-making (or poor financial planning), Alexa and I balled out on 7th row of the Hozier concerts. This was the best concert I have ever been to in my life. There is something that is lost in translation when his vocals are recorded. I was absolutely floored for his whole set and much of the performance literally made my jaw drop. He played the song that I was most waiting for, I, Carrion (Icarian). This song feels like falling in love.
Having a latent social network in Camberville is amazing. Week one, I joined Tim and Co. for Wednesday climbing and dinner. His roommate is a genius. Let me share with you the life hack that is meatballs made of dumpling filling. Unfortunately, Tim got Covid two weeks after I moved in, so climbing sessions with him have been on hold and will continue to be until I return from the environmental conference gauntlet I embarked on last week.
The McGill squad is endeavoring to play doubles tennis weekly. We all suck at it so bad that we play volleyball rules. Meaning, that you can set up your teammate to get the ball over the net. The first time we played on a full moon. I was laughing so hard at my terrible playing that I doubled over and did not see that I actually hit the ball over the net and Alexa had gently returned it. The ball slowly bounced to my side, gently booping my head. This had us all in tears laughing.
The second time we played, I had four-time varsity athlete Liam on my team. I guess he was a sprinter because he was insanely good at running after my stray balls and sending them over the net.
I don’t have any pictures of the conference I went to last week, but it was some of the coolest work I’ve seen. It was about how this consulting company decommissioned a huge coal-fired power plant and built a solar farm in its place. The plant was on a floodplain, in a watershed containing 3 federally endangered species including bald eagles, and had deposited heavy metals into the surrounding 50 acres that needed to be cleaned up while maintaining the watershed. All the solutions were so cool and we even saw a freaking bald eagle on the sight visit.
I will close out this update with HONK Fest, probably the coolest event I’ve been to in Boston. It is a marching band and brass band festival, featuring multiple stages, multiple nights, activism, and a parade! Turns out the marching band scene is a really leftist and queer space. We got to see our favorite band, The Detriot Party Marching Band, both days we went. This band really brings the party. When someone plays a solo, the rest of the band crouches down, and sometimes the soloist will appear in different locations in the crowd. As you can see in the bottom right, the crowd got into it and joined the crouch. If you like a brass band, I recommend a brass arrangement of Toxic by Brittany Spears. It was the song of the weekend.
Fall has been awesome, and I am TIRED! I leave for New Orleans in 20 minutes, and next week, I’m in Burlington. After Halloweekend I will need a rest. Scratch that, after Halloweekend I’m in NYC. After that, I am sure I will rest and you will hear from me.