Man i love the internet sometimes...

I've liked the author Mark SaFranko for a few years now.  His work “has its roots in painfully lived experience”, and portrays a grimly realistic vision of life. “It's ugly and bleak but then so too is life, especially when you're on the losing end. (via)”.  I fell in love with his book 'Hating Olivia' and have since purchased and read all his other available work. A few years ago he and I had briefly discussed me doing some design work for him but for one reason or another it never happened but we stayed in touch on Facebook regardless. Recently I noticed he had posted about a new book titled "Travaux Forces". 

I was really excited for a new piece of work but realized it was only in French. I saw he was on G-Chat so I reached out enquiring about plans for an English language version but he explained his sales in America haven't been great but the market for his material in France has been really amazing so for now he's focusing on that market. Bummed by this news but determined to get my hands on the book (without having to learn French) I explained I'd be willing to pay him if he would send me the manuscript in English even if in nothing but a Word Document or email. Surprisingly he agreed to it thanking me for my years of support. It's moments like these that remind me why the internet is so amazing. The ability to reach out and speak to people blows my mind on the daily.

Anyway thats my little story about why I think the internet is awesome. Lastly - go buy Mark SaFranko's books right now guys: http://www.marksafranko.com/works.htm

-Craig

Tuesday Tunes

Tuesday Tunes!

1. The Story So Far - Empty Space - The new Story So Far record has been on HEAVY rotation lately. If you haven't listened yet. Get on that asap. Enjoy. -Craig
 

2. Manchester Orchestra - Shake It Out - I am excited to be back on Tuesday Tunes after my brief hiatus due to 80hr work weeks. with that being said I am picking Manchester Orchestra - "Shake it out" The video is amazing because it is a homage to the 80's movie "Over the Top" with Slyvester Stallone. This song also is so deep that it always makes me analyze the lyrics and try to find a deeper meaning in them. There is a point in this song where tone just changes, it gets really introspective and makes me think of the journey, loneliness and things lost, that was explained to me by my parents and brother who have been battling through their addiction and recovery.-Andre

AMAZING: "Reasons My Son is Crying"

THIS IS THE BEST DAD BLOG EVER!!! A Guy posts a picture of his son every time he cries along with the reasons why. Amazing.

http://reasonsmysoniscrying.tumblr.com

Examples:

11 fun things to do in Boston with kids!

1. The Boston Children's Museum & The Science Museum - The Boston's Children Museum is WELL worth the money ($14). Tons of awesome exhibits, activities and hand-on stuff to keep children of all ages entertained. We've been many times as there's always something new to do and see. THD Tip: If you're on a tight budget go on a Friday from 5PM to close and it's only $1 to get in!

The Museum of Science is in Cambridge and is $22 for adults and $19 for kids so again on the pricey side but you get a lot of bang for your buck. Tons of exhibits, a lightning show, some animals and overall it's just an awesome way to spend an afternoon. Check out their site for more details on whats included. THD Tip: Walking distance to the Cambridgeside Galleria so when you tire of learning about science you can go shopping up the road.

2. First Friday's - Every First Friday of the month all most of the galleries have new show openings. My favorite spot is: 450 Harrison Ave in the South End. It's an outdoor plaza with 10+ really great small art galleries and a huge building with 3 floors of artist studios who also open their doors to visitors on FF's. My little one has loved it since she could walk and it's free and awesome! THD Tip: There are basically no kid-friendly restaurants in this area so bring your own food and have a picnic or eat before you head over.

3. The Boston Common - The Common is a huge park in the heart of the city and is home to lots of open space, a playground, a large fountain, frog pond and the swan boats. Added historical bonus: The Boston Common is the oldest park in the country and there used to be public hangings! Yay! THD Tip: When you're at the Common be sure to hop next door and check out the Public Garden for some flower sniffing and photo ops. Here is a nice album of photos to give you a clearer idea.

4. The Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park - Walking distance from Faneuil Hall and Haymarket, the CC Park is home to a big park for running around, a great playground with a huge sandbox, a fountain for splashing around in and a merry-go-round. Great way to kill a couple of hours on the cheap! It's also right on the water so you get some nice views and a breeze. THD Tip: If you get hungry you are steps away from Boston's famous North End full of delicious italian food. If you are vegan skip the North End and hit Faneuil Hall for some on-the-cheap and half way decent sushi.

5. Full Moon Restaurant - Full Moon a kid-friendly restaurant in Cambridge where 1/3 of the restaurant is a play room with a train table, kitchen, tons of dolls, trucks and other toys. You can see your child from your table and they are encouraged to play while waiting for food, after eating, etc so parents relax, eat their meal and have a drink! The food is pretty great, it's not too expensive and its the only place like this in Boston (I know Cambridge isn't technically Boston but it's on the red line so sue me). THD Tip: Drink while your kids play. Did I mention this already? 

6. The New England Aquarium - A little on the pricier side ($22 adults / $16 kids) but like the BCM & MOS, it's so worth it. They have seals, rays, octopus, penguins, sea turtles, sharks, jelly fish and tons more. They have touching tanks, shows and exhibits that you can make an entire day out of. It's right on the waterfront too so you can go for a nice walk before or after. THD Tip: If the aquarium is out of your price range you can watch the seals for free right outside as part of this outdoor tank they have.

7. Ride the T - For you out of towers the "T" is Boston's public transportation system made up of subway trains, busses and commuter trains. To someone who uses this regularly (aka me aka every single day) the concept of riding it for fun seems asinine but to a child it's basically a big (smelly) amusement park. I brought Sierra on a "Lets ride the T" excursion a few months ago and she had a ball. It's $2.50 a ride so this adventure is in everyone's budget. THD Tip: I suggest riding the red line because the view between Kendall and Charles is amazing. Oh and bring hand sanitizer.

8. George's Island - If you have a few hours to kill George's Island is really fun. You ride a ferry from the Long-Wharf in downtown over to a small Island nestled inside Boston harbor. You get some amazing views of the city on the way over and once you're on the island there is plenty to do. The island is home to Fort Warren, a Civil War-era fort known for its granite archways and reputed ghost, the Lady in Black. In addition to the historic significance of the island there is tons of green space for the kids to run around and play. THD Tip: There are some free grills to cook up some lunch but its BYOB&C (bring your own burgers & charcoal).

9. The Skywalk Observatory - The Skywalk is sort of a tourist trap but the views are unparalleled so it's worth it even as someone who lives here. You pay $15/adults or $12/kids 10 and under to go up to the 50th floor of one of Boston's tallest buildings. There are windows on all four sides so you can see the city and surrounding suburbs in all directions and the views are truly breathtaking. THD Tip: Go right around sunset because you'll get to see the city during the day and night for the price of one trip and sunsets are badass. Plus the Skywalk is in the same building as the Prudential Mall so you can head downstairs for some shopping and dinner afterwards.

10. Castle Island - This is an awesome day trip. This 22-acre urban park is connected to the mainland by both pedestrian and vehicular causeways. Pleasure Bay, the M Street Beach and Carson Beach form a three mile segment of parkland and beach along the South Boston shoreline of Dorchester Bay and is home to Fort Independence, greenspace to run around, some playgrounds, a rad bike path and of course every Bostonian's favorite ice cream / burger & fries joint: Sullivan's. THD Tip: They have free parking so if you're driving and don't want to deal with meters, overpriced lots and most likely a parking ticket this is a good spot.

11. Franklin Park Zoo - This place is awesome. They have lions, giraffes, zebras, gorillas, hippos, and tons of other animals. It's $17 for adults and $11 for kids. In addition to the animals there are a bunch of places to eat, a carousel, train rides and a playground. They also have rotating exhibits as well (last time we went they had a dinosaur exhibit that scared the bejeezus out of Sierra). THD Tip: On Saturdays from 10AM til Noon it's "Kids Price Saturdays" where everyone gets in for the $11 kids rate.

Help the Boston Arts Academy!

The Boston Arts Academy needs help! Take 20 seconds and sign this petition that will be brought before Mayor Thomas Menino at the end of the week.

Read the details & SIGN HERE: http://signon.org/sign/guarantee-renovations

Mayor Menino, Superintendent Johnson, and Chief Galvin, Chief of Public Property, must make the renovation of Boston Arts Academy (BAA), 174 Ipswich St facility, Boston’s immediate and number one priority. They must commit the resources to ensure Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) approval of this project and its promised implementation timeline beginning no later than fall of 2014. If Boston truly values its only dual curriculum performing arts high school than it's time to prove it.

Join BAA Family Council in making our voices heard.

Tavi Gevinson is awesome.

Our weekend via Instagram ♥ v.4

The wintery morning from hell...

Have you ever see a postcard of Boston in the winter? It probably looked something like the photo below but I assure you it's nothing like that. It's not pretty and whimsical as the postcard industry would like you to believe guys - It's horrible.

Warning: This will be a ranty / whiny post so proceed with caution.

So I woke up around 6:00AM to help Lauren shovel the car out after last night's storm. Yes ANOTHER storm just like the other two we've had recently. Luckily this wasn't as bad as Nemo or anything but another 8" is enough to ruin your morning. So Lauren heads off to work and texts me when she arrives telling me the roads are horrible and she was skidding all over the place - we have four wheel drive mind you.

I get dressed and then wake Sierra up to get her dressed and it's still coming down pretty hard. At around 7:40 I call for a cab because I don't want to walk half a mile in a snow storm with a three year old. The company (Metro Cab) tells me it's going to be 30-60 minutes. Fine, no big deal, I figured it would be around that anyway. An hour passes and still no cab. I call and am met with a busy signal. I call about 10 times over the next 30 minutes and finally get through and explain. Me: I called at 7:40, it's been an hour and a half, is this guy even coming? And the the dispatch operator says "Did the cab get there and call you to let you know he was outside?"......... Yes sir the cab called, said he was outside, I ignored him and then called you to ask where he was. NO HE NEVER CALLED. "Sorry sir we will send someone right now it's going to be another hour to an hour and a half is that OK?" -- I laugh and say nevermind.

So now I'm in a bad mood. We have to walk anyway and we just sat for 90 minutes when we could have been on our way. We gear up and head out the door and it ended up being a pretty fun walk and a lot cheaper than a cab. The snow was up to Sierra's knees and she had a ball trudging through it and trying to beat me in the race we were apparently having. It's only a half a mile but with 8" of snow that's no easy task when you're 3 and my little one was awesome the whole time. This was the high point of the morning.

I drop Sierra off and start my commute to work. This involves another half a mile walk to my bus stop. This portion of the commute is all up hill and by the time I got to the top I felt like I had just run on the treadmill for 35 minutes. Thanks for the free workout mother nature! To the people who imagine Boston like that photo above think again here is a more realistic portrayal. Sludge, slush, soaked pants and sadness:

Once my bus came it was a 30 minute ride to go 3 miles down the road to Kenmore Station where I boarded the green line (thats the subway for you out-of-towners) where I then got stuck underground not moving for 20 minutes because of a "signal problem" - thanks MBTA! I then had to get off and board another train to go the final few stops where I then walked another half a mile in the snow to work.

I got to work at 11:15 AM which was just under 3 hours door to door. Hey not bad for a snowy day in Boston! So next time you see a cute little photo with snow covered roof tops and consider taking a wintery vacation to Boston- think again!

Is it 5 o' clock yet?

-Craig

Whats New Friday: Here we go again...

A while ago I used to do posts called "Whats New Friday" where I would give an update about what was new with Us (the family), Sierra and the blog. I haven't done one of these post since July of 2011 so I figure I should get back on that...

WHATS NEW WITH US: Jobs jobs jobs! Both Lauren and I got new jobs! Lauren left her job in Brookline and accepted a position as a special education coordinator / teacher for Somerville Public Schools in September. Supper happy for her / proud of her! My new job is a little more recent as in I started on Monday. I left my UI / Visual Designer job at SapientNitro and headed to EF Education First. This was for a variety of reasons the main ones being I am now doing UX work which is something I've been wanting to get into for awhile. The second major reason is working in the educational sector VS. the marketing and advertising one is a lot more my speed. I've only been here a week but I couldn't be more excited and happy with my decision.

WHATS NEW WITH SIERRA: Just about everything. She talks in full paragraphs, she does a lot of solo-imaginiative play with multiple characters / voices, She can draw people, animals, etc. She's quickly become a "kid" and I'm not ready.

WHATS NEW WITH THE BLOG: As you may have noticed we added 2 new dads, Andre and Don,  bringing the grand total of hipness to 4. We got a new look and we're actually trying to blog regularly. We also started a new blog series called: Moms on Dads.

-Craig