I hated Boston when I came (back).  People are colder, more conforming and high strung. There are too many students trashing the city on Friday nights.  Too many tourists and out-of-town Red Sox fans crowding the Green Line.  Dangerously high Dunkin Donuts to Starbucks ratio.  Too cold in the winter, too hot in the summer, too short of the actual delightful seasons of spring and fall.  It’s a city of pubs, cheap beer, preventative high-heel-wearing brick sidewalks, and full-grown infants as drivers.

I did meet a lot of fantastic, intelligent people, kept some fabulous close friends, and worked alongside brilliant and hilarious minds.  I learned that the straight roads in Boston are the product the city being filled in (e.g. Back Bay) and all winding, nonsensical roads are the old dirt paths from cows and such.  That Edgar Allan Poe was born somewhere in the Bay Village.  That the demonym for Cambridge is Cantabrigian and for Massachusetts is Bay Stater.

I know where to find mango habanero sorbet (effin awesome), an exceptional cup of coffee (by my standards) with fresh brioche, quirky independent films or a resurrection of oldies, the best effin beer in the whole area, nutella crepes, mouth watering burgers with fried jalapenos, crack-laced “San Francisco” style burritos, stunning tiramisu and 10-year port, a geeky dining experience, a romantic tapas restaurant, and the best hangover brunch.

I’ve been inspired to read 700+ page books (this one too).  I got seduced into reading Love Letters daily.  I wrote my first proof in this class along with reigniting a deep-seated passion for math.  I know who is Ken Jennings (and I subscribe to his weekly email).  I learned how to row on the Charles, discovered Phantom Gourmet on TV (i.e. porn for your stomach) and geek humor, and found the most beautiful study hall.

Boston is full of inspiring people.  People that push me to be better, to not settle, and to relax into the nerd that I am.  I cultivated a great interest in economics, but not without a dash of computer science & engineering, electrical engineering, neural systems, medicine, finance, marketing, music, biology, philosophy, political science, education, law, psychology and psychoanalysis, and architecture.

Maybe I like Boston after all.  I’m leaving with an appreciation (although not a change in preference) of Dunkin’ Donuts (who can say no to cream-filled donuts?).  I do like pea coats in the winter and Massachusetts beaches for the summer.  I’m surrounded by the brightest minds, even if they frequent my favorite Friday spots too often.  I welcome questions from tourists as I’m eager to share my short cuts and favorite spots.  Although I can still do without the Red Sox fans.

So – Boston, my friends living in Boston, my favorite places in Boston, I will miss you.  You’ve made a profound impact on me and I am forever changed.  I appreciate the time I spent here, and I eagerly look forward to the chance at returning.  I leave here with fantastic memories, sparked ambition, and self assurance.

And, thankfully, I do not leave with a Boston accent.

Rene Magritte, The Return

Ah man this woman is my hero! (Warning: don’t look at this on an empty stomach – you’ll gnaw your arm off.)

Megan left her editing job to work as a baker at Flour in Boston (an amazingly awesome bakery/cafe).  She had no experience, but loved every minute of it.  Minus the early mornings.

All the more reason to take this year to do what I want (being a baker does sound really awesome…) and not some office job.

Great opinion article in the NYT.  I miss Prague.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/opinion/18freisler.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Also can be used for Procrastination.

Stunning:

While this shows I have an utterly tiny paycheck, I’m going to miss Boston.

I am enjoying these post-it note doodles.  I wish I could say the idea of doodles on post-its was original.

I find that when I am packing, I get so easily distracted by the books, articles, toys, etc that I don’t end up packing at all.  I end up sitting on the floor, reading, reminiscing, and then all of a sudden hours have gone by.

This will be difficult.