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This trip was a little unusual in that we spent the entire time in Cambridge, only passing through Boston to/from the airport.

On Saturday we walked around Cambridge with perpetual teen heartthrob VillageCharm, who endured my glacial eating speed with good humor. Our second stop was the Old Burial Ground, just across the street from Harvard. Charm dazzled us with his knowledge of gravestone trends, such as the skull and crossbones giving way to the winged skull:

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Eventually this was replaced by the more peaceful motif of an urn and a weeping willow.

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This is also a rare example of an intersection of mine and Charm's interest--a gravestone for someone with the surname Tupper.

The urn carved here looks like a magic lamp.

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There were many gravestones like this. I liked the optical illusion that made the letters appear to vibrate.

Then we were off in search of records, books, and whatever else caught our eye, like this ibis weather vane:

Our original plan was to walk from Harvard's square to MIT's, but I was having problems with my legs and couldn't walk the whole way, so we hopped on the T for the last leg. We had a fine meal at the medieval-sounding Meadhall (which only had four meads, all of them incredibly expensive), only letting Charm go home when he was in danger of falling asleep at the table.

missangelique999

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I took all of the photos over the weekend; it was cloudy Wednesday through Friday. I stayed at the cheapest hotel for the conference, a Hyatt that managed to be close to nothing yet still in a city.

The exterior is neat, but inside it was the 1980s, still: dark brown carpet and upholstery and beige wallpaper.

The ~half-mile walk to the conference took me past MIT's athletic fields; I didn't even realize that MIT has athletics. Their mascot is the Engineer, which is represented by a surprisingly ominous cartoon of a beaver:

At first I thought the cartoon was of a profile of a weirdly shaped baseball hat.

One of the many cool buildings on campus. I think this is a dorm or residence hall; it's across the street from the athletic fields.

This is also part of the athletic complex.

An enormous brick building in pristine condition. I wonder what it's used for.

The conference was held in the dome-shaped building behind the white tent (which was set up on the last day of the conference).

This sculpture, not far from the conference site, was a popular place for photos

I think this building houses the nuclear reactor.

I'm not sure whether these buildings are owned by MIT; there's no clear border between campus and non. They're near the area where I'd usually get lunch.

One of my co-workers said that MIT has a lot of modern architecture, but it wasn't as widespread as she had made it sound. This stretch of buildings was pretty cool.

More sculpture

I am a terrible person, because the idea of something for future children made me giggle.

missangelique999

read this charming picture book last night:

come with me to paris

come with me to paris

by gloria fowler

I love the bright colors & minimal aesthetic. it's a mini journey through the city stopping at famous landmarks & favorite spots along the way. the last few pages of the book lists all of the places mentioned on the tour.

missangelique999

Wait, for now.
Distrust everything if you have to.
But trust the hours. Haven’t they
carried you everywhere, up to now?
Personal events will become interesting again.
Hair will become interesting.
Pain will become interesting.
Buds that open out of season will become interesting.
Second-hand gloves will become lovely again;
their memories are what give them
the need for other hands. The desolation
of lovers is the same: that enormous emptiness
carved out of such tiny beings as we are
asks to be filled; the need
for the new love is faithfulness to the old.

Wait.
Don’t go too early.
You’re tired. But everyone’s tired.
But no one is tired enough.
Only wait a little and listen:
music of hair,
music of pain,
music of looms weaving our loves again.
Be there to hear it, it will be the only time,
most of all to hear your whole existence,
rehearsed by the sorrows, play itself into total exhaustion.

-galway kinnell

missangelique999

team queen sansa consists of:

Tyrion Lannister
Robett Glover
Obara Sand
The Mountain
Jaqen H'ghar
Tycho Nestoris
Tyene Sand

I chose tyrion myself. I think he's a very important character, & a strong one.
the rest were auto selected, without my knowledge. I'm new to this & didn't realize that they will be picked for you if you don't sit there and hit refresh for 5 hours.
I'm actually okay with their choices, for the most part.
the mountain is a good one, and jaqen is a favorite of mine. however, I'm not too sure about robett and tycho. I guess we'll have to wait and see!!

p.s. some n00b picked sansa right out of the gate. I feel that they did this intentionally, and I am not amused.

missangelique999

http://www.fantasizr.com/sport/fantasy-game-of-thrones-season-7

& my prediction is a queen will reign. I won't share who, but that is my educated wager.

missangelique999

One light movement,

one flutter of wings

one fall of a beam.

In the plain, glorious

flight of one butterfly

in a stone church.

This earth joins

with the world

beyond the stars.

-ann egan

http://humag.co/

missangelique999

Your love was like moonlight
turning harsh things to beauty,
so that little wry souls
reflecting each other obliquely
as in cracked mirrors . . .
beheld in your luminous spirit
their own reflection,
transfigured as in a shining stream,
and loved you for what they are not.

You are less an image in my mind
than a luster
I see you in gleams
pale as star-light on a gray wall . . .
evanescent as the reflection of a white swan
shimmering in broken water.

-lola ridge

missangelique999

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rathany posting in

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missangelique999

Stumble to silence, all you uneasy things,
That pack the day with bluster and with fret.
For here is music at each window set;
Here is a cup which drips with all the springs
That ever bud a cowslip flower; a roof
To shelter till the argent weathers break;
A candle with enough of light to make
My courage bright against each dark reproof.
A hand’s width of clear gold, unraveled out
The rosy sky, the little moon appears;
As they were splashed upon the paling red,
Vast, blurred, the village poplars lift about.
I think of young, lost things: of lilacs; tears;
I think of an old neighbor, long since dead.

-lizette woodworth reese

missangelique999

Watch on YouTube

missangelique999

Watch on YouTube

missangelique999

Watch on YouTube

I arrived about 24 hours ago. The humidity has been above 70% the entire time. During dinner (at local chain Area Four) , even I could hear the rattle of thunder above the cacophony of a packed restaurant. I had wedged myself into the last empty seat at the bar and watched the rain fall in sheets while I enjoyed the perfect beer and pizza (white with ricotta, parm, squash blossoms, zucchini, garlic, and lemon) pairing. It was still pouring when I finished eating, so I ordered a pint of cider for dessert. When the rain was merely steady and no longer deafening, I headed out without an umbrella (fortunately I always carry a waterproof case for my hearing aids). I had to walk about half a mile to the nearby Marriott hotel to drop off a form that they wanted faxed back (neither I nor my employer has a fax machine). I thought it would be easier just to hand it over in person, and it was, except for the rain. Then I had to walk slightly more than a mile back to my own hotel. Good thing I had all that booze--it kept me warm after I was thoroughly soaked. I think the men in the elevator were snickering about my bedraggled appearance, but I didn't have my hearing aids in.

I'm here for various robotics events, leaving Monday evening. Brent arrives in an hour or so and leaves Sunday night. He wasn't interested in my working dinner that evening, for some odd reason. Come to think of it, neither am I. All the people at the dinner I will see Monday in an all-day meeting. The number of people I can spend a day with is quite short (Brent, high school friends, VillageCharm, Furious_Mold) and does not include anyone from work.

missangelique999

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missangelique999

What have I to say to you
When we shall meet?
Yet—
I lie here thinking of you.

The stain of love
Is upon the world.
Yellow, yellow, yellow,
It eats into the leaves,
Smears with saffron
The horned branches that lean
Heavily
Against a smooth purple sky.

There is no light—
Only a honey-thick stain
That drips from leaf to leaf
And limb to limb
Spoiling the colours
Of the whole world.

I am alone.
The weight of love
Has buoyed me up
Till my head
Knocks against the sky.

See me!
My hair is dripping with nectar—
Starlings carry it
On their black wings.
See, at last
My arms and my hands
Are lying idle.

How can I tell
If I shall ever love you again
As I do now?

-william carlos williams

thesarahscope

In honor of Proust's birthday yesterday (yeah yeah it's belated), my answers to the Proust Questionnaire:

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness? Being rootless with no home and traveling out west with my husband and pets. Basically, I want a gypsy caravan with my loved ones that never stops. I'm a nomad at heart. I never ever want to come home. Home is within.

2. What is your greatest fear? It's a cheery toss up between death and going to Hell. Runner ups include: being electrocuted, driving, making change, and bears.

3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Being hot headed and proud. I go there all the time, but I hate it about myself.

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Prudery

5. Which living person do you most admire? My husband, Kelly. He has endless patience, and he is so kind. He makes it look like a cakewalk.

6. What is your greatest extravagance? Hah! Everything about me is extravagant. 5+ dollar coffee every single day or all my time going to me? I’m a bit of hedonist and everything is a bit over the top. I have a lot of extravagances which is why I don't have kids.

7. What is your current state of mind? I live in a constant state of Ouiser Boudreaux. I'm Ouiser after huffing essential oils today, though. That state of mind is like a buoy bobbing on the ocean if you're wondering.

8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Frugality or tact

9. On what occasion do you lie? If you invite me anywhere, I'm most likely going to lie to get out of it at some point because of anxiety and depression. I'm the friend that flakes.

10. What do you most dislike about your appearance? Not that much, actually. I guess my thighs or super long ski like feet? Overall, I'm great with how I look. I love my teeny baby sometimes lazy eye. I've become attached to my crowded big horse teeth. I recently have embraced my plump arms that remind me of how much I loved squishing and kneading at my Grandma's when I was little. Yeah, I think I have babe status besides like 10 silver gray hairs that annoy me. It's liberating to love yourself.

11. Which living person do you most despise? I'm not a fan of the current "President", but more so I despise the people like Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Paul Ryan who have the nerve to try to justify this as normal, and in my opinion, are putting party over country.

12. What is the quality you most like in a man? When I was young, I always said creativity, but I didn't know what I needed. When I fell in love with Kelly, I came to realize it was kindness.

13. What is the quality you most like in a woman? Brashness

14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse? "Awwwwwww, Hell." My husband will tell you I say it just like Nick Nolte.

15. What or who is the greatest love of your life? My husband, Kelly. People say that stuff, but I'm truly mad about him. He's everything. I hover around him all the time with anxiety that something will happen to him. I wish I could lock him in the house or be in his pocket all the time. I know that sounds creepy, but I'm creepy.

16. When and where were you happiest? Anytime with sunshine and warmth and a brief respite from my anxiety. When my mind is quiet, I am happiest.

17. Which talent would you most like to have? I wish I could paint or be a fat ballet dancer. After I watch ballet, I try to do moves in the house which I feel are beautiful, but I'm sure look hysterical. If I ever get to Heaven, I would love to be a fat ballet dancer up there. You all better come watch me.

18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I wish I could get over my driving phobia.

19. What do you consider your greatest achievement? This is the most difficult question so far. Getting a piece published that was deeply personal in a book? Maybe just the fact that I continue to get up every day when I live in a brain that frequently hums with suffocating, unending fear. I live with a body and brain constantly elevated to red level terror alert. It sounds dramatic, but when you think about death and fear most of every day, continuing to exist is a victory.

20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? I hope a monk or someone to be left in peace to study and focus on something more than myself. I want never ending quiet and a higher calling.

21. Where would you most like to live? New Mexico

22. What is your most treasured possession? Letters and cards that Kelly has given me over the years/my book collection. It's a tie.

23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Networking and/or icebreakers

24. What is your favorite occupation? I wish I could do data entry all day long. Just tuck me in a closet with my own music or podcasts to listen to and no one around and endless amounts of data to enter. To most that would sound like boring hell, but for me, I would love nothing more. Unfortunately, I was born in the wrong period, and now, mostly people enter everything directly into the computer anyway so it's not needed.

25. What is your most marked characteristic? Being tell all. I have no secrets. I'm an open book about everything. I'm pretty passionate, too.

26. What do you most value in your friends? Those who stick with me because it's not easy to be my friend.

27. Who are your favorite writers? I could go on for paragraphs about this: Colette, Anais Nin, Elizabeth Bowen, Donna Tartt...I'm recently really getting into Faulkner.

28. Who is your hero of fiction? Léa from Chéri and Vinca from The Ripening Seed

29. Which historical figure do you most identify with? Marie Antoinette for her hedonism, love of leisure, and pugs

30. Who are your heroes in real life? People like my friend Natalie who seem to have this endless fountain of positivity and joy and patience. No matter how stressful things are, she always seems to have time to give to people and without resentment! Women and men who choose to love themselves when society and/or the media tells them they're unworthy. Hillary Clinton, who keeps getting knocked down and kicked in the teeth but always gets back up. My parents, of course.

31. What are your favorite names? Cecilia and other names that sound old fashioned

32. What is it that you most dislike? the entire Hell that is Sam's with all of disgusting humanity clotted in front of the sample stands stuffing their faces, huge neck holes and thin shirts (the quality of today's clothing), and people singing happy birthday

33. What is your greatest regret? I don't know. There are many. Not applying myself in college. Being an asshole to my brother when we were young. Being unkind when I knew better.

34. How would you like to die? Very, very old in my sleep

35. What is your motto? I don't do inspirational posters, corny Hallmark cards, or mottoes.

missangelique999

Watch on YouTube

this song is perfect.

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villagecharm

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