Springtime Rambling in The Farmington Valley and Beyond

Lately I've taken to going on hikes near my home as a way to escape from end of the semester stress. It's easy to forget how calming simply being in nature can be. I'm also lucky enough to live near a number of great hikes and now that the weather is better I plan on taking full advantage of my surroundings. Yesterday James and I checked out the trails that surround the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, CT.

It was  the perfect end to the weekend. I only wish I could get out more during the week. Soon.

I'm planning my summer travels and this has really inspired me to look into walking tours in the UK. I literally just want to wander around the countryside for a few weeks and recharge. 

I'm thinking of hitting up the Peak District to recreate Lizzy Bennet's journey to Pemberly and then checking out the Yorkshire Dales and recreating Heathcliff's crazed ramblings searching for Catherine's ghost.

Boston, I Love You

At first, I had no desire to write about the Boston bombing here. I felt like there wasn't anything I could say that other people haven't already said, and far better at that.  But then I realized that Boston was the star of this blog for a long time and at the very least, I should honor that.

When I started this blog in 2010 I was living in the South End, more specifically, I was crashing on my cousin's couch. After two intense years I had earned my Master's but had no clue about what to do next. So I wrote about my life with Boston as my inspiration. The blog itself forced me to go out and explore, even if I was tired or cranky or alone.

When I first came to Boston I lived in Dorchester, then Cambridge, the South End, and finally Brookline. I left two years ago but Boston will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the city where I was truly on my own for the first time.  It's the city where I became an "adult." And, given the thousands of college students that spend their formative years there, I'm sure I'm not alone. Because of this and so many other reasons, it's a very loved city, yet it can still feel like a town. Big enough to never run out of things to do, but small enough to never feel lost. It was common to bump into people you knew just walking down the street. It has a charm all its own and a fierce pride, which some may call obnoxious, but is it really so bad to love where you're from? The fact that the Red Sox still had the most loyal fans in sports after an 86 year losing streak tells me all I need to know about this town.

Apparently, the older of the two suspects wrote that he didn't understand Americans. He couldn't have been more right. He understood nothing and that was his downfall. But I understand. I understand that this city will get through this because people care about their city and each other. I'll be the first to admit that historically, I haven't been the most "patriotic" person, at least in the sense of having a blind belief that everything the U.S. does is right. I question things, just as we all should. But I certainly believe in the value of a democratic community made up of people from all walks of life. Is it always perfect? No. Do we argue? Of course. And we should. But there is nothing that words can't settle. Violence is the language of cowards.

Stay safe, Boston. We're all rooting for you. 

I Ate 1500 Calories Worth of Food At The Shake Shack So You Don't Have To (But You Should)

I had long heard stories of the delicious burgers served at NYC's famous Shake Shack, so when a branch opened in New Haven last year I was determined to investigate. Did their burgers really live up to the hype?  I am, after all, from the home of legendary burger establishments like Ted's, Shady Glen, and Louis' Lunch so my burger standards are pretty high.

Originally, the plan was to have lunch at Louis' Lunch and dinner at the Shake Shack, but our outing coincided with Wrestlemania (which James still watches for some reason) so we only had time for one. This is further proof that Wrestlemania ruins everything, but I digress....From the outside the building kind of reminded me of an Apple store.

But those windows offer beautiful views of the New Haven green and Yale.

A menu for dogs? Now I've seen everything!

 

They also have frozen custard, which I have a weakness for and on Wednesdays they have red velvet custard. I think you know where I'll be on Wednesdays. 

And now for the money shot:

We all ordered single shake burgers, which my dining companions thought were on the small side. They're about the size of a regular McDonald's hamburger, but obviously they tasted much better. Everything from the buns to the lettuce tasted fresh and delicious. And, as was pointed out, they even use the good kind of lettuce, none of that iceberg crap. We also split a side of cheese fries and a peanut butter shake. All were excellent and totally worth the caloric intake.

On Writing and Rejection

Source: englishmuse.com via Emily on Pinterest

Things have been difficult lately, so when I saw these Jane Austen postcards I had to buy them. School has been insane. So many students, so many papers--when I have free time I hardly have the energy or brain power to sit down and write. Yet, I've still been diligently submitting things to magazines and websites but for the past year the answer has been a collective "We enjoyed reading this, but it's not quite right. Send us your stuff in the future."  It's definitely better than a flat out no, but now what? I write things that editors like but they won't publish it. 

I know that because writing is such a fundamental part of my personality, I'll continue to write. But at the same time, writers, or artists of any kind, need  an audience. I don't care how much you may claim to do it for yourself, that's fine and I'm sure you do, but to come full circle, to have closure, you need to have people see what you've done. I'm beginning to understand that that is an important part of the creative process. There needs to be some kind of recognition in order to feel like "yes, I have created something worthwhile."

I'm not really sure where I'm going with this and in all honesty, I know that even if/when I do get something published it won't really change things. I'll have that lovely self-satisfied feeling of accomplishment, a nice high that will last a couple of days. I'll call my parents and they'll be happy and excited. I'll post something on Facebook and some of my friends will be happy and excited, even if they never read it. I'll say to myself "Ok, this is it. Now you've really done something." And then...then things will go back to normal. I'll keep teaching, keep grading, keep writing, keep living until the next high, which may take days, weeks, months, or even years. Intellectually, I always knew that this was part of what it means to be a writer, but when you are in the middle of it...well, nothing can prepare you for that. 

More soon. When I have time.