Halloween Pictures

Here are some Halloween pictures from over the years…

The earliest one is of my older brother as a werewolf, me with a random monster mask I picked out, my younger brother as Snoopy, and my sister as a gypsy. Then, there’s my younger brother as an old man, younger sister as Annie, and me as Indiana Jones. Another year, I was another random monster terrorizing my princess sister.

In 1997, I made myself up to be Freddy Krueger, followed in 1998 with an Indy encore – with teachers I knew from my student teaching job.

In 1999, I was The Punisher. There’s me saluting with my sister, Queen Elizabeth; and with my roommates Patrick and Amy. That same night, my friend Carl came dressed as Carla, the bearded lady – classic.

Rally to Restore the Sanity Towel (10/30/10)

Queensryche Ticket (House of Blues, Boston, 10/26/11 – make up date from 8/6/11)

(See 8/6/11 blog here)

Music is a great and funny thing. I love the bands Pearl Jam and Extreme. I listened to both bands extensively during my chemo and “drinking days”. They helped me through difficult times, and their songs just got inside me. Last year, I even had “Tragic Comic” tattooed on my shoulder.

But, music is a funny thing. Different bands impress people differently. Instead of Extreme and Pearl Jam, my friend Carl loves Queensryche. He has their symbol tattooed on his shoulder, and he doesn’t miss any of their local shows. And just like me and “my” bands, he will defend their skills and songs until death.

Although Carl and I would love to believe we could convert the other into super fandom, it’s safe to say it will never happen. I have a fantasy where I convince Queensryche to let Gary and Nuno secretly write an album for them, and after Carl tells me how great it is, I triumphantly do my best Dark Helmet, “Foooooled you!!!”

Even though Carl and I will never agree who is the better guitar player or band (Nuno Bettencourt and Pearl Jam in case you were wondering), we still are willing to go see what all the fuss is about. Carl came with me to see Extreme in 2006, and I went to my first “Ryche” show on Wednesday. Going to my 2^nd Ryche show tonight, so now I will either have to make Carl see Pearl Jam with me or we can watch the Pearl Jam Twenty DVD I just bought.

Here’s a couple pictures and a clip from Queensryche signing “I Don’t Believe in Love” – only a minute long, and you get to see Carl headbanging away…

Pictures of Wheelock Research Binders (10/28/98)

When I was getting my Master’s at Wheelock in the fall of 1998, the professors made one thing really clear to my TSSN* classmates and me: You CANNOT turn your research binders in late. No matter what, no excuses; those things had to be handed in on time.

So, all of us made sure we handed them in on time (I believe they were due in early October?) on the shelves that were outside of the offices. And there the binders sat. One of my classmates told me she saw them sitting there after a couple of weeks, so when the end of October rolled around I wanted to see for myself – and they were still there.

I couldn’t believe that after putting the fear of God into us to get them done on time, the professors (most of which I thought were great) would not even begin to take a look at them. Furious, I immediately went to CVS to get some cobwebs. I returned to Wheelock with my camera and the little sign I made, (with my heartbeat racing) covered all the binders with the cobwebs, put the sign up, and snapped these pictures.

Although none of our teachers mentioned anything about my little stunt, I showed some of my Wheelock friends the pictures – much to their delight. I don’t know if they got the message, but I’m glad I sent it.

*Teachers of Students with Special Needs

Chris Nilan Card, Pictures from Bruins vs. Habs and Newspaper Article (3/31/91)

(all pictures by Paul F. McGrath)

I thought with tonight being the first B’s/Habs game of the season, it would be appropriate to write about someone who played on both teams…

My friend Tim sent me a bunch of hockey cards a while back, and he handpicked which ones he thought I would like. Tim knew I was a fan of the enforcers, and Chris “Knuckles” Nilan certain fell into this category. Although hated while he was on the Habs (and responsible for an extra piece of glass being added to the Garden to divide visiting players from the B’s bench), I was glad to see a Boston-bred tough guy on the B’s.

On my 17^th birthday, I watched Knuckles make NHL history. My dad took me to the B’s-Whalers game, and “Nilan was penalized a record ten penalties; six minors, two majors, one misconduct and one game misconduct, for a total of 42 penalty minutes.” (from Wikipedia).

I hung out with my friend Mike before the game, and thanks to my dad capturing many McGrath Moments on film; I have this picture of Mike with me sporting my sweet mullet (not to mention our almost straight across hat brims). He also got pictures of Nilan fighting Jim McKenzie, sitting in the penalty box, and being kicked out of the game. And, of course, my father took a picture of the post game scoreboard – complete with #30’s remaining penalty minutes (I think my dad takes a picture of the scoreboard no matter what the outcome, while I usually only take one if the B’s win).

It was definitely a game I’ll never forget, and I have Nilan to thank for most of that!

My father also keeps the newspaper articles to most of the games he takes pictures of, and this one was no different. Kinda gives you an idea why I have all of these things to scan and blog about, eh?

Even though the B’s lost their first game to Montreal tonight, I still love this rivalry. Like Nilan, there still is at least one Canadiens player I wouldn’t mind seeing in black and gold. Looking forward to payback on Saturday night!

Bridesmaids Netflix DVD

If you like silly comedies like I do, this movie is for you. Not only is it hilarious, it’s a rare movie that features females in the lead roles. And, in no way can you call it a “chick flick” – just wait until the “fitting scene” that involves bodily fluids in a toilet, sink, and on the street. It’s not going to win any big awards, but it gives a lot of big laughs.

Here’s the movies official site and IMDB page.

And from the IMDB page, here’s the movie trivia and goofs.

Paranormal State 3 Ticket (10/22/11)

I thought with tonight being the 25^th anniversary of Game 6 and Buckner’s error, I’d also write about a horror movie I recently watched.

First, Game 6. I was a 12-year-old in 7^th grade at Westboro Junior High. My favorite bands were Ratt, Motley Crue, and Cinderella, my favorite coed was a girl named Suzy, and my favorite teams were the B’s and Sox. And the Sox were on the brink of winning their first title since 1918.

That day, my younger sister (who was 6) accidentally shut the van door on her finger. We should have taken it as an omen for what was to come, but once she was stitched up and AOK the McGraths continued with the evening’s plans.

That night my younger brother Tom had a bunch of his friends over for a World Series/Birthday party. After the cake and presents, we all glued ourselves to the TV. The game went back and forth and was tied after 9 innings. When the Sox got two in the top of the tenth, my whole family started freaking out. Then when the first two Mets got out in the bottom of the 10^th, the screaming and jumping started. They were really going to do it.

That’s when the hits started. One after another, they got hits. Even though I was only 12, I knew I had to do something. I went into the kitchen and started watching it on the little TV we had in there. It didn’t work. The Stanley wild pitch and the Buckner error tore a part of my heart out. They lost. I went back into the partyless family room and my parents tried to console me with a reminder of game 7. It didn’t help.

I went to bed crying that night, trying to figure out how the Sox could have done that. How can you get so close to something and not get it? How could they ever bounce back and win game 7? Why, oh, why did Stanley throw a wild pitch with someone on 3^rd?

This game stuck with me for a long time. I never watched a replay of the Buckner error, turning my head away anytime it was on TV. Whenever I was watching the Sox on TV or at Fenway and they were ahead by two runs in the last inning with two outs I would remind those with me, “This is how close the Sox were to winning the Series.” It was an early life lesson that no matter how hard you work for something and how close you are to getting it, it can be taken from you right before it’s in your hand.

Thanks to the 2004 and 2007 Red Sox, this story has a happy ending. I am now able to watch replays of the Buckner error (and Boone’s homerun from 2003 - which I never saw because after the Yankees tied it, I left the house and drove around listening to the rest of the game on the radio), and I’m almost glad that game 6 happened because it made 2004 that much sweeter.

By the way, if you haven’t seen this RBI Recreation of the bottom of the 10th, you must. It’s really unbelievable.

Okay, time for another horror story that doesn’t have a happy ending – Paranormal Activity 3. If you liked the first Paranormal Activity and Part 2, you should like this one. It has a lot of the same elements, and parts that make you jump no matter how prepared you are. It’s hard for me to really judge this movie because I’ve lived with my share of paranormal activity. Although not as life threatening as the evil force in the movies, once you’ve lived it, it’s hard to be scared when you see it in a movie.

Last Dip Poem from Journal (10/24/10)

Last Dip

The fall is here

Upon the shore,

A step once tried

To take before.

The water buzzes

Like salt water to mouth,

The haze of sunset

Toes feeling it out.

The summer is gone

Like Ceilidhs in PEI,

A need to give this wave

A best try.

The air hints winter

But veins are warm,

Creating their version

Of the ideal dawn.

A time for goodbye

Upon this last dip,

A ripple takes over

And makes a new trip…

Some Business Cards (Cupcake Jones, Cacao, Hummus Place, Hope Lodge, Kenneth Craig, Agilux)

A few things about these cards:

I went to Cupcake Jones and Cacao during my visit to Portland, OR last year – both worth the assault on my Crohn’s and good excuses to exercise more (wiffle ball).

Hummus Place was a nice stop before seeing Mike Birbiglia back in April.

Working for the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge in Worcester has been an awesome experience so far; unlike my friend who use to work at Agilux.

When Kenneth Craig worked for Worcester News Tonight, he covered stories about my t-shirt blog and Skating for Hope:

PEI Favorites: Bruins Pass from Adam McQuaid, Cynthia MacLeod Business Card, and Fiddlers’ Sons CD

For me, one of the things that comes along with the official end of summer is missing PEI. The biggest thing I miss is simply being away from everything with my family, and that includes a lot of great Celtic music. We go to see Cynthia MacLeod, Fiddlers’ Sons, and Richard Wood whenever we can. Luckily, sometimes these PEI performers come to Massachusetts and we get a bit of The Island here.

Another part of Prince Edward Island comes in the form of a 6’4” defenseman, and it’s easy to see why my family is such a huge fan of Adam McQuaid. Not only is he an Islander who plays tough, smart hockey; he plays for the B’s! He was also nice enough (thanks to my connection, a.k.a. Mom) to get me this pass – signed by John Bucyk himself. I’m really glad I got to be up there for Adam McQuaid Day this summer.

Here’s to Quaider getting back to playing ASAP! Can’t wait for my next visit to The Island!

Drinking ER Toxicology Reports (3/20/94, 4/8/95)

Yup. I used to drink. And when I drank, I drank a lot. I wouldn’t say I was addicted to alcohol, but I definitely didn’t drink in moderation.

I think brain cancer at 18 left me thinking two things: One, my body could take a lot. Two, I thought it gave me the right do whatever I wanted to my body. And even though family and friends voiced their concerns about my drinking to me, I didn’t care. I loved the feeling that alcohol gave me, and I dealt with the consequences. I had emotions that needed to be let out, and drinking provided that outlet. Not the healthiest outlet, but one I chose to use.

The night of March 19^th, 1994 (during my sophomore year at BC) can be traced all the way back to the beginning of my freshman year. I didn’t start my fist year in college like most of the students around me. I was bald, puffed up, and had the track marks of a junkie. But, I wasn’t about to let brain cancer tell me when I could start at BC.

I made a few friends in my dorm, and assumed everyone in my classes was wondering what was wrong with me. Then, in one of my psych classes, M was there. I may have looked like a post-chemo freak, but my sense of beauty wasn’t impaired. She had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and everything else. I told my new dorm friends about her, and promised I would point her out if we saw her on campus.

After that first week of class, while most of my classmates went to the first home football game that Labor Day weekend; I was heading into my sixth round of chemotherapy to treat a cancerous brain tumor. It had introduced itself to me towards the end of my senior year in high school, and I was in treatment all summer. I knew it probably wasn’t the ideal way to start at BC, but I was glad treatment was coming to and end.

When I returned to BC, I didn’t have the courage to talk to M, but I talked to her a few times that year (including the morning after my first drinking experience – when I found out she saw me being carried back to the dorm), and I sent her a couple anonymous poems.

We were in the same history class sophomore year, and eventually I called her to ask her out…and she said yes (I know). After talking another time on the phone, we agreed to go out on March 19^th. I called her the Friday before to make specific plans, but by Saturday afternoon I hadn’t heard back form her. When I called her on Saturday, she answered and told me that she had auditioned to be in a talent show a couple of weeks earlier, and they called her that morning to tell her she had a spot playing piano. So, she was talented too. And, I was devastated.

Instead of seeing if we could reschedule, I took it as a total rejection and immediately started doing what I knew I had to: drink and drink and drink and drink. Vodka was my poison of choice, and I started seconds after the phone was back on the receiver. It didn’t take long for things to get “fuzzy” after that. I remember watching Pump Up the Volume with my friend Chris who lived across the hall. I remember my friends Neal and Julia (who was my ex from high school) coming over. By that point, I was mixing screwdrivers with Zima (I know). I don’t remember much after that.

I don’t remember taking a chair and smashing one of the bathroom windows. I don’t remember passing out on the sidewalk in front of my dorm. I don’t know how my wallet went missing. I don’t remember the ambulance showing up and my friend Drew (an EMT) trying to persuade me to go to the ER.

Drew has since told me that it took a group (6?) of BC police officers to get me on the ambulance (I was really like the Tazmanian Devil when I was drunk). Once on the ambulance, Drew stayed in the back trying to calm me down. He wasn’t very successful. When St. Elizabeth’s radioed to get a status update, he said they couldn’t hear him because I was screaming expletives at the top of my lungs. I was completely out of control, but in my mind I thought I could stop whenever I wanted. I just didn’t want to stop, even after this episode.

Flash forward to a year later, and I was still drinking. Instead of vodka, it was “just beer” at this point. I had survived my 21^st birthday a week earlier, and heard about a party in The Mods (party central for the BC seniors). I don’t know if I found the right Mod, but I was went up to a party that some guy wasn’t letting a girl into. I wouldn’t let such an injustice happen to me, so I saw fit to tell off this senior. I vaguely remember getting into someone’s face, and then everything went blank. Apparently it was just two hits – me getting hit and then hitting the pavement.

The next thing I knew, I was in the ER and having stitches put into my head. The doctor told me that she was finishing up the stitches and the plastic surgeon would be in to see about covering up future scars I was sure to have. I told her I was a hockey player, and there was no need to cover anything up. At least I was only .28 this time.

This episode landed me with an appointment with Dean Ryan, and I tried to explain my love affair with alcohol to him. When he found out I was over 21, he couldn’t do much but offer me advice. I still wasn’t ready to stop.

But that day did come a month later. I haven’t had a drink since May 7, 1995, and I have no plans on starting again.

With my marks of .36 and .28, I was curious as to what sources would say to how serious those numbers are. I found Blood-Alcohol info from Party Smart, Wikipedia, and WebMD, and yeah, I could have died. But, I didn’t.

Thank you to everyone who stuck with me through my drinking years. I know it must have been difficult, and I know I did a lot of upsetting things. I hope you can understand I was dealing with a lot, and I thank those of you who have forgiven me.

Daily Show Tickets (2/14/08, 12/11/08, 4/15/10, 9/30/10)

I have a Jewish hero. He didn’t die on a cross or walk on water. He just keeps me informed of current events while making me laugh out loud every Monday-Thursday nights from 11:00-11:30. Although some have criticized Jon Stewart and The Daily Show for being sexist, the female DS employees responded to this with an open letter. Whatever he and the workers do over there, I think it’s working. And I feel lucky that I’ve been able to attend these show tapings.

I went to the show on Valentine’s Day 2008 with my friend Kerry. The guest wasn’t very noteworthy to me, but this bit about Roger Clemens was hilarious.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

I went to the December 11^th show with my sister Megan (it’s her birthday) and my friend Adam. We really lucked out with the guest (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and Jon even took a copy of my poetry book during the Q&A before the show. We also went to see Mike Birbiglia a couple of days later.

Although I was too late to make it into the April 15^th show (and guest Tracy Morgan, dammit), my friend Suzie got to go for the first time. And because I didn’t get in, the DS gave me VIP tickets to a future show – which turned out to be the September 30^th show with Justin Timberlake. If you look closely, you can see me when Justin comes out – I’m wearing the “Stew Beef” t-shirt (watch the Tracy Morgan clip if you don’t understand). Jess couldn't believe how close she was to Justin (10 feet, maybe?)

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Thanks for all the laughs, Jon. Hope to talk to you again, sometime…

Law Offices of Carl Brugnoli Business Card

Sure, he sued me (see document). But, he’s also helped me many times when I’ve had “legal issues”. If you live in Massachusetts and need a lawyer, now you know where to go. I don’t think the office, address, and phone numbers are up to date; but the email should work – if Carl happens to log on to his circa 2003 laptop.

Bruins Ticket from Tonight

72 PIMs and a 4-1 loss to the former Hartford Whalers is no way to celebrate my brother’s birthday, B’s. I would have much rather preferred you won 2 games like the Sox did in 2004 (Game 4 and Game 5 of the ALCS).

Still, it’s always good to go to a game. And, I talked to Tom and wished him a happy birthday. He told me about a pie-pie-pie party he was going to. One pie is for actual pies like apple and pumpkin, the other is for making pizzas, and the final pie involves playing trivial pursuit. Sounds like a crazy night in VT!

Happy Birthday Tom, and turn this ship, B’s!

See also: Tom's Bday Blog from 2010.

Notes from 4th Grader and Elm Park Group (2004, 2009)

Eight years ago, I was teaching 4^th grade special ed students. Two of them were diagnosed with autism and the other two had Down Syndrome. One day, “J” was upset with me and told me that she was going to have her father kill me. She felt really bad about it, and this was the apology note she gave me. It was the only time I had to talk to the principal about her behavior, she was usually no problem.

I got this other note while playing wiffle ball at Elm Park with my friend Glen. There was a group there that was spreading positivity with little notes, brownies, and punch. Glen asked me, “What if there’s poison in this?” before we took our first sips. I told him, “Then, we’ll just have to continue the game in heaven – on a scaled-down Fenway wiffle field.”

Hockey Girl Poem Journal Entry (4/7/11, 10:57PM)

Wrote this one right before the playoffs started last season. Hope the B’s are ready to get serious like I am seriously getting ready to publish another book. Glad hockey is back…

Hockey Girl,

I long for you

And your late 3^rd period

Nails

Digging in my leg

Counting down

A one goal close lead,

Just like a goal

Predicted seconds before.

Worcester Sharks Opening Night Celebration Invite and Ticket

Like I wrote for the AHL All-Star Program and Ticket, the Worcester Sharks were the first organization in the community that I contacted to try and make a connection with when I started at Hope Lodge. I was put in touch with Mike Myers, and he immediately told me Hope Lodge could get free tickets to any game we wanted. Awesome.

The Sharks also helped out when Mike designed a pink goalie mask for Thomas Greiss to wear for the month of October. It was auctioned off at $5000, with all money going to Hope Lodge.

A couple of months later, we had a 17-year-old guest staying at Hope Lodge. He wanted to go to a Sharks game, but they didn’t have any home games scheduled for when he was here. So, Mike Myers and Sharks player Riley Armstrong came to visit him at Hope Lodge. It was great, and you can read that whole story here.

I wondered if Hope Lodge would still get free tickets when the AHL All-Star game came to Worcester two years ago, and we did. I think the highlight for me was watching former BC Eagle Cory Schneider setting a record by making 18 saves on 19 shots in the All-Star Skills competition.

Not surprisingly, the Sharks helped Hope Lodge with Skating for Hope. Finz made two appearances, and the Sharks provided games and prizes to keep the event going.

Tonight, they continued their generous donations by giving me an invite to the 2011-2012 opening night pre-game celebration and tickets to the game. I took my friend Patrick, and we each got a goodie bag with a Sharks pennant, schedule magnet, and t-shirt. There was also free food and dessert, and Fins was walking around greeting everyone. The only thing we had to pay for was drinks; and the $4.00 sodas seemed pricy even after getting everything else for free.

The game had just about everything I could ask for: A lot of goals, fights, and 4 former BC players (Benn Ferriero, Nick Petrecki, Stephen Gionta, Peter Harrold). The Sharks beat the Albany Devils 6-1, and after I beat Patrick 10-2 in his first game of PS3 NHL12 Hockey. Thanks again, Sharks!

Polaroids from 5th and 6th Grade – Old Ironsides and Nature’s Classroom

These pictures might make me feel old, but they also make me laugh. I will note here that for some reason (history’s sake or learning from my Dad), I labeled a lot of the Polaroids I took – even if it was with names of family members…

The picture of Adam, Mike, and “P.J.” makes me think of the morning that P.J. said, “Hi Chuck” to Mr. Fournier as he walked in the classroom one morning. To date, I don’t think I’ve had a more difficult time trying not to laugh. I knew I couldn’t look at Adam or Brian Caddigan without losing it, so I kept my eyes shut and bit on my lip. “Chuck” came back with a very authoritative, “What did you say????!!!!”, and told the rest of the class to leave while he reamed out P.J. Of course all the boys thought it was the funniest and coolest thing ever, and P.J. was hailed as a brave hero. I don’t remember much about Old Ironsides, but I will never forget that morning.

I love the look on Mike Fallon’s face in the Nature’s Classroom picture. Air Jordans on and staring the camera down like he’s trying to strike out a batter in the bottom of the 9^th. Mike Colangelo is proudly repping the Sox, while Chris Moulton looks like he’s sporting Brian Johnson specials. Dave Sullivan and Tufts are doing what they can to look cool simply because that’s what Daves do. You gotta love Pete Galea’s jeans-and-jean jacket-acceptable-in-the-80s look and Dave Noble’s brandless numbered t-shirt (I loved the red with blue #32 my brother Jon handed down to me). Also, I can’t tell if Dave Noble and Pete are blocking someone behind them? Ideas? I will say this about our year at Nature’s Classroom: What happened there certainly didn’t stay there, and they didn’t let the class behind us go.

Yankees Starting Lineup Picture (1997)

Like I mentioned for my Miss Saigon Ticket, during the summer of ’97 I was a camp counselor at JKST(now JKCP) Camps on the grounds of Haverford College. After seeing the Broadway show during our day trip to NYC, we also went to some pier (Pier 17 / South Street Seaport?) for eats and shopping. When I came across the souvenir picture booth, I knew I had to take advantage of the Yankees background it offered. With the campers watching I couldn’t flip the camera off like I wanted, but I did my best to tastefully express my feelings for the Evil Empire. As the campers laughed at me, one New Yorker yelled out, “Hey, he’s gotta Boston hat!” I quickly grabbed my picture and the kids passed it around as we slinked our way to another part of the pier.

Say anything you want about what happened in the Red Sox clubhouse and how they lost a huge lead this season, that will never take away from my dislike of the Yankees. Seeing the Bruins banner raised last Thursday was truly dreamlike, but after an upsetting loss to the Flyers, watching A-Rod strike out to end game 5 was a nice consolation. The Sox and Yanks is the best rivalry in baseball, and I love knowing Yankees fans to help keep it going. At least Sox and Yankees fans can agree on one thing: we’re both better than Philly fans.

Picture of 40A Crew (1996)

It’s been 15 years since this group has all been together, but luckily I remember most of the stories like they happened yesterday…

There was the party that one of the RAs saw us carrying in the keg and came to our door a few hours later to bust us (we didn’t tell him about keg #2 that was hiding in the bathroom).

One of my roommates turned 21 that September, and we rented the “Funky Bus” to take us from bar to bar carrying a keg to drink in between. Luckily, all of the crew from 40A and the guys we blocked housing with in 35B were very supportive of my non-drinking. The time on the Funky Bus ended with a beer fight, and as the sober one I took it upon myself to use one of my roommates as a shield.

One of my roommates had wired a phone (this was before everyone had a cell) downstairs to the bar. Whenever we saw that the RA who lived across from us was downstairs, we would call her just to see her run upstairs to answer then we’d hang up (Yes, we were juvenile and glad that caller ID was still a thing of the future).

When we got sick of all the sophomores walking through our backyard, one night a few of us started throwing and launching water balloons at them. This prompted a call to the BC police, and while two of us apologized and said we’d stop, another one was hiding in the shower.

One night, our “7^th man” (each mod had 6 roommates, but we usually had an extra) got upset and threw a beer bottle from our backyard. It happened to break right in front of a BC police officer that was walking by, and he and another cop came to ask us what was happening. As we tried to explain why a 20-year-old was drinking (of course, NONE of us admitted to giving him a beer), the other was using his flashlight to look at all the stolen signs and traffic lights we had hanging up. They let us off with a warning and sentenced the 7^th man to sweep up the broken glass.

After seeing the RA making out with her boyfriend in her kitchen window (which was about 5 feet from our kitchen window) several times, one of my roommates was feeling daring (a.k.a. rather drunk) and took a picture of them. She knocked on our door a few nights later to tell us how upset she was, and one of my roommates took the picture off of our bulletin board to show her it didn’t even come out (that didn’t really help).

When the “7^th man” turned 21, we drove my roommate’s car (which he had equipped with a PA system) around the mods to outside of 7’s mod. We tried to publicly coax him out for a night of bday brews, but he didn’t want to do anything crazy for his 21^st. Once again, the BC police told us they didn’t appreciate our actions, and just let us of with a warning. The next morning, we left on our road trip to South Bend to see the BC-Notre Dame hockey and football games.

My 22^nd birthday party deserves a blog post of its own, but I will say unlike my 21^st, I didn’t drink a drop. I did repeat my best Mrs. Doubtfire impersonation by burying my face into a cake.

There are many more 40A stories to share, but you’ll have to wait for the book. I certainly lucked out with the group of guys I lived with senior year at BC. We had a lot of fun, and we all graduated (I actually had my best year academically). I think it’s time to get this group together again for our own reunion…

Gay Head Lighthouse Brochure with Pictures and John Belushi’s Grave Pics

I had never been to “The Vinyahd” before, but this past weekend the weather was beautiful and my first visit went by too quickly.

Thanks to my connections, I stayed with two great hosts who showed me and JB around MV (I can’t call it “The Island”…that honor will always go to PEI). Here are some of the highlights:

1. Taking my first ferry ride since they opened the bridge to PEI

2. Stopping off to pay respects to John Belushi

1. Gay Head Lighthouse (gotta love the name)

2. FARM Institute

3. Art of Chocolate Festival – Mint Oreos dipped in chocolate, chocolate-covered peanut butter balls, Hershey’s Cake, and a lot of happy faces

4. Edgartown Lighthouse

5. Nice meal at the Seafood Shanty

6. Seeing my first Alpaca up close and personal

Thanks again to JB’s aunt and uncle for being so welcoming and showing me around The Vineyard. Hope to check out all the Jaws Shooting Locations next time!