GO CELTICS!

I am totally ready for this game. Cannot wait!

Crazy re: that green line train collision in Newton (less than an hour ago). I just had dinner across the street from that station less than a week ago. So far, no casualties. Luckily, the injured passengers can quite literally walk across the street to Newton-Wellesley Hospital. God, that was terrible.

We saw some interesting properties over the weekend. We are looking at 2 more on Friday night. One is in the Oak Hill part of Pawtucket, which, from what I read, is a pretty desirable area. Kind of artsy. The place looks very promising. Kind of like Pee Wee's house from the outside. Ish. Wish us luck.

It's a carcaradon carcharias.

If you are heading to the Cape, be careful in the water.

R.I.P. Mr. Butch

Mr. Butch in Allston, '83
Photo credit: Bill Swersey

Mr. Butch was a fixture in Kenmore Square back when I worked at the Bruegger's, across the street from what used to be Charlie's. This was the cool Kenmore. The one that claimed The Rathskeller, Pizza Pad, Blaine! Beauty School and Cornwalls (when it was below street level) as its own. Narcissus had just closed down and a "Soup or Salad" had just opened up. The Store 24 used to have a greeting card carousel with cards showing Divine in various John Water movie scenes. Shawmut, the greatest bank in the world, sat on the corner where the Sovereign now resides. It's changed institutional hands a bunch of times over the years since 1990 (I think it was Bay Bank before it was a Shawmut). Mr. Butch used to sleep in a vintage Volkswagen van in the bank parking lot.

I didn't know him personally, but I saw him all the time. My old friend Kenton, who once lived in a bachelor-style apartment in Allston, claimed that Mr. Butch was staying in his living room for a while. He and his 10 or so roommates let him sleep on the couch. One day, as the legend goes, a call came in for one of the dudes and Mr. Butch answered the phone. Evidently, the kid had a sick relative and a concerned family member wanted to alert him to his condition. When the kid came home, Mr. Butch said, "Are you Kenny?" (for the sake of the story, I'm calling the kid "Kenny," as I really don't remember what the guy's name was). "Yeah," the kid said, "Why?" Mr. Butch looked him in the eye, very seriously, then said, "Your uncle died!"

Ah, Mr. Butch, you were one of a kind.

Here's the article on Boston.com. And here is his bio on Wikipedia.

Wait 'til Next Year, My Dear Jim

Some of you know that, ever year, I create a t-shirt in support of Jim Rice getting inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. And it has never worked. I decided last year, that I would not do it, hoping that his luck would change. Nope. I did the same this year, but mainly because I sort of forgot. Anyway, it seems that no matter what I do, poor JR gets snubbed. I am out of ideas beyond possibly sending out a mass mailing to all the sportswriters in support of him. This might work against him, though. After 13 hopeful years, Jim and his family have likely lowered their expectations. A lot. What choice do they have?

We had an evacuation at work today. Something evidently tripped the alarm. They blamed a vacuum cleaner cord. Anyway, as my coworkers and I stood a good distance from the building, we couldn't help but notice the folks who stood very close to the door. As if they knew it was a false alarm. And we even remarked about how smart and efficient this was, considering the hoard of people who would soon be making their way to the entrance. Have we learned nothing from 911? In "real tragedy" news, seems there was a commuter rail accident in Woburn today. Two transit workers died and other folks (workers and passengers) were rushed to the hospital.

From Boston.com:

MBTA officials said the tragedy was apparently caused by an improperly positioned track switch, the rail devices that move trains between various tracks. The faulty switch should have directed the commuter train on a track parallel to the one the workers were on, but instead sent the train straight into them.

Can you believe it? The workers heard the train coming and thought, "Ho, hum, it's going to pass right by..." Can't wait to hear the results of THAT investigation.

New York Loses Its Johnson

RJ has left the building and I think it's hysterical. If ever there was a time that I'm thrilled in Theo's half-hearted interest in him way back when, it's now. I think he (Theo) made a token phone call to his (Randy's) agent before ole Stinkbrenner pulled out all the stops to get him. And Johnson was a mediocre starter, at best. Ah, well, they still have Pavano. Heh.

Meanwhile, I hope that the Sox abandon the Drew ship, if you know what I'm saying. Who needs damaged goods? Especially when said damaged goods are really expensive? It's the equivalent of buying an irregular Prada gown. I'd rather have a good one from Old Navy. At least I can wear it without having to adjust it a million times. I hear that Trotter is still available. Make a deal! He'll be super cheap!

Did any of you (local folks) hear Deval's inaugural speech today? I cried! I swooned! I cheered! I did the same when I heard the few sound bites from Nancy Pelosi's speech at the House of Representatives. She even let all the kids touch the symbolic gavel. Cute! Bob Oakes is on Greater Boston tonight. I always wondered what that guy looked like. And in a rare case, the image matched the real thing.



I really enjoy him and Delores Handy in the morning. Carl Kasell - with all his snorty inhales and exhales - is my least favorite NPR reporter.

Deval Sworn in at Noon Tomorrow

Oh, how I wish I could be there for Deval Patrick's inauguration. Should I feign illness and go anyway? Will it be one those things I can tell my grandchildren about?

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney actual thinks he has a shot at the presidency. Dude, you're a Mormon. And everyone knows that Mormons are weirdos. Just read this book. Besides, I don't trust a guy who goes from supporting gay rights (more so than Ted Kennedy at one point) to denouncing gay marriage. I hate inconsistency.

By the way, I've suddenly begun listening - very seriously, I might add - to Joni Mitchell. What does this mean?