My Magic Man

For the last 11 years, the only man who has remained a constant in my life has been my hairdresser, Troi Young.   For more than a decade, I have followed this man, from salon to salon, up and down Newbury Street.  Why you might ask?  Well, he makes magic happen.

It all started when I read a magazine article which suggested that finding a great hairdresser was as easy as asking a woman with a beautiful haircut where she got her hair styled.  At the time, I had a co-worker who had this amazing bob which was cut with such precision that she never had a hair out of place.  I asked her who her stylist was and immediately made an appointment with Troi the next day.

I was a little nervous going to my appointment.  I had just started to work in Boston and I had heard stories about Newbury Street salons.  Both the snobbery and prices of Newbury Street are legendary.  Luckily, Troi immediately set me at ease with some friendly banter and set to work on my mane. 

To see Troi work is somewhat of a sight.  He evokes the image of Edward Scissorhands as he gently moves your head back, forth and upside down.  Then he breaks out the dueling hairdryers which I won’t even try to describe.  Somehow, out of all this chaos, a thing of beauty emerges…silky, shiny, perfectly coiffed hair.  And it was at that moment that I was hooked.

Now I’m not going to lie, the cost of magic doesn’t come cheap.  But I always walk out of his salon feeling like a million bucks and to me that is priceless.

Troi Young currently works his magic at Avanti Salon, 11 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116.  

The Agony of Defeat

I broke down and called Jenny Craig last week.   Jenny and I go way back.  It’s the same history that I share with Weight Watchers, Aktins, Slim Fast and any other weight lost program you can name.  I’ve had success with all of them.  Unfortunately, after a little success, I get cocky and return back to my old ways and next thing you know I’ve gained everything back plus another 10 lbs.

And truthfully, my problem isn’t losing weight…its keeping it off.  I’m either on my way up or on my way down.  And let’s be honest.  We all know the key to losing weight…eat less, move more.  That’s it.  Super simple.  The problem is that doing it the right way isn’t easy.  It’s a lot of work and who wants more work.  Life is tough enough.  I know I want a quick fix which is why I am paying a visit to Jenny.  I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

Hit the Road Jack.

Once upon a time, I had a steadfast rule of never remaining friends with an ex.*  What’s the point?  The relationship ended for a reason.  Finito.  It doesn’t matter who ended the relationship or the reason it fizzled.  It’s over. Kaput.  Even when you are the one doing the dumping it’s still difficult to move on.  Do you really want to hear about his latest conquest?  Do you really want to see him flirting with that “hot” girl at the gym?  How about double dating with him and his new girlfriend?  I don’t think so.  Stick a fork in it.  Besides, I have plenty of friends.  I don’t need friends that have seen me naked. 

Then Facebook happened.  And with one click of the mouse you can reconnect with your first love, your high school crush, your college boyfriend, your ex-husband(s) and every hook-up in-between.  And I’m guilty of doing just that.  And I’ll admit that I’ve enjoyed catching up with all of them.  I like knowing that life turned out well for them.

Now some might say that I am breaking my own rule.  And I concede that in some ways I am, but there is a difference.  I have had the benefit of time.  Time to mend the pain of a failed relationship.  Time to learn that I can be happy even if I don’t have a companion to share my life with.  Time to grow into the confident woman I am today. 

That said, I still don’t want to pal around with a guy I broke up with a minute ago.  I believe that you can’t really ever move on, if you remain connected to the past.  The relationship needs a mourning period.  And, if given enough time, maybe someday a “friend” request may pop up on the screen.

*There is one exception to this rule.

Feed Me

I love great food.  And as much as I love eating, I hate to cook with equal measure.  Ok, maybe hate is too strong of a word.  I just don’t enjoy cooking.  It’s so much work and it never quite tastes as good as it does in a restaurant.  Needless to say, I’d rather leave the job of feeding me to experts in the kitchen.  I have been known to cheekily say that I make great reservations!  Little do people know that I’m not joking.  Making reservations is something I do exceptionally well…stellar, in fact.  Luckily, Boston has some world-class restaurants for me to show-off my talent.

As I mentioned in a previous post, this year, instead of my two perennial resolutions, I decided to establish ten goals for myself.   One goal that I will have no problem following through with is my campaign to eat at the top 50 restaurants in Boston as listed in the November issue of Boston Magazine (list below). I’ve been lucky to dine at the first 17 restaurants listed below which leaves 33 restaurants for me to visit within the next 360 days. I know it is quite an undertaking, but someone has to do it!   

I’ll be sure to share my dining experiences will all of you in the upcoming months.  And feel free to drop me a line if you would like break bread with me at one of these amazing restaurants!

Bon appétit!

1.        Abe & Louie’s

2.       Rocco (Closed)

3.       Coppa

4.       Market by Jean-Georges

5.       Harvest

6.       Sorellina

7.       Via Matta

8.       T.W. Food

9.       Grill 23

10.   Myers & Chang

11.   Toro

12.   Radius

13.   Troquet

14.   Pigalle

15.   Eastern Standard

16.   Hungry Mother

17.   Scampo

18.   Beacon Hill Bistro

19.   Bistro du Midi

20.    Clio

21.    Rialto

22.   Il Casale

23.   Ten Tables Cambridge

24.   Ten Tables Jamaica Plain

25.   Erbaluce

26.    Craigie on Main

27.   Uni

28.   Sensing

29.    Lineage

30.    Sportello

31.    Lumiere

32.   Hamersley's

33.    The Butcher Shop

34.    Oishi

35.   Dante

36.    Salts

37.   Neptune Oyster

38.    Menton

39.    No. 9 Park

40.    O Ya

41.   51 Lincoln

42.   Bin 26 Enoteca

43.    Bistro 5

44.   Rendezvous

45.   Parsons Table

46.    Blue Ginger

47.    L'Espalier

48.   Prezza

49.   Il Carpriccio

50.   L’Andana

Screw You, 2010.

Last year sucked for me.  The. Absolute. Worst.  It started with my divorce in February and went downhill from there.  I don’t want to bore you with the details but some of the lowlights included: aforementioned divorce, financial rock-bottom, major conflict at work, 3 failed romances, medical issues (a chronic inflamed salivary gland, com’on, really?), 3 moves within a 3-month period and a brief stint of living back home with my Dad which is still too painful for me to discuss.  Oh, and did I mention that I turned 40 years old too?  

Amazingly, I’ve managed to survive the trials and tribulations of 2010 and have emerged in the Year of 2011.  Ah, 2011!!  A new year, with a clean slate, full of hope and promise! 

Like a lot of people, I make New Year’s resolutions.  Unfortunately, like a lot of people, I’ve had the same two resolutions for the last 15 years: 1) Lose 50 lbs. and maintain the weight loss; and 2) Stop living paycheck to paycheck.  As you have probably surmised, since I have had the same resolutions year after year that I have never been able to stick to my resolutions. 

Well, this year I’ve decided to do something different.  Instead of making two absolute resolutions, I decided to be more positive and to focus on smaller, more attainable goals.  As a result I have created a list of the top ten things I want to accomplish during the next 365 days (or rather, 361 days and counting).  A lot of my goals still address my need to lose weight and save money, but in a fun way, I hope. 

TOP 10 GOALS FOR 2011

1.      Dine at the Top 50 Restaurants in Boston (Nov. 2010 Boston Magazine). *

2.      Start a blog and post at least 52 entries this year.

3.      Complete the Nantasket Beach Mini-triathlon in September.

4.      Eat healthy meals at least 5 days a week.

5.      Read at least 1 book a week.

6.      Spend more time with my friends and family.

7.      Deposit $50 a pay period into my savings account.

8.      Start taking pilot lessons.

9.      Move towards my goal of becoming a nurse by taking at least one class per semester.

10.  Send Christmas Cards this year.

So there you have it…my list, for all the world to see.  I must admit, I do have selfish motives for sharing my goals with all of you.  I figured that by putting it out there, maybe I will be more accountable about following through this year.  Needless to say, I still need the help of all of you.  Next time you see me, don’t forget to ask me about the last book I read or how my pilot’s lessons are coming along because let’s be honest, 15-year old habits will be hard to break. Besides, we can all use a little help from our friends.  

Happy New Year’s, my friends.  Cheers!

*I know that this goal totally contradicts my ultimate goals of losing weight and saving money, but a girl has to have  a little fun in her life, right?

If it quacks like a duck...

Last week I spent a day in Boston with my friend Susan's 15-year old daughter, Melissa, and Melissa's best friend, Victoria.  Out of the blue, Melissa asked me to explain what the word cliché meant.  Um, well, you know....cliché means something is cliché.  Everybody knows what cliché means, right?  Well, after awkwardly fumbling around to find the right words, I mumbled that it was something that was overused, a stereotype, you might say.  My  vague description seemed to satisfy the 15-year old.  That was a close call, I thought.

Of course, me being me, I immediately looked up the word on dictionary.com when I got home.  Turns out I was sort of right.  According to the website, a cliché is "a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse."  Great.  I knocked that one out of the park.

Oddly, the next night, as I was ringing in the New Year with my friend Colette, she mentioned clichés.  She stated that you can't go wrong if you use clichés as a guide to life.  To my martini infused brain, Colette's declaration seemed perfectly sound to me and I jokingly said that for the new year I was going to live a life of clichés.

The next morning, after a greasy breakfast, and the brain fog from my NYE revelry lifted, I thought about what Colette said.  She might actually be onto something.  Does time heal all wounds?  Yeah, kinda.  Does the early bird catch the worm?  Usually.  Do those who live by the sword, usually die by the sword?  Typically.  Is what's good for the goose, good for the gander?  Always.

Turns out that some things are "overused" for a reason.  And that stereotypes are usually based on some truth.  So I'm sticking with my original plan to live a life of clichés for the next year!  I'm letting bygones be bygones and living life like there is no tomorrow because time flies when you're having fun!

When Pigs Fly....

Yes, I started a blog today.   If you told me 4 months ago that I would be blogging, I would never have believed you.  In fact, I wouldn’t even have a clue what I would write about.  And truth be told, I still don’t know what I’m going to put out there, but, alas, here I am posting my first entry.   Why, you may ask?  Well, why not?  Everybody seems to be doing it.  Yeah, I know that’s a crap answer.  In actuality, I met someone about 4 months ago who inspired me to tap into my creative side.  And this is the result.  The guy may no longer be in my life (story for another post), but at least something tangible and positive came out of the relationship.   

Now, I’m telling you up front, I’m not a writer so please don’t be too critical of my grammar, punctuation, etc.  And I don’t even know if anybody will care about my thoughts and/or the subjects I choose to write about, but honestly, I really don’t care.  This blog is for me, a challenge for me really, and maybe, hopefully, if you decide to check this space from time to time, my random thoughts will affect you in some way.   Time will tell.