Random Roundup

Occasionally I’ll see weird random things that by themselves don’t make a blog post, but then they accumulate, and I throw them together like making a soup with whatever is in the fridge, and serve it right to you. Great, right? Bon appetit!

1. The first one is really hard to see. Hey, it’s hard taking surreptitious pictures of fashion faux pas when you’re on the move. I was walking behind this guy and noticed he had a very nice jacket on, except he never cut the little thread “X” they put on the two vents in back, which is funny, but not that remarkable, except I saw the exact same thing on another guy the day before.

Guys! Love that you are buying new suit jackets that look good on you. Cut the little thread thingy before you wear it out, OK?

2. I was on the train coming back from dancing a few Sundays ago, and saw this little gem. I mean, it opens up sooooo many questions. Like who are the people out there that when they think of “snack” they think: 7-Eleven Big Gulp blue drink and pistachios. And was this a weed-induced snack? And if you were neat enough to leave the cup upright and the shells in a tidy pile, rather than dump them on the floor like most people, why not just go the distance and take it off the train and throw it away? It’s not like you left much for the next person to snack on. Those shells are empty, I checked. Some mysteries of life are never meant to be known, I suppose.

3. Boston’s city scape is undergoing a transformation because of an infiltration of tall, sleek high rises that only really monied people can afford. When they were appearing downtown only, it was somewhat tolerable. There were other neighborhoods that still looked like Boston. But these shiny towers are popping up everywhere faster than Dunkin’ cups on the side of the highway.  It gets to me sometime, but then I walked along this bridge Friday night, and I felt restored. We Bostonians call it the “salt and peppah” bridge (actual name: Longfellow) because four condiment-shaped pillars hold the thing up. The state worked on repairing this bridge for so long, being able to walk across is still a novelty. Why did the repairs take so long? Because we put our history freak on. This bridge first opened in 1906, and the state took great pains to find the same materials originally used to replace the crumbling bridge. That included Rockport granite, which hasn’t been quarried since the 1930s. Lucky for them, a contractor years before had bought up Rockport granite salvaged from a bridge that was taken down somewhere else. He had no use for it, but thought it would come in handy someday. And it did.

The steel supports had to be hand riveted, which simply isn’t done anymore, as in, no one has that skill. So the workers were learning how to do that on the job. And the final part was what got me started on this whole path — the paint. They actually scraped off all the layers to get to the original one. It’s not a particularly fetching color, but it definitely looks like 1906. In a article about the repairs, a former city councilor was quoted as saying “I  think sometimes we sort of fetishize historical accuracy and let that impede progress.” I love that–the fetishizing part. Maybe he’s right, but that’s what makes us Boston. No matter how many skyscrapers go up, and how many of our favorite neighborhoods, watering holes, and venues get laid waste in the name of “progress,” the salt and pepper bridge will still be there, with it’s old-ass Rockport granite, rivets, and historically accurate paint. Seems about right to me.

4. And finally, I need to let the world know I have a new superpower. I was on the platform of the Orange Line waiting for a train. There is an ad campaign in the station, touting the new trains. Now, when we’re NOT getting our history freak on, we’re endlessly delaying train upgrades. I’ve been hearing about the trains for months and haven’t seen one yet, and I ride it most days of the week. So there I was waiting for a train Googling, “Where are the new Orange Line Trains” and I hear a train pull up behind me, going in the opposite direction, so I ignore it. But it’s sitting there and making these beeping sounds. Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep. I was in the middle of the article saying 2 trains (whoo hoo!) were rolled out in August and they are “testing” them. The beeping really starts to get to me so I whip around and there it was, in all its beeping (bleeping?) gleaming glory.

So, be assured I will only use my Googling powers for good. Unless you piss me off, then all bets are off.