my posting is lacking. i apologize. i'll fix that this week, i promise. here's a laundry list of what i've done since chillin' on the constitution and the tall ship (a photo update will happen today, after the WATERMELON FESTIVAL):

• a friend/coworker of mine and i kicked off boston's harborfest by visiting the faneuil hall and quincy market area for awesome lunches, which included a giant free cake on one day and one of the most impressive street performers i've ever seen.


• on sunday, july 2, we visited chowderfest. $10, all you can eat new england clam chowder samples from 12 participating area restaurants. we had 14 samples, but none of us voted.


• that evening we began what's developing into a weekly tradition of movie marathons, supplemented by my trip home on saturday to visit family, watch dad shoot off fireworks, and do laundry. i returned with a dvd player. this week's theme was horror: the hills have eyes and friday the 13th were sunday's choices, monday was saw 2. all were entertaining (friday the 13th was a bit of a let-down for me.)


• the next day (07/03) we took the T up to revere beach for a few hours and enjoyed the water. we buried my roommate and sculpted the sand in such a way that he appeared to be a mermaid. that evening we went over to the hatch shell on the esplanade, home to the boston pops, for the 4th of july rehearsal. they played great patriotic songs (and some of my least-favorite ones), and were later joined by steven tyler and joe perry of aerosmith. they played "i don't want to miss a thing," "dream on," and the ridiculously amazing "walk this way" (which immediately made me think of the simpsons and cypress hill - "yeah, uh, we think we may have ordered a symphony. can you play 'insane in the brain?'")


• the next day was the country's birthday. we saw the parade in the morning, whch we followed from city hall to the graveyard where they laid wreaths at the graves of samuel adams, john hancock, peter faneuil and robert treat paine. after we followed it to the old state house where the declaration of independence was read from the east balcony, the same place it was read about a week after its adoption in 1776. after that we staked out all day on a dock on the charles river (the "public dinghy dock," it's called). we were there, on an doff, for 10 hours, and had completely unobstructed view of the fireworks from the barge on the river. they were loud as hell, but beyond impressive. it was my 4th time in boston for the fireworks, and by far the best experience yet. glenn and krys joined the distinguished scholars on the dock, and all had a night to remember. (wait until you see these pictures.)


• thursday night, because a couple of interns here work for a giant film promotion company, we all got free passes to the midnight premier of "pirates of the carribean: dead man's chest." we returned and got to bed at 3:30a to wake for friday's 9-5er. suffice it to say, the movie didn't suck. waking up did.


• today my roommate and i woke up about 10 minutes after we were to leave for the group whale watch (which was already paid for by the program). we got to the dock to see the ship pulling away and our friends waving to us. ouch. we saw some street performers over at faneuil hall, though, and got some souveniers and dunkin' donuts. now we're off to the watermelon festival!

pictures to come later on today!

You may have seen the movie, but I saw Keira, Orlando, and Johnny at the Euro premiere. I win.