Monday, May 16, 2022
After a deep sleep, I woke at 7:30, showered, shaved, dressed, and walked around the Charles River. It was warm in the morning - 68 degrees Fahrenheit - and I only needed a T-shirt and shorts.
During the walk, I finished listening to Eric Metaxas's autobiography, Fish out of Water - The Search for the Meaning of Life. It was enjoyable; I enjoyed his recollections of growing up in Greece, Germany, and Connecticut.
When I returned, I ate a small breakfast of raspberries, blueberries, and yogurt and started to check my emails. I had a lot of catching up to do. I was happy to see that my Toyota Prius had been picked up by Daniel the night before, and everything had gone well.
Inna decided to see her French chiropractor - Andre P. Boulogne - and ordered Uber to take her to his place of practice.
We decided to walk to Tatte Bakery for breakfast or early lunch when she returned an hour later. We ordered the following items:
- Boris: Buttermilk biscuit with butter & jam mocha
- Inna: Croque Madame, Latte
- Takeout: A loaf of freshly baked Sourdough Bread
After breakfast, I returned to our apartment at 334 Harvard Street and called into my work meetings. I had many meetings to attend.
When Inna returned (she also stopped by Whole Foods to purchase some raspberries, apples, and cold cuts for me), she called Booking.com to inquire about a hotel room reservation dispute.
We were charged two nights for a room in The Wayfinder Hotel in Newport (which we could not visit). Although Booking.com initially promised to resolve the matter, nothing was resolved after over an hour of phone time. Next time, avoid using Booking.com, as their customer service is horrible and unreliable. We also never planned to stay in The Wayfinder Hotel, as the customer service there was unhelpful and inflexible.
During one of the meetings, I received a notification from my Ring alarm about possible tampering with my kitchen sliding door. I was distressed and talked to San Jose Police, who promised to send an officer to inspect our home. The San Jose Police showed up a few hours later and did not find anything noteworthy (though no indication of any kind was sent to me).
However, I did contact my neighbor, Savely Polovets, who also checked my kitchen sliding door and found it locked and unbroken. Thus, all I could conclude was that the sensor on my kitchen door was malfunctioning.
In the evening, Inna visited the local Russian grocery store to purchase a few dumplings and other Russian treats.
For dinner, we reheated Russian blintzes and enjoyed some freshly baked pastries.
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
In the morning, I woke a bit later, at around 7:50am, showered, and went for a stroll on the walking path around the Charles River. It was warm but quite windy, with ripples on the Charles River. Despite the strong, gusty wind, many teams rowed, and I saw many 2-seater, 4-seater, and 6-seater racing hulls gliding by.
After a short breakfast of blueberries and yogurt, I made a pot of fresh coffee. Inna and I discussed our plans for the week and decided on the following activities:
- Wednesday, May 18: 11:30am
Through the discovery of exoplanets — the thousands of planets that have been found orbiting stars beyond the Sun — we have learned that our solar system is not alone in the universe, and we have had to redefine our understanding of planets and solar systems.With new achievements like the Kepler Telescope and rapidly improving technology, the discovery of exoplanets puts us one step closer to the possibility of finding an Earth-like world. How will this change how we view our place in the universe?
- Thursday, May 19: 8:00pm
- Boston Pops - "The Magical Music of Alan Menken" - Table 101 Row S, Seat 2
Legendary composer Alan Menken has created some of the most beloved songs and musical scores of our time. From stage to screen, his music has enchanted audiences of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Little Shop of Horrors, Newsies, King David, Hercules, and Tangled, among others. Join Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops for a concert filled with all your favorite songs performed by Broadway stars Susan Egan (Beauty and the Beast, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Cabaret, State Fair), Telly Leung (Glee, Aladdin, Rent), and Alton Fitzgerald White (The Lion King, The Color Purple, Ragtime, Miss Saigon).
- Friday, May 20: 10am - 10pm
In the afternoon, Inna went out for a stroll to the Charles River and, on the way back, met up with me at our usual spot - The Tatte Bakery in Harvard Square. We order the following items:
- Boris: Lemonade, Flat Bread with Peas
- Inna: Latte, Sandwich
I enjoyed my Flatbread, and it was nice to drink Lemonade instead of my usual mocha. I had a noon meeting, so I left Inna at Tatte to return to our apartment.
I had a lot of work meetings to attend. Inna returned a bit later and continued her work.
We decided to see the Boston Common and the Public Gardens in Back Bay in the evening. We walked to the Central T-station and boarded the Redline toward Park Street. After exiting from the T-station, we walked around Boston Commons.
It was a beautiful but windy day, and we saw many dogs running around. A children's carousel was in the park, but it was not operating. We wanted to see the Frog Pond, but it turned out to be empty, with no frogs or water. The Frog Pond is used in the winter for ice skating, but we thought it would be a pond in the summer.
From the Boston Commons, we walked toward Public Gardens, which has a famous statue of George Washington on a horse.
Many tulips were still growing (though past prime), and Inna stopped by to take many photos. The large pond in the garden was full, but none of the Swan Boats were out yet.
We saw a few recent graduates taking photos of themselves.
We strolled around the park, taking multiple photos and stopping by various sculptures, including the Ether Monument (discovery of ether to prevent pain during surgery) and Make Way for Ducklings.
After enjoying the park, we decided to walk back to the MGH T-stop to see more of Boston on the way. We saw many cafes and restaurants and enjoyed the walk.
I noticed the Community Boating Sailing Club near MGH T-stop. The club rents out boats to qualified skippers. I was considering renting out a dinghy for a sail on the river.
| Boat Type | Capacity | Price | Damage Waiver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhodes 19 | 5 person | $119 | $15 |
| Cape Cod Keel Mercury | 4 person | $85 | $10 |
We took the Redline to our Central T-stop and returned home, stopping at Whole Foods to purchase some seltzer water and bananas.
For dinner, Inna reheated some blintzes.
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
I woke up late (due to being a bit tired). I still felt stuffy and was unsure whether I had allergies or a cold coming on.
Inna had an early appointment to see a massage therapist, but there was a scheduling problem, and she could not get the message. However, she did manage to stop by Tatte Bakery for some coffee.
I worked in the morning and made a fresh pot of coffee. When Inna returned, we ordered Uber to take us to the Charles Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Science. We stood in the box office line when we arrived and purchased two tickets for the Undiscovered Worlds show at 11:30 am.
Through the discovery of exoplanets — the thousands of planets that have been found orbiting stars beyond the Sun — we have learned that our solar system is not alone in the universe, and we have had to redefine our understanding of planets and solar systems.With new achievements like the Kepler Telescope and rapidly improving technology, the discovery of exoplanets puts us one step closer to the possibility of finding an Earth-like world. How will this change how we view our place in the universe?
We enjoyed the show very much, and I recalled the EdX: Alien Worlds course I took a few years ago about discovering exoplanets.
It was all very familiar - using the start's wobble to identify star systems with planets and the regular dip in a star's brightness (as small as 1%) to find planets transiting.
We decided to walk back (instead of taking Uber) to get some additional exercise. The walk back took about 50 minutes, but we stopped by the Cambridge Side Shopping Mall (near Charles Riverboat Company). In the mall, Inna tried some bubble tea from Gong Cha. She did not think it was as delicious as the one we tried in Tokyo.
After we returned to our 334 Harvard Street apartment, I made a quick lunch of toasted bread, cream cheese, turkey, and cheese. I returned to work and continued, though I had a bit of a headache from the cold.
We decided to get some fresh air in the evening by walking around the Charles River. It was a straightforward walk with a beautiful sunset to top off the day.
Inna boiled some pelmeni for dinner and shared delicious Russian pastries with hot black tea.
Thursday, May 19, 2022
In the morning, I woke up at around 8:00. I took a shower and ate a small breakfast of yogurt, raspberries, and blueberries.
Inna and I decided to walk around Charles River and stop by Tatte Bakery for lunch.
Inna and I worked indoors for most of the day.
In the evening, Inna and I took the MBTA bus #1 (Harvard to Nibian Station) to Back Bay to see Boston Pops - "The Magical Music of Alan Menken" (which I wrote about in a separate post).
Friday, May 20, 2022
In the morning, I worked up at 8:15, a bit tired. I took a shower, shaved, and ate a small breakfast of yogurt, raspberries, and blueberries.
After breakfast, I went for a walk, listening to a new Audible audiobook - Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto by Tilar J. Mazzeo.
An extraordinary and gripping true account of Irena Sendler - the "female Oskar Schindler" - who took staggering risks to save 2,500 children from death and deportation in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II.
Inna needed to see the chiropractor. When she returned, we decided to walk to Tatte Bakery for lunch.
Alex messaged Inna to tell her that he caught a cold and was not feeling well. We hoped to eat dinner with him in the evening but may have to postpone.
After waiting in a very long line (though Inna managed to find a cute table on the first floor), we ordered the following items (time to try something new):
- Boris: Spinach, Sunchoke, & Egg Plate, Mocha (12oz)
- Inna: Strawberry Tea Cake, Cranberry Pistachio Cookies, Meze Breakfast, Latte (12oz)
I enjoyed my Spinach, Sunchoke, and egg plate. It was smaller and healthier than my usual pastry-filled breakfast. Inna also enjoyed her Meze Breakfast.
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