Tag Archives: Boston

My lament

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*SIGH*

U2 is in Boston tonight (Somerville, technically), giving a special not-so-secret-anymore Q&A/performance for a lucky 900 or so people.  Unfortunately, tickets to this event were not put up for sale and were only given away by local radio stations.  So close, yet so far.  It’s a bit frustrating, seeing as I’ve worked with their music so much these past two years.  In fact, I feel very confident in saying that I don’t think there’s anyone in New England, perhaps even the country, who deserves to get up close and personal with the band more than I.  Conceited and a bit self-centered?  Sure.  But I wrote a freakin’ dissertation on their music, so I’d like that counts for something.

Oh well…I’m trying to think positively.  The way I see it, I’m happy to think that, although I’m missing an opportunity to see them tonight, I’m eligible for pre-sale tickets to their concert tour this fall.  So, while the rest of the Boston area is waiting for tickets to go on sale on Monday, 30 March, I’ll already have my seats already reserved for their September 20th show at Gillette Stadium.  I just knew that being a U2.com subscriber would really pay off eventually!

U23D

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U23D is U2’s latest foray into the cinematic world.  It’s also a breakthrough film, as it’s the first live-action movie shot and presented in digital 3-D.  It was originally released last year, but since it wasn’t showing in Tallahassee (and the nearest theater with showtimes was four away, plus I was in the throes of getting my dissertation wrapped up) I didn’t get a chance to see it.  Luckily for me (and all the other U2 fans out there), it was re-released this week for a limited run at select IMAX theaters.

I drove down to Boston last night and checked it out.  It was, in a word, incredible, both from a U2 fan’s standpoint and from a general cinematic perspective.  The 3-D effects were amazing, like Adam Clayton was going hit my head with his bass or like I was going to trip over Larry Mullen’s drums.  More impressive than the actual 3-D, however, were the shots the filmmakers got.  Despite the venue being huge, the footage captured on film was quite intimate, with many close-ups of the band and crowd alike.  And the grandiosity of IMAX screen and digital surround sound really immersed the audience in the whole experience.  It was like we were at the concert, only we got better views of the band.

img_0710Pre-show snapshot, trying the 3-D glasses.

img_0711On my way out of the theater: one last shot of the fancy specs.

Watching the movie also reminded me of the power of music, not just U2’s, but music in general.  The concert footage was from South America, a place where English is not the primary language, yet the entire audience sung along to every word of every song of the show.  It was awesome.  And I’ve heard stories about many other rock bands experiencing the same thing.  The way I see it, the fact that non-English speakers can sing and scream and show along with songs that aren’t even in their native tongue reinforces the universality of music.  It’s an art form that knows no barriers, one that connects with people on basic, almost primal, levels.  That fact makes me proud to do what I do.

One monthaversary

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It’s official: I am now a full-fledged resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  I know, I know.  I’ve been living here a month now (I still can’t believe I live here, by the way), but it all became “official” last week, when the last vestige of my life in Florida went by the wayside: I got Massachusetts license plates.  I’ve discovered many things about this portion of the country, some good, some not-so-good.  My last entry was about the things I’ll miss about Tallahassee.  And sure enough, those all still hold true.   But rather than dwell on the negative of no longer being in a place I liked, I thought I’d make a list of the stuff that has impressed me about Lowell and the surrounding area.  Here goes:

1. The weather at this time of year is absolutely gorgeous.  I mean, for the last two weeks, it’s just been stunning.  Highs maxing out in the low 80’s (and by low 80’s, I’m talking 80, 81 tops.), bright sunshine, clear skies, light breezes.  And I live right on the Merrimac River, so it’s a pleasure walking Oreo (except that she still gets a bit crazy when other pets are around).  I know it’s only a matter of time before the weather gets miserable, so I’ll take as many perfect days  as I can get before Old Man Winter dumps all over the place.

2. I absolutely love my new apartment.  It’s bright and clean and spacious, thereby making me more fastidious about keeping it up.  I haven’t left dishes in the sink, I make my bed on a daily basis, and have been pretty good about not letting clutter build up.  Hopefully it keeps up once the school year starts.  Plus, I have a little balcony so I can enjoy the nice weather even more.

3. I have ready access to a major city (Boston) and its airport (Logan International).  Now, don’t get me wrong: I loved Tally’s airport and it’s ultra-low stress level, but it’s nice having travel options and seeing affordable flight prices out of an airport that’s less than an hour away.  Plus, I have access to Manchester’s Regional Airport, too, which gives me even more options.

4. I live two miles from school.  Literally.  My commute takes 10 minutes, tops, and that’s only because I have to deal with traffic crossing the Rourke Bridge.

5. The view from my UML office is great.  I’m on the fourth floor of the Fine Arts building, on the side that overlooks the Merrimac.  Here’s what I see when I look out the window:

6. The drive up to Nashua, NH (where I do a lot of my shopping) is scenic and low-stress.  It follows the Merrimac for the majority of the tree-lined 7-mile ride.  It’s going to be beautiful in the fall with all the leaves changing colors, and even in the early winter, with a light snowfall filtering through the canopy.

7. Since this area is so old, the streets are not organized very well (read: no grid and poor city planning), which can be interminably frustrating.  But instead of looking at it negatively, I’ve tried to see it as a challenge to learn a new part of the country.  I got to know Houston because I lived there for so long.  Chicago was very easy to get a handle on because the city is on a grid.  Tally was small enough that it didn’t take very long to know my way around.  Lowell is small, too, but the city’s one giant spaghetti bowl.  Learning my new digs will take some time, but the way I see it, if I can learn this place, I can get along anywhere.

It’s only been a month.  That month, however, has gone by rather quickly, and time is sure to fly once the school year gets rolling.  I can’t wait to discover more about Lowell and Boston and New England in general.