17 weeks around the sun - instagram style

Another week down. Insane that come tomorrow it will be May. This week was pretty good. We had a lovely 3 inches of rain on Monday, which made going back to school soggy to say the least.  The semester is officially over and I have two weeks off until Summer A (and my last seminar) begins. Other than that, it's business as usual in Brookline. Ready or not, bring on May!

And my favorite photo of the month, a picture from the NY Botanical Gardens.

Debt and Gratitude

This morning, I was watching CBS Sunday Morning; the cover story was on the hot button issue of the amount of debt college and graduate students graduate with.  

And then suddenly. I was overcome with a feeling of gratitude.  Gratitude for these two amazing and loving people. 

My Bubbe and Zayda.  They worked so hard to ensure a future for my mom and uncle, but also for their 5 grandchildren.  It is because of their hard work and determination that I do not have to worry about loans or debt.

I was able to go to graduate college and will graduate Wheelock without loans. I will be able to start my life without a burden. I cannot truly express how immensely blessed I feel by my Bubbe and Zayda.

It was because of this generosity that I knew I could become a teacher. I knew I wouldn't have to worry about any loans hanging above my head.

So while I may not be in debt due to loans, I am forever in debt for the love and generosity Bubbe and Zayda gave to me. This is a a debt of love and thanks, and one that I will forever hold in my heart to help me remember them dearly.

New title, budding entrepreneur

I am taking a chance and am going to start dipping my toes into the entrepreneur world. 

Two summers ago, when I was working at camp, I took tons of pictures of all of our summer fun. I was thinking of a easy and creative way to share all the fun we had with my campers and their families and I created a DVD slideshow, complete with music and some other bells and whistles. 

The parents were pretty impressed, one mother told me to ditch grad school and make a business out of this little hobby. Well, that didn't seem so practical, so I stayed in grad school, but the love and a new hobby emerged. 

For Noam's first birthday I put together hundreds of pictures into an 18 minute movie of his first year, with his favorite songs and the best pics of his year. It was a hit with the family and I thought I might really be onto something. So, to help bolster my income (or lack there of at the moment)  have decided to launch a small business creating slideshows for all sorts of occasions! 

I am nervous and excited to start this newest chapter in my life. I am able to use different templates and layouts (I use imovie) and music, and I can burn your memories onto DVDs for your enjoyment.

Here is a preview of what I can do, this is a shortened version of Noam's video (youtube won't accept all amazing 18 minutes of it).

I am still working on pricing and options, but to start out here is what I am thinking (since this is a start first clients have a chance to negotiate!)

For 50 - 100 pictures - I will start the pricing at 55 dollars (highly competitive!) 

For 100 to 200 pictures - I will be starting the pricing at 95 dollars (very competitive!)
For 200 or more pictures - I will be starting the pricing at 145 dollars (also very competitive!)

The prices above include:
- A high quality DVD of your slideshow, complete with DVD menu (like a movie has!)
- Transitions, panning, and Ken Burns
- Title pages and captions (if desired)

If I need to buy the songs you would like in your video, I will charge the amount it costs to buy them (again, very competitive!) I will also scan in any pictures, for an additional small fee.

There will be a charge for shipping and any additional DVDs you would like. Right now I will ship to the US and Canada, but can upload a video to youtube if you live abroad (or we can talk about shipping options for you!)

So! What does this all mean!? I am open and ready to help make your memories into wonderful movie slideshows! Please, spread the word, if your friend's child has a birthday coming up let them know, if you have a wedding coming up, think about a slideshow for your reception, if you have a bar/bat mitzvah coming up, think about a great addition to your party!!

I am working on a Facebook page, possibly an Etsy page, and maybe a blog (using this one for right now!).  I am open to talking about pricing or hearing feedback since this is all just getting started!

So please, spread the word! And I can't wait to hopefully preserve your memories into wonderful long lasting and professional slideshows!!

Fenway Open House

So, for Thursday of my Spring Stay-cation, I had planned on just having a quiet, at home day. I had just planned to do some grocery shopping, get some more work done, putter around the apartment, etc etc. Then I woke up, checked twitter and saw that the Red Sox were hosting an "Open House" - the park was open to the public all day. For free. Yes please! 

 I met up with Emily in the mid-afternoon (along with most of Boston) and we had a nice time wandering about the ball park.

One of the amazing once in a lifetime opportunities was a chance to walk on the warning track. We didn't walk all the way round, since it was insane, but we did go out of the tunnel and stand there for a bit of time!

 Seriously, I died and went to baseball heaven. On the track. Next to the field. Amazing.

 Proof we were there! An aside, I am loving the sun flares in most of these pictures!

We passed up the waiting in line to walk all the way round to the Green Monster, but seriously, just being this close is amazing!

Hello, gorgeous! It's kind of crazy to realize, that although the park was packed, the number of people there didn't hold a candle to the number of people there during a game!

The most famous seats in baseball! This particular section is one of my favorite spots in the park, between home plate and third base.

It was such a fun afternoon! I've taken an official tour of the park before, but being able to walk around on my own, was just the icing on top of a great and relaxing spring break!

Week 16 around the sun

What a wonderful and relaxing week! I thoroughly enjoyed my spring vacation from teaching and school. It was so nice to just stay in Boston for this break. I enjoyed the amazing weather, finished all of my school work for this semester, and was able to enjoy some fun local events like the Marathon, walking around Downtown, and Fenway's open house! It really was a perfect stay-cation and now it's back to life!

Scav Hunt Sunday: Splashes of Sun

Splash:

 On a whim I chose to walk home from Fenway Park last week, rather than take the T.  Good thing I did since I heard a fountain and went "splash!"

Ancient:

 Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall in the background were built in the early 1800s are are still standing today. They are a popular tourist and shopping area, now-a-days and a fun spot to hang out on a nice day.

In the Sun:

 The temps were so summer-like this past week. People were out and about in Boston enjoying the warmth and sunshine!

Makes me Smile:

 I love watermelon. With the summer like weather I was so happy to see a street vendor at Quincy Market selling some fresh cut melon, it made me and my tummy smile!

Yellow:

Mellow yellow! I love how the yellow is also reflected in the knife's edge!

Recent Randoms

Les Mis stage. Fake network. Tickets.

Weird sandals. Science class. Dosa.

Pin-spired. Sunrise. Matzah sandwich.

Marathon Monday. Circus. TJ Pakoras.
Retail Therapy. Shopping Trip. Artichoke.
Campus. Froyo Treat. Spring Blooms.

Feel free to follow me! @Tamarsb

Stay-cation exploration

I've been thoroughly enjoying my spring vacation here in Boston. I usually go out of town for school breaks, but I decided to hang around here this time and I am glad I did. It's been so nice to be lazy in my apartment in the mornings and be able to enjoy Boston in the springtime. 

On Tuesday, I took advantage of the last day of summer temps (80s!) to head downtown. I had a nice long walk from Copley Square, window shopping my way to the Public Gardens. It was so nice, people were out lounging around. Children were playing, the trees were blooming: just gorgeous.

The swan boats were also giving rides! Perfect day for it too, they just launched for the season late last week, the weather sure has given tourists great riding weather.

 The garden is so well tended. Flowers everywhere all colors and varieties, such a nice spot of green in a busy city.

 Clearly, the good weather makes people unable to read or follow rules! No one seemed to be enforcing the rules though. And what kind of rule is that for the Public Garden?

 I love this bridge that goes over the swan pond. So simple yet so gorgeous. It gives a great view of the park, the pond, and the city. Such a wonderful gem in a historic city.

 After the Garden, I meandered my way through the Common to the old streets of Boston and eventually to the waterfront. I love it down there. Nothing fancy just a great warf and relaxing water.

I had such a nice time wandering around, not worrying about much of anything. After the warf I went over to Quincy Market and did some shopping! I mean it isn't spring break without some retail therapy! All in all, it's been a lovely spring vacation, and there are still a few more days to savor!

Marathon Monday!

Yesterday was one of the most exciting days of the year in Boston: Marathon Monday! Marathon Monday is always run on Patriot's Day, which is a state holiday and everyone comes out to watch the marathoners! 

 I had somethings to take care of downtown, near the finish line, on Sunday. It was fun to get to see the finish line, with every other tourist in Boston.  It was cool to think that less than 24 hours from then the top finishers would be racing across the line!

Of course, it was going to be insanely warm yesterday, record heat. So hot that they were telling runners it was ok to defer racing until next year. By mid-day it was 86 degrees (it's April...in Boston).

Anyway, back to the race! As I was coming back from the gym I arrived at the race course a few minutes before the wheelchair racers were supposed to arrive. It was so amazing to see these men come whizzing through. They actually broke records, the heat apparently is better for their muscles!

 After that I knew I had some time before the Elite Women and Men ran through (I live at mile 24 of 26.2). So I ran home and got my big camera and a big bottle of water and headed back to the course. By then people were coming out to support the runners!

 Then we heard the cheers down the road and knew the elite women were about to arrive. Look at the pace time! 2:17:40! These women are amazing! They weren't breaking records, but they were doing an amazing job considering the heat!

 The women on the right, in the pink shorts, ended up winning the women's race. She finished in 2:31:50. Yup, 14 minutes later she crossed the finish line, 2.2 miles down the road. Amazing.

 Then just a few minutes later the elite men came through. The leader, the man on the right above, made it 24 miles in under two hours. He ended up winning it all in 2:12:40! The heat did get to one elite male runner, the man they thought would win it all, he had to bow out due to heat related issues.

 It is so fun to be out with everyone! The spirit in the crowd is so great. You just call out runner's bib numbers or their name if they are wearing it. To see them smile or give a thumbs up, when they must be so hot and so tired at mile 24 is so great.

 Even after running for close to 3 or 4 hours most people were still doing just that: running. It was amazing to see some walking and to call out "you can do it 2310" and to see them smile and start jogging again!

 You also see people of all shapes, sizes, ages, and the like. You even see people who are running barefoot by mile 24. Can you say post-marathon-tetanus shot? 

 Then there are the amazing people who make you go, "oy, and I complain about working out when I have the sniffles." Blind runners, running with guides and runners with prosthetics. If they can do it, maybe I should try too!

 There was also no shortage of methods to keep the runners safe. The police were making, yes making, the runners run through the cooling tent which was hooked up to a fire hydrant and then being cooled in some fancy looking machine. By the time I left the course at 3:30 (6 hours after the elite women started) the road was littered with cups and water bottles. The only time there is a good excuse to litter, I suppose.

And of course there were the hilarious costumes. How they ran in these, let alone running in them in the heat is beyond me! There also was a bumble-bee, a banana, and a few men in kilts!

Congrats to all those who ran the marathon, the heat was extreme and your determination was amazing!