I’m a .com

Under The Tree

Look what Santa had left for me under the tree. Unwrap! Sweeeeeeeeet!

Boy With a Squirrel

After pleasantly celebrated Christmas Eve and Day, on the 26th - Monday - we went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Kate came to pick me up around 8:30am and we departed the quiet Cape to replace it with the busy City. I’m the king of getting lost in Boston and I suppose I menage to do it even when I’m not driving. Paul, Kate’s son, concluded that it was my bad luck that got us lost. When elaborating on the subject, however, I think it is Boston, not me. See the thing is… driving through Boston always contains tons of interwoven streets, roads and avenues, what gets me are the innumerable highway exits. I call it “the eternal New Hampshire threat,” you make one little mistake and the curse is allover you - cars honking, sweat running down your crack, intimidation and paranoia, and then the worst of it - you are on the interstate for NH. But then again, there is the “Angel of the lost,” I always, somehow miraculously, end up on the right place.

Kate and Paul had tickets for Ansel Adams (A master of Black and White) but it had sold out so I couldn’t get in. we parted and I wandered away with the general admission. I started with Tibet and China, then Egypt, I had just made it in ancient Rome when they called and joined me. We revisited my track and I gave them the highlights of my journey so far.

We broke for lunch at the restaurant in the museum - fancy, fancy place. After leisure luncheon, for about 40 bucks a piece, exhausted and reluctant we returned back to the exhibits. Despite our tiredness we dove right back at it. Up until that point I had not seen any pictures but then I saw an entire hall devoted to the Cubists and that was it for me. I was examining every single piece, reading thoroughly the descriptions; I spent extensive amount of time on Pablo Picasso, and I was most impressed wit the Bull and the reduction of the Bull.

We were wining down when I saw it - the boy with the squirrel - I saw a portrait of my self when I was sixteen. I couldn’t help it but to ejaculate “Guys it me!” Kate and Paul seemed to not be impressed with the resemblance so I had no choice but to approach the picture and stick my head in front of it, imitating the innocent face of the boy from 1765. The effect was stunning; Kate was laughing so hard that she had to step away and sit down. We spent quite some time evaluating the similarities and the dissimilarities such as “the eyes, the lips and the jaw line are very similar but the nose and the fingers are too refined and the ear is definitely not mine.”

I’ll have you judge for yourself:

I don’t know how much more time we had spent there but soon after we left Kate suggested that we hurry off to the gift shop. I didn’t wanna go but apparently she had something in mind. We were in the gift shop for only 5 minutes when, as Kate calls them, “the ugly lights went off.” I knew that she was plotting something so I stepped out. She came out with a gift bag and said, “here, happy Hanukah,” and handed me the bag. It was a reproduction of John Singleton Copley’s “Henry Pelham (Boy with a Squirrel) 1765″

Cliff’s Birthday

This is how a Birthday invitation should be conducted, click HERE!

The Christmas Return of Deuce

I received couple of packages from Ron for Christmas. He is Joan’s sister - Debbie - best friend. Ron is very generous, I mean very generous. He always sends us gifts for Christmas. The last 2 years he sent me a $100 gift certificate for American Eagle. He is also notorious for his sense of humor. Both packages had a little note saying:

Milen:
Sorry. I just couldn’t resist getting you this.
Ron L.

You can open the packages with me by clicking HERE.

Speaking of Ron’s generosity, in august he took us all to see the “Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway. He had gotten 8 forth-row tickets - The chandelier flew above our heads and almost caught Joan’s hairdo; I could conduct the band, we were that close to the stage.

The second Deuce Bigalow (European Gigolo) had just came out. The entire city was covered with posters and an enormous billboard of the movie on Time Square. May be a month prior to that various, random people had started telling me that I look like him and I grew increasingly disturbed. I had the longish curly hair and everything. When I told them about my struggle with Deuce, Ron got a total kick out of it. He kept on giggling every time we passed by anything with Deuce, and let me tell ya - Deuce was literally on every corner of the city, every buss station etc. The image was haunting me; I even kicked one of the buss station posters at some point. I insisted however that I’m way handsomer!!! Regardless, I thing that the inevitable resemblance hugely contributed to my change of hair back to short.

Christmas Parties

Examining my own blogging behavior I realize that my entries have been reduced to weekend activities. In this manner I wold like to share about the weekend of December 10th. I was invited to a charity function in Villa Victoria, Boston. It was a drive for toys for underprivileged children. The invitation came from George and Carl who were on the committee of the raiser.

I was on the guest list and was allowed a “+ 1.” I invited Omar to join me. It was a formal dress code, not a tuxedo formal but a dress-up formal. We arrived at Villa Victoria unfashionably late - the event starting around 8:00pm and we made it about 11:30pm. Sure I had to work that day and drive to Boston afterwards, but still. I was hopping that no one would notice or care, but alas we saw Carl at the door and the first words he said were “hey, how are you? You guys are late!” Couple of other friends of Carl, who were also part of the organizers, noticed our late arrival too. And finally, if I’m not mistaken George said something about it as well.

I was utterly impressed with the place. It is a beautiful building on the outside as well as inside and it was decorated amazingly well - everything was white, from tablecloths to Christmas trees, garlands and ornaments. I loved the fact that everyone, almost to the last person, had dressed properly. The best part was when we saw the stage covered with toys, pilled up to the ceiling. Everybody had to bring 5 unwrapped toys. I loved the atmosphere; everyone was in such an uplifted mood of festivity and benevolence. I suppose that’s why I kept on saying, “I feel so benevolent,” and I thing that people didn’t find it funny, but you know me, I always have to say something insane over and over again, otherwise it wouldn’t be me, would it.

I was surprised to find that the event provided an open bar. I don’t know if it was the suit or the seriousness of the place but I didn’t feel like taking full advantage of the open bar or I was just too busy mingling. I behaved on a few beers, nothing embarrassing, for once - LOL. I left the “disgrace of open bar” to other people (I’m definitely not mentioning names). You know, the mumbling, the lack of coordination and the untactful comments and questions. I’m ought to mention that the music was span by Richie Rich, he is the best DJ in New England I think. I actually saw a lot of people I know and had great time talking to them; it seemed though the night flew by in 20 minutes. The very end was the time that most of the people I knew had gathered together, everybody with a fair buzz and dancing. The best music was at the end and it was a regretful adjourning.

Next day, on Sunday, was my work Christmas party. This is the second year that our regional manger is organizing and sponsoring a Christmas party, very nice of him. I never liked the work parties, for various reasons, but given the effort put I felt somehow obligated to honor it. I’m breaking the blog rules talking about work, but that’s about a party. Since we were discouraged from bringing spouses I decided that Kate and I would go as a date. I also decided that Kate should do curly hair. She liked the idea but instantaneously rejected it saying, “my hair do not hold curls.” I love Kate’s signature straight hair but I just thought that it would be a lot of fun to dress up “to the nines” and go to the party. We continued arguing over her hair in the next few days. Kate held the position that there isn’t a way for her to work till 3:00pm in Sandwich, go back to Yarmouth and then show up on time - 5:00pm - for the party in Hyannis. We actually went back and forth a lot more, and at the end I seemed to have dropped it. In the mean time, Kate called me, on Saturday, at work to tell me that she is picking up an outfit. I took off for Boston on Saturday, but I was back on time on Sunday to get a hair appointment for Kate. She came to pick me up and said that she wasn’t sure if it was worth it; I told her that it’s not for the party but it is for a good mood and fabulous memories. We made it just in time for the appointment; it took 1 hour and 15 minutes and the result was fantastic, beautiful, natural curls. We both looked great and had an awesome time.

Songs That Would Turn You Gay

One of my favorite moments from the morning show is when Dan and Stephanie sing. I remember a long time ago, when I wasn’t yet hooked on the show, thinking “those people have so much fun singing and laughing.” They use to do the singing game on Fridays. If I recall correctly this time they were doing songs that would turn you gay. Steff sang ABBA and Dan was accompanying with the ti-tu-tu, ti-tu-tu, ti-tu-tu. I called in to see what kind of insanity that is. Steff was trying to thing of a song to make Dan sing. At first I suggested Gloria Gainer but then I changed my mind and figured Cher, what’s gayer than Cher? I thought that “If I Could Turn Back Time,” with the Jack’s (from Will and Grace) “Wuoohh” would be most appropriate. You can listen to the actual performances by clicking on the following:
Steff’s Dancing Queen and respectively Dan’s “Wuooh.”

LUX (Batko)

I promised a view from the new, luxurious home. And here they are:

And my room is decided in a bit lighter arraignment:

My Name Is

My name contains only 5 letters; but despite its simplicity, it’s highly debated in pronunciation. I’ve heard many versions of it such as Mulan, Malin, Milton etc. and it is upsetting to have 5-letter, simple name that people always mispronounce. If I can name one version that I hate the most that wold be MILAAAN (like the city in Italy with a prolonged aaaaa), I hate when people call me that! What’s really weird, Dan has always known my name because of Stephanie, but even people that say my name right get confused sometimes. Dan even had the nerve to accuse ME in saying his name like a Jamaican. You can actually hear the debate over my name on the air, just click on My Name Is.