I was away all day at a Sidney-Pacific house government retreat (because I'm the assistant webmaster, you know!). It was at MIT's Endicott House, which is a mansion that MIT rents out to people for conferences and stuff. It would be an awesome place for a wedding because they have beautiful landscaping and secluded areas all around the estate.

The details of my day wouldn't be interesting to anyone outside of the SP government (and Patrick, because he *has* to be interested!), but I took some pictures, if you want to take a look. Click the frilly pink bathroom to see more pictures!

This place was awesome! There was a bunch of free food, and (as you can see) the bathroom antechamber was so fancy! The bathroom itself was less impressive. There wasn't like a valet holding the toilet paper or anything :)

And I made some new friends and got some new ideas about things to do with the SP webpage in the upcoming year. It was a good experience :)

Movie Update #2: A Guy Thing was much better than The Sweetest Thing. It made me laugh, and it was romantic, and it had a happy ending. My movie-renting adventure was a success!

Movie Update: The Sweetest Thing is a god-awful movie. At one point, the characters break into a song about penises in a Chinese restaurant. I'm surprised that three big-name actresses would be in something so tasteless. But whatever. It had a few good moments, and now at least I know I wasn't missing much by not renting it earlier. Glad I didn't subject Patrick to it!

I don't like being negative about movies though, because I'm sure plenty of people liked it. I guess if you're looking for a tacky movie that isn't afraid to make fun of itself and has lots of low-brow humor, you might enjoy it!

The weather was great today! It was the perfect day to leave work early, rent some movies, and eat ice cream. So that's what I did :)

See, Anne (my advisor) took the day off, so we didn't have group meeting, so I left work around 12:30. The blue Reeboks I ordered from Zappos showed up, but they were too small, and I didn't like the toe shape, so I decided to return them (incidentally, I was impressed by Zappos' customer service, so even though the shoes weren't great, I'll probably order from them again). I had to take them to Mailboxes Etc. to send them back, and the nearest one is a 20 minute walk away.

So I put on my new capri pants and some flip flops (no open-toed shoes are allowed in lab, so I have to wear my flip flops every chance I get outside of work) and walked down to Mailboxes Etc. On the way back home, I stopped at Hollywood Express in Central Square (the Blockbuster Video in Central Square sucks, plus Hollywood Express is local, so I feel like a good person when I go there :) I rented The Sweetest Thing and A Guy Thing (I'm having an unplanned Selma Blair-athon). I don't think Patrick wants to see either of them. Of course, after the Down with Love incident, who knows :)

And then I got ice cream at Toscanini's--one scoop of Gingersnap Molasses and one of Cocoa Pudding (incidentally, in their description of Gingersnap Molasses on their webpage, they mention the Great Molasses Flood of 1919, which Patrick and I learned about on our very first visit to Boston). Both flavors were delicious, but I think Cocoa Pudding was the superior flavor. I ate my ice cream at the park on Sidney Street (it's not really a park by California standards--it's just a nicely landscaped area in front of a bunch of big buildings). And then I stopped by Passports (the expensive deli on the first floor of my dorm) and bought myself a fancy salami sandwich for dinner. I think the ice cream made me do it--normally I'm good at denying myself expensive food, but I just couldn't resist today!

It was a very nice walk--the only thing that would've made it better would have been if Patrick was there to enjoy it with me (well, fewer homeless people and more squirrels and flowers would've been nice too, but that's not really a reasonable request, now is it?). I'm so happy right now :) I should eat ice cream more often, I think.

I was in a good mood today--not sure if it's because I wore my new necklace or because it was sunny. It's nice feeling happy! Unfortunately, the rain's coming back tomorrow, so let's hope it was the necklace that made me feel good. Doubtful...

Erin saw Down with Love and enjoyed it. I want to see it too! There are a lot of upcoming summer movies that look good (Charlie's Angels 2, for instance). Patrick and I are going to have to go to the movies during every visit to keep up with all the movies I want to see! I guess I could also go to the movies alone, but I tried that once, and it was depressing. When I'm alone places, I notice all the happy couples, and it makes me miss Patrick something fierce!