After work on Friday I hopped on a plane to Boston for WordCamp. It was a wonderful weekend that was much needed for me. I unplugged a bit (besides a few tweets here and there) and just tried to relax. I’ve been a bit stressed lately as FitBloggin is approaching.
Anyway the weekend really was fabulous although it started with not the best breakfast. . .
Don’t get me wrong I’m a HUGE everything bagel fan but I knew I’d be hungry in an hour and major cravings with kick in. But it was that or a muffin so I went with that and a smear of lite cream cheese.
After breakfast I headed over to the conference with my friend Jim Doran who was presenting. He proceeded to kick my ass at Chess while we waited for the conference to start….
I’ll go into more detail on some of the stuff I learned at the conference over at SkinnyMinnyMedia for my fellow geeks. :) It’s just going to take me a few days.
Unfortunately, lunch wasn’t too impressive at the conference either. Whole foods provided brown bags…
I ate half the sandwich but had to scrape off the mayo (just not a fan). The banana was all mush on the inside. And don’t even get me started on that Pro Bar. It was FOUR hundred calories and just not good. I only took a bite to try it. I learned long ago NOT to waste calories on food I don’t like.
They also handed out soup but it was New England Clam Chowder and I’m not crazy for creamy soup. No lectures please I realize I was actually IN New England but still, the stuff just grosses me out! I’d much rather Manhattan Clam.
Anyway, I’m getting side tracked. It was back to more sessions after lunch. The day was re-energizing. There is just something about being in a room with people who all understand what you do. It’s refreshing.
Post conference the group was having a reception at The Asgard. They offered a shuttle but Jim and I decided to walk it. It was cold but after sitting all day the stroll was nice and the view was even better…
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, we walked the wrong way and had to double back. So our 1.5 mile walk was more like 2 or 2.5 my fingers were numb but it was still nice.
I did bring my running clothes on the trip but it was just so darn COLD! Plus there was a lot of ice on the trails. I decided against it. Instead, I just stayed more active all weekend by taking stairs when I could (14 stories one time!) and not letting Jim carry my heavy bag as we walked through the city–even though he offered like a BAZILLION times. lol
On the way to the bar we passed this little Tai place and decided to go there for dinner. I rarely get to eat ethnic foods as the Husband’s not really into it so I seized the opportunity. It was DELICIOUS! So flavorful and gave me a few ideas for GreenliteBites.
At the reception I stuck with a few–ok 1 too may–Vodka Crans. It’s my new drink of choice. :)
I was a little tipsy walking back and then completely crashed. It was a long, great day but Sunday was even better!
Jim and I decided to visit the The Museum of Fine Arts together. We hopped on the T–what I would call the subway–and headed into Boston…
We were there in a jiffy! I really wish Baltimore had a better mass transit system. I’d be in the city ALL the time.
Anyway, the museum was AWESOME! Even the outside…
I had such a good time strolling through the museum. It was even more fun being there with an artist, like being with "an insider" or something. :)
Here I am at the Albrecht Dürer exhibit. It was awe inspiring and blew my MIND!
I could go on and on about the amazing pieces of art I saw but I need to wrap this up and get some sleep. However, I want to post this picture of a sculpture I saw. Look how beautiful these women figures are. NONE of them are super thin. They are curvy and round and beautiful. Each unique. I LOVE that.
Anyway… I wish I had more time there but I had to catch the flight home. Jim and I looked for a place to eat and due to time constraints we settled on a small pizza shop across from the museum. I had an eggplant parm and we shared some onion rings. It was good but nothing I’d want to eat every day (like I used to.)
I got home around 5PM and my boys were still alive. :)The husband wanted to go out to eat (*sigh*) so we settled on Panera and did some shopping at Target. It was fun and being around Ryan was so… so… intoxicating. He has that effect on me. :) We raced our wagon at Target, played with his new legos, read one of our new books (I bought a few at the museum like Asian Children’s Favorite Stories)
Right now I’m popping some Pop Chips. In addition to Panera I also ate 2 leftover slices of pizza the husband had in the fridge. Why? Good question. I wasn’t hungry but that darn pizza cast a spell. I couldn’t get it out of my head. I told you YEARS ago, I have a problem. ;~P
It’s no biggie, really.
I need to log off. I’m taking tomorrow off work but I have a big day planed. The car and my laptop are both getting serviced. Ryan is off of school and we are going to head downtown to the American Visionary Art Museum. What can I say, the museum bug has bitten. :)
Good night! I hope you all had a great weekend. I’m off to throw on my running clothes. I really want to get out there tomorrow morning.
20 Responses to My Wonderful Wordcamp Weekend in Pictures
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About Roni
Roni started this blog in '05 to journal her weight loss. 70lbs later, she's committed to living a conscious, healthy life and hopes to inspire others along the way. Read more on the about page.
Great post! It was a great weekend! Completely awesome.
Glad you had such a great time! Boston is definitely one of my favorite cities. Enjoy your day off tomorrow. :)
Sounds like fun! Boston really is amazing!
Glad you had fun in my hometown.
It is possible to run here – but you have to know where the non-icy paths are…
Just FYI – a vodka and cran has a name around these parts: a Cape Codder!
(That’s because all the cranberries are from Cape Cod.) Glad you had fun!
Did not know that! I love drink names. :)
Looks like an awesome time, Roni! Isn’t it great how being away for a couple of days helps you enjoy your family so much more when you come back? I always feel that way after a little time away from everyone :)
I live about ten miles north of the city. So glad you had a good time! The MFA is pretty incredible. I was there in the fall. Did you happen to see the “Pop Stars and Personas” display with tons of television screens, all of them showing fans singing along to their favorite songs? I thought it was mesmerizing to see how all those different fans interpreted the music of their favorite stars. Very creative display.
That pizza shop you went to reminds me of literally HUNDREDS of places out here–little family places that make pizza, subs and fatty greasy food. All white carbs, of course! There are ten on every block so it’s hard to resist then temptation. I try to keep it to once every two months.
I did see that and it was mesmerizing! Actually… (here’s how sappy I am) I shed a little tear. lol I loved it!
I love Boston! I went to college there, and I miss it so :-)
What a wonderful weekend Roni. The worse part about traveling is not being able to find healthy food! Enjoy your special day with Ryan. Kids grow up right before your eyes. My “little” guy is now 20 and 6′ 4″.!
The mother and son bond is a special one and I know what you mean when you say.” being around Ryan is so intoxicating.” My son has always been able to make me laugh even when I want to be mad at him!
Two of my best friends are from Boston originally, I have always wanted to visit. Your pictures of the cityscape are beautiful. I’m glad you had a good weekend! I love reading about how Ryan makes you so happy…it almost makes me want to have kids. Almost. ;)
It is so fun to be at a conference where people understand. I just had one last week and loved the understanding that we all shared.
And I love art like that because it reminds me the super skinny shape wasn’t always the norm and shouldn’t be now.
oh i wonder if that place was thailand cafe! love that place, miss it now that i don’t go to school up there anymore.
Love the food pictures! I really hope a wordcamp comes to my country.
S – I think it was. It just like 1-2 blocks from the Asgaurd. SO SO good!
thanks for the recap! and thanks for your hard work with fitbloggin, I’m really looking forward to it =)
I think you hit on a really important thing with the probar – it took me a while to learn not to eat things i dont like.
fun! Glad you and Jim had a good time!
I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things around here and maybe I’ll head up to WCBalt again :)
I’m so glad you had fun in Boston. I wish I knew you were here – I would have loved to have met you! Glad you like the MFA – it’s a great place! BTW, I loved your note next to Ryan’s artwork. Too precious!
Yay Boston!! I’m glad someone can realize just how COLD it is here. It really makes running quite the challenge. Happy you had a fun time!
Oh yeah, I meant to leave a comment last Saturday. This was a YEAR ago. Feels like forever.