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Settling into Boston
Post #846 • August 7, 2006, 8:37 AM • 10 Comments
The longterm project of relocation continues successfully. I have Mass plates on the car and a Mass driver's license on the way. I have Mass health insurance. I have a Boston Public Library System card. I baked my first scrod. I found one of the most wonderful used bookstores on earth in Davis Square, McIntyre and Moore, where I picked up Stuart Davis's Abstract Argot by William Wilson ($9.50!), a little monograph of the Pieros at San Francesco, Arezzo ($12.50!), a hardbound copy of Clement Greenberg's The Harold Letters ($8!), an advance copy of Art's Prospect by Roger Kimball complete with its press release ($13!), and Stand Still Like the Hummingbird by Henry Miller ($7!). While in the neighborhood I found the joints where the Mass Go Club and Dorkbot meet. I went for a run along the Charles. I located the South End Buttery and had cupcakes - exquisite cupcakes - for dinner.
In related news, I have become the proud sponsor and host of BillMarx.com. Bill is a veteran critic of theater, books, and other media with 25 years of experience here in Beantown. From 2000 until recently, he ran a successful online arts publication for WBUR, and he continues to teach at BU. The design and functionality are provisional, but his blog is up and running. (Just because I want to hear Alesh tell me he hates me - we're running TextPattern with clean URLs. Yep.) (Seriously, I may be asking you for TXP help soon.)
Today, JL and I are off to the Peabody Essex. If I can fit it in, tonight is the monthly meeting of Grey Thumb. Soon I will be dropping my R's.
2.
August 7, 2006, 3:27 PM
Hittle's Used and Antiquarian books in Ft. Lauderdale is excellent
Kafka's on South Beach is ok or used to be.
3.
August 7, 2006, 7:10 PM
Kafka's isn't much good anymore. In Miami I recommend the Kendall Bookshelf.
4.
August 7, 2006, 8:53 PM
I was messing around with clean URI's for awhile, but it caused problems when linking to non-TXP URI's (like .com/stats), and I realized that my experiments were breaking permalinks in the meantime. I made a perfunctory attempt at learning .htaccess syntax, realized that life was too short, and decided to think of my ".php?var=" URI's as a homage to Artblog.net. (I'm sure you'll love TXP more the more you use it. I'll help if I can, but better then that, their forum is astounding. You know the "one year ago" thing on CM?? Some custom PHP that Mary wrote that for me in response to a snippy comment. Worked right out the box. Those folks never cease to amaze me.)
Seriously, though, I'm totally jealous of your move north. And ever since I read this, I've been very aware of the void you left down here when you left.
5.
August 7, 2006, 8:57 PM
McIntyre and Moore kick ass. A great, great used book store. We're blessed with many of them in these parts--sometimes where you'd least expect them--but that's a special one. And their art, archaeology, history, and classics sections are among the highlights of the store. I have to be careful in there.
A fun day today at an odd and wonderful museum. I'm not always convinced by what they do, or think that they have the most aesthetically significant collections; but the Peabody Essex has character and style, and doesn't give you what you see at any old art museum. The connections between the collection and the place are strong and specific. And the good stuff they present is often superlative.
6.
August 8, 2006, 8:54 AM
can I gush some more? Last night I requested a tweak to a Textpattern plugin on the forum. This morning there was a new version in my inbox. Imagine Blogger responding to feature requests that way and spend the morning chuckling.
7.
August 8, 2006, 11:20 AM
So it's pronounced "Gay Thumb" in Boston then is it?
8.
August 8, 2006, 11:22 AM
Not those R's. Repeat after me: "Pahk the cah at Hahvahd Yahd."
9.
August 8, 2006, 11:53 AM
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/08/business/worldbusiness/08bodies.html?hp&ex=1155096000&en=c6a30b6ca56c7dd7&ei=5094&partner=homepage
I know you eat this stuff up. Enjoy.
10.
August 8, 2006, 12:52 PM
Hold that thought, China. Guess what today's post is about?
1.
Sneekie Piet
August 7, 2006, 2:43 PM
Good to hear the positive settlement progress!
You did a good thing by Mr. Marx. Way to support the community!
Grey Thumb is cool! Why don't we have groups like that here? Why??
Used book stores! Why don't we have good ones here in Miami?? What is the deal with that? It is a bummer.