Moving Day In Boston

Ah. September 1st in Boston. Moving Day. Our apartment is situated right inbetween BU and BC, so September brings tons of new and returning students. But folks aren't just moving in, some have to move out. And that means that the sidewalks are littered with old furniture and the dumpsters are overflowing into the road.

Since we're staying put this year, I took my camera for a little walk.

It was quite the scene. There were bright orange stickers on every piece of furniture on the sidewalk warning people not to take said furniture for fear of bedbugs.

I saw VHS tapes and records, men carrying new couches and old, a girl watching two grown men struggle to move a huge TV, dressers, mattresses, cookie sheets, fouton frames, and the list goes on.

Of course there were moving vans galore, but I especially liked the Gentle Giant. They have an awesome phone number, too: 800-GIANT-MEN (too many numbers, right?)! Amazing.

Welcome to September.

[Don't forget to check out the new stuff at ELM.]

First Blog Birthday

We started Objects of Communication one year ago today! Here's a little slide show of some of my favorite photos we've featued this year.

We've truly appreciated your encouragement and sweet comments. Thank you so much for following along!

From: Me

click image to enlarge

This hilarious sign appeared on the back door of our apartment building last week. I especially like who it's from.* And the penmanship.

In any event, yay for simpler recycling, though we didn't have trouble with it before. But easier is always nice. All in one bin. Weird, but I know they do it in Cambridge and some other areas. I have no idea how it works. Can you enlighten me?

*FYI: Our landlord is a weird guy, but he's also a really good landlord. Really good.

Mission: Failed

Yesterday morning I set out on a mission. And I totally failed. oh well, it happens. 

I headed over to DeLafayette Avenue in downtown Boston fully intending to photograph dancers in line for the So You Think You Can Dance auditions. I don't know if I was too late, if nobody in Boston wanted to try out, or if they were all inside registering and keeping warm and dry, but there was nobody there! On TV the lines are always down the block and around the corner. I did see two large bouncer-looking men standing outside an open door with a very tiny sign that said "So You Think You Can Dance Auditions," but they were intimidating and I was afraid to take a picture. 

Since I was downtown I decided to do some walking around. I stopped by a really old cemetery, called the Central Burying Ground, within Boston Common. I'd never been there before, and it was really cool. I'll probably go back. 

Then I made my way over to Charles Street and passed the Make Way For Ducklings sculpture.

I went to a super cute stationary store called Rugg Road Paper Company and had a nice little chat with owner. 

When I left, I took a picture of Black Ink's (neighbors with the paper store) window display, because it featured gnomes. I didn't go in, but I've been there many other times and it's always fun.

Finally I made my way over to the Library to pick up a few books that I had on hold. Then I got on the T and made my way home. 

So even though my mission was technically a failure, I'd say the outing was actually very successful! I enjoyed myself immensely (in spite of the cold, damp, dreary weather). 

In Case You Didn't Know

This sign is from the subway system, or Tube, in London.  I assume the purpose is to allow people a chance to think twice before attempting to walk up the stairs.  We don't actually remember who took this photo, but I'm taking credit via this post.  I think it'd be nice if everything was labeled in this manner.

Jesus Plastering

I was saving this one for Christmas, and then I totally forgot about it! Oops. Better late than never, right? 

I don't know really what to make of this. Jesus Plastering Corporation. What does it mean? Do they only plaster Jesuses? Is Jesus the name of the owner and they just forgot an apostrophe? And why do you suppose they're missing a big chunk of their van? Was there a plastering accident, or just a regular old accident? 

If you're anything like me, you're wondering what "blue board and plastering" means. Luckily, Bob Vila explains it here. 

Shredded Sign

Like so many signs posted on telephone poles, this one has been forgotten. Since people rarely go around to take them down, passersby are often left wondering whether or not dogs were found or sofas were sold. 

Stand With A Dog

On a bathroom door, you will often find a picture of a man or a woman - these don't tell us to do anything, but they still gives us information. But don't you think this is a funny sign? What does it say? Stand with a dog! 

Golf

We went golfing today. Yes, I went golfing; I don't even know how to play. I guess it would be more accurate to say that I hit a few balls in the practice area and then played the greens while The Schwarz played a full game. I had a lot of fun! I drove the cart like a real pro and got par on almost every hole (remember, I was only putting).

We didn't have to worry too much about wayward golf balls hitting us because the course was pretty empty. It was just perfect. 

Zaftigs

Yummm. Zaftig's! It's my favorite breakfast place for miles. We often eat at Zaftig's on Sunday mornings and there is usually a line out the door. I've been kown to wait for 45 minutes because there's no place else I'd rather go. We've also been for dinner a few times.

I love, love, love their Challah French Toast, and we both enjoy the Fried Egg BLT. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! 

Zaftig's walls are filled with Danny O's interesting creations. He resides in The Berkshires (like my family!). 

Change

Because of the election, there has been an awful lot of talk about change. I thought this photo would make an appropriate post-election entry. 

I saw this Seeds of Change ad a few weeks ago on the train. The quote, by Winston Churchill, is insightful and inspiring, but to use it to describe rice? Well, that's just hilarious (and a little lofty). I get what they are trying to say, of course. But really, this was their best idea? 

Sillier still: After all the talk about change, the ad doesn't look much different than your standard rice ad, does it? Maybe if their design reflected their quote I wouldn't have found the whole thing so absurd. 

Election Day USA!

Woo hoo! I finally voted and it was fabulous. It feels good to exercise my rights and help elect our next leader. It was really exciting to see a line of people outside the door. The only other time I've voted in Boston was for the primaries and it wasn't very busy, so I was thrilled to see everybody. Our polling place was pretty efficient and the wait wasn't bad at all. 

I hope you all did your part and cast your vote. Congratulations on moving on; no matter who wins, we'll soon be seeing some sort of change. 

P.S. Who knew "vote" was the same in Spanish? See the second photo above: "vote aqui."

Wort Hit

I spotted this sign hanging on a house in the Gingerbread community on Martha's Vineyard. Like many houses on the Vineyard, the houses in this community are named. The majority have cutesy names, like The Pink House, but I found this one a little confusing. I'm fairly certain the artist ran into spacing problems, which resulted in a sign reading Wort hit, rather than Worth it.

Both names raise questions:

• Why would you hit a wort or name your house after a wort?
  OR
• What is worth it? The house? The oddly colored piece of wood?

Clean Up After Your Dog

As if this sign wasn't hilarious enough on its own, somebody went ahead and made edits. 

The person who made the speech bubbles was probably standing around waiting for their dog to do their business and thinking exactly what they wrote. 

The smiley faces are mystifying, and luckily they're fading away. 

As for the sign itself: at the bottom it says "$25.00 TO $200.00 FINE." Does anybody else think that's really funny? How do they decide how great or small the fine should be? Does it correlate with the size of the dog? I hope so!

Oh, So Red

I pass this cable box every day on my way home from work. I never gave it much thought. But somebody painted it and now it's all shiny and new; I can't help but notice. 

The little index card noting that the paint is wet sort of made me want to leave a little finger print, but at the same time, I didn't want to damage the box's new coat (of paint). I wish I'd seen the person who left the note. How long did it take them to give the box a makeover? Was the index card and afterthought? Are able boxes around the city adorned with these little notes? Who removes them? Was the paint really still wet by the time I passed by? I didn't have the nerve to check (I've seen what they can do with fingerprints on CSI!). 

Not Very Appetizing

We passed these signs in Utah in 2005. My first thought was that taxidermy and dinner don’t go together. 

It really looks as if those two sign are for the same establishment.  Luckily the signs are seperate. To be clear, the "NOW OPEN FOR DINNER" banner is attached to a sign for the Arrowhead Country Inn. It was the only place open for dinner for miles (taxidermy was further down the road).  It was one of the best meals I’ve had in my life. If you’re ever visiting Zion National Park or Bryce Canyon, stop by the inn to eat. 

If you’re lucky maybe you can also get you dog stuffed. 

Grimace

I think this ad is absolutely hilarious. The guy looks just thrilled about the church being advertised. The corners of the mouth are turned down in a frown and the fingers are bent in what looks like agony. You'd think the advertisers would do their best to make the church look wonderful. Instead, this guy's heart is broken and in flames and he's looking at the location details with disdain and disgust. 

What do you think "church for the rest of us" means anyway? If you're interested, here is a link to the website.

A Neon Sign

The neon lights say "the Purple Shamrock MOLSON." I like this photo because the neon is the only thing the camera picked up in the dark room, even though there was a lot going on. 

This sign is did exactly what it was made to do; it caught my attention. The music was blaring, people we bumping into me and shouting over the music, and still I stopped to see what the sign said. I wonder how many people in the bar grabbed a molsen without even realizing they'd seen an advertisment. 

Crumpets!

I don't know anything about this store, but I think they have the cutest name! I love the deep blue of the storefront and the fact that their sign is old fashioned. 

In my experience, crumpets are eaten with tea in the UK. Going to afternoon tea in London was one of my favorite things, so this sign sort of makes me feel warm and fuzzy! From the little I can see through the store window, I'm guessing they're going for that English vibe.

P.S. That's The Schwarz's car reflected in the window!

Wrong Way, Dude

This sign doesn't make any sense. I think it's hilarious to have an arrow pointing to the right when the man above is clearly walking to the left! Oops.