New Thing #348: Getting Things Done With A Phone Call

What you're looking at there is my bucket of brush. I mentioned a few weeks ago that there are certain dedicated weeks in Framingham for leaf pickup, and this week was the week designated for brush pickup.

There were a lot of sticks laying around and I had done a lot of yard work this summer where some of the stuff I cleared had nowhere to go.

So I gathered it up, put it in the barrel labeled 'Brush', like the directions say (I'm a rule-follower), and left it with my trash and recycling on my trash day.

Problem is, trash day was Monday.

And the brush was still sitting there on Friday.

So I made a phone call.

Now, you have to understand: I hate to use the phone.

The joke at my house growing up was that I didn't even like calling to order a pizza. (It wasn't a joke. I've maybe done it ten times in my life.)

I can't explain exactly why I hate using the phone. I think the best reason I can give is that I am deathly afraid I am interrupting someone from something important on the other end. (If you are more than six months pregnant, I will never call you until after the baby is born. I am convinced the phone ringing will cause you to go into labor.)

Once I am comfortable enough with you, I'm fine with the phone. I won't hesitate to call my mom and dad. I wore out my wife's phone when we were dating. I'll call my brother and sister, though I'm slightly more wary of interrupting their social/family lives.

That's why I love texting so much, though. It's not terribly intrusive. Sure, I might text you during dinner time, or while you're in labor. But it's not like you have to get back to me immediately - you can take your time responding. I am much more patient, weirdly, expecting text responses than I ever was waiting for someone to e-mail me back.

I make the phone calls I have to make. I need to set something up with a parent at school? I'll steel myself to make the call. If my wife isn't home and the kids will starve if I don't call the pizza place? I'll order the pizza. (Or I'll just throw on some pasta.)

Anyway, conveniently enough, usually when something merits a phone call at home, my wife is able to do that. I can't do things like call the electrician or the phone company or schedule the doctor's appointments because I'm at school during the day. She's home a couple of days during the week to do that. (I know it's a lame excuse and there are ways around this…but I'm going with it. It's worked for almost ten years now.)

Friday, though, I found myself home during the work day. I decided to call the town's public works department. They took down my address, and within three hours the brush was picked up.

I can't tell you how accomplished I felt.

It felt like something worth celebrating.

Too bad no one was there to order me a pizza.

New Thing #344: Yet Another Election

I'm pretty proud to say that since becoming eligible to vote almost half my lifetime ago (yeesh) I've participated in most elections. It was hard at first because I was voting by absentee ballot as a registered voter in New York living in Massachusetts, and I might have missed some non-presidential elections because of that extra step in getting the paperwork.

Once I became a full Massachusetts resident, I've been a regular voter.

But I've never exercised my democratic right as much as I have during this calendar year.

Election Day might have been the only time this year I didn't actually have to vote.

There was nothing going on in my area.

But every other day of the year there's been some kind of political action.

It started when President Obama tabbed Senator John Kerry to succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Early in the year there was a primary, and then in June the election to fill Kerry's Senate seat.

The winner of that seat, Ed Markey, was a member of the House of Representatives from the Fifth Congressional District, which includes Framingham.

So since that election there has been another round of primaries, and the whole year of musical chairs ends with today's election for that congressional seat.

I'm not going to lie - seeing all the political action around here has made me think that maybe politics is the way to go at some point in my life.

I'm sure there's a lot of unsavory stuff that comes along with political office…but maybe I could someday run for that Fifth Congressional District seat and make a difference that way.

If I don't decide to go that route…well, you'd better believe I'll be voting in the election that decides who does.

New Thing #324: Jabby Brau

Remember when I told you about Jack's Abby, the Framingham beer makers? Well, my wife found another type of their beer on sale at the store recently.

So I gave it a try the other night.

If nothing else, 365 New Things In 2013 has expanded my tastes in beer.

And this is another one that's nice to know I'd enjoy if I ever found it at a restaurant somewhere.

It's true - there are some Boston bars that every so often Jack's Abby retweets who sell the brewery's beers. I would be thrilled to walk into some place and see it on tap.

But I digress.

This particular beer is called Jabby Brau - a name that I imagine has something to do with the flavoring or origin of the beer or something, but I don't really get.

I will tell you this - it's a tasty beer, with a little kick.

I think I still prefer the Smoke & Dagger, but this one is a little more like a casual drink I can have with a meal - the Smoke & Dagger feels more heavy, like a socializing beer.

They call it a "Session Lager". Maybe they mean the same thing.

I don't know. I'm no beer expert.

I just know it tastes pretty good.

New Thing #295: Pies On The Common

It's events like this one that are the very reason I started doing '365 New Things In 2013'. I know not everything I've written about these past near 300 days qualifies as a legitimate New Thing - the idea was trying new things, not necessarily having new things occur to me.

But then along comes this Saturday event that I've thought about taking the kids to each of the past seven years we've lived in Framingham with children, and I've just never done it.

This year....I did.

'Pies on the Common' is a fundraiser for a local church. The extent of my knowledge about it before this year was the banner that hangs above Edgell Road advertising it, and then the pictures in the local paper the week after it happens.

And I almost missed it this year.

My parents were in town for the weekend, and my mom accompanied me to my daughter's dance class on Saturday morning. After that, we were going to be looking for something to do.

That morning, before we headed to dance class I saw a reminder on Twitter - "Don't forget about 'Pies on the Common!'" It started at 10:30 - just when dance class ended. It was perfect.

There were hot dogs for lunch. There were booths with crafts and books and even one for the Framingham Historical Society. (I kind of regret not buying anything there - there were some old books about Framingham that looked like I might enjoy them.) There were people with dogs - lots of dogs. (This is a problem for my girls, who are nervous around dogs. I'm working with them on it. This event helped us make a little bit of progress.)

For the kids there was a bounce house, an inflatable slide, and some extra large bubbles. There was even a United States Senator - Ed Markey, a longtime Congressman who won John Kerry's Senate seat when Kerry became Secretary of State, came by and bought a pie and shook some hands. (Second regret, slightly behind not buying something at the Framingham Historical Society booth, is not going up to him. Meeting a United States Senator would be a great New Thing!)

We bought a cherry pie and an apple pie, and enjoyed a great fall day on the Framingham Common. I never knew what fun 'Pies on the Common' could be.

It's been going on for 23 years.

I'm kind of looking forward to the next one.

New Thing #270: Jack's Abby Brewing

Here's another thing that makes my wife so wonderful: Not only does she put up with Sundays that are dominated by me watching as much of as many different football games at the same time (side note: This is not as easy as you might think, and it is something I am really, really good at), but last week before the games started she told me, "I'm going to the store today and I thought I'd pick up a new beer for you to try. It's made in Framingham. You know, New Thing."

Sorry guys, she's all mine.

And the beer, incidentally, was delicious.

I had no idea there was a brewery in Framingham. Jack's Abby Brewing located in the southern part of town, best I can tell, and according to the box they - 3 brothers founded the brewery - do their best to use local ingredients. (They also grow hops [do you grow hops? do I have that right?] and crops on a family farm in Vermont.)

The box also says that there are seasonal brews, but the three core beers offered are Hoponius Union, Jabby Brau, and the one I had - Smoke & Dagger Black Lager.

Now, I'm not usually a dark beer kind of guy - but this beer was great. It was smooth, which is not something I can really describe about beer, but I know it when it happens, and this beer was smooth.

It was also large - the beer came in a 4-pack with half-liter bottles, larger than your average beer bottle. Or my average beer bottle, anyway.

I'm kind of thrilled to know there's such a quality beer product being produced right here in Framingham.

They offer tours on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Less than 100 New Things to go - that might have to happen within the next three months.

New Thing #174: Bridge Out

Not far from where I live is Wickford Road. It's not a huge road, but it serves as a bit of a shortcut if you're going to a certain part of town.

I used it often to get to the gym (which I no longer belong to), the post office, and Target, among other places.

But in March construction began on the bridge.

And this week I swung by to check on the progress.

It's not like I decided this out of the blue - we had driven by the road one day and my wife thought she noticed that there was no bridge there anymore.

I had never seen a construction project that resulted in the full removal of a bridge road, so I didn't know if I quite believed her. Well, I guess it's not that I didn't believe her - but more that I needed to see it for myself.

You can't get too close to the site (obviously), but I caught a glimpse of where the road should be, and it pretty much looked like it wasn't there.

Here's a picture - it's hard to see here, but to the right of that red vehicle, you can kind of see that there's no continuation of the road.

I blew that spot up a little more so you can get a tighter look:

It's still not perfect, but I think it helps give you an idea of what's happening there.

I looked on-line to see if there was any updated information about the project and found this Patch article from back in March (including a map of the affected area and the detours which signs are all over the place around here pointing out) - the bridge closed in March and the project is expected to be finished in the fall.

Maybe I'll get back to you with an update then.

Or maybe not.

You probably don't care all that much.

But maybe the new bridge will be nice enough to garner status as a New Thing.

New Thing #120: Getting Lost In My Own Neighborhood

This one's a little embarrassing. I've developed the worst mental block.

I keep making a wrong turn.

What you see pictured at left is Bradford Street.

It is not supposed to be part of my morning commute.

But three times last week I ended up there.

The third time I decided to take the picture...and tell you about my new problem.

So here's the deal: There's a detour in my neighborhood at one of the Sudbury River crossings. That means that a lot of traffic is diverted in the morning to where I begin my morning commute. So, brilliant me, knowing the side streets as well as I do, decided to try to get around the backups.

Except, as it turns out, I don't know the side streets as well as I thought.

What makes this worse is that there have been times when I have successfully navigated these side streets. But then I had the one wrong turn, and I haven't been able to recover. It's like I have the driving yips. I'm like the Chuck Knoblauch of driving through Framingham.

One time I ended up going left when I should have gone right, and after a big circle the road spit me out up the block from the road where I entered the 'short cut'. (My daughter gave a decisive "Hey!", recognizing instantly the road on which we had been about four minutes earlier.)

Two other times I ended up going the wrong way, and ended up following another car (hoping they were on their way to work and not returning from dropping off their children at the school bus - if the latter were the case I would have ended up following them to their driveway.) to a main road - not the way I was intending to go, but effective nonetheless.

I am not terrible with directions. I usually have a general sense of where I am and where I am going. But this situation is really getting to me. I've taken my bike through this neighborhood - it's three-quarters of a mile from my house. I should know my way through it.

I'm going to keep trying. Eventually I'll figure it out and get it right.

And then hopefully my muscle memory takes me in the right direction from that point forward.

New Thing #53: Framingham Timeline Exhibit

I'm good with American history, and I really like Boston history. My town, Framingham, dates back to 1700, so I know it has a lot of history, but I don't know as much about it.

For a long time I've thought about exploring that history, starting with some of the exhibits hosted by the Framingham History Center.

That was one of the big goals of '365 New Things In 2013' - to take some of those things I've been meaning to do and just do them.

So on Thursday, I did.

The building above is an old schoolhouse that has been converted into a research center/exhibit hall. Its hours are very spotty - you can set up individual appointments, but it is open for a few hours Wednesdays through Saturdays.

One time I walked up to it, it was all locked up, so I went home to look up more information. It's been a couple of years, and I hadn't been back.

Thursday my oldest daughter and I walked up to it....and it was locked. This time (New Things!) I rang the bell. It took a couple of minutes, and we were on our way back to the car, before the door opened.

The woman who opened the door looked surprised to see anyone. She went to check whether they were available for tours. It turned out the scheduled tour guide was not there. Would we want her to give a tour? My instinct was to say we'd come back another time. But I went against my instinct (New Things!) and took her up on her offer.

I'm glad I finally got the chance to check it out. I didn't learn anything earth-shatteringly new, but I did get an idea of how Framingham fits into the larger history of Massachusetts. (It was an overnight stop for cannons being transported between Fort Ticonderoga and Cambridge in 1776!)

Best fact I learned: Thomas Danforth, Framingham's founder, came from Framlingham, England. The 'l' was dropped, and there you have it - Framingham.

The 'Framingham Timeline' is the permanent exhibit at this location - it takes you from the earliest days of the town (actually, pre-1700 with some information about Native Americans in the area) through the 19th century (Civil War artifacts and the rise of the railroad in Framingham), and 20th century (one of Christa McAuliffe's NASA uniforms - she was raised in Framingham - the famous Framingham Heart Study, businesses like Bose and Staples).

The original public library in town is another site that hosts exhibits. Right now the big attraction is a display about the original Shopper's World - an outdoor shopping area, dating back to when those were not exactly common. I'll be checking that out too sometime before that exhibit closes out in September...maybe as soon as this week.

New Thing #31: Town Survey

Every so often I think that I should be more involved in my town than I am. I read the local paper and I try to stay on top of the local issues, just in case I do decide to do something someday.

But to this point I have never done more than that.

So maybe this year will be the year I explore it further - that would certainly be a "New Thing".

But I'll start small: This week I filled out a survey for the town.

The Community and Economic Development Division is updating (as it is mandated to do every 5 years, apparently) its 'Open Space and Recreation Plan'.

I figured, I have kids, we enjoy recreation. Perhaps I can have some input on town recreation.

I also enjoy watching "Parks and Recreation". Maybe this would be my own personal Leslie Knope moment.

The survey gave me an opportunity to answer questions like:

-Does your street/neighborhood have "sufficient sideways or walkways"? (It most certainly does not.)

and

-Should major roads in Framingham be striped for bike lanes? (Absolutely - I love riding my bike around town, but there are certain roads where I feel like I'm risking my life when I ride on them on my bike.)

Then there were other questions about sufficient fields/parks/recreation areas. I've never felt like the town was lacking in spaces for me and my family to hang out, but I wouldn't mind seeing new facilities built that we can enjoy. But I stopped short of allowing the town free reign to appropriate certain areas where they might build these buildings. (I didn't think it would be appropriate. I hope I'm understanding 'appropriate' appropriately. Ah, wordplay.)

Who knows if any of my suggestions will be heard. Maybe it's just procedural because Framingham needs to update its plan and it needs to say it surveyed the public. I can't say I have my finger on the pulse of the town yet - I was stumped by naming 3 of the most attractive landforms in the area. (Something like that. I didn't know there were any.)

But I filled out my survey. It's a start.

New Thing #24: Readers Choice Awards

This little experiment is a chance for me to try many of those things that I always think I'd enjoy but I haven't gotten around to trying yet. One such thing is the "Readers Choice Awards" in the local newspaper - in my case, the Framingham Tab.

Every year I see the ballot and, I have to admit, it's tempting. There's something about a blank sheet in a newspaper, waiting to be filled in ink - kind of like a blank NCAA Tournament bracket, or a crossword - that I find irresistible.

But then I let time go by, and the blank ballot sits unfilled until I finally put it in the recycling pile.

And then the results come out, and I enjoy reading through them, but I think it's a shame that I didn't have my say.

Well, not this year.

This year I put down my choice for the best local pediatrician, the best gift shop, and of course, our favorite furniture store. I even played the good employee and wrote in my school for "Best Summer Camp".

There were 79 blanks, and we filled out 42 of them - so we're not just throwing kudos around to fill a blank slot here. We're only voting for the best of the best, which is what the Readers Choice Awards are all about. (You need to fill in at least 10 for your ballot to qualify.)

(For what it's worth, I don't love that they don't have an apostrophe after 'Readers'...but I guess they're going for more than one reader making a choice rather than the choice belonging to the reader. I don't agree with it...but they're entitled to their logo.)

So I filled out my ballot. Now I just have to make sure I get it in the mail before the February 13th deadline.