A Family Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving week was a busy one! My Mom and my sister flew in Tuesday morning right before the snow started to come down. But the snow only lasted a couple hours and it added to the holiday excitement. During the week I took the fam on the Freedom Trail tour, the Museum of Science, a Bruin's hockey game, the USS Constitution, Mike's Pastries, Plimouth Plantation, Lexington Green, Old North Bridge in Concord, Salem's Witch Museum, Mt. Auburn Cemetery. I was also really stokd cause it's was my sister's first trip to the EC and my mom's second, so I was glad they got to do a lot. We also had a great time hanging out with my roommates and friends!


Mom and Buffy and the USS Constitution


Buffy above the Old North Bridge in Concord


Lexington Battle Green


Mom, Buffy and I at Plimouth Plantation


Plimouth Plantation


Buffy, Gina and Tia: Picture Time!


I helped the local pilgrims with a little wood stacking action


Bruins vs NY Islanders. We won 2-1.


TD BankNorth Garden - The Bruins and the Celtics play here



Mom and Buffy at Sleep Hollow Cemetery


Vista from Mt. Auburn Cemetery


T-Station

The Beard Revolution

The Beatles wrote the stirring words: "You say you want a Revolution, well you know, we all want to change the World." That is the same sentiment that inspired what came to be known around 82 Spruce St. as the "Beard Revolution." Initially, we supposed that the idea would not be so popular among the female population, but throwing caution to the wind, Jared boldy created a facebook group dedicated to the cause: Screw the Ladies, I'm Growing a Beard.



Weeks passed. Membership of the pro-beard Facebook group steadily increased. Many posted their support by leaving messages of encouragement; others vowed to start local chapters of the Beard Revolution in Arizona and Utah. One dedicated pro-beard activist even pledged to start a beard chapter at BYU, which outlaws beards as a matter of school policy. (While avoiding incitation, the BYU Chapter would provide a supportive forum for young men who would grow beards but for the BYU policy.)




While the Beard Revolution has enjoyed a powerful support, the reality is that circumstances often circumscribe our ability to maintain a beard. We find ourselves shaving to comply with dress code standards or like scenarios. The success of the Beard Revolution was not meant to be measured by it's duration. Rather, it is the spirit of the Revolution that will win the day. From the start, everyone who has dedicated themselves to growing a beard, whether it was for 1 week, 2 months, or even just 3 days, has expericence a degree of manly satisfaction. The Beard Revolution has sent a message to all the ladies in the world (and the wards) that some dudes are still okay with being Manly! If you support the Beard Revolution please contact your local chapter and find out how you can help today!

Pride and Prejudice Dance

This Saturday night was Pride & Prejudice dance at Harvard. For the past four weeks Winston Tao and others have conducted weekly rehearsals to teach the five dances from the movie. The dance was held in a beautiful room on campus at Harvard University with a large dance floor and area for the string ensemble to perform. Everyone who participated came dressed in formal attire and the ladies looked amazing. The girls got "dance cards" which named each of the dances to be performed during the evening and a line where the gentlemen could sign his name to reserve a dance with the lady.

Carly and I came together dressed for the occasion. Carly sewed her own dress and also sewed a cravat which I wore with a vest. We walked in the room, filled with people elegantly dressed and the sound of the orchestra warming up, hung up our coats and joined in the fun. Winston welcomed eveyone and the dancing began. The cold weather outside made the warm room seem most comfortable. I met lots of nice people and had some good laughs. I also got some quality exercise. It was definately one of the funnest cultural events i've been involved in since I moved out to Boston. I'm looking forward to more in the future.


Getting ready to dance


Orchestra performing "Jane & Bingley's First Dance"


All the lovely girls


Tia and I

Finally... Decent Surf!!

This weekend the East Coast finally got some decent swell activity. Besides a pitiful attempt to get waves in RI last month, this is the first time I've got to surf since August in San Diego. I was so stoked when I pulled up to the beach and saw conditions! The waves were super clean and the sets were coming in around 3-5ft. Water temp was 49. The wind was blowing straight offshore, making it hard to catch the waves, but once you caught one it was worth it. I got 8 decent rides in 2 hours and didn't have to share the waves with anyone. Eat that San Diego!

The picture above I took at Nantasket Beach in Hull, MA. I took this about 2 minutes before I jumped in the water and paddled out. Two hours of heaven! Birchy, I wish you were there, bro!

Red Sox Win World Series 2007!! Parade!!

Camping in Sharon Vermont

This weekend the all the single wards in the Cambridge Stake went on a camping to Sharon, Vermont. The church owns 400 acres of forest up there and built a camp ground, named "Camp Joseph." Sharon, Vermont is celebrated in the church because it is the birthplace of the prophet Joseph Smith. There was a beautiful monument to Joseph Smith and a visitors center where you learn all about Joseph Smith.

On Saturday Jared, Katie and I made the three hour trip up to Camp Joseph. We got there around lunch, got some grub and took off to check out the "Gorge" and the Sugar Bush Farm. The Sugar Bush Farm was cool cause they make maple syrup and cheese there. You walk in and they start giving all these samples, telling you about how they are made. There was also a beautiful view of the Vermont mountains.

Later that night, back at Camp Joseph, we had a super fun talent show with lots of music. Jared and i played "If I fell" by the beatles, sporting our matching bandanas. It was fun.

Sunday was probably the best. We had sacrament meeting outdoors in a small amplitheatre made with logs. Bishop Haight conducted the meeting and impressed on us how significant the our meeting there was, worshipping in the place that Joseph Smith was born. The only potential bad thing was when I was passing the sacrament, slipped on some loose foliage and almost slid down the enitre slop with the sacrament in hand. Fortunately I caught myself before it turned ugly, but people were snickering for sure, myself included. It was an awesome time though, I can't wait to go again next year!

My Roommates Rock

It's nice to have roommates that you get along with. But it's pretty awesome when you can rock out with them to I-tunes played through computer speakers on a Sunday night. Jared's big air was by far the highlight, but Bryce, Gill and I definately put on a good show. Watch out Air Guitar Competitions, you might see us on youtube.com sooner than later!

Camping in Maine

My first trip to Maine was awesome. Bryce, David, Kylee, Gill and I drove up together and met everyone else at the campground in Maine. We got there around 8:30pm, it was already dark, but we threw together a fire and whipped out the guitar and it was an instant camping trip. The lovely weather tricked us into thinking we could "sleep under the stars," cause it started raining around 4 am. But it was cool, Kylee and Adam relocated into the car, and everyone else wrapped themselves in tarps.



Later in the morning we drove by the beach and discovered some well-shaped little waves. But it was still raining, so we took a few pics and called it a day. We also stopped by this mexican resturaunt Vida something, which was Natalie's purpose for the whole camping trip. It was good. Besides the rain, it was a killer trip!

My New Drug

Moving to the East Coast is hard on any surfer from on the West Coast. Without surfing in my life I'm left to wonder, "what else am I passionate about besides the ocean?" Well, after a year in Boston I think I've finally found a substitute: Violin! Yep, my Mom proposed that for my birthday she'd replace my trumpet that was stolen a few years ago. Instead, I suggested that instead of a trumpet, getting a violin. I got my violin in the mail about 2 weeks ago and I am completely addicted to it - I crave practicing like I do crave surfing. I went to a music shop today and went on a shopping spree buying 5 beginning violin books and I told them I'd be back in a month for more. With law school starting up again it's nice to have something recreation to look forward to.

Benny's New Blog

I decided to upgrade by blog from MSN Spaces at: http://benihanasurfco.spaces.live.com/. This blog should be easier to maintain and it also allows the reader to view higher resolution pictures than MSN spaces. Hope it works out, cause as the title of the blog suggests, there's lot of adventure is store!