~In Brookline~

April 20, 2010

I must say that I have always had a soft spot for the Town of Brookline from the fine school system to the priceless mansions to the vast array of restaurants and most importantly to the best doctors anywhere. That said, last Friday I got a parking ticket while I was at The Coolidge Corner Theatre. A fantastic movie The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was playing there. Subtitles and all it was as good as the amazing book. Anyhow, I had dutifully put my coins in the meter and knew that I had three hours. Imagine my surprise after the film ended when I spotted the yellow ticket torn and wet on my windshield.

With a little detective work my mistake became clear. I had put my money in the meter facing front and not the one to the left, the correct one. I wonder if others have erred in this way. Anyhow I went directly to the police station to explain my blight only to discover the next hearing to dispute a ticket would be held on Tuesday morning April 20th. Of course I made my way to Brookline today and after about a 30 minute wait a very nice sergeant heard my story. The good news is that he reduced my ticket from $25.00 to a $5.00 fine which I paid immediately. I felt satisfied with the result.

To celebrate I decided to go right around the corner to one of my favorite places, Matt Murphy’s where they have the best shepherd’s pie this side of Ireland. It’s made the proper way with lamb, real mashed potatoes, carrots and turnip. I placed my order to go and waited the 10 minutes in the Pub. A very caring waitress brought over a cup of tea with milk and raw sugar. I was so taken aback at her thoughtfulness. Irish hospitality is alive and well at Matt Murphy’s. Oh and by the way the shepherd’s pie was every bit as good as I remembered it. Just another reason to love Brookline!

Worthy of Praise

Kudos To:

The imaginative young priest at St. Anthony’s Shrine in Boston who quoted Bono’s lyrics from a U2 song during a Holy Week sermon~

Jessie the sweet, gentle, funny lady who celebrated her 97th birthday this month~
All those who love baseball and follow their team obsessively – that means you Red Sox Nation~

Sister Nancy and her staff for their tireless efforts at Casserly House~
The Fontbonne Academy class of 1960 as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of their high school graduation~

Fontbonne’s first principal an amazing woman of wisdom and grace, Sister Flavia, who died last Christmas Eve.

Those who are careful not to litter as well as those whose job it is to clean the inevitable litter~

A certain puppy who has brought so much joy to a wonderful family~
A loving niece and her selfless generosity~

The novelist, Pat Conroy, whose book South of Broad is beautifully written poetic prose~

The Ledge Restaurant in Lower Mills Dorchester – terrific food, tasty drinks, attentive service and a lively atmosphere~

Heathrow Airport for shutting down operations due to the danger posed by volcanic ash from Iceland~

The Library of Congress for acquiring the entire Twitter archive with 50M tweets a day that’s a lot of 140 or less characters~

John Lackey for the ease with which he has assimilated himself as a member of the Boston Red Sox~

The first woman, Katherine Bigelow, to get an oscar for best director for the phenomenal movie The Hurt Locker~

Carrie Fisher whose blog can always make me laugh~

To those who care enough to research and preserve the memory and accomplishments of their ancestors~

All who make kindness a priority in their daily interactions with others~