Monday, August 31, 2009

you can go home again

what is the true meaning of "home?" it's the word used to describe the place you go to feel at ease, relax, recharge, rest and live. it can be more than just a place. it can be a feeling or a sentiment. it's where you, as a being, identify as your beginning; the place where you became you.

recently, dave and i have taken stock of the things we want for ourselves and our family. we want to give O all the things that she deserves, most importantly, a sense of home. currently we rent an apartment that though it is where we live, it's not our "home." it's someone else's home that we live in. and with the cost of daycare, student loans, diapers, etc...it's not likely that we'll be able to purchase a home in the next 7-8 years. it's not that we can't afford a mortgage, it's that we can't get enough money together for a down payment towards a home of our own.

We want to give Olivia a backyard, a swingset, a neighborhood. we want her to grow up on a street where she can go outside and play with other kids her age, where her neighbors become her friends and playmates, where she can learn to ride her bike, play one-two-three red light, and build a lemonade stand.

To give her this better life that Dave and I envision we have accepted a gracious offer from my parents to move into their home. The commute for Dave will be long (45 miles each way - through the city) plus we'll be living in three rooms upstairs in their home. a bedroom for O, a bedroom for us and a living room/playroom.

it's a compromise for them and for us, but in the long run it is going to lead to O having a sense of self, a sense of belonging, and living a wonderful life in her own bedroom and growing up in a house that she can call home. it will give dave and i a place to call our own, the place where our family can grow and we too can find ourselves. i want a yard, i'd like a fire pit, a pool maybe and be able to decorate the way i'd want too. i want to invite family and friends over and have the space to entertain. i want to get up on a nice warm morning and drink my coffee outside on my porch. i want a home that we own.

as for Olivia, we are going to give her a sold base from which to explore. no matter where her journey through life takes her, she'll always have this place to return too, a place where she can come to recharge, relax and reconnect. a place she will know as "home."

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Goodbye old friend

Hearing about the end of WBCN is like hearing about the passing of a sick friend. In the back of my mind I always thought the death was coming, but I didn't know when it would be, and even though I expected it eventually, I am still shocked and blindsided when it happens.

Even 7 years ago, when I left BCN to head to California there were rumblings of the flip to sports talk. It was something that was always in the back of my mind and yesterday it finally happened. My first job, the site where I got my start as an employee, as an adult, has become Boston's new home for sports talk. The rock station I know and love no longer exists.

I remember my first day at WBCN in July of 2000. I walked in, nervous, uncertain and afraid. I had accepted the job of Continuity Director, a job that in all honesty I wasn't entirely sure that I knew how to do, at the biggest and most powerful rock radio station in Boston. It was my first job after Norwich, the first step in what would be an amazing journey.

On my first day I met people I had listened to on the air...Bill Abbate, Nik Carter, Deek, DJ Melissa. It was surreal to meet people I had listened to and admired. It was bizarre to be part of something that people listened to everyday...even if I was just making sure the commercials ran on time and in the right spots.

Over the course of the 2 years that I worked at BCN I grew not only as a person, but as an employee and a professional. I figured out what I wanted to do in the industry, I learned from the best - with people like Oedipus, Tony, Steven, John, and Chachi around I always felt like I was surrounded by professionals who were always willing to share a story or some advice. I fell in love with radio there. I fell in love with the energy, the lifestyle, and the joy it brought me to be part of something bigger than myself.

While at BCN I found love, had my heart broken, and made out. I got over my ex-fiance there and let go of the hurt he left me with. I learned how to navigate Boston after a few festive beverages in the North End. I went to rock shows on weeknights, I stayed out too late and laughed to hard. It was more than just a place I worked, it was like a second home. I always knew that I could count on seeing a friendly face there, regardless of the time of day or night.

I will always fondly remember my time there and will forever value the lessons I learned within those walls. It was more than just my first job, it was THE place that I needed to give me my start in the world.

I am honored to be a small part of a place that meant so much to so many. I will forever to be indebted to WBCN for helping build my confidence and helping me find my place in the radio industry and giving me the confidence to travel out into the world and pursue my dreams.