Author Archives: dayinthelife

Hadwen Arboretum is a decent chunk of land in the middle of a typical neighborhood. It belongs to Clark University, and contains a community garden near the top (south end) of the arboretum.

Renovation continues for the Grand Palace Theater at Federal Square. It was used as a movie theater but closed soon after I came to Worcester, so I’ve never been inside. Looks like it’s going to be amazing.

John, a volunteer at the Artichoke Cooperative, pours out a bag of vegetables while describing the co-op’s mission to the community.

Friendly service, three keys for a dollar, and “3 Keys” the cat. Places like Jerry’s are harder and harder to find, so get your keys copied for cheap and try to stump Jerry with some obscure item to find somewhere around the shop while you still can.

The Assabet River Rail Trail is the newest paved trail in the area. Eventually, it will run for 12.5 miles from Marlborough to Acton, but only a little over 5 miles is currently rideable.

Lights of a different sort swirl around the menorah in the center of the Newton Square rotary. According to the Telegram and Gazette article, the menorah, hosted by Yeshiva Academy, has gone up during Hanukkah for nearly 30 years.

Unions Station is put to good use for the second annual Holiday ARTS At The Station.

The EcoTarium is the best science and nature museum in the Worcester area, but that’s mainly because it’s the only science and nature museum in Worcester. It’s not that it’s a terrible place. I’ve been to far worse, like the Turepentine Creek Wildlife Refuge outside of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where I was praying that a lion would break out of its cage and maul me just to put me out of my misery. But it is clear that the EcoTarium is not nearly at its full potential. The outdoor habitats are especially crude to the point of being sad, and duct tape holds some of the playground equipment together. Though the inside exhibits are much better, a few million dollars would really help the place out. This is a little gem that needs some major polishing, but I’m happy to know that it’s there and hopeful that some day the whole place will be as pleasant as the little water pavillion pictured here.

And speaking of holiday trees, the Common is nicely decked out with holiday lights.

It’s been said that the cobbler’s children have no shoes, and I’m afraid that the sentiment is usually true when it come to photgraphs of my own children. After quite a few Christmas card portraits this year for other people’s children, I finally got around to my own. Now if only we can get around to sending them out!

On a related note, I feel the need to weigh in on the yearly Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays fiasco. It seems like many Christians in the United States become offended at the trend toward replacing “Christmas” references with more generic terms like “holiday.” Although this is partly due to the absurdity of political correctness gone to extremes, I sense that the real reason behind the uproar is the feeling that the country is moving away from its imagined Christian roots. What is at stake is a loss of power. Though it is never stated explicity, what those who complain are really saying is, “We’re losing control.” And though I would number myself as a Christian in America, I am not offended by the loss of “Christmas,” because being a Christian should never be about power. It is about weakness in a manger and brokenness on the cross. So may your holidays be happy in this two thousand and sixth year Anno Domini, or the Common Era if you so insist.