Paul's House Diary

My friend Jen conducted a study on the homeless in Copley Square yesterday for her behavioral studies class, and I of course asked to tag along. I figured we’d have a few interesting encounters, and it was sunny out. These days, all I want is sunlight. It doesn’t even have to be that warm outside to make me happy – I’m just so sick of the stupid rain.

The study wasn’t as exciting as I had hoped. It mostly just consisted of making check marks on a grid every time a  person acknowledged a disabled veteran we met panhandling outside of 7-11 on Dartmouth Street. It was kind of uncomfortable given that we stood behind the glass T-station across the street staring at the poor guy for a solid half hour. The weather and the company exceeded my expectations, however, and after Jen left to go type up her findings (last we talked, the fire alarm had interrupted her efforts, and the fate of her paper was in limbo), I was inspired to bike.

I went everywhere. Over bridges, into Cambridge, through large puddles and into large fountains (almost). My girlfriend, X, joined me after her class, and we biked it through the Christian Science Plaza to the South End,up-town through the Common, then to the Harbor Walk via downtown before completing our journey at my place of work, where X departed and I put on my uniform. I got a lot of pictures, and even got some video, risking my life and my property in the process. I’ll update this later to include more, and I’m working on a biking vid as we speak, but here’s a taste for you.