Sibliving.
Four twenty-something-year-old siblings. One Medford Condo.Archive for December, 2007
Bermuda Bahama.
Dan the Fireman, myself, and our friends Mark and Crystal are leaving for San Juan tomorrow. After that massive New England snow disaster I am PSYCHED. We’re off on a Carnival ‘fun ship’ vacation to the Southern Caribbean. Antigua, Dominica, Barbados…I can taste the margaritas at Senor Frogs already.
Will be leaving the sibs to man the condo fort this week. I’m kind of nervous. Maybe I can convince them to blog while I’m gone so I can have a glimpse into the activities I’ll be missing…
Catch you in Margaritaville 
White out.
It took me 3 1/2 hours to drive from Boston to Medford tonight. Well, I got as far as Tufts University, where the incline was all too much on one of the hills and I had to leave my car in a snow bank. Erik picked me up in his 4 wheel drive suburban.
Despite the ridiculous snow (these college kids helped me push at one point to no avail) this is one of those nights I really like at the condo. Cooked up some pizzas, everyone one is home, and is able to unwind after a days work over drinks, TV, and funny stories.
Please stop feeding Phil.
This time last year, we had a resident wild turkey living on our property. At first we named it Gerdie, but soon learned that the local papers had already named him Phil.
Phil wasn’t that bright. He would chase cars out on the busy main road and when I would leave for work in the morning, he’d be fighting with his reflection in the basement window.
He liked CHEEZ-ITS alot. We kept this to ourselves after the Medford Transcript asked that residents “stop feeding Phil” so that we would serve less of a detriment to himself and the community. I think Phil caught word of this and moved on. Haven’t seen him since then…
(Travis with Gerdie/Phil.)
Multiple post-ers. This is a great idea!
Heather thinks the blog will be more ‘well-rounded’ if the ther members of the household are allowed to post. (She might regret that…) Here it goes.
Most people would love to wake up in the morning, sleep in and not go into work. (I’m actually the complete opposite.) Well, I was up until I became that person who woke up EVERYDAY and didn’t go to work.
Amber here - the youngest of the Nevers clan. Yes, being the youngest used to stink hardcore but it has its benefits now. For example, my siblings feel bad for me because I don’t have a job (yet) and pay for all my expenses (god love em!)
I’ve been in and out of small part-time gigs. I was even a waitress for awhile at a place called, “Not Your Average Joes.” I was making some good money but then I realized, Joe (my managers name ironically), was an average jerk. I think companies like to play a game with me. It’s called, “How long can we drag out Amber’s interview process.” Yea, its all fun and games till the holidays hit and I’m the sibling who’s going to be making everyone cookie picture frames for their gift! Yea. I saw it on food network in my spare time.
So, this whole being job-less thing has stunk, but the other day I went to an interview in Boston, ate breakfast, lunch, parked my minivan (yes, I drive a minivan) and road the T for less than $10. Impressive right? I think so.
Ride Home From Work – Friend or Foe?
Amber is the youngest of us four. She graduated from Bentley College last year and is currently between jobs. This is selfishly a cool thing for me, because she’s available to lend a hand with the day-to-day errands that can fall to the wayside in the course of the work week.
Being the awesome sister that she is, Amber offered to pick me up from work on Monday. She was already picking up her best bud Jessa a stop away from me on the Orange line, so I said I’d meet her at the NEMC stop.
Holy sketchiness, Batman.
I get off the train, post-workload in tote, and pull out my iPhone to giver Amber a call. Just then, two guys come running down the center of Kneeland Street. They are running from an undercover cop car which chases them down and cuts them off. Whoa. A scene ensues and I keep the calm and walk briskly toward the familiar glow of MacDonald’s golden arches. Amber calls. She’s on her way. I’m thinking of running, but due to a bum knee after surgery, no can do.
I stand in front of MacDonald’s and a white car starts beeping furiously at me. I squint, thinking maybe Amber is driving a car other than her 1992 Red Minivan — and almost wave.
NOPE, not Amber. Instead a SHADY man pulls up, flings open the passenger side door, and motions for me to ‘get in’ like I’m a young child pre- D.A.R.E training. I shuffle into MacDonald’s at this point, wonder where Amber is…
She shows up with Jessa finally. Wow. It’s been awhile since I felt unsafe on these streets of Boston.
Maybe I should have taken the train afterall.
Tree Trimming.
Growing up it was a Nevers family tradition to go and cut down a Christmas Tree the day after Thanksgiving. Mom, Dad, Grammie and Grampa — would all load up and pick out a tree. Last year was our first Christmas at the Gleason, so it was important (to Erik in particular) for us to cut down a tree per usual.
Last year’s experience wasn’t the best recreation of good times gone-by. Erik and I were the only two people available, so we drove up to Newburyport in his since-extinct Suburban. It smelled like gas to the point that we had to drive down the highway with the windows down. We got lost on the way to the tree farm, and it wasn’t the snowy yule-tide scene we would have liked. In fact, it was 60 degrees or so and muddy. Still partially driven by the fact that we could be a BIG tree becuase of our new high ceilings, Erik and I picked out a tree and he cut it down. Not sure how I could have helped exactly, but he remembers it as me not being of use. Ask him about it and he’ll likely say, “Yeah. Heather carried the saw.”
This year we decided to get one from Mahoney’s. Erik and his girlfriend Missy picked it out and everyone lent a hand it setting it up in our front room. Last year Erik fed the tree too much sugar water and the tree funked out; smelled awful.
We’re not giving it sugar this year. Lesson learned.
(Erik and tree.)
Nevers Debut.
Last August, I bought a condo in my hometown of Medford, MA. I’m the oldest of the four Nevers children, and somehow found it only natural to invite my two younger brothers and sister to be my roommates. Reactions to our living arrangement are usually of the suprised variety; how four brothers and sisters manage to get along — let alone live together post-parental involvement — seemed a feat to most people.
Believe me, it is most times.
The dynamic is unique and always evolving, but all-in-all I think we’re getting close to mastering this roommate thing. I’ve decided to kick up a blog to chat about the day to day; from shared meals, to looking after our newly-acquired kitty Gunga-galunga (yeah, I didn’t name him), to the many dimensions of our shared living environment. Thought people would be interested in how the four of us keep things copacetic.
So welcome to my blog. Ironically I’m not at the condo now for the first post, but when I left an hour ago, Erik, Travis and Amber were ordering take-out from Tasty Gourmet. I look forward to you meeting everyone through the course of our days and to sharing a bit about the trials and tribulations of making family your roommates. Not only that, but doing so from the city in which we were all raised - hub of the universe, Medford.
Enjoy and stay tuned.
