Ned Donovan - Ithaca ‘12

Hey everyone,

Last night I discovered a new (well new in the sense that I’d never been there before, it’s been there for a while now) venue in Portland, that I think everyone should know about.  It’s called Blue, and it’s at 650A Congress St, just a little bit up the road from Joe’s Smoke Shop and across the street.  I went in there to support my buddy Oliver Watkinson, who is an upright bass player from the New England Conservatory, and was fully expecting to be in and out in about half an hour.  Chase and I got there a little before 9, when the concert was supposed to start.  We left again at 11.  This place had us hooked.  It’s a small venue, really just a bar, with beer, wine, coffee, and tea, and very minimal appetizers.  This is a place all about the atmosphere.  It’s dimly lit, with a candle at every table, and some string lights behind the bar.  The whole room is this dark color that creates a very quiet feeling, so it is not overly loud, which meant Chase and I were able to talk at a normal volume, and keep a conversation going, while still listening to Neil and Oliver jam out the jazz.

Hey everyone,

Ali enjoys stomach rubs

Look how content she looks!

I made it home from Ithaca without a hitch. Two of my suitemates (Max Lorn-Krause and Jason Barrera), Alyssa Darsa, and I headed out around 6pm from Ithaca after I finished my Paint Crew assignment for the day. With the exception of a little bit of weather around Albany it was a relatively uneventful trip. I dropped Max and Alyssa off in Newton MA at 12:15 and headed onward to Boston. After dropping Jason at the Berklee College of Music, I headed north, finally arriving in Maine at 3am.

I have to say that it is strange being home. I’m used to flurries everyday and relatively cold weather, but here the ground is bare and it is significantly colder. Upon waking the next morning, I went to L.L. Bean with my mother and decked me out in garb to prepare me for the long winter in upstate New York. I feel so cool now in my new hat, gloves, and boots. Add my comfy new slippers to the equation and I’m positively stylish (–yeah–no).  Most exciting part of my day was playing with Ali though.  I miss having a dog at school.