There was a low moment in my life last week and it went something like this:
Me to my roommate: So I’ve got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that I have 55 cents in my bank account. The bad news is that the ATM ate my debit card.
And that’s what an excessive, but totally worth it, semester abroad will do to you, folks. Poverty breeds creativity though, and so it’s time to get creative with awesome yet still totally affordable things to to do in Boston this week.
(Disclaimer: I am aware that as a well-clothed, housed and probably too well-fed private college student, I am hardly living in poverty. But you know what I mean. Right?)
1.) Nerds make better hummus
WHAT: For hard-to-please hummus connoisseurs, actualize your dream of being a hummus judge at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Annual Hummus Taste Off. The taste off starts at noon so if you have an hour or two to kill between classes, it makes for a much more interesting and free lunch. All hummus (the plural is the same as the singular! Who knew!) are made from scratch and, we can only assume, prepared with lots of love. Pita is provided and giveaways are promised.
WHEN: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 noon
WHERE: The Bush Room, 222 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
GET MORE INFO: web.mit.edu/hillel/www/happening/hummus/
2.) Superheroes vs. Villains Smackdown
WHAT: There are too few fisticuffs on the weekends, so give yourself a good helping of one with a group art exhibition of superheroes and villains. It features original characters by more than four dozen artists in a bevy of styles: paintings, illustrations, mixed media, sculpture, and photography. What’s more, it’s held at Boston’s official Low Brow Destination, Space 242 in the South End. The event is sponsored by Harpoon Brewery and rumor has it that free beer might flow. Pretty damn heroic.
WHEN: Friday, January 28, 2011 6pm-8pm
WHERE: Space 242, 242 East Berkeley St., Boston
GET MORE INFO: RSVP at space242.com
3.) Reality TV Fix
WHAT: See Tabitha Coffey of Tabitha’s Salon Takeover fame, talk about her new memoir, It’s Not Really About the Hair: The Honest Truth About Life, Love, and the Business of Beauty. The title alone is mind-blowing because we thought it was about the hair this whole time. Who knows what other insights are in store if you actually see her speak. Seriously though, she seems pretty badass.
WHEN: Friday, January 28, 2011 7 pm
WHERE: Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard St., Brookline
GET MORE INFO: brooklinebooksmith.com/events/mainevent.html
4.) Midweek Dance Party
WHAT: The best way to get over humpday is to dance your way through it. Do so, for free and with the company of other cool people, at ZuZu at the Middle East for their monthly “Substance Dance Party.” It’s hosted by dance night promoters GOOD: A Dance Party, so it better be damn good. Or you you’ll get your hard-earned money back. You know, all that money you spent on this FREE event. It’s synth, pop and electro for maximum funkitude.
WHEN: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 10 pm – 1 am 21+
WHERE: ZuZu at the Middle East, 474 Mass Ave Cambridge, MA
GET MORE INFO: zuzubar.com
5.) The Julianne Moore Parade
WHAT: Boston University alum Julianne Moore is this year’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals Woman of the Year. Go to the pre-roast parade and let those Harvard assholes know that we had her first. Then reprimand Moore for her ridiculous Boston accent on 30 Rock. It’s usually a pretty ridiculous spectacle with drag queens and a chariot-type ensemble and totally beats out Hasty Pudding’s Man of the Year, Jay Leno.
WHEN: Thursday, January 26, 2011 2:30 pm
WHERE: Mass Ave., Harvard Square
GET MORE INFO: hastypudding.org
This list is amazing. Well done, thequad.