Behind Enemy Lines

Today we went into Boston, to provision the kids for Halloween. Newbury Street is the deepest blue of the Blue States, but it had to be done.

Surprisingly, even here there are signs of purple. Trident Booksellers had a Turkey Hunting magazine to go with the New Age reading, so I picked it up (Turkey Hunting, that is; I got all the Chakras I can use).

Even here, it seemed, the Saracuda phenomenon is on display. The good Governor has an admirer (or two, or twenty) at Newbury Comics. I did not pick one of these up (not sure where I'd wear it, but I'm a boring old coot). I might have gone for one of the "Maverick/Cougar" ones if they had had any.

The true object of the recon was Army Barracks, an actual Army/Navy store on Mass Ave. Resupplied, we organized the squad to return to friendly lines when the kids reported hunger pangs. Those with teenagers know you don't go far without stopping to refuel. A quick inventory of the shop showed an excellent stock of MREs. Two to go, please:

We may be the only picnic at Boston's Christian Science Plaza to feature Pork Rib and Beef Ravioli MREs. Probably are. The heat pouches are pretty interesting. I felt slightly guilty pouring the water out on the sidewalk - it's probably full of interesting chemical compounds. Thumbs up from #1 son and #2 son on the taste. The kids thought it was cooler than McDonald's, although I imagine that any number of our service men and women would happily swap.

UPDATE 26 October 2008 17:58: You have to watch this video, taken in 1903 by one of Thomas Edison's team, who mounted a camera on the front of a Boston streetcar and filmed it as it drove from Copley Square to Boylston Street. Doesn't look much like that now, although I guess that there's the outside possibility that one of the pedestrians here is wearing a "VPILF" t-shirt.