December fun times

Although I'm having a good week at work, it's probably not all that interesting to you (and I don't want to jinx anything by writing it down, although I can tell you about my triumph in getting an ultracentrifuge to work!) So instead I'm going to tell you all about the non-Christmas related fun times we had at the beginning of December when N's friend was visiting from NL.

Studying the extensive beer list at Alewife

Excuse me for still being excited about this, but one of the awesomest things we've ever done was to join the aquarium! I'm so happy we finally went there, and now we can go whenever we want, and it's so close to home. Actually we joke about going in there just for coffee or lunch, and the Saturday before New Year we actually did pop in, which was stupid because it was soooooo busy, but it doesn't matter because we didn't pay extra for it! :-D

There's a waterfall:

And an Australia section with these amazing pig-nosed turtles:

And obviously lots of fish:

And a rainforest bit:

And a temporary jellyfish exhibit:

And a dolphin show! So cool:

Another place I finally made it to was Fort McHenry, the site of a very important and unexpected American defeat against us pesky Brits during the Revolutionary War in 1812. With this and going to the American History Museum in DC, I've really learnt a lot about the battle of 1812 recently, and considering my general disinterest in history, I'm really finding it fascinating. The fact I'm living in the city where the first Stars and Stripes was made, and it flying over the fort during that battle was the inspiration for the American national anthem helps. And probably also the fact that it's not just a part of American history, but of British history too :-)

So here's to more exploration of the local area in 2013! Anywhere local you want to check out this year that you've been meaning to visit for ages, but just never got around to?