Early in the blog, I typically wrote longer entries that really dove into a particular subject. It was a decent model because it probably produced some of my most informative posts. However this led to me posting infrequently due to the amount of effort it took to write a single entry.

I eventually switched to shorter posts that simply explained whatever link I found and offered a line or two of opinion. While these posts were much easier to provide frequently, I felt as though they benefitted most when I found some sort of online tool, utility or database that a reader could explore on their own. In retrospect, I think my next blog will offer longer entries if I am focusing on a single article or offering personal advice, while utility posts will be kept considerably briefer.

I also realized that while dedicating a post to mentioning a site like instructables.com from time to time was useful, I should probably pick a day of the week and routinely mention a good find or two from the site instead of posting them at random intervals. My “three for free” posts early in the semester were a good example of routine posts in the same style and something that I will need to maintain in a future blog.

Beyond posting styles, I think I will need to be a bit more careful when choosing the tone and aim of my next blog. I still think a blog dedicated to accomplishing things on a budget and finding cheap entertainment and food is a great subject for a relatively young city like Boston is a good idea, I didn’t narrow down my subject as much as I could have. This benefitted me on slow days when I couldn’t find anything particularly interesting on the internet, but I feel as though it may have also detracted from the overall direction of the posts.

I enjoyed chasing down interesting articles from day to day, but I think the most enjoyable part of the process for me was the writing itself. It was nice to be able to write in a more personal, conversational tone while still transferring information to readers.

At the same time, actually running a blog disconcerted me a little about the system as a whole. Rarely did I ever need to perform any actual reporting myself beyond searching for solutions to problems or asking around for advice. As a result, I question whether or not blogs can really be considered news sources. Instead, I now think of blogs more as aggregators of information, people willing to sift through the wealth of information on the internet and present the best or most interesting pieces on their sites with a bit of background information or opinion.

This obviously does not in any way disqualify blogs as a form of media, however I feel as though my blog would be incredibly brief if it weren’t for all the people who provided articles I could link to. It’s reassuring in a way since it helps debunk the theory that average Joe blogger will put journalists out of business. Of course, by familiarizing myself with the skills needed to post information online, as well as the editing and presentation skills that we have picked up over the course of the semester, I think I’ve been given enough training to effectively interact with most technology I would find in a modern newsroom.

-Pat

It seems as though flashing your Charlie card at a variety of attractions around the city can net you discounts on tickets for Duck Tours, museums, spas and restaurants.

Granted, I’ve never found myself thinking “Gee, I haven’t been to California Pizza Kitchen in a while,” these discounts can’t hurt if you’ve got friends or family visiting the hub and feel compelled to show off just how street-savy you’ve become since fleeing the suburbs.

The handy MBTA guide to Charlie Card discounts can be found here.

Save for a few real estate agents with hearts of gold, the industry is comprised largely of former Boston-are students looking to cash in on the next crop of bright eyed and naieve college kids looking for a place to call their own.

I’ve done some searching and found  two sites with some helpful questions and insights most renters forget to take into account when evaluating a potential roost.

Boston Gal’s Open Wallet has a handy posting on important questions to ask before you sign off on a lease, while the Tufts University off-campus housing site has some helpful numbers that should help you spot offers that seem to good to be true.  Just remember that their estimates are based off 2007-2008 figures.

Bottom line, don’t take an agent’s word for anything.  Any claims they make about utility costs should be backed up with numbers from the previous tenants.  in the end, it’s their job to convince you to sign a lease, so keep your head on your shoulders and don’t let yourself get rushed into commiting to a place before you gather all the information you need to assess your future costs.

Beyond that, remember that you will most likely find yourself living in a given apartment for at least a full year.  A great breeze in the summer months can become a fund-draining draft as the calendar crawls along.  Walk the neighborhood and make sure any ammentitities you might need (convenience stores, laundromats, ect.) are within an easy (and ideally safe) distance from your future place.

Chrisopher Ricks, “All Because of the Color of His Skin: Race and its Relations to the Art of Bob Dylan”

at Metcalf Hall, Sherman Union 2nd Fl, 775 Comm Ave, Boston (BU campus)

FREE!

Bob once said, “money doesn’t talk, it swears.”

So keep your foul-mouthed currency safely stowed in your pocket and head over to BU tonight for a free discussion on race and its impact on Dylans work.  It’s being held by BU professor and acclaimed Dylanologist Chrisopher Ricks, a former Oxford poetry professor and author of “Dylan’s Visions of Sin,” a great look into Bob Dylan’s lyrical work throughout the years.

The session takes place tonight and is open to the general public, so feel free to leave your fake BU i.d. at home.

Also, if you haven’t been keeping up with Bob in the past few years, here’s an interesting interview with NYT writer Bill Flanagan published yesterday.  Fortunately, they included a transcript in case you can’t make sense of what he’s saying.

They also recommend calling DIGSAFE to make sure your plant won’t wipe out cable or electricity for yourself or your neighbors.  Pickups are beginning in May, but they recommend putting in your paperwork as soon as possible to ensure you get your hands on some greenery.

After this winter, I like to think of Boston as a city of potholes.  The constant freezing and unfreezing of water in various cracks in the concrete can create some massive maws in the road ready to swallow a bike or car tire whole.

Fortunately, a quick call to the mayor’s 24-hour help line at (617) 635-4500 can get a road crew there eventually.  Until then, check out Boston.com’s fancy pothole map that can at least give you an idea of where the biggest problem areas in the city are today, as well as updates about possible or even (gasp) fixed holes.

In the meantime, keep your head up and your eyes down.

It looks like the DIY geniuses at instructables.com have put my imrpov abilities to shame once again.

This time, a resourceful scavenger from across the pond has devised a 5-minute project that begins two plastic bags, two coins and some rope and ends with a classy (depending on your aesthetic sensibilities) backpack ready to take on the world.

In terms of design, I might add a few more layers of plastic bag to ensure I can carry heavier things, but overall it seems structurally sound. 

While I probably wouldn’t rely on this sort of thing as my go-to bag, I’m sure that at some point in the spring when students begin throwing out textbooks I’ll find myself with in dire need of additional carry capacity.

For those that don’t know, dumpstering textbooks as semesters change is an incredibly easy way to rake in a huge amount of cash.  Just figure out when trash day is and cruise the alleys behind dorms and apartments.  After that, it’s just a quick trip to the local text book store and you’re golden.

It’s an awesome little trick…just don’t tell anyone where you learned it.

I’ve come across a 111-picture spread of some of the classiest eats in Boston composed by our friends at the Globe, it’s a pretty exhaustive list, so there’s sure to be something for everyone. 

Unlike the usual cheap eats lineups, this list compiles some real winners from across the globe (no pun intended).

Back in my days of smoking, I loved rolling my own.  It smelled and tasted better, never gave me the crazy chemical headaches of machine-rolled smokes, and cost a whole lot less (a bag worth 50 cigs went for $5.50, way less than the $7.50 NYC packs of my childhood.)

Here in the Bay State, a 1.31 Oz. bag of Bali Shag (my personal favorite) costs $4.50.  By this time tomorrow, that price will shoot up for the first time in years across the nation by two $2.03 to about $6.50.  It certainly isn’t earth shattering, but it’s certainly a sign of the times.  A pound of the stuff will shoot up by an additional $24.78.

Granted, the price is still much sweeter than machine-rolled packs, but it’s interesting to see a new federal tax spring up just as the majority of smokers discover the end-all, be-all answer to smoking on the cheap.  I’m not particularly enraged, the new tax money will be going towards child health care costs and the per-cigarette cost is only going to jump by about $0.04, but it is somewhat worrying to see a commodity that’s dodged legislation for so long finally get it’s day in court.
Guess there’s  no outrunning the tax man forever.

Remember, the cheapest (and healthiest) way to smoke is to abstain, but if you’re looking to dodge the packs, check out this handy review of the most widely available roll-your-own brands.

Personally, I recommend Bali Shag, generally the blue bag.  It’s very easy to roll, the papers are top-notch, it tastes like carcinogenic candy.  At least now if I ever break down late on a Saturday night and ask for a smoke there’s a better chance I’ll get a brand I can tolerate.

Boston is sort of like her less popular best friend.  Taken on her own, she’s a pefectly charming lass and unlike her buddy, she’s way more accessible.

Boston offers tons of free tours that offer great insight into often overlooked parts of the city.  I recently found a page listing a handful of tours you can enjoy without spending a penny.  Everyone knows about the Freedom Trail, but a tour of the Boston Public Library or the State House’s art collection is just a t stop away.