2002-04-10

Weekend with Lino, Pt. 2

We popped into/attempted to get into a few more churches in the North End, then ambled up Hanover Street, where � we noted quite happily � Starbucks was nowhere to be found. I can only hope and pray that it stays this way: Boston needs another fucking Starbucks about as much as it needs Cardinal Bernard Law, and the North End is one of the last real neighborhoods in the city, virtually untainted by any odious chains (with the exception of the White Hen Pantry, and hell, that's been there as long as I can remember).

All of a sudden someone yelled out: "Lino!" A gentleman by the name of Dominic, who'd also recognized him from the show, chatted with us on the corner for a bit. I stood there, just kind of basking in the dusk and in the friendliness of it all.

Finally, we checked out the Holocaust Memorial just outside of Quincy Market, then decided to head into Cambridge, and Harvard Square.

It's always amazing to view Boston and Cambridge, where I've spent nearly my whole life, through the eyes of someone else. I mean, you spend so much time here, just completely immersed in the day-to-day-ness of the place, that you forget what a nice place it really is. We had dinner, and then dragged a now very-tired Lino to Million Year Picnic, where I proceeded to load up on comic books. At the counter, I noticed a small stack of "Buddy Christ"s, and proceeded to grab one and dangle it in front of a thoroughly unimpressed Lino: "Look, Lino! Hee hee! Buddy Christ!"

"Yeah, I know. I've seen it. That's from �Dogma.' You know, it's by Kevin Smith, that screenwriter you think is so friggin' terrible."

(Earlier, at dinner, I'd confessed that I didn't see why everyone thought "Clerks" was such a big deal, and you'd have thought I'd told Lino I'd decided to grow a third breast and worship Leif Garrett, so extreme was his reaction: "Are you kidding me?! That's the greatest movie ever!"

"Um, no. No, it's not. It's self-referential perfumed poo-poo."

"Oh, my God. I can't believe you just said that."

"Does that mean we're not friends anymore?"

"I....I don't know now, Lees. I just assumed that you liked Kevin Smith. That was, like, the glue.")

Anyway, I pointed out the fact that "Buddy Christ's" wounds were in the correct place (the wrists as opposed to the palms) and Lino said, "Well, yeah. I mean, you do know that Kevin Smith is �on board.'"

"Is he?"

"Goes to Mass every Sunday."

"Wow."

We decided to agree to disagree about "Clerks" until I'd viewed it again.