All Smiles in Allston

I was all smiles in Allston this weekend. It was one of two weekends I’ve been able to have here in Allston since I started in August at Harvard Business School.

I spent the weekend philosophizing with my contemporaries at Harvard and Berklee and playing music with them and learning.

Saturday morning I ate an organic vegan brunch (as they do in Allston) with a couple of classmates who are interested in starting a small music related business in the spring semester. We talked about work styles and wanting to experiment with different ways of execution to solve basic gaps in the music consumption experience.

I went on a motor cycle ride with a classmate for a while and discovered a Caribbean cassette store (finally you are showing you have a cool side Boston!!!) and rooftop garden before picking up a cheesecake and heading back to my house.

I hosted the 6th installment of the HBS Music Minds Gatherings, a saloon type bi-weekly meeting I started that seeks to unite intellectuals interested in music business ideas but who each come from vastly different professional backgrounds. We seek to ideate in terms of areas for opportunity in music business as well as the pros and cons of different consumption strategies. We chatted for nearly 3 hours and I left feeling energized, inspired and hopeful!!! We ended the night drumming in my basement.

The night continued to get better though. After a round of never have I ever with my section mates and Nightmares on Wax live at the Paradise theater, I headed into downtown Boston with some key HBS friends. It was The Welcoming Committee’s take over night where they organize a bunch of amazing Boston women to take over a really bro-y sports bar for a night and fill it with women loving women.

Oh my god I was so inspired.

There is nothing more beautiful than seeing so many liberated souls, who are so happy to love each other and kiss and dance and love. There is nothing more beautiful than to see two women feel liberated enough to kiss each other. Safe enough to kiss each other. It brought tears to my eyes. I was dancing and smiling and crying and laughing all at the same time. I didn’t want to leave. I saw the girl who had served me breakfast this morning in Allston. Hello beautiful Boston queers. Y’all know how to get DOWN!!!!!

Sunday morning started with harvesting all the lush salad from my garden and a coffee from the place down the street. As I read my Marketing case, I looked up and saw a chain of 5 young girls whizzz by on skateboards together!!! It was the most beautiful site. Badass linked team of young babish soul sisters. Get it ladies. I love you. You give me hope and joy.

I headed to Harvard’s marketing conference where I got to hear first hand about some of Mark Zuckerburg’s strange idiosyncrasies and how the only way social marketing will ever be relevant is if some young rad person makes it their priority.

I opened the door to my house at 7pm and my friend from Mayor Bloomberg’s office and her team of Berklee talent flooded my apt, bearing gifts of wine, dinner, cookies, video, voice, sax and guitar.

We spent the evening recoding a music video for a Bossa nova piece Meredith wrote and projected images of us behind us as we played. We lit candles and curated outfits. It uplifted and excited me. We talked more about music business and aesthetics and goals.

This weekend birthed advancements in musicianship, creation, feminism, intelligence and business for me.

Allston, your people are gifts.

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