four swift changes observed:

1. the abercrombie and fitch in harvard square is finally gone! yay for the incoming greenies.
2. the mbta has put ridiculously huge signage up, pointing visitors and commuters to the right direction, courtesy of a large pseudo retro handpainted font (similar to the cambridge city hall announcement boards). i do adore the quirkiness of the city hall signs, in streaks of obsolete green and festive exclamation marks; but the subway signs are too big, too loud, and too tacky.
3. cocoon, my beloved stylish home decor store downtown on tremont street, is no more! as i saw the usual lush displays now transformed into bare vacancy, i could not deny my grief. [http://www.cocoonhome.com/] please tell me it's moved on to a posher location, say, south end or newbury. otherwise, i will miss it dearly!
4. the korean restaurant in central square on pearl street (whose windows display its house specials unappetizingly rendered in faded plastic) has departed, replaced soon by a thai place. i'm crossing my fingers for cheap and spicy! (i am what i eat...)