Everyone's doing it...

This applies to many things.



1. My blog: After reading a friend's blog I am compelled to finish telling my stories from when I was too busy to post. (Thank you Kathryn for your LA update. I can't wait for more.) So here I am filling you in on all the happenings. When I first moved to Philadelphia things weren't looking so good. It was kinda depressing not knowing anyone and not knowing where anything was. Things have really picked up in the last few months. I have made a lot of friends. I have ventured out and walked the streets of Philadelphia finding parks, shops, bars, and restaurants. Philadelphia is a beautiful city. Its got little hidden streets that cars can't drive down. Its so old and rich in history. It actually makes me miss Chicago more. I wish I had this much free time when I lived there; especially in the summer. I would be at the beach almost every day.



2. Craig's List: Sure its a great place to job search, find a cool apartment, or a second had bike. But, did you know you could get friend's there too? Seriously, normal people too, just like you. They are out there. They need friend's too. You never really think about it till you're put in the situation of not knowing anyone. Your friend's are built into your life. As a child you make friends at school playing kick ball or four square. When you get to high school you change it up a bit, maybe start smoking with the cool kids or pick up a new sport. When you go to college its the people in the same major, at the coffee house, or have the same interests in music and politics. Then there are your work friends, couple friends, married friends, and friends with children. But when you lift your life out of that world and plop it in a place where the only person that knows anything about you is the person you live with you find yourself wondering, now where do I go get friends? Answer: Craig's list. I started to look for classes; yoga, pilates, quilting, or art. I came across a book club. Joined it, and found that everyone was new to Philly with in the last 9 months or so. All fun people from different walks of life, different parts of the country, and with different occupations. So I started looking again, always with the goal of finding a quilting circle. Instead I found a 'Women's Group'. It sounds like a bunch of old ladies talking about arthritis and stuff... quite the opposite. Its a bunch of gals in their late 20s, also all new to Philly, that like to drink. So far we have hung out every Thursday or Friday for the last 4 weeks and got drunk on beer, wine, and good conversation. It's been a blast.



3. Shitting on Sidewalks: This may sound a little strange to you. I promise you it is but it is also very real. Philadelphia has a homeless problem. There really is no place for these people to go. Every major city has it's homeless but its really bad here. They are everywhere all hours of the day and night. They sleep on steam vents to stay warm in winter, in door ways to get out of the rain, and on the side street next to our building. On average I walk past 2-4 sleeping guys every morning on Filbert. About a month after moving here I noticed a pile of shit on the sidewalk. Everyone knows what dog poop looks like, this was not from a dog. YUCK! It took over a month for it to decompose in the rain. Double yuck! Gordon had a similar incident at work where someone defecated in a corner of the entrance of his office building. They used news papers to wipe with flew around in the wind, thus spreading shit everywhere. Then we noticed that our 'neighbors' on Filbert were using a turned over milk crate pushed into an alcove as a make shift toilet. Shit begins to pile up, literally. By now it is getting warmer out and the smell is becoming more noticeable. Not that piles of shit on the sidewalk wasn't noticeable enough. The latest heap was left the other morning. It was fresh, still glistening in the light peaking through the buildings as it rose over the city. This is where I live and these are the things I see everyday.