Don't leave me hangin'.....

Sorry to leave you all hanging for so long. My last real post was on Sunday, Oct. 4th. I posted it that day looking forward to spending the evening with the best guy I know.Little did I know my life would change that night.

That evening Gordon proposed. I said yes, of course. Life has been so wonderful to us over the last 9 1/2 years. I am so happy to know that I'll get to spend every Sunday with the love of my life for the remainder of my Sundays.

I will try to keep up with this blog but I feel that a lot of my time will be devoted here

I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!

Yay!!!

What I did on my "Summer Vacation"

(this post was started weeks ago. sorry it took so long to get it up)

After being 'laid off' from my job in July I decided to take the rest of the summer off to rest and relax.

The day I was let go was actually perfect timing because we had our friend Kevin coming into town for the weekend. He too was let go from work a few weeks prior. We spent the whole weekend hanging out, going to a show, and drinking..... a lot of drinking. It was great of fun.

I spent the rest of August working on my tan and working on some sewing projects that got pushed off.

I spent the month of September traveling around this great country visiting friends and family. Friends and family also came to visit Gordon and I. It was a non-stop whirl wind. I missed Gordon madly when I was gone.

Here's a few pictures of all my travels:

I started my month by going to visit my dear friend Maria in Austin. Maria and her husband Dan had just had their first baby. Sweet little Lyla Grace only 1month old in this picture.

When I got back in town we went to our wonderful new friend's, Ben and Courtney, wedding. We had a blast! We love them so much!!!

My mom and grandparents drove into town the night of the wedding. We did some Philly sight seeing then I jointed them and we took off for New York, Michigan, and finally sweet home Chicago, IL.
We made it home for my brother's 23rd birthday and my grandfather's 75th birthday. This is the first 'family' photo we have taken in over 15 years.

A few days after I got back Gordon's sister Stacey came to visit. We did more Philly sight seeing, this time we got to check out Eastern State Penitentiary(very cool).

Back Home

I'm finally back home. In the last 30 days I have visited 7 states, drove 1,019 miles, flew 4,092 miles, went to 1 college football game, laughed with my sister, hugged a friend I haven't seen in years, drank countless glasses of wine, and had a wonderful time with everyone.

Vacation is over tonight when Gordon's sister goes back to Chicago. I never want vacation to end but I'm ready get back to some normalcy. No more living out of a suitcase. I am very much looking forward to having dinner and snuggling up to Gordon on the couch to watch a movie tonight.

Summer Vacation

As most of you know by now, I am currently with out employment. I have been since the end of July. It was an interesting turn of events. Something that no one was expecting. But I decided to take advantage of the situation and take the rest of the summer off.

I have spent the last month and a half working on a small business for my self, trying to be a good house"girlfriend", taking care of my Aunts, and traveling. I'm finally getting to do the things I wanted to be doing but couldn't because of job constraints.

As soon as this month is over the Job Hunt will begin. Stay tuned to see "What I Did on My Summer Vacation".

Love is in the air...

So we celebrated our 9th anniversary. Some people aren't even married that long. People are always surprised when we say how long we've been together. I love him, I really, really do. I'm pretty sure he loves me too.

This is us before we ever knew each other. We met because of that girl between us, Kristin. One of my best friends from High School. A her neighbor, who was a teacher at an elementary school in Streamwood, needed some extra counselors for a week long camping trip for his 6th grade class. Kristin asked me if I'd be interested and I had no problem skipping a week of school my senior year. Gordon was a student of this teacher when he was in the 6th grade and invited him to be one of the counselors as well. He caught my eye and I caught his. Over the week we talked a bit. Very friendly, great laugh, liked the same bands as I did, but alas... he had a girlfriend (they always do). I gave him my number at the end of the week and we parted ways. Life went on as normal and then he called me. We became friends. I flirted a little more than I should have with a guy that had a girlfriend. But, hey I was young, about to graduate, spend my summer in Germany and then move to Rhode Island for college. What have I got to lose? Well it must have worked because 26 days after meeting Gordon he was no longer with his girlfriend, he was with me. This is one of my favorite pictures of us. It was taken right before I left for college.

This is us now. It was taken a couple weeks ago at Kathryn and Sean's wedding. We look a little older, we drink a lot more, and we have a wonderful life together.

I made a few friends when I moved here via Craig's List. Below are (left to right) Ali and Liz. Deanna is taking the picture. In February Liz and her husband bought a house in New Jersey. People in Philadelphia love to make fun of people that live in Jersey. So we gave Liz a hard time about moving out of the city. One night while drinking too much Ali and I decided to get Liz a beadazzler for her birthday. We bought an extra one and made T-shirts. The heart on our shirts are beadazzled. We painted pottery on a rainy day. It was a lot of fun. I made a bowl for our keys.

In June my sweet friend Maria was having her baby shower. I wanted to be there so badly but couldn't take the time off at work because I was already taking time off for a wedding a few weeks later. I made her a quilt and a swaddler. I'm working on making a lot more and plan on opening an Etsy shop to sell them.

In July we went home. It was a much needed break from work and from Philadelphia. The reason for the trip was to go to Kathyrn and Sean's wedding. It was beautiful. One of the best weddings we've been to. They both looked stunning, the day was perfect, and love was all around.

The ceremony was beautiful and brought more than one tear to my eye. The reception was wonderful. The food was good, I loved the soup until I got it on my dress. Sean set up the play list for the DJ to play during the reception and all of it was perfect. We danced, we sang, and we had a blast. This is one of my favorite pictures of the happy couple.

Gordon is not big on dancing until he's had a few drinks... then watch out! Its fun.

I fully believe in wedding registries. They guarantee you're going to get something you want whether its coming from a distant relative, a coworker, or that guy your parents know that they made you invite. For my closest and most special of friends I have been giving a more personal wedding gift. I did it for Maria & Dan, Kristin & Robbie, and now Kathryn & Sean. I have been making quilts for the past 10 years. I love them. They make you warm and have a sense of comfort that I always hope will be with whom ever I give them to. Kathryn and Sean said that they loved it and that makes me happy.

2009 has been a good year so far. I am going to really really try to keep up with this. See ya next time.

...Continued

The last 6/7 months, the photo version...

My birthday got pushed forward so that we could have GTP at our place. It was a good party with all the fixing's: a broken toilet, someone passed out on the coats, someone singing off key to an Elton John song, and an obnoxious drunk. Good times at GTP. Can't wait for the next one.

We went home for Christmas. Gordon's birthday is 2 days before Christmas so everyone was in town and we were able to go out and celebrate. The jean jacket was from me.

Christmas eve we were at my mom's house. It was fun. Everyone got great stuff. I got the dress form I was hoping for. I am working on my first dress so it's finally goting to get some use. Santa was good to us.

After dinner and gifts at my dad's Katie, Nick, Gordon and I went out for a few drinks. Kate and I get a little silly when we drink.

After Church Christmas morning I went back to Gordon's parent's house to open more gifts. This is where I got my Nuddle. Its kinda like the Snuggy but 10,000 times better.... way better. I love it. I use it all the time.

In March during my time off between jobs we went down to DC for a Fire game and to see the sites.

Gordon is so funny. There was actually a guy trying to take a similar picture but he was laying on the ground and from a particular angle you would think that the Washington monument was... his monument. That was funny.

The game was the first night we were in town. It was cold and rainy. But the Fire won so we had a great time!

While seeing the sights we were lucky enough to get to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom. It was so beautiful.

In May we got the opportunity to go to another Fire game, this time in New York, well actually New Jersey but it was the New York team. Once again, the Fire won. On our way out of the stadium some girl stepped on the back of my flip flop and tore it completely off. I had to walk across the parking lot with only one shoe.

June and July are action packed months with baby showers and weddings. I spent a lot of time making presents for those occasions. There are more photos to come so stay tuned!

Hey there old friend...

... its been a while.

I really let my self go... in the blogging world that is. Since we last spoke I started a second job as a baker for a catering company/restaurant. It was fun but it slowly consumed my life. All through the holidays and into the new year I worked 2 jobs and had a very full social life. Book club was going great we added some new members.

During that time I became completely involved with the show Lost. I know I got on the bandwagon a little late so I seriously had some catching up to do before the new season started in January. Between Thanksgiving and the season 4 premier in mid January Gordon and I watched all of Lost. The hard part was then having to wait a whole week for the next episode. We love that show!

In February I was offered a job at a country club out in the burbs. It was a lot more money, health insurance and a double title of Sous Chef and Pastry Chef. I went back and forth about it. I mean, I deserve to just have one job, to have benefits, to make more money. But, I would have to leave the restaurant I love, give up my evenings and my Sundays off (that's a big one, Sunday is the only day that Gordon and I both had off all day together). But I took it. I didn't start till April. And, right at the end there was a lot of back and forth. The owner hired me. The Executive Chef said he was going to keep looking... uh I already gave my notice I won't have a job at all in a few days if you guys don't get your shit straight....It all worked out in the end. And I ended up getting a whole week off in between. I'm still at the club but I don't like it very much. But everything is a learning experience. I'll take what I can get out of it while I am there and when its time to move on I will feel no regrets.

With spring comes a new apartment. Something closer to work/night life (because 6 blocks wasn't close enough now Gordon 1 block from work and we can see our favorite bar from our living room window). Its smaller, has more character, cheaper, and will let us have a dog. I like it a lot.

This year marks Gordon and my 9th anniversary. Nine years ago we were just 2 kids with our whole lives in front of us. Now we are we. It was a long journey with ups and downs but we are together and that's what counts. I love him more and more every year that we are together. He's my best friend. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Summer is great. I love the heat, the sun staying up late, the BBQs, the weddings, and the soccer games. I love summer. We got to go home for a long weekend to celebrate our friend's, Kathryn and Sean, wedding. It was a blast. And it was a much needed trip home. I hadn't been there since Christmas.

there's more to come....

Now my work is on my skin....

...Permanently! And no, it's not another 3rd degree burn.

It's official, I have taken my work to the next level and had it tattooed on me forever. For over a year I have been wanting to get at tattoo of a pin up on my upper arm. Something really cool, something really hot... something really sexy in a vintage/food kinda way... I can't really describe it you'll just have to wait and see it. I haven't gotten it yet because my mom, my sister, and now Gordon are all saying I should wait because 'its not something I'm going to want in my wedding photos'. I say I can just cover it with make-up (they make really good make-up for that stuff now) or make sure my dress would cover it.

I'm waiting. I'm not happy about it but I'm waiting. But I'm not going to wait forever.

So I've been doing some tattoo browsing on the Internet hoping it would get me my tattoo fix and I would get by until the time was right. That's when it came to me. Something small, something food related, something cute, something me. Its not the best picture cuz I took it with my phone (our camera is broken, again). It's on my left wrist. Its a dessert fork and spoon. They are placed in the way they would be on a properly set table, just above the dinner plate. I love it. It's not as sexy as a pin up girl just wearing an apron and holding a chocolate layer cake with a cherry on top but its a start.

I'm really bad at this

It's not like I don't have the time to blog and it's not like I don't have the desire to blog. I just don't know why it's not getting done.

Update (the short short version): Chicago trip: It was fun. We drank too much everyday. I got sunburned, bad. We saw most of our friends. Wished we could have spent more time with them and with our families. We realized how much we miss Chicago and how it will always be home in our hearts.

Fun walk home: The other day I walked a different route home. It was a nice sunny day. While waiting at a red light I saw this:

Do you see him in there? Isn't he a cute little monkey? Who do you think put him here? He brightened my day.

Adventures in Project Runway: Some people I work with are always talking about going to the bar across the street from the restaurant to watch Project Runway on Wednesday nights. So this week I decided to go. They have this whole set up; Franny, a server at work, dresses up as Heidi and for a donation you can participate in the challenge. The only problem is that you spend so much time working on your model that you miss what is happening in the show. The challenge this week was to find something in nature and make an evening gown. They didn't tell us till later that you would have to get up and give a back story and explain your dress. I have no problem making a dress out of scraps and using tape and staples to put it together but I did not want to get up in front of a group of theater people, fashionistas and all of the the Gays I know and explain a dress. Her name is Telula and she is a German country girl. She likes to spend time in the fields of Bavaria's country side picking flowers.
I didn't win. I didn't get to watch the show. I didn't get home till 1:30am. The up side is that Jay winner of Season 1 was in attendance that night. It was fun.

Fire!

I know there has been a bit of time between posts on my Chicago trip and I am sorry. I will conclude the recap of my trip home soon.

But this is big!

Yesterday was kind of a crappy day. It was the first day for the city of Philadelphia to feel the effects of hurricane Hannah. It was hot and muggy. The sky looked like it was going to burst with rain at any moment. This made the kitchen unbearable. It was sooooo hot. No one wanted to do anything. We were dreading having to make brunch. Sarah started telling me about stories of the last place she worked at and how the transformer blew up one night and how they all had to tie flashlights to their heads so they could see what they were cooking. I told her about at my last place the heat didn't work for an entire winter and I'd have to cook with the hood off and the kitchen doors open with fans pulling the heat out of the kitchen into the dinning room and the staff would come in to warm their hands over the grill.

I went down to the basement to cool off and start working on some desserts. When I came back upstairs to get a sheet pan all I could smell was burning. I asked Mel... our resident fuck up that should have been fired months ago... what he burned this time and if he took it out to the trash. The smell was so strong I didn't want it to get into the dinning room. He said, "It's not me. The building is on fire. Don't make that ticket that table left." WHAT?!!! Sarah came into the kitchen from the dinning room and said, "The building is on fire so we are telling all of the customers they have to leave." WHAT? WHERE? HOW? HUH?! I was only in the basement for 5 minutes when did all of this happen? Then there are sirens and a fireman told the manager up font that we had to leave the building too. I went and got my phone from my locker. Asked Mel if he pulled the potatoes out of the oven, he said he turned all the ovens off and the stoves too. Grabbed my drink and we went outside. There were 7 fire trucks out there. they had Market St blocked from 4th to 2nd and 3rd St blocked from Chestnut to Arch.

We sat on the steps of the restaurant across the street and watched everything unfold. There is a restaurant on the corner of Market and 3rd called Pizzicato. Connected to Pizzicato is a place called Bijou which is a private party space and bar owned by Pizzicato. There are offices and apartments above them. Farmicia, my restaurant is in a separate building but is attached to the other building. Smoke was billowing out of the windows and coming from the roof above Bijou. The air was full of smoke and ashes were falling from the sky. We sat and waited. Radio and TV news people came and started asking questions and interviewing people. I got cornered by one of the radio people. I said that I didn't see anything and she moved on to someone else. We heard saws, timbers breaking, saw smoke and people coming out of the building. The staff of Pizzicato started to show up and were in shock at what they saw. The fire fighters got it under control, put out the fire and started to clean up.

We were allowed to go back inside. By now we only had 2 hours of brunch left and weren't sure how long it would take for the fire fighters to clean up and open the streets back up. When we got back inside I fond that Mel had only shut off his stove and his oven. Everything else was still on. Potatoes were burnt. Fuckin' Mel! I should have known better than to believe him. Brunch went on. Everything else was ok... until it started raining.

Then, the basement flooded. A pipe broke and water was flowing into the basement like water from a fire hydrant on a hot city day. Sarah tried to fix it, running back and forth from the hardware store down the street. It got to the point where she just had to give up and wait for it to stop raining before it could be fixed. When I left there was about 4 inches of water on the basement floor. And the heaviest rain came later that afternoon after I had gone home.

What a day.

Chicago Part Dux

Day 2: 1st day of Lolla

Gordon and I woke up early and headed into the city to hang out with our friends at Lollapalooza. While we were waiting for Tommy, Gordon's old boss, to show up with our tickets we had lunch at Panera. I miss Panera. Their bagels and soups and sandwiches are sooooo good.

We spent most of our time in the Lolla Lounge. Its the VIP lounge. You can see 2 of the stages from the tables in the lounge. The is an open bar, catered lunch, dinner and you could get a free massage if you're too worn out from sitting around drinking and watching the bands.

I met up with Aaron Ball. He's still the same old Aaron. We ended the night at bar watching a friend's band instead of watching Radio Head.

Day 3: Lolla day 2 and Chicago Fire Game

We started the day at Lolla. But it was a short day for us because we were going to the Fire game later that evening. Gordon and I started drinking as soon as we got to Lolla. I started to get sunburned and I also got one of those free massages. Kate and Nick picked us up and we tailgated before the game. So there was more drinking in the parking lot. Then there was the drinking during the game. It was a great game and the Fire won! After the game Kate and Nick dropped us off back at Lolla were we met up with our friends that we had left behind earlier. We all went to this little bar on the north side of the city. Where we drank some more. By now my sun burn was starting to set in and a day of beer and sun was taking its toll on me. The night finally ended and we went home.

Sweet Home Chicago

Chicago: Day 1

We arrived yesterday a little after 10am. What a wonderful feeling to land in Chicago! I haven't been this excited about going some where since I went to the World Cup 2 years ago. As we walked out of the airport to wait for our ride I noticed the air was better. Mind you, we are still at the airport but the air quality was so much better. It felt easier to breath. Maybe it just seemed that way because I miss Chicago air, as silly as that sounds.

Gordon's mom picked us up and took us back to her house. She got a new puppy 2 weeks ago. His name is Riley and he's a 5 month old half black lab half border colly. He's super cute and very lovey. (a picture will follow later) After playing with Riley and checking out the vegetable garden we headed out for lunch, something I had been looking forward to since we decided to come out here.

El Faro #3 Elgin, IL

This location of El Faro opened when I was in elementary school. A kid in my class, Edgar Soto, had some family that was opening a Mexican restaurant on the west side of town. They already had 2 locations and now have 7 or 8... they are all named El Faro #__. Soon after opening it became a very much loved place by everyone that lived on this side of the river. Always busy and ALWAYS open. In high school kids use to skip class to get lunch there. The flower shop I use to work at ordered lunch from there at least once a week. My favorite is the Chicken Burrito. It has the perfect combination of seasoned chicken, rice, beans, lettuce, and cheese. I add sliced avocado to mine. Its huge! I normally only eat half, but not this time. I tried my best to eat the whole thing. Towards the end it got difficult but man, was it delicious. We have yet to find a good Mexican place in Philly. Its just not as large of a culture in Philly as it is in Chicago and its surrounding areas. Philadelphia is definitely missing out.

Later I went shopping with my sister. While we were out it started to rain. Serious rain too, with wind, lightning and thunder. This bummed me out cuz I was planning to lay in the pool for most of the afternoon. After shopping I went back to the Mays house where I found Gordon napping. The poor guy never went to bed the night before. I too took a nap for a little bit. Then my mom, sister and brother came over. We had a little bbq with burgers, dogs, potato salad, taffy apple salad, and beers. It was good and nice to see everyone. Later our friends Kathryn & Sean, and Rob came by. We sat out in the screened porch drank beer and talked till midnight. It was so nice to see and talk to them. Hopefully we will get to see them again this weekend.

Today is the first day of Lollapalooza. The forecast says its gonna rain. I sure hope not but I'll bring ponchos just in case. It's good to be back. There is a calming feeling in knowing where everything is and who is around you. It's true, you never know what you had till it's gone.

Obesity in America

So I know I was stressing about the whole weight thing yesterday more than I should have. But then I had a dream last night... more like a nightmare.

I dreamt that I was sitting on the couch watching the news. The news caster was giving the top story on the newest obesity study in the US. Cut to general footage of the bottom half of fat people sitting and walking on city streets. Then I see it... The 'fat' person walking across the screen is ME!!! I recognized my tattoo on my ankle.

YIKES!!!!!

What does this mean?

It's official...

I. AM. FAT!

Its true. I've tipped the scale. I think that some time between the ages of 24 and 25 my metabolism woke up one day and said, "I'm tired! I've been working your ass off for 24ish years! I've been makin' sure you can eat what ever you want and you don't have to exercise. I'm tired and I don't want to work anymore! You're on your own."

There are lost of things that can account for the weight gain...
1. I have a job where I'm around food all day. Its good food and I make it myself.
2. I haven't really exercised in over a year.
3. I recently tried a new birth control that has a side effect of weight gain.
4. I only work 8 hours a day so the rest of my day is spent sitting on the couch.
5. I have been drinking A LOT more since moving here.
6. I do indulge in eating farm fresh bacon, every day... I have to make sure its of good quality, for the customer of course.

The battle of the bulge began last summer. I noticed that my jeans were getting tighter. It was hard but I gave away my size 2 jeans and bought some that fit. Then we took a trip to Las Vegas and I knew we would spend some time at the pool. My bikini still fit but I didn't look my best. I figured I'd just stay in the water and no one would notice. Later in the year we went to Keystone, CO. I had to, at this point, squeeze my self into that same bikini and then sit in a hot tub with some of Gordon's co-workers. Not my best bikini moment. This was the beginning of the 'roll' down hill for me. So since I've been here I have gone up another pant size... now 2 sizes larger than I was last summer. I noticed in some of the pictures from when Gordon's parents were here how bad it has really gotten.

I leave for Chicago in a few days so there isn't enough time to slim down before I see my friends. BUT, when I get back things are gonna change. They have to.

Grillin'

I want to live in this neighborhood!

What's on the old boob tube.

Quantum Leap

....Striving to put right what once went wrong.

I'm sure most of you remember this show. I have fond memories of this program. I remember it use to air on Thursday nights and we would have to record (on tape) the episodes because my mom was in a bowling league and she would miss the show. My sister and I would watch the show when it was on and then again when my mom got home. It was always funny to see Sam dressed as a woman and try to put on makeup or walk in high heals.

In our latest cable upgrade we got a new channel I had never heard of, ION. Its kinda like Pax (if anyone remembers that channel). They show re-runs of older TV shows. I stumbled across Quantum Leap in the guide and was thrilled. I have now replaced my obsessive watching of Law & Order SVU with Quantum Leap. It's a more touching, feel-good way to spend the evening. Plus, a lot of the episodes that have been on lately I don't remember ever watching.

Weeds
....There's a green one and a pink one and a blue one and a yellow one. And they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.

We got into this show a little late. We don't have Showtime so we are not current on the show. But, we have been watching via Blockbuster online. We spent two weeks watching the first two seasons in preparation for the release of season three on DVD. We are still waiting to get season three but once we are done watching that it's gonna be hard to wait for season four. Its such an awesome show!!! It is so funny in a very sarcastic matter of fact kind of way. I've always loved Mary Louise Parker and she does an amazing job in her role as drug dealing/small business owning/twice widow/mother of 2. If you haven't seen this show, get it on Netflix or Blockbuster Online and spend a weekend watching it.

Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood

Again, I came upon this show late. Oxygen is another channel we got in the cable upgrade. I got hooked on Tori & Dean: Inn Love marathon leading up to the premiere of Home Sweet Hollywood. They are so cute together. It's refreshing to see a couple so in love and have it all together. Liam is a super cute 'little monkey'. Tori works so hard to take care of her family and have a life different from what she knew growing up. Love this show. Gordon only watched the show for a few minutes the other day and all he had to say about it was, "His glasses are awesome!". So, if anyone out there knows what brad Dean's glasses are please let me know so I can try to get them for Gordon.

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.

Sick Day

And its not one of the fun ones.

I went to work this morning and I had a bit of a tummy ache. No biggie, I can work though it. Then I started to get dizzy. So I made my self something to eat, the luxury of working in a kitchen. That didn't help. Now its worse, and the dizziness is bordering on fainting. So I drink some OJ... that will bring up the blood sugar and help a little, right? WRONG! All of a sudden I lost it. Running down the stairs to the employee bathroom... thank GOD it was just cleaned! I got sick for about 30 minutes. When I came back to the kitchen Kevin, the owner, said that he was gonna call someone else in and I could go home when they got there. He joked that it was morning sickness. I guaranteed him that it was not. Maybe it was the milk I drank last night... The date on the container was the 26th and I didn't notice it until I was throwing the carton away and my glass of milk was almost gone.

I struggled through the rest of breakfast. It got really busy for a little bit and I was a bit shaky from before. When Sarah got there I left. I walked home and crawled back into bed. It woke Gordon up and he was a bit confused as to why I was getting back in bed at 11am when I should be at work. I slept for a few more hours. I'm feeling a little bit better but still shaky.

So here's what happened.

Last time I blogged we had just gotten back from NYC..... since then....

H2O Go!:

We went and saw H2O at the Troc. I haven't seen them in about 7 years, which is right around the last time they wrote and toured an album. It was awesome! I was sad when it was all over. They may be old men but they've still got it.

Visitors from the West:

The following weekend Gordon's parents came to stay with us for 6 days. It was nice to see them. While they were here we did all of they touristy things that you do when you visit a new city.

One night we went out to dinner at Devon. It was nice. Gordon's mom and I ordered our meat cooked the same way but when they came out hers was under done and mine was over done. So we switched.

On Saturday we went sight seeing. We started the day with an informal dance picture in front of the fake flowers in our building's lobby.

We stopped by the first post office in America which was located just north of where Benjamin Franklin use to live. The structure behind us is the post office and his print shop. we are standing in what would have been his garden. I walk past this post office everyday on my way to work and always thought it was a museum but its a functioning post office.

Then we got on the bus tour. It was a bit pricey but it takes you all over and you can get on an off as many times as you'd like if you want to see the sights they are telling you about.

The only downside to an open top is that the branches can be low. I got hit in the face once. I ducked and it grazed my cheek and ear. The tour guide was facing us so she didn't see them coming and was almost decapitated a couple times.

YIKES!!!

The next day was the Pride Parade. And we caught the 'tail end' of the parade as we were on our way to the Liberty Bell. Gordon's mom had to get a few pictures. I guess it's not something you see on the streets of Streamwood everyday.

We did make it to the bell without getting caught between some greezed up gay men in tiny shorts.
We ended the day near the art museum. It was a nice weekend even though the weather was hellishly hot.

That's all for now. There's a lot more to say but I don't want to overwhelm you with all of my crazy antics. There will be more tomorrow.