philly

Vegan Dinner

Lady cooked up a storm Sunday night for an incredible all-vegan dinner. Our friends Jodi and Pat are vegans and she thought that it would be nice to be able to cook them an entire meal they could enjoy without having to hassle with questions of ingredients. It turned out wonderfully.

Lady got a vegan cookbook from her sister for Christmas. It's by some fancy-schamcy place out in San Francisco [I forget the name]. She's been dying to make use of it's gourmet dishes and she finally did. I helped make the dish pictured above: sliced and layered heirloom tomatoes with avocadoes, two kinds of basil and arugula drizzled with some yummy dressing. Hard to eat, but very rewarding in taste. She also made a chickpea stew with sundried tomatoes, apricots, chianti and some other stuff I didn't see go in served on a crêpe [I made this too!] made from crushed almonds, chickpea flour, salt, pepper, oil, egg replacer and water. It was hard making the crêpes with those crushed almonds in them, not a normal crêpe consistency. That dish was topped with a pickeled topping consisting of diced orange, olives, onion, chili peppers and other goodies pictured here. For dessert was a yummy key lime pie pictured here made with key limes, avocados, crushed pistachio crust and topped off with a vegan mousse and poppy seeds.

Mmmmm. I'm getting hungry thinking about a few hours ago.

Apartment Search Part III

Lady and I have started Apartment Search Part III. We're moving in together [again] when our leases expire at the end of August. We looked at three two-bedrooms over on Pine/16^th Sts. yesterday which were all very nice. And no, we're not sleeping in separate rooms, we're going to use the extra room most likely as an office/studio space to share between the both of us. Lady for her schoolwork [she starts grad school at Temple in the Fall and me for working on my photos without distractions.

I'm gonna have to figure out a nice spot to place the wireless router once we pick a spot and get all settled in. Ideally, I'd like to upgrade to WiFi-G and maybe get a repeater and stick it in a hallway between the bedroom[s] and living room areas if we get a big enough place.

We're looking at another place today over on Lombard/9^th Sts and on Monday two more over at Pine/13^th and Spruce/10^th. I'm sure we'll be looking at plenty more in the very near future.

Anyone moving out of a really cheap place [big 1BR or 2BR] in Center City at the end of August?

Off to Toronto?

Lady and I may be off to Toronto in the coming weeks for a weekend. Why Toronto you ask? Well, why the fuck not. Sounds cool enough to me. We've also both been on the Montreal, Quebec, Ottowa circuit too. I hear it's about a seven or eight hour drive though. Ugh.

A final road trip before we give the car up. Huzzah [if we do it that is]!

Mid to Late May

For the forseeable future, mid to late May will be a special time for me. May 13^th is when Lady and I moved to Philly. It's been a great year and change and I don't see myself leaving this town anytime soon, sorry NYC.

And May 29^th is the date I started blogging. Sunday will be my one year bloggiversary or whatever. 1100+ posts, 600+ comments and 50+K hits in my first year. Let's see where year two will take me. This site started off as a way for my family and friends to keep track of what I'd be up to without having to call me and check up on me every week/month/whatever. They could sit at their computer at work or at home and while they were doing other things, they could click and see what kind of trouble I had gotten myself into — remarkably, none.

But this site has become much more than that. It has become a place where I come to vent. It has become a place where I can discuss my politics. It has become a place where I can help other folks learn new things or just find out info. It has become a place that has opened doors and friendships in my new hometown. I've made tons of friends directly and indirectly though this blog. The internet, who woulda thunk it? Thanks Al Gore for inventing it.

Star Wars and Fans

I went to see Star Wars at midnight. Before I get to what I thought, let me explain the photos above. The top one is of the eight hardest of hardcore fans I saw. I got on line with Lady at about 10p and those folks were already being courted by NBC and CN8. I walked over and snapped that shot of them. And no, I have no idea what that girl made the head tentacles out of. We also drove to the theater behind a Camry with a R2D2 in the trunk. The trunk was taped shut around the large R2 unit. I have no idea if it was a full costume or what as we were brought inside at 10.30p.

The second shot is of the CN8 reporter... in a Darth Vader helmet... with a light saber... doing the news. Chronkite is probably rolling over in his grave. Oh wait, that old guy is still around being angry. The reporter's assistant brought over an über fan for a light saber fight on camera and prompted the folks in line to start cheering for either side. Lady was outed as an official geek; we were both probably on TV last night - sorry Lady, it's true. She even pointed out how reporter Darth's light saber was the wrong color, even though it wasn't lit up - 633k.

* * * * *

What did I think of the movie without any real spoilers...
I really liked it. I think the prequels were like the Godfather films, but in reverse. By that I mean it's as if Sophia Coppola was in the first two Godfathers ruining scene after scene she was in with her "acting" and then in the final one, she just shut up and was on camera only once or twice for posterity. The first two prequels were just horrible. Horrible. There is no other word for them. Horrible I say!

This one is darker. It has wookies it has Natalie Portman croaking [I can't stand her], it has Jimmy Smits all over the place! Oh yes. Jimmy Smits is in about 30% of the film. How can you not like that? There were some horrible lines thrown in there between Skywalker and Padmé, but that was to be expected. There were some pretty cool fight scenes. "Force" battles. The original X-wings. The list goes on. All of the ships, weapons, animals, etc were awesome. Lucas made me very happy.

Now if I could just get my hands on a non-edited version of IV, V and VI to watch again, I feel the need.

One Year and A Day Living in Philly

May 13^th 2004: the day Lady and I moved to Philly. I've loved every single day since. A year later, I find myself in a semi-similar situation in that I don't have a job and that I'll have to look for a new place to live in three months. But I have many friends and a very good sense of what this place is all about.

I still feel like a tourist in this city every once in awhile. When I hear about a festival or street fair or classic venue I've never been to, but that's all a part of moving to a new city.

I've done things I've wanted to do for awhile now: start a blog, start a photoblog, become a member of a museum among many other things.

I bought myself a new bike, a new camera, a new laptop and all that stuff you need when you live on your own like a bed, couch, chair, knives and such. It's been a great journey. It started out as an adventure for Lady and I. Neither of us had jobs and neither of us had a ton of money, but options weren't too many up in NYC at the time. I had been temping for six months and sent my resume out to too many places to remember and now the job hunt starts [well, has started] again.

But now I have a few contacts and a feel for this place. I have a foot in the door in starting my ABSOLUTE DREAM of becoming a photographer - a photographer that gets paid that is, a professional. I'm starting off small, but the opportunities are, as they say, endless. I must say that my real dream was to be a professional soccer player, but I was too short to really go for that one, arg.

I don't know where this one is going so I'm gonna cut it off here before I somehow end up talking about crazy things.

I love this place.

Books From the Logan Square Fair

Lady and I headed to the Logan Square Fair to pick up some cheapo books that the Friends of the Free Library were selling in their tent. It was rainy and some of the books were unfortunately wet, but most of them were just fine.

I picked up five hardcovers which rang in at all of $10. What I got:

1. A 1949 hardcover edition of George Orwell's 1984
2. A National Geographic Society book called Nature's World of Wonders, 1983
3. A Kodak book on photo: The Kodak Library of Creative Photography: Mastering Composition and Light, 1983
4. A portrait photo book from People magazine: Favorite Pictures, 2000
5. Another portrait photo book from USA Today: Portraits of the USA, 1986

There were tons more books to go through, but we only put one hour of change into the meter and they were closing up for the day as well. Lady made off with a cardboard box full of books totalling $20.

Another trip back later Sunday?

If you do go, be forewarned. It is more disorganized than the Strand if you're familiar with that train wreck of a treasure.

Anyone Getting Rid of a Bed?

Is anyone out there getting rid of a bed in Philly? Lady is looking for a new bed. A full or queen sized bed specifically. She's sleeping on a not-so-hot Ikea foam mattress which she hates. No, abhors. If you're looking to get rid of a bed or are upgrading yourself, leave a comment here or email her. Thanks!

***UPDATE*** 5.01.05
she got a bed

Moving a Bed

I wonder what the best method is to transport a full sized bed two blocks. I/we will find out Sunday. Let's see if I can get some friends to help out with their big pickup or wagon.

***UPDATE no bed moving***
Oh well. The search continues.

At the Library

Ed Conlon
Joe Pistone

The author event at the Free Library was great. Ed Conlon and Joe Pistone both told some stories from their colorful pasts which continue on into their colorful futures. I knew both of them were NYers, but had only heard Pistone speak before. Conlon is a Bronx native, but spoke more like a Brooklynite. How'd a kid with that accent get into the hallowed halls of Hhhhhhavahd?

Conlon read some passages from his book. Stories of an alleged crazed "Jewish" cat in a lady's apartment; sitting in a dead man's apartment waiting for the medical examiner to show up and an insurance salesman calls trying to sell insurance first to the dead guy and then to Conlon; and a murder suspect who tries to set Conlon up with a nurse while in the hospital. He reads his work very well, not something all writers can do. Lady, who read Blue Blood, was very interested in hearing his voice after reading his book.

Pistone walked to the podium and went right into telling some stories from his F.B.I. days. Many stories from Donnie Brasco and lots of littler side stories. He was pretty graphic in his language, something I don't think the usual Free Library attendees were used to. Talk of whacking this guy or cutting another guy up with a chainsaw [not a hacksaw]. He also spoke of the Italian-American mob and how they differed from the Jamaicans, Russians, Albanians and Sicilians. The mob here won't go after a person's family he said. He said that someone ratted his family out after the Feds told the mob about his past. Someone Pistone grew up with told the mob bosses where his family lived, but the mob said that their beef was with Joe Pistone and Joe Pistone only. He also said that the mob is at about 50% of what it was when he was undercover. The mob will never be what it once was because of drugs. Don Corleone was right!

But the funniest story of the night came after the talk. As Lady and I walked outside to the car [which was right in front of the library in a primo spot] and I started the car, it wouldn't start. Luckily, there were tons of cops there so I flagged one down [from the Philly CSU] and asked him for a jump. Two of his partners stayed in their Expedition while we connected the cables. And as I'm connecting the black cable, one of them honks the horn. Me and the cop outside both jumped. And we all started laughing. It was pretty shocking and hilarious. I was just standing there laughing at myself and the two in the car were yukking it up for a good five minutes. They're probably telling their buddies right now.

The shots above were taken by me and from pretty far back in the auditorium @70mm; f/4.5, 1/90 sec; ISO-1600. Not the ideal conditions, but whatevs. I wish I was up close with a 50mm f/1.8 but hey. We got there a little late because of issues at the parking garage, they took about 20 minutes to get the car. Arg.