Dear Veterans,

Thank you. I don't think we say it enough.

Love's Labour Lost

I went to a Shakespeare play. Not just any Shakespeare play, but a good one, put on by Skakespeare's own Globe Theatre Company. With proper British accents, impeccable acting, beautiful singing, and a lot of laughter. I felt compelled to attend because I am neither an English major, nor am I knowledgeable about Shakespeare. I read the requisite Romeo and Juliet and Julius Ceasar and I'm sure a few sonnets in high school but that's about it. I recall Shakespeare being difficult to understand, and having to go line by line through the parts in order to understand nuances and innuendo and to get the the gist of it all. In general, I think I had pretty good English teachers who helped me to understand the interesting parts of the plays. I also recall them being very minimalist, not describing a single direction or stage cue or lighting or anything. Which, in general, makes them a wonderful thing to interpret, right? I enjoyed Baz Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet when I was a kid, most probably because it had the My So-Called life girl in it with Leonardo DiCaprio. And I had read it before, thanks to Mr. Lewis, I believe in freshman year English.
However, this was different. A true acting troupe, fully realizing the characters on stage. The performance was wonderful, beginning with a group of musicians wandering about the area outside the theatre, playing lovely tunes on their (presumably) 16th-17th century era instruments. There was no curtain, and the actors marched into the theatre together, along with the musicians. The actors were truly brilliant: pantomiming, enunciating, emphasizing Shakespeare's unbelievable ability to write poetry. The costumes were beautiful, and the storyline and plot was truly hysterical. I am so glad I took the time to see Shakespeare performed as I would imagine it was performed way back when. I am hoping to not be so intimidated to see another difficult play again. And, surprisingly, the second act was much easier to follow than the first. I guess I must have a small English major deep within my psyche!

Here we go!

Let's go Phils!

New Video from Adrian

MacHomer

I am a very lucky student. We get to obtain tickets to amazing shows for very little money here at Penn. Our most recent venture was to MacHomer, a one man show derived from Shakespeare's play Macbeth. The twist? One man plays all the characters - and all the characters are from the Simpsons TV show. I thought Alex might like this, and having grown up watching the Simpsons (jeez, I was 11 when it started!) I thought I might enjoy it too. Rick Miller is the writer and performer of the show, and it apparently came from backstage humor during a performance of the actual Macbeth. Miller is phenomenal - energentic, funny, over the top, really entertaining and extremely talented. I had a blast. The play was very short (maybe a little over an hour or so) with no intermission, but I didn't get bored or itch to move around. Miller has a myriad number of voices he lends to the play and the giant TV screen behind him helps you identify the characters he is emulating. The dialogue is a bit fast, and sometimes is exactly what Shakespeare himself wrote, so it's funny to hear Homer quote some of the more famous Macbeth lines, like

"Is this a dagger which I see before me,

The handle toward my hand?"

And then have is say, "Or is it a pizza? Mmmmmmm.....pizza". It's also funny to see Marge as the murderous Lady Macbeth, encouraging Homer to go out and kill in order to become queen. There are references to present day pop culture, as well as a wonderful encore in which Miller sings a great song by many, many characters. Altogether, this is a great re-interpretation of Macbeth, and I would higly recommend checking it out, especially if you are even remotely a Simpsons fan.

Sicko

So, I fully admit that I'm behind on the whole "movie watching"
thing. We rented Michael Moore's Sicko this past weekend, mostly because of the loud roar over health care that's been going on for some time now. I have to say, this is Moore's best film yet. His first movies had this greatly brazen asshole trying to get into GM or Nike headquarters, trying to make a point. At the time, I loved it because I had never really seen movie making quite like that. In this film, Moore actually lets the people tell their own stories. And short of a little ridiculous excursion to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Moore actually hits the nail on the head. He is able to interview many, many people all over the country to drive home the point that big insurance companies have wrecked our health care system. We are the only developed nation to not offer universal health care. And we seem to care only about profits and money making than anything else. Why else would we have publicly traded insurance companies? How do insurance companies make a profit? By denying your claims. Who denies your claims? Doctors hired by the insurance companies to maintain a certain percentage of denials in order to make a profit. The current ways of denying claims is to say you have a "pre-existing condition" or that you have had in the past something that you did not disclose, say a cold or the flu. It's thoroughly disturbing that we do not have any sort of health coverage for a significant part of the population and that those of us who are insured are insured on a tenuous level (as in, it can be taken away from you at a moment's notice). This movie was interesting, provocative and sad. It was hard to watch and even harder to comprehend why we would deny basic medical service to people in need. This is not the Hippocratic Oath that doctors take. This goes against every tenent in health care - to do no harm. Insurance companies are greedy, selfish and unnecessary. The saddest thing to me is that the health care reform Obama is trying to push through is being so changed and altered by big insurance companies that I fear it will do nothing to change our health care predicament. I think we need drastic changes that may never happen.

Haiku Sickie-Face Friday

Sneezing and coughing
aching and sniffling and
stuffy and loopy.

***

Haven't been this sick
in a long time (thank god) but
am slowly healing

***

The flu kicked my ass
swiftly and took prisoners
weekend rest and bed.

Dear Ken Burns,

I have been watching the new documentary on America's National Parks by Ken Burns (showing now on PBS). I don't know what it is about his film-making, his cinematography, the narration, but it's amazing. His stories are so touching, recalling a day long ago when the US was struggling to set up the National Parks system. Not only are there beautiful landscapes of the varied lands across our country, but they follow people and their stories - normal, regular people who traveled to the parks, or people who advocated for the parks formations. It's a story of politics, as well as the "American Dream" and the last few remaining untouched spots in our country. This documentary, like Burns' others, is touching, heartfelt and astonishing. It literally has made me cry on several occasions. I am looking forward to the other installments of this series. Good on ya, Ken!

Phila Fail

see more Fail Blog

I actually like the name of this store - esp since it's in the gayberhood and full of totally kitschy stuff.

Obama, Why?

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my bike. What did I do this weekend? Went on a 50 mile bike ride. Holy moly, is my ass sore. We took the bike path up to Valley Forge yesterday. The day was perfect for a bike ride - in the 70s, very few clouds in the sky, warm sun. The leaves are just barely starting to change around here, and it feels like fall is in the air (equinox is tomorrow, so it should be). We came back exhausted, so it may be a couple weeks before Alex can convince me to get back on the bike and go that far again, but we'll see. With the scenery so pretty and the summer crowds gone, it's great to bike around the area. Since we took such a long bike ride, though, now I've got a ton of housework to catch up on...never done, right? I also promptly fell into bed after a quick trip into lab. Even the excitement of the Giants v. Dallas game couldn't keep me awake!
How was your weekend?

Haiku Friday

Not a plan in sight
Nary and scrap of work to
do. No traveling.

***

Weekend chores, shopping
maybe a bike ride or run
Reading, relaxing.

***

Fall is coming soon
Smell the air, feel the change in
seasons. Time goes on.

Wow.

It seems like all we do lately is say how sad we are that somebody died. MJ was a shock, Patrick Swayze was really sad. Farrah, etc, etc. Yesterday I learned of the loss of two women, one famous, and one not so much, which saddened me much more than any of the others before.
My mom is a very kind soul. She wouldn't hurt a fly and she always wears rose-colored glasses. This can both be a good thing and a bad thing, but it's something I love about my mom. She doesn't judge people, she tries to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and she likes to "Live and let live". My mom also loves to sing. In this weird, slightly operatic, slightly off tune voice. Which drove me nuts when I lived at home, but I now find myself singing to myself all the time (I guess I'm turning into my mother...). As far back as I can remember, my mom listened to Peter, Paul and Mary. I don't know what it was about the music, but I just loved it. The harmony, the song lyrics, the messages underneath the lyrics, and the fact that they continued to sing those songs as they aged, just spoke volumes to me. I remember loving the stories behind the songs, the emotion put into the lyrics. "Puff the Magic Dragon" will still, to this day, make me cry for lost childhood dreams, forgotten childhood experiences, and all the innocence and wonder that exists in childhood. For some reason, I drew parallels with Mary Travers and my mom. Mary was in a band with two men, and she often carried the tune, made the transitions, or started the song. In other words, she was a leader, in a time when women were not really leaders and were trying to change their position. My mom was that way, too, working as a mathematician for the Navy, surrounded by men in every position above and below her. Yet, she embraced it and did what she could to keep her job and move up in the ranks. Mary Travers never changed her position on war - I remember Peter, Paul and Mary singing at the protests against the Iraq war. I remember thinking, wow, how amazing to keep your convictions all these years, to stick to them and to continue the movement they were so integral to starting. I am so grateful that strong women like Mary Travers (and my mom) preceded me and paved a path on which I would build my career and my life as I want to.
The other person who passed away recently was Mrs. H. Mrs. H was an old family friend; a matriarch of the H family which has been close to my family for years. My grandparents met Mr. and Mrs. H upon moving into Ojai in the 60s. It was back when there were "Welcome wagons" int he community and Mrs. H was the first to greet my family. She noticed that my grandparents had 3 boys - she also had 3 kids - and they got together and were friends ever since. Mrs. H was the quinessential grandparent as long and I knew her. She lived on a ranch in Ojai that had acres and acres of orange trees. Mrs. H canned and cooked like nobody's business. She was a wonderful host, but was not afraid to put on her overalls and get out in the barn and deal with the chickens. We lost Mr. H several years ago, to many different illnesses. Mrs. H carried on, renting out her house and living in a small mobile home on the property. When it became obvious she could no longer live on her own, she was moved nearer her son, and she passed away in her sleep. Mrs. H always made me feel loved an welcome in her house, she always took time out to talk to everyone, be a part of everyones lives. And she seemed to know that the simplest things in life are the best. I don't recall her owning a TV (maybe a small set for the kids) and I do remember sitting in the hot tub with all her grandkids. My Dad used to visit her every time he was in Ojai, and he always came home with another jar of something Mrs. H had canned. I used to send her Christmas cards, and she always wrote back, marveling that someone had remembered "an old lady". She loved Las Vegas, and we all headed out there for her 80th birthday party. The H family has always been a part of our family, and I feel very saddened at the loss of sucha wonderful, loving woman. I know her spirit is passed on to her children and her grandchildren and I am just so thankful to have known her.

RIP, Patrick Swayze

Your movies were always a staple of my many sleepovers. Cancer is an asshole. You will be missed.

Guess what I did?

I ran a 5K!

At the starting line, standing around.

Run, CD, run!

I love it when I dribble water down my front!

Yay for me!

Some thoughts...

• Screaming "You lie" at a President - really, South Carolina? Really?
• A woman was murdered in her lab at Yale. Scary? Yeah....freaked out? Just a little...
• Health care: why are all the people screaming and yelling about health care? You're required to insure your car, but not yourself? Makes no sense to me. And to prevent insurance companies from gouging us, there should be a public option. Doesn't seem that complicated. Trust me, Medicare/Medicaid will still be there, so stop bitching about it. And stop hating on the poor people.
  
• Americans are ridiculously opposed to change. Change is good. It keeps us moving forward. What's so scary about that?
  
• Philadelphia is in the worst way. The city needs money to function, but the state won't allocate it. We are facing shutdown of city business on Oct 2, if a budget is not written by Sept 18th. Personally, I don't want to live in a city without police and fire officials. The signs on the libraries (all of them, this time) states they will close on Oct 2. How sad.
  
• I think women should run things for a while. Men have had their fair share of governing, and look where it's gotten us. Let's give the females a try.
  
• I guess I am in the minority when I say that I still approve of President Obama. I think he's doing a great job, trying to focus on the issues, while hearing all sides. I do, however, this that this health care issue will make or break his presidency.
• I can't believe how ridiculous people are about their kids. Thinking that Obama will "indoctrinate" their kids into "socialism" when all he really wanted to do was tell kids to work hard and stay in school? Get off your high horse, conservatives. Have a little respect for the Office of the President. And let him inspire minority and inner city kids across the country.
• As far as I can tell, the "deficit", or the "debt" or whatever you want to call it has no effect on my everyday life. Why do I care if we borrow money now so that it's better in the future? This is the worst depression in nearly 100 years! I think this calls for some fancy finances.
  

Home Haiku Friday

Finally here for
a weekend, but not for long.
More trips in future.

***

Looking forward to
unpacking, cooking, cleaning
relaxing, biking.

***

Summer, where have you
gone? I can't believe soon kids
will be back at school!

Dear Philadelphia Eagles,

I have to say I've been really disappointed with your behavior lately. You've made questionable decisions in the past, like letting Jeff Garcia go, getting rid of Jim Johnson (RIP) and getting rid of B.Dawkins. I've always tried to have a little faith, tried to see it through, tried to think you might know what you are doing. However, employing Michael Vick, to me, is abominable. Sure, everyone makes mistakes. And if his mistake, were, say, hitting a dog with his car, then maybe it's forgivable. However, the long term breeding, torture and abuse of animals over years and years is unacceptable. I'm surprised at the sentence he got (and that he served it without bitching and moaning). I know that the Humane Society is trying to work with Vick to promote awareness of dogfighting in urban areas, especially around poorer neighborhoods. I commend that. However, as a member of my team? No way. I just don't condone it and I am not OK with it. Eagles, I think you've lost me as a fan. I really believe that. I think you are selling your soul to the devil in order to win some games, and it disgusts me. I think about all the merchandise you sell, all the kids that watch your games. All the fans that bleed green literally every time you lose. And I can't believe you would disappoint us like this.
Guess I'm looking for a new team to root for. Perhaps one with a few morals....I dunno, Eli Manning's kinda cute.....

Where have I been? Part 2

A stop at the Madonna Inn. This is their bathroom. For those of you looking for a weekend honeymoon getaway {ahem, Randi, ahem}, you should go here. It's so ridiculous, it's amazing. And also where my parents spent part of their honeymoon.

Eating lobster in Maine. Too much lobster....

Watching the sunrise atop Cadillac mountain, the highest peak on the East Coast, and the first place to see the sunlight in the US. Oh, yeah, this was taken around 4:59am. Whew!

Bah Habah.

Sand Beach, Acadia National Forest. 5:45am

Love.

Where have I been? Part 1

San Francisco is one of my favorite cities, and I love nothing more than sitting and watching the sea lions bark and play with each other. I was there for a conference in which I gave my first talk to a "national" audience. I actually remembered to breathe, which was good. And I'm glad to add it to my list of accomplishments.

Another thing to add to my list of accomplishments? Yorkshire pudding. Which came out exceptionally well, considering I was flying by the seat of my pants. Deeee-licious!

A little relaxin' in the yard with Randi and Husband. What a day, what a night.

Kitty thinks she lives in a jungle. Very predator -like.

A Black&Tan with Dad at the local bar.

more to follow....

Dear Oxnard Haiku Friday

Dear Oxnard, could it
be any nicer here? I
don't want to go home.

***

No humidity,
cool breeze, warm sunshine, a
bit of fog at night

***

Sometimes you have to
leave a place before you know
how nice it can be.

Milk

I finally watched this move this weekend and cannot say enough good things about it. I must admit, I was a little too young to realize the situations going on in CA in the late 70s, early 80s. Until this movie, I had never really heard of Harvey Milk. I knew he was a gay icon, but I didn't really know why or what he had done. And there are some things I just can't imagine: like the Castro being anti-gay, people being unable to express their relationships with each other in public, and state-sanctioned discrimination (oh, wait, I can imagine that one! No on H8 BTW Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act). In every movement, it takes someone with more bravery and courage than I can imagine to step out in front of the issues and call them to people's attention. Harvey Milk does that. He spearheads a campaign to put a gay person into a public office (and he runs more times than you can count). He eventually wins a seat as a City Supervisor in SF, only to be shot and killed by another deranged Supervisor at their place of work. (Yeah, talk about justice: see the "Twinkie Defense" if you really want to get pissed off). Harvey inspired a whole host of activists, including the man who set in motion the AIDS quilt, as well as many other people advocating Public Health and Equality for All. I cannot imagine a better time for this movie to come out. Sean Penn is amazing in it, James Franco is (wow) really great. There's a grassroots feeling to this movie, and it was great to see parts of SF re-created for this movie. Altogether, I loved it. It's heartbreaking, heartwrenching, but ultimately has a message of hope. I only hope this movie an inspire others to advocate for themselves, stand up for their rights, and hopefully, soon, we can have equality for all people everywhere. At least, that's what Harvey Milk believes in.

Ode to the Fisher Fine Arts Library

I go here a lot
Makes me feel like a student
in the Ivy League.

Vaulted ceilings, arched
doorways, even a fireplace
big chairs and tables.

Not like biomed
library; less stress, more calm.
Suggest you visit!

40 years ago today....

The Apollo 11 mission left earth for the first manned flight to the moon. Understandably, an unbelievable feat, I just wanted to commemorate the awesomeness of this day. NASA was able to pull off an amazing trip to the moon that was broadcast around the world. I know that I have always been inspired by astronauts and space. Another trip to the ISS is underway today. I was able to watch the live broadcast of the launch last night, and it brought back so many memories. I remember the Challenger blowing up. For some reason, I was at my Grandparents' house that day, home sick from school. The first schoolteacher in space. I remember waking up early to hear the sonic booms from the space shuttle landing. I remember seeing the weird 747 at Mugu, preparing to fly the shuttle to Florida. NASA and the space program have so advanced science and made it open and accessible to the public. What a truly historic day. Congrats, NASA! Here's to 40 more years of exploration (at least!).

A Rant

While understandably excited to watch the confirmation of our first Latina woman on the Supreme Court (and only the THIRD woman to serve), I can't help but be pissed off at the conservative conversations happening in the media. Here is an intelligent, hard working woman who graduated from Princeton undergrad and Yale law School. She has, as far as I can tell, risen from a working class family (in which her father had a third grade education and did not even speak English) to become a judge in the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. I am not sure how much hard work it requires to become a judge. I don't even know how much work Yale Law School might be. I know that grad school takes a lot of determination, intelligence, perseverance and the right attitude. I imagine Sotomayor has all of these and more. I would like to think that Obama saw in her the same pragmatic attitude he has, having come from a working class family and having risen to the Presidency. I would like to think her decisions as a judge have been well thought out and have been based on precident as well as the laws on the books. Nobody really knows. However, I will not stand for this blatant racism, saying she is the product of affirmative action - that she never would have made it this far without racial quotas. I'm sorry, but what? We are talking about a wildly sucessful 55 year old woman, here. Someone who has clearly planned her life journey according to certain values, one who has worked her ass off to get where she is today. It has nothing to do with her race! Don't diminsh he accomplishments by saying they only occurred because of affirmative action. Don't deny young women a role model they can look up to; don't deny the Hispanic culture the right to celebrate this nomination.
I guess the idea is taken with a grain of salt, right? If that's the worst thing they can come up with to say about her, so be it. You and I know the real story. She's an amazing woman, a role model we can all admire. And I dare her to confront those stuffy old white men on that damn Supreme Court. Let's see how well "affirmative action" works for us!

Transformers: Robots in Disguise

Yesterday, we had a big, suburban adventure that included watching Transformers 2. It was about this time last year that they were filming this movie around campus and around Philly, so it was great to finally see the movie. I loved this movie. I loved the first movie, too, so I probably walked in there a little biased. Transformers 2 definitely delivered. It was as good as the first movie and was very exciting and fun to watch. The plot? Not so much. If you're looking for a good story, you won't find it here. However, if you are looking for some awesome military footage, lots of robots turning into cars and vice versa and a whole lotta explosions and violence, this is it. Josh Duhamel is pretty damn good looking, and Shia's not too bad either (am I allowed to like him? Is he too young and I'm too old? not sure how this works...). Meagan Fox is gorgeous (although, I wish women could play actual characters of substance sometimes) and the new Transformers that populate the movie are also pretty cool. I loved the CGI, mostly because you couldn't tell it was CGI (although, it had to be, right?) and I loved seeing Penn represented on the big screen. Altogether, this was a great summer movie, perfect for a Sunday afternoon. And the best part? Alex saw Optimus Prime driving around NY State a couple weeks ago - sounds like they're working on a sequel!

Ode to Summer Haiku Friday

Dear Summer, I love
you more than any other
season in Philly.

***

Relaxed atmosphere,
Long days, bright sun,
warm evenings, chill.

***

Green trees, blue skies, toes
are free from shoes, lemonade,
fruit and veggies, Yum!

My new favorite thing

I've recently discovered Pandora, an internet radio station you can program yourself by putting in your favorite songs / artists / albums. Our radio stations here in Philly are pretty bad (same thing, over and over again) and I guess I'm just not that into "newer"music, except for select artists. What I'm saying is that I'm old and set in my ways :)
After MJ's death, I started to realize how long it had been since I've heard his music and the music from my childhood. I created a radio station around MJ, and have repeatedly heard my favorite song, "Man in the Mirror", as well as music by Janet Jackson (Ms. Jackson if you're nasty), Stevie Wonder, Lionel Ritchie, Smokey Robinson, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, etc. I've also added some of my other old favorites, like NKOTB (I know, I'm shameless), Belinda Carlisle, Jackson 5, Madonna, Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, etc. Apparently, I am a gay man trapped in a woman's body - LOL. I just wanna DANCE :)
Anyways, just thought I would share my new favorite thing. And stop by my lab, we'll have dance party!

Happy Birthday, America!

I love living where this country started and feeling the rumblings of change coming ahead. I love that the Liberty Bell has come to stand for some much more in this world than just American freedom. And I love that our forefathers made the time and effort to write our Declaration of Independence, which should always be remembered.

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

Celebrate America Haiku Friday

Dear America,
Happy Birthday! You don't look
too worse for the wear!

***

It's been a tough time
these last few years: elections
wars, economies.

***

But I feel good,
optimistic, even, that
we can get 'er done!

Book Report Thursday

My mom lent me The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. She had just finished reading it and sent me home with it the last time I was in CA. I've just finished the book and I am absolutely in love with it. It takes place on a British island between England and France shortly after the end of WWII. The entire book is written in letters, which, at first, are somewhat cumbersome, but eventually come to represent the characters quite well. Our heroine is Juliet, a writer living in London who receives a somewhat random letter from a man named Dawsey, who is residing on the island of Guernsey. He has come across a book Juliet used to own and begins writing to her about the book (and can she send him some more?). The correspondence is lovely and well written, and brings you into a world you never thought existed. It turns out that Guernsey was occupied by the Germans during WWII, and they are now starting to recover from said occupation. Juliet becomes fascinated by this subject, thinking nobody knew about these plucky islanders and their multiple year occupation. Looking for a subject to write a book on, Juliet embarks on a journey looking for tales of the occupation and how the islanders, particularly a group called the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and how they dealt with the occupation. As she begins to get to know the characters on the island, she begins to make plans to visit and meet the friends she's made quite by chance. This novel is lovely, brave and endearing, written in a manner I thought long dead (actual letters) and it describes (sometimes in horrifying detail) the trials and tribulations of war and all of its consequences. At the end, I could not put the book down and actually carried it with me to work to finish during my lunch break. It's a great book, with wonderful characters, a great story line and a nice, although somewhat sad ending. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, as the characters are still in my head, the humor is dry and entertaining, and the plotline seems original and creative.

Just to remind you....

Time to go organic?

I always thought we should listen to the frogs.

Philth-a-delphia

So, the most recent ad campaign for Philadelphia Tourism is all over the city right now. It's "With love, Philadelphia" (as in, the sign off to a postcard) and it's part of the "Philadelphia, the city that loves you back" ad campaign that's been going on for a few years. There are signs all up and down Broad St saying "With love, Philadelphia" in several different languages, I suppose trying to show you how cosmopolitan we can be here in the city. I think this whole campaign is kinda funny. Aside from NYC, I have never been to a place filled with such anger and impatience. People are not nice here. And if you are nice to them, they're suspicious (like, what do you want from me?). There is traffic everyday, at rush hour, as expected. Yet, everyday, people are honking the hell out of their horns all the time. Homeless people masturbate on the sidewalk. People are screaming all the time and most weekends, there are roving bands of drunken Jersey fools screaming various forms of the "F" word for all the world to hear. Don't get me wrong, I love Philly. I think it's eclectic and rough around the edges and full of working class neighborhoods where families have lived there for decades. I am pretty sure it's where "stickball" originated, and man, are we nuts about sports. But lets not misrepresent, right? I mean, yes, we have world class museums, wonderful universities, great art, music and theatre. But I guarantee you, you will see someone pissing on the side of the road as you make your way to said places. I'm not sure there is an ad campaign that would tout that (or would want to) but Alex and I came up with some "ironic" slogans just for fun. Let me know what you think!

• Philadelphia: We're really fucking trying, OK?
• Philadelphia: Buy your guns here!
  
• Philadelphia: Teach your kids the proper way to use curse words all in one trip!
• Philadelphia: Yes, that man is jacking off, honey.
• Philadelphia: You better not be wearing the other team's jersey or we will kick your ass.
• Philadelphia: Didja hear me?
• Philadelphia: We will SERIOUSLY kick your ass, even if you're a grandma!
• Philadelphia: What the fuck?
• Philadelphia: Don't expect bus drivers to help you.
  
• Philadelphia: What corruption?
• Philadelphia: What do you mean cheesesteaks and pretzels are not a food group?
  

RIP, Michael

There's not a slumber party I remember that did not include the Thriller video. Thanks for all the good times, the amazing music, the videos. You will be missed.

An Affair to Remember?

I have attended several weddings this year (and last). A fair number of my friends are now married and I have watched most of them stand up in front of friends and family and take the vows of a lifetime. I have witnessed as they fell in love and chose a partner (and even as some have reproduced - eek!). We've all formed families of our own choosing, with our own unique signature. A lot of my friends are in science - we are apparently the "educated elite" that was so reviled in this past election (good God, no! not a smart president!). We are or will be significant contributors to society and most of us will hold pretty powerful positions. We are all driven and determined and many of us have put off having a family in order to pursue a career. To each his own. What I am not understanding is this connection between holding positions of power and cheating on your spouse. For one, how long are you going to be in said elected position? Seriously, Bill, can you keep it in your pants for 8 years? It's not that long? Do you have to go AWOL, fly to Argentina to get laid? Really? Hire a prostitute? WHILE IN OFFICE? I realize, people have sex drives and egos and that not all marriages last forever. I realize that sometimes you don't think and you make mistakes and you need to apologize. I get that. What I don't get is the forethought part of it. If you are so calculated as to have reached a position of power (trust me, it's a long hard climb), don't you examine your priorities? Your actions? Watch your steps? Don't you know that people are depending on you? Looking up to you, even? Do you think about that? Have you seen others fall? Have you learned from their mistakes?
I realize that nobody's perfect, that people living in the public eye might have it harder than I do. I'm just disappointed and disgusted. I have no idea how this affects a family and a career and a life. I just feel like this betrayal is so prevalent - and I'm sorry, but a PRESS conference to announce it? Oh, you are so full of yourself. How about doing YOUR JOB - showing up on a daily basis and letting people know where you are? Is responsibility that hard?
I guess I'm an idealist. I just hope that all my friends' marriages and relationships are built on more steady ground than these peoples'.
getting off my soapbox now...

First Harvest

kale from our garden - I picked and cooked WAY more than this!

our first peppers from our garden :)

Movie Review Monday

For some reason, I feel the need to explain why I would watch this movie. I'm not sure why - I think that romantic comedies are one of my favorite genres (even though I know they are completely out of touch with reality) but they are looked down upon as something intelligent people wouldn't possibly want to watch. Which is not necessarily true, right? I mean, every once in a while, we need an escape, and, in general, romantic comedies are so light, fluffy and airy, it doesn't require much energy or a "mood" to watch them. Anyways, I discovered this great way of watching some movies on Netflix - you can just stream them and watch them on your computer (hence, no wait time and no need to get the DVD). Last night, this is just what I did. Alex has gone to a conference, and I have the house (and the remote control) to myself. Since Alex would never in a million years want to watch this movie (or this genre) I was excited to curl up on the couch and take it in. Altogether, this movie is exactly what I expected. Patrick Dempsey plays a womanizer whose best friend is a woman (played by one of those Monoghan girls). Dempsey is, of course, a commitment-phobe with all these rules to keep any sort of relationship forming. As soon as the girl decides she's met "the one" and is getting married, Dempsey must now confront his feelings for her and try to win her as his bride. There were some funny parts, like him and the guys planning the bridal shower (mostly because I've done all that shit recently) or the dorky guy always trying to play some b-ball with them. It's also kind of touching but also unrealistic - I mean, are guys really going to talk about this stuff? And the whole "changing from a womanizer / unfaithful man to a wonderful man you might want to marry" is the oldest story in the book. Dempsey goes from a selfish asshole to a great guy - while I think this happens at some point in a guy's life (I mean, the do eventually get out of high school), I'm not sure it would happen when the guy is 30ish. Anyways, it's a great movie to suspend disbelief, enjoy some funny scenes and have an evening in front of the tube. It's not deep and meaningful, it doesn't tug at the heartstrings and it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. However, it's light, airy and fluffy and precisely what I wanted to see.

Dear Dad,

I love that you send me random pictures from your iPhone. It makes my day every time and it makes me feel like I am a big part of your life. I wish I could be there to celebrate with you and the family. I hope you have the most wonderful Father's Day because you're the best Dad I could have ever hoped for.

love,
CD

Holy Batmobile Haiku Friday

End of a busy
week; Alex's Dad coming
in today. Please! No rain!

***

Two dance classes, house
cleaning, cooking, laundry, work
also yoga class.

***

Why do I feel like
I am fighting a losing
battle v. chaos?

Book Report Thursday

On my most recent trip home, I happened across A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve in my Mom's library. I have read other books by Shreve and have found them to be entertaining and fairly good, so I thought I'd check this one out. The story is broken up into a weekend, with sections for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The novel takes place in a small inn in the Bershires run by a woman named Nora. The wedding is for Bridget and Bill, high school sweethearts who met again after many years apart and decided to get married. The people invited to the wedding are all old high school classmates who knew the couple "way back when" - surprisingly, there are few family members invited to the wedding (that wouldn't make a good story, right?). The novel follows several characters, including Bridget, Agnes, now a teacher at the high school they all attended, Harrison, a publicist, married with two kids, and Nora, the owner of the inn. All of the characters have some sort of unrequited angst or unfinished business from high school. We catch up to these people as they are in their late 40s, seeing what they've done with their lives and where their lives are headed. All of the characters experienced a tragedy during high school, and many have not seen one another since graduation (again, bizarre group of people to invite to your wedding, right?). And many of the scenarios described in the book are overly dramatic or exaggerated. Por ejemplo, I understand having had a crush in high school, but let me tell you, I am way over that by now (and I am not in my late 40s). Seeing my crush might bring back pleasant memories, but it certainly would not lead me to sleep with the person and consequently cheat on my spouse. All of the characters have flashbacks to the days of their youth, attempting to illustrate how far they have come or how many obstacles they have overcome. But, realistically, since the book is not about them in high school, it's hard to match the teenaged character with the characters in the book. And, ultimately, it's really sad. A teenager with lots of potential stuck in a dead end job, never married and unhappy (and, realistically, such a boring character that the author has her write a "short story" as part of her character sketch). I liked this book, and I found the writing pleasant, descriptive and interesting. I guess I just have a problem with people who complain about their situations or their lives without doing anything about it. They just kind of sit in their sorrow and sadness and just live in it instead of trying to do something to change it. I hate that. It drives me bananas. It also bothered me that the female character fighting off cancer had to always wear her wig and just kind of accepted that she would die from this disease, instead of doing everthing possible to fight it. Shreve's characters are definitely flawed, as we all are, and perhaps that's what I didn't like about the book. However, it obviously made me think (and, realistically, I had no idea this post would turn out so negative!). And I found myself drawn to the book, wanting to know what happen to the characters. Even now, some of the scenery comes to mind, pleasant and interesting. I guess, overall, I would say this book is like watching a movie where you're not entirely invested in the characters, but it's interesting to watch it play out. Oh, and some of the most interesting characters are merely supporting cast or characters that die off, unfortunatley. Perfect summer reading for me.

Hellfire and Damnation

God knows, I hate weather. Anything but sunny and 80 degrees and it's always a struggle for me, especially since I've no car, so I must navigate by my own two feet. This morning, I was woken up to the sounds of bombs being dropped on our neighborhood in the form of thunder and lightning. Holy Jesus. I seriously thought we might die. Not only does thunder sound like and oncoming earthquake, but the whole g-damn house shakes too. It literally looked like a tornado would touch down any second. No, thank you!
Man, I gots to get back to CA :)

The Saga of the Toilet Seat

On Friday night, Alex came downstairs with a funny look on his face. Half laughing, half crying he confessed that he had broken the toilet seat. I seriously laughed my ass off. Alex is by no means a fat dude - he's super skinny and it as funny to tease him that he had put on some weight (he has not, trust me). The seat had always been a little "off" and apparently he was just the one to sit on it and turn in such a way that it broke. So, off he pedaled to Home Depot to buy us a new seat for th throne. Not only was he kind enough to buy us a schwanky padded seat (reminds me of my childhood at Randi's house) but he also had to pedal his ass home, carrying a toilet seat under one arm because it wouldn't fit in his backpack. And, of course, he happened upon a block party or two on his way home. I have no idea why toilet seats are so damn funny, but I am still laughing my ass off. And thought I would share :)

In Bruges

Last night, I had the rare evening at home and was able to settle in and watch a movie. I chose In Bruges, mostly because I really like Colin Farrell (despite what people might say about him) and I tend to love European films. Plus, it was nominated for some kind of Oscar, so I thought it had to be good. Let me tell you, rent this movie. It is phenomenal. Funny, contrite, disrespectful, mean, violent, bizarre, fascinating - all of these things and more. There are two hitmen, Ray and Ken, played by Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, who are sent to Bruges in Belgium, a beautiful medieval city with a small town feel. They are told to wait there for their next assignment, Ray feeling trapped and bored to death and Ken taking the opportunity to sightsee and catch up on culture. The film is both funny and serious, and it reminded me of what Quentin Tarantino tries to do (with the black humor and super violence) but I thought this film did it way better. For one, the violence did not feel like porn, the characters are ones you and identify with and they show their humanity in a way that I've never seen Tarantino's characters do. Farrell was amazing as this child-like, kinda dumb "new" hitman and Gleeson was phenomenal as his "mentor". Ralph Feinnes comes into play and he's hysterical, even though I still can't figure out why his name is pronounced "Raiph". The ending is interesting and ties into a painting the hitmen see while sightseeing around Bruges. And the "extras" on the DVD are really funny and interesting. Altogether, an A+ for this movie.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

After reading The Kite Runner several years ago, I absolutely was waiting and waiting for this book to come into the library at Penn. Fortunately, from all my bitching, my mom bought the book through her book club and lent it to me. I was not disappointed. I was trying to figure out what it was that I liked so much about this book. Is it that it takes place in a land far away, yet I still identify with the characters? Is it that is deals with cultural identifications I know little about? Is it that it describes a country which I have only heard in the news as being "bad" as a wonderful place full of interesting people, places and things? Perhaps it's all of these things and more that drew me into this book. For two days, I could not put it down, did not want to leave the story line, could not get the pictures the book created out of my head. The story is of two women, Miriam and Laila and their relationship with each other. The story starts by describing the girls' upbringings (very different), but it leads them to the same place eventually. At the same time, the author has incorporated Afghan history and culture into the story, talking about the ongoing wars, the changes in government, power and overall culture, and the effects these have on the main characters. It's also a powerful testament to the treatment of women in some of these states which practice extreme Islamic law. The story is sad, yes. The characters endure things I could not imagine. There are many hardships, heartbreaking situations, awful circumstances. Yet, I don't doubt this story is true in so many aspects. I was humbled by the storyline and almost ashamed of all I have and all that I will have in my future. It's hard to be reminded that we are very lucky people which very little to want for. This book was beautiful, endearing, touching, heartfelt and phenomenal. I am sure there are people like Laila and Miriam all over the world today. And we should celebrate these women, and fight for more equal treatment of women all over the world.

Good Morning, Monday

I finally finished a book entitled Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer (the author of Into Thin Air). This is another one of my inherited books and I started this book prior to my many weddings and travels last month. It's not such a good travel book, I'd say, but it was interesting. It begins with the story of a murder carried out in a small town in Utah. A woman and her infant daughter were murdered by her husband's brothers who had received a message from God saying that they were to murder her and her daughter. The book then goes on to explore the culture of the Mormon religion, delving into Mormon history, looking at the formation of fundamentalist sects and the eventual convening of the "School of the Prophets", where men receive prophecies directly from God himself. This book was fascinating for a number of different reasons, namely that it talked about Mormonism, which has always been something I am interested in, though know little about. It talked about the founding of the religion by Joseph Smith as well as about some of the historical occurrences the Church itself has tried to "sweep under the carpet". Because of my experiences in Christian and Catholic schools, I am always fascinated by the hypocrises and aberrations in religions (meaning, they aren't all as perfect as they want you to think they are). Krakauer is a thorough and detailed author, but he tends to jump around subjects, not staying with one particular subject long enough for the reader to fully appreciate the points he is trying to get across. His basic thesis, that from the beginning of the Mormon Church, there lies within a tendency towards fundamentalism and fanaticism which ultimately has led to several horrible incidences throughout it's short history, is supported quite well with his arguments and illustrations, but I don't know that this is anything new or particularly unique. The story is bizarre, right down to the murderer believing he is the prophet Elijah, who will herald in the second coming of Christ (from his jail cell???) and reads somewhat like In Cold Blood, although it does show some bias and is not nearly as "journalistic"-for lack of a better word. I'm not sure this book is one I would recommend. It's not really a "true crime" book, and it's not really a history book, it's a combo of both genres that might not necessarily be done very well. It is disturbing and fascinating to think people are so ridiculously religious as to think God would order them to commit murder, but perhaps it sheds some light on the religious fanaticism we see all over the world.

Saturday Night Ballpark Phils v. Nationals

nothing quite like a trip to the ballpark on a lovely Sat night
Cole Hamels pitching, sun setting

the phanatic, fat and happy, cheering on the team

Ryan Howard hits a grand slam (second HR he hit that night)
that ball hit the upper decks - flew over 475 feet!

the bell rings ('cause that's what it does when you hit a HR)

Brad Lidge closes to finish them off.

Huh? Haiku Friday

Still cold in Philly
ran out of coffee today
library closed, huh?

***

Visit from a friend
leaving for the peace corps now
Should plan a visit.

***

Slowly getting back
coffee will help plus more sleep
thank god it's "friday"
(tee-hee!)

The Month of May...

During this month, I have:

• visited four states
• stayed in three hotels
  
• rented two cars
• driven a stick shift for the first time since 2002
• attended three weddings
• been a bridesmaid in two weddings
  
• thrown a rehearsal dinner
• gave a 15 minute talk at the regional meeting
• fell in love with people from Michigan
• had a mini high school reunion, and yes, we all pretty much look the same!
• got two mani/pedis and did not bite my nails at all!
• walked the dog
• ate more tri-tip than I thought humanly possible
• wore a feather boa and a pin with Randi's face on it
  
• decided to make friends with the people on the plane
• circled PHL no less than five times
• was removed from and re-screened for my flight to LAX due to Jersey douchebaggery
• took a field trip to the Channel Islands National Park
• watched my Dad and my boyfriend bond
• attended a Phillies v. Dodgers game and a Dance Celebration show at the Annenberg
• played a bit of Rock Band - don't want to toot my own horn or anything, but I did get 100% on "Give it Away"
• attended one graduation
• overall, had a blast seeing old friends, making new ones, and hanging out on a mother-fucking boat

Now, time for a nap.....

Dodgers 9, Phillies 2

Yay for the first game of the baseball season! Alex surprised me with tickets last night and we had a blast. Other than being in the nosebleeds and it being frigging freezing, it was a great game. The Phils really did not play their usual game and the Dodgers whipped some ass! I had the obligate 12 year old boys with foam fingers sitting next to me, shoving each other all game long and then spilling their cokes down some poor woman's back. Ah, kids - don't you want to have a ton? Anyways, the ball field is primed to be played on, the game was nearly sold out and I wore my Dodger Blue with pride. Alex, on the other hand, wore his Phillies World Series Champs t-shirt. I guess you might call me a fickle fan, but I don't care. I cheer for the Blue when they're in town and most other times I see them, but I gotta love the Fightin' Phils too. Those boys have a lot of heart and I love to get out to the ballgame and enjoy it. Plus, Chase Utley saves puppies. That's all right in my book.

Dear Randi,

A Mentor No More Haiku Friday

My tiny mentee
Whom I've known for four years
is graduating.

***

I've advised, listened,
cajoled and teased, supported.
Watched grow and mature.

***

Cannot put into
words how proud I am to see
her wings spread to fly.

Notes from Chicago

• Perhaps the cleanest American city I have been to; also the friendliest (which tended to throw us hardened Easterners off track a bit)

• it was not windy, as it's nickname suggests
• many of the sidewalks are covered, which is very nice when it's raining (or snowing, I would imagine)

• The bean is quite possibly the coolest thing I have seen in a park.

• I still love museums. Especially the Field Museum, which is the Museum of Natural History in Chicago. Something about seeing Sue the T. Rex up close made me happy.
• People seem to have a lot less anger in Chicago. But the weather is worse. Go figure.
  
• the suburbs where we stayed had some of the largest houses I have ever seen
• if you can stay at a Doubletree hotel, you should. It was so nice. Free wireless, beautiful rooms, comfy beds. And a chocolate chip cookie when you check in!
• Wyndams are not nice hotels. Don't stay there.
• Prom is funny when you're not in high school.
• Getting your hair/makeup done while sitting on a toilet is also funny.
  
• I am convinced that my hair can do anything if enough bobby pins and hairspray is involved.
• Weddings are stressful, even if you are not the one getting married.
  
• The bridal party needs food at all times. Someone should get on that. Champagne on an empty stomach is not so good.
  
• Walking around a garden in high heels to get your pictures taken kinda sucks.
• A four hour "break" between the wedding and the reception is too long.

• Chicago deep dish style pizza is not very good. It mostly involves flaky crust, several pounds of cheese, and pizza sauce on top. Oh, and it takes a long time to cook.
• Hangovers are the worst things to have when you are staying in a hotel. Especially if you have to leave that day to get on a plane.
  
• Sometimes McDonald's Coke is the best Coke I've ever tasted. I think they put crack in it.
• Poor Alex became the "errand running boy" this wedding. I hope that doesn't happen again.
• I can now see the virtues of hiring a wedding planner and paying a little bit extra. That way, you don't have to worry about getting the party favors to the reception hall the day of the wedding.
• Flying while hungover also sucks. Don't do it. However, the flight from ORD to PHL is super short. Thank god for that.
• Belgian priests with Peruvian accents are probably not the best ones to perform a wedding ceremony. Nobody understood a word.
  
• Coming back to work is hard....