Low-Car Diet Challenge surprises

I've been doing the ZipCar Low-Car Diet Challenge for a month now (we're coming to the end!), and I've had a few surprises.

1. I really had no *need* for my car the entire month. In fact, I was trying to come up with reasons to even use a ZipCar. I was able to get everything I needed either by foot, bike, or public transit. Yes, things took longer, but it was actually more enjoyable to not be stressed out driving in the city. I could relax. I was able to see more of the city that way, too, observe my surroundings and see things I may not have noticed before. Yes, being stuck on the bus that's the proverbial "slow boat to China" on a Friday afternoon was less than ideal, but I just put on my iPod, relaxed, looked out the window, and made mental notes about things I saw that I may want to go back and visit at a later date.

2. It's forced me to be more relaxed about things. This actually is the opposite of what I expected. I expected to have to plan more strictly. What I found is that while I have to plan ahead, I also have to be more relaxed about the outcome of those plans. Adhering to a strict schedule wasn't realistic. So it forced me to relax and just be. To just sit and be in the moment while riding the bus/trolley. This is a good thing for me, really.

3. Pooling resources and running errands with friends is much more enjoyable than doing it alone. Getting a few friends together when I actually needed the car was both more economical (theoretically we would have split the cost if it wasn't for the generous ZipCar credits!) and fun. Made the errands less onerous and gave us an excuse to hang out for awhile. I liked running my errands that way.

4. The concerns I had at the beginning never really became reality. I never "missed" the convenience of using my own car. I never felt restricted or worried that I couldn't access a vehicle (there were so many available!). Nor did I really miss my personal vehicle. That has really surprised me. For all the time I've spent in my reliable Subaru (multiple cross country trips, etc.), I didn't miss it, or miss driving it, or miss even being in it. I didn't miss being in a car at all, in fact. I didn't feel that I had lost that sense of freedom I've always associated with a vehicle. If anything, I ended up feeling more free because I didn't have to worry about all the stuff that comes with just owning a vehicle. And that was the biggest surprise of all.

So now I'm faced with the decision of whether or not to sell my car. And contrary to what I thought at the beginning, I really can let it go and become officially a car-free individual. I don't feel the attachment to or need for my own personal vehicle anymore. It's time to move on in life without a car. Of course, whether or not I'm actually successful in selling my car remains to be seen, but that's another post for a later date.

Trying something new

Today I tried something new. I used a ZipCar for the first time. And it was great. It was easy. It was even fun.

I needed to run some errands, specifically I needed cat supplies (food and litter). So I asked a couple of friends that I know don't have cars if they had any errands they needed to run and wanted to come with me. Turns out one friend, EM, needed to go to Ikea, and Plum and Seuss needed pet supplies AND a trip to Ikea. A plan was born. I figured having friends along might make the errands much more fun, too (and I was right!).

I made the reservation on Saturday evening for the following afternoon. There were several cars nearby to choose from, and I decided on a Mazda 3 4-door sedan. Plenty of car options. I liked how the system showed me when a car was available, and when it was already reserved, so I could choose one that gave me plenty of flexibility. Seeing the whole day laid out allowed me to pick my time so I wasn't butting up against someone else's reservation.

We all met at the car on Sunday afternoon, and just like that we were on our way! The car took a bit of getting used to (hello, jerky stop and start), but once I got the hang of how it handled, it ended up being really fun to drive. I've been so used to my Subaru it was striking to drive a different car. And I enjoyed it.

We went to PetSmart for supplies, and then on to Ikea for a late lunch and some wandering. I had given us lots of time so we didn't have to rush. Still, despite my generous reservation, we realized we weren't going to make it. The lines at Ikea were insane (way worse than normal...guess the horrible humid heat drove everyone inside for the afternoon), and then we hit traffic from the baseball game on our way out. Sitting there in stadium traffic, I started to try and calculate if we had enough time or not.

I had turned on the text alerts, so 30 minutes before the reservation expired ZipCar let me know. We were still sitting in traffic. The text alert helpfully told me how much longer the car was available (i.e. when the next reservation started). We had plenty of time to extend the reservation. So I had my friend EM text ZipCar back to extend by 30 minutes. A couple of seconds later we got a confirmation, DONE. No problem. It was so incredibly easy and convenient, and instantly I was able to relax and stop stressing. I love that not only did the text alert tell me that it was available longer, it even included the instructions on how to text for an extension.

And just to make my ZipCar experience complete, we hit the 1/4 mark on the tank of gas when we were in the home stretch. Since we were passing a couple of gas stations, I figured OK, let's fill 'er up. I used the card provided, plugged in the mileage and my member number, and filled the tank. Easy peasy. Really. Other than the challenge of remember a number long enough to punch it in, it was painless. I dropped off my friends, and returned the car with 10 minutes to spare.

I had never thought that using a car-sharing program would be this easy. It was convenient, simple, and very user-friendly. So kudos to ZipCar. I could get used to this.

A new and car-light approach to shopping

Not using my car has caused me to change the way I shop for pretty much everything.

Before I used to make lots of trips, going to whatever store I needed on any given day. I didn't think twice about running to a store one night, and then the next night driving back to the same shopping area for another errand (either to the same place or one nearby). Each store was viewed as a separate element.

Not so anymore. For example, now my food shopping trips are smaller, more frequent. I also buy less and smaller sizes knowing I have to carry it home myself. I still do the "stocking up" kind of shopping, but in smaller batches. I'll stock up on pasta one trip, and on cereal/grains the next time. It's just more staggered now.

I'm also doing my grocery shopping in different places, places closer to home or convenient to biking/public transit. I do the bulk of my fresh fruit and vegetable shopping at the farmers' market, which is walking distance from home. Things I can't get there (admittedly, there's not much...I even get beans, pasta, milk, meat, cheese and yogurt at the Clark Park farmers' market because it's all kinds of awesome), I get from my neighborhood store (biking and walking distance!) or by taking the trolley down to Trader Joe's.

It's actually impacting my approach to eating as well. It's no longer easy to stock up on frozen meals/ice-cream/anything (they'd never make it home in the humid Philly summer heat!), so I'm being forced to eat only fresh or make my own frozen meals. Refrigerated goods travel in a soft sided insulated bag. I talked about the general shift I've made to eating fresh foods in this post, but the having to make changes to how and when I shop has only solidified my shift to primarily fresh and homemade foods. Ice cream I'm making myself, thanks to the Christmas gift from my grandmother of the ice cream bowl for my KitchenAid stand mixer (which rocks, FYI). Frozen dinners are now portioned out and frozen servings of homemade soups, stews and other meals. And believe you me, it all tastes SO much better when it's homemade.

Frankly, shifting the way I shop for food was easy. I was already half way there thanks to my CSA (I signed up for a summer 1/2 share) and the close proximity of the farmers' market.

The challenges I'm finding to this new approach to shopping are things that I have to buy in larger quantities, such as cat litter, and bulky items, such as paper towels. I'm also having to plan trips more. No longer am I running to the same shopping area more than once in a week. Now I'm waiting until I have a major list of things before I hit the stores. Now I'm planning so I go to multiple places at once. And making lists so I don't forget anything. There's no just hopping back in the car to retrieve what I forgot. Shopping trips are no longer viewed as a individual elements (each store individually), but rather one big trip with multiple pieces.

I'm coming up on the need to run errands for cat food, cat litter, and other such items that require a trip farther away than my bike can take me (and for not really bike friendly purchases) and not really accessible by public transit. Since I've never done this before, I'm planning my trip for Sunday and will most likely grossly overestimate the amount of time I'll need. Ah well. It's a learning process, right?

Learning to live without a car

I signed up to participate in a 30 day challenge sponsored by Zipcar to learn to live car free. The Low-Car Diet Challenge 2009. It just started, and there's been a couple of articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer about it already (including this one that I'm quoted in!).

My reasons for participating are varied, and I'm going to attempt to explain them a bit here.

1. Owning a car is expensive. Seriously. My insurance alone is $100 a month, plus annual tag and inspection fees (2 inspections!), plus maintenance such as oil changes, etc. Yeah. It adds up. If you average it out over a 12 month period, just owning my car, even without monthly payments since it's paid off, costs me about $130 per month, and I'm not including tolls and gas. Add in the gas, parking fees and/or passes, and any tolls when I do drive and it just keeps climbing. I only drive once, maybe twice a month, to run errands. I'm not sure that's the best return on investment...wouldn't you agree?

2. Driving in and around Philadelphia is a pain in the butt. And that's an understatement. Parking is a pain (plus the fees). Traffic is a pain. Routes tend to be convoluted rather than direct due to one-way streets, construction, etc. so navigating is a pain. Trying to drive in Center City is an exercise in breathing so I don't lose my mind. And don't get me started on the constant traffic present on the interstates through and around the city.

3. Environmental concerns. This reason shouldn't surprise anyone. Not driving is better for the environment. Duh. It means less oil, less pollution, less resources used. But it's also the ambient environment. Fewer cars means less noise (engines plus car horns from annoyed drivers), less congestion, and a safer place to live.

4. Health. Clearly by biking and/or walking I'm getting exercise. When I moved to Philly and started biking to and from work (only 2 miles in each direction), I dropped almost 20 pounds in about 10 months. Startling. But clearly the exercise is a good thing for me. Anything to help me continue to get that regular exercise is a very good thing.

But I also have some concerns about living without a car.

1. Emergencies. This is my biggest fear. My family is scattered all over the country, as are my friends. I have my cat. So I have a little worry in the back of my head about being able to get somewhere at a moment's notice if needed. I know I have friends that do this without a problem, but the fear is still there.

2. Convenience. OK, so this one is partially laziness. Right now I don't have to plan if I go somewhere. I don't have to plan when to do something, or how much time I think it will take. I just get in my car and go. If I want to go away for the weekend or night I just go. If I'm using a car sharing program, I am restricted to when I can reserve a car and how long I can have it. So clearly I'm going to have to work on budgeting my time and planning.

3. What my car (and having one) means. My car = freedom, independence. On some level I associate having a car with not having to depend on people. I've never lived without one except when living in Argentina for three months many many years ago (and having a car there wasn't a good idea...talk about crazy drivers!). I'm also attached to this particular vehicle emotionally. I've had it for over 11 years. It's gotten me through moves, cross country trips, and countless trips through the Michigan winters to visit family. It's reliable and I feel safe driving it. I'm not sure how I'll be driving multiple vehicles...I'm so used to mine and the way it drives. It's comfortable, like a broken in pair of jeans.

What I'm hoping from this experience is to see if living car free is really something I can do as I'd honestly like to be car free. It's an exercise in thought and learning as much as anything else. It will force me to think about what I do, the choices I make. It will also allow me to explore options, to learn variable routes and other ways I can get places. Philly is a very walkable and bike-able city, and the public transit here is light-years better than most places I've lived. I've been considering going car-free for sometime now because I don't need to use it here in Philly, but I keep stopping at taking that final step of selling my car. Clearly I need to work through some of the feelings I associate with car ownership and letting go of my car and my attachment to it.

It's also difficult to say "I will try living without my car for x number of days" to just myself and not cheat, forget, etc. By participating in the Low-Car Diet Challenge, I can't cheat or forget as I'll have regular reminders. I'm giving my word that I won't use my car, which is a huge impetus to follow through on that promise. Kind of like how it's easier to develop the habit of going to the gym regularly if you're partnering with someone. So I'm partnering with Zipcar to follow through and really learn how to live without my vehicle.

I may discover by the end of this that living without my car is not something I can (or want) to do. Or I could find that it's freeing and decide to take the step of selling my car. Either way, this will be a valuable experience.

It really will be a challenge in a few ways, but I'm up for it. I'll be blogging about it as we go along. Including my experience of using Zipcar for the first time (hopefully this weekend! if I can get my card in time).

Coming back to life

I'm still alive. Really. I know I haven't posted for two months. I was in "keep my head down and maybe I won't lose it" mode. Things have been a bit insane and until the personal earthquakes finally stopped I just focused on making it through each day.

Here's a nice summary list of the major events since July, in rough chronological order, handily organized by month.

July
*My cousin gives birth to a baby boy! Welcome to the family! My grandmother can now stop putting pressure on me about having her great-grandbabies before she dies (for some reason she was fixated on me being the one to have the babies). So thank you to my cousin. :)
*I take a long weekend and drive up to Boston, MA for a friend's wedding reception (YAY for LHK and WK!!) and to visit a good friend from grad school. Flickr pictures of the reception and my friend's garden (BF is an amazing gardener!).
*I move mid-month.
One week after moving the following events occurred:
*Visitors! My good friends LC and SB!
*Ozomatli concert! (the reason for my visitors)
*A leak appears in the ceiling in my bedroom closet, forcing me to take all the clothes I had recently unpacked and put away back out of the closet again.

August
*The leak in my closet ceiling is due to a leak in upstairs bathroom tub faucet. During repairs, the leak spreads to middle of my bedroom and rains all over the clothes I had removed from the closet to protect them. Dammit.
*Bike tires meet trolley rails. Ouch!
*Mid-month my mother arrives for a visit! YAY!!!
*One day prior to my mother's arrival, my landlord has a disagreement with the gas company and they turn off the gas service to the property. The gas powers the heat, hot water, and my stove. So now I can't shower or cook. Fortunately it's August so I don't have to worry about the heat just yet.
*My landlord replaces the gas hot water heater and my gas stove with electric appliances (note the furnace is NOT replaced at this time). I spend FIVE DAYS while they do this without hot water or the ability to cook anything. My mother suffers with me. Great visit, no?
*My mother fortunately is able to extend her visit by a few days so we can enjoy each others company once we've showered. :) She helps me finish unpacking and settling into my new apartment.
*My sister comes for a visit to attend the Nine Inch Nails concert with me!! w00t!! A truly incredible concert. We had a wonderful time hanging out together the rest of the weekend too.
*In the midst of all of this, things continue to change and move forward into an uncertain (yet encouraging) future at work. My new library school intern also started work the second week of August and I spend much of the first part of the month training her. Fortunately she's a quick study.

September
*Work is crazy. The students return and the semester begins. Additional organizational changes at work are announced.
*Mid-month I take a few days vacation that don't involve a pet emergency/drama, apartment drama, or some other drama. I enjoyed several days with no internet spending time with a really good friend just hanging out and relaxing. It was wonderful. Then I returned home and opened my email. Yikes.
*Upon returning from my [far too brief] vacation I adopted a cat to bring my total of four-legged furry children to two. Yes, a cat named Capri (pics on Flickr). And she and the dog get along just fine, thankyouverymuch.

October
*Work continues to be insanely busy.
*The month starts off badly with me getting sick with a fever for two days after getting soaked by rain.
*One of my best friends from college gets married in Louisville, KY. YAY for EH and KD!! Congrats!! KD, you are a very lucky woman as EH is an awesome guy. I'm so glad I was able to attend and had a blast at the wedding (photos I took at the event are posted here on Flickr).
*It gets cold. Since my landlords have not replaced my furnace or gotten the gas turned back on, the temperature in my apartment drops to 62 degrees, sometimes dipping a bit below that during the night. I start sleeping in my long underwear (normally reserved for camping) and wool socks.
*I get sick. Again. With the cold from hell that lays me up for nearly a week when my asthma kicks in and breathing becomes work. For several days after I start recovering I continue to sound like a husky lounge singer.
*The Phillies win the World Series! The city erupts in chaotic celebrations. Mayor Nutter reminds everyone: "You can be joyous. You cannot be a jackass." Fabulous!
*A new leak appears in the ceiling of my bedroom...this time in the middle of the room. I have to move the dog bed so plaster doesn't fall on her head.
*At the end of October I still don't have heat. After 3 workmen give estimates about what it would cost to convert to electric heat, my landlord decides to make a deal with the gas company to turn the gas back on so they can fire up the furnace. Mind you, access to the furnace for the building is through MY apartment...so each new workman means another person in my space.

November
*On Monday, Nov. 3rd, after 3 more days, a visit from the gas company to replace a meter (also in my apartment) and turn the gas back on, and visits from THREE different handymen, the furnace is finally turned back on and my apartment has heat! Just in time for a warm spell...oh well.
*The handymen on Monday kill two birds with one stone with their visit and fix the leak at the same time they get the furnace fired up! Efficiency is a beautiful thing.
*History is made and we elect Barak Obama as our next president. I am ecstatic!!

And I think that brings us to the present.

Adventures with apartment ads

I'm still looking. I have yet to find a place that meets my needs. Fortunately, there's no time crunch, and I'm not going to move just to move. I'm going to find a place I want to move to that meets my simple yet specific needs.

Along the way, I've encountered some interesting apartment ads. There's the ones that are tagged that they allow pets, but in the ad clearly state "NO PETS" (usually in all caps). There's the ones that say "large" but um, no, not really. People stretch the truth in apartment ads. And if something sounds too good to be true, it quite possibly is.

Take, for example, a recent inquiry I made to an ad I found on Craigslist. It sounded too good to be true. I figured it probably was, but there was no harm in sending an email inquiring. They said they wanted a renter ASAP, but the rent seemed low for the location advertised, and the pictures of the place also seemed a bit too nice, as if they were staged. But again, no harm in asking, right? So I sent off my usual inquiry, telling them when I'm looking to move in, and asking about fees, security deposit, pet policies, utility rates, etc. plus a few specific questions clarifying things in the ad.

What I got back was a variation on a theme. A scam theme. Specifically: the Nigeria scam.

You know what scam I'm referring to. Those letters you get from some poor soul who is set to inherit money but needs your help so can you please send all your banking info to them asap so they can give you lots of money for your help? Yeah. That scam.

I did get a reply to my inquiry. The couple that owns the place is currently in, you guessed it, Nigeria! On a Christian mission. They were unable to find someone to rent their home prior to their departure, and also unable to find an agent to manage the house and rent it out. They have the only set of keys with them in Africa. No sh*t. They want to send me an application, so I can send them a deposit, and then they'll send me the keys. Um, thanks but no thanks. I had a variation on this about a month ago, where the guy said he had been transferred back to Europe and needed to sub-let the place for 5 years. I don't think so.

So for now, I'm still on the look out. For a new apartment AND for scams.

On the hunt

I'm hunting. But not for a date. For a new apartment. I need to move for many reasons. My current lease is up the end of July, so now is the time.

My needs are simple. But they're specific. It's that specificity that's causing me problems.

*First and foremost, I need a place that allows dogs. With Aussie getting older and her arthritis getting worse, a first floor would be ideal, but if the stairs aren't too steep and/or they're carpeted, we can deal with a second floor. Third floor (or higher) is out of the question for her unless there's an elevator involved.

*No studios. There must be at least one good sized bedroom. Honestly, what I really want is 2 bedrooms. I do have people that visit, and I don't want my guests (or me if I give them my bed) to have to sleep in the middle of the living room. This is negotiable, however, if the space is large enough to carve out distinct areas in the main living space or there's a dining room. But a minimum of one bedroom is a firm requirement.

*I need a decent and functional kitchen. I cook. And I really enjoy cooking. Therefore, I need a decent and functional kitchen. I've lived with a galley style kitchen before, and while I survived, once was enough, I'm not going there again. Decent counter space, a full sized stove, and room to move around are all kitchen requirements. [I'd love to have a dishwasher, but that's not a requirement.]

*I need a decent amount of space. I have an upright piano. And a couch. I'd like them both to fit in my living space at the same time. You think I'm joking but this has been an issue in at least two places I've looked at recently. Decent space also includes decent storage. One place had replaced the hall closet with the refrigerator to make more room in the kitchen, effectively nixing that storage space and leaving only two smallish closets in the bedrooms for everything. Points for creativity, but no hall closet and no alternative storage option to replace it is a problem. Have I mentioned recently I have a lot of stuff? Well, I do.

*I either need laundry in my apartment or in the building. I've lived both with and without laundry in my building, and with pets (like children), I've learned it is for the best if it's close by for those 2am emergency washes (if you have a pet or a child you know what I'm talking about).

*I have a budget. I've figured out how much I'm willing to pay both if utilities are included and if they are not included. Given my current gas bill, this is not a small margin of difference.

*I don't want to move far outside the city. I'd prefer to keep riding my bike to work, but I'm willing to negotiate as long as public transit is a viable option. I refuse to move somewhere that I'd have to drive in to work.

I find the most frustrating of the above requirements is regarding my dog. Now, Aussie is not a "small" dog. She's not quite 50 pounds. But she's not big. True to her Basset Hound parentage she's just solid. There are many places that allow dogs, but they often have a weight limit. This weight limit is usually between 25 and 35 pounds, effectively taking Aussie out of the running. Effectively taking any Basset Hound or Basset mix out of the running, actually.

So for now I continue to check Craigslist for new postings, make phone calls and hope someone actually returns my call (sometimes yes, sometimes the message disappears into the ether), look at places, and pray I find a place soon. If you have any leads, let me know.

All eyes on us

Never mind that it's Earth Day, it's the Pennsylvania primary today. And if you watch/read the news, you'd assume that's far more important than little old Earth Day. I don't think I could have forgotten to vote today if I'd tried. It's everywhere. The papers, signs stuck up anywhere and everywhere, the news (both local and national), blogs, etc. You can't escape it.

This whole presidential election has been like this. It's been everywhere and a near daily topic for a year and a half now. And we still have a little over 6 months to go. I don't remember a presidential campaign season being this long before. And frankly, I'm sick of it.

I've always been an informed voter. I read up on the candidates and other ballot measures up for the vote, and make my decisions. It's the in your face push of this election that's getting to me. I don't need it stuffed down my throat. Not to mention that if I got all my information from the news and didn't do any of my own research and reading, I'd be grossly misinformed.

I'm not sure what I'm looking forward to more...election day in November so this campaign will be over, or Bush's last day in office so his entire farce of a term will be over.

Change of plans

About a month ago I received a summons for jury duty. Term of service is one day or one trial. Mind you, I've only had a Pennsylvania driver's license and registered voter for just barely over a year now. That's some interesting algorithms to get me "randomly" selected for jury duty so quickly after becoming a resident and voter.

Anyway, my summons date was for today. Notice that I am not actually at jury duty or I would not be posting this blog entry. I was "released" from duty for another year. There's this number you call the night before after 5pm and the system tells you if they still need you or not. So last night at 7:30pm my plans for the day changed and I'm at work instead of at jury duty downtown.

This method of calling in is much preferred to the method in my previous city of residence, where you show up no matter what to hang out in a room for up to three days. At 3pm each day you are told if you have to come back the next day of if you are free/released. Fun times. The benefit to sitting and waiting is that you get to read as you can't actually bring computers or cell phones in with you to the court house jury selection waiting room. So for me, it's not really possible to do any work, only reading for pleasure. The downside is that you're sitting and waiting in a room with lots of people talking around you and multiple TVs playing various daytime shows (there's nothing good on at 11am...trust me) and you aren't allowed anything to block out all the ambient noise.

But I'm free from the torture of waiting for another year. Instead I'm sitting here at work editing and commenting on various documents and in the back of my mind contemplating the idea of applying for the Master of Liberal Arts degree with a concentration in Latin American Studies. And yes, I am quite possibly insane.

Mmmm...pancakes!

My friends JM and TP came to Philly with their daughter E for brunch this morning. JM and I share a birthday (but different years) and we've always gone out for lunch or something to celebrate. Well, now that we live in different states, that wasn't an option, so it got postponed until brunch today. Happy belated birthday to us!

Brunch is one of my favorite meals. I love breakfast. We used to have breakfast for dinner sometimes growing up. But when I first wake up in the morning, I don't want a big meal quite yet. So brunch ends up being a perfect time in the day for me to really enjoy the breakfast food. Not to mention I love pancakes and despite all my dad's instruction, I just can't seem to make them successfully. So the only time I get to eat them is when I go out for brunch.

My friend KS told me about this place here in Philly that is known for it's brunch: Honey's Sit 'n Eat. It describes itself as Jewish soul food. I'm not sure what Jewish soul food is, but the food at Honey's is AMAZING. Absolutely delicious. I can't wait to go back and try other things on the menu.

Today I had the whole wheat pancakes stuffed with granola, bananas, strawberries, and blueberries. And a side of bacon (just because bacon is good). The pancakes were huge. Two pancakes in the order, and they are practically the size of dinner plates! And thick with all the stuffing. They came with syrup only, and that's really all they needed. They were so light and fluffy, and soaked up all the delicious syrup. And filling. I actually shared them with JS and TP because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to finish them! The fruit wasn't all mushy (mushy fruit is not good eats), but it was definitely warm and cooked through while still retaining the texture of the original fruit. And the granola added a nice nutty flavor to the pancake batter. Especially with the sesame seeds and sunflowers in it. I could go on and on about those pancakes. Instead, I offer up this picture of the yumminess (which doesn't do it justice...trust me...DELICIOUS!):

Whole wheat pancakes stuffed with granola and fruit. YUM!

Oh. The bacon was good too. Perfect combination of crispy and chewy. JM went for the French toast, made with challah bread. She said it was light and fluffy and very tasty. It smelled delicious. TP had an omelette with a latke on the side. And not just any omelette, but one with bacon, bacon, and yet more bacon. Yes, a triple bacon omelette. And he said it was quite tasty. E had her own pancake and ate most of it, which as anyone that has a toddler knows, is not typical for mealtime. It's high praise that she ate so much of it! TP and JM had some of the fresh squeezed orange juice (there's an old fashioned juicer behind the bar so you know it's really fresh) and said it was fantastic. We also had coffee, which was quite good.

I so have to go back to Honey's sooner rather than later. The only downside is that there is definitely a long wait for brunch on the weekends, so either eat a light breakfast or bring a small snack for while you wait. Oh, and they're cash only, so make sure you bring at least $15 for brunch plus coffee and a tip. The wait staff is friendly and attentive. We didn't lack for coffee refills and they were very patient about having to pick up the forks E dropped on the floor and more than willing to bring us extra cutlery and extra napkins. I definitely recommend this place. Honey's definitely met my expectations for a delicious brunch.

Afterwards, we headed over to the Please Touch Museum so E could run off some energy. They had story time and jugglers today, both of which just entranced her. She even participated in story time, making animal sounds along with the reader quite happily. The jugglers were great, using the audience at random moments to help during their act. Overall, a great Sunday with friends.

Busy busy weekend

Last Saturday morning was the Philly Cleanup (a city wide spring cleaning neighborhood by neighborhood sponsored by Mayor Nutter). So I spent a good hour with my neighbors sweeping up the trash and bagging it for pick up. The city provided brooms, gloves, and bags to block coordinators, and had arranged for pick up of full bags later that afternoon from participating blocks neighborhoods all over the city. It was good to be out with my neighbors and helping out. I think that was the first time some of them had seen me without the dog attached to me!

Saturday afternoon I was invited to attend a Talk Cinema showing with DS (his boss subscribes and gave DS his tickets for this week's show since he couldn't attend). What happens is the audience (subscribers) get to watch an advance screening of a film, usually one that had been screened at a film festival, and is probably up for wider release soon. After the movie, a critic leads a discussion and Q & A session. They also have comment cards for you to rate the film and leave comments. The thing about this series is that you have no idea what you're walking into, no idea what film you're about to see. Basically it's an adventure at the movies!

The Talk Cinema movie on Saturday afternoon was The Life Before Her Eyes. One word describes this movie perfectly: INTENSE. But good. It's one of those movies that you really have to think about (and think during) yet it provokes an emotional response at the same time. And you don't really understand what the movie is truly about until the very end. And once you get to the end, you have mentally revisit the entire movie before it all makes sense. Kind of like in the Sixth Sense how you didn't know he was dead until the end and that drastically changed the movie as a whole. And to add a layer of complication the entire movie is made up of anachronistic moments (future past future past). A warning, without giving anything away, the film centers around a school shooting, so if you can't deal with those types of images (potential triggers) you'll want to avoid the movie.

DS and I had the same reaction of needing a minute afterwards to think it through before we could decide if we even liked it or not. And the discussion with the critic afterwards was interesting. The audience had the opportunity to ask questions, and it did help fill in some of the blanks. She had talked with the director and had some interesting insights/answers about the film. But definitely one of those movies that you can continue to talk about for awhile after it's over. On some level, you need to talk about it to fully process and make sense of it.

After the movie, DS and I took a very long walk, discussing/processing the movie pretty much the entire way. The weather was gorgeous, and the walk from 2nd Street all the way to around 34th Street didn't feel all that long. It was wonderful to be out in the sunshine and fresh spring air and clear our heads. We met AH (who had to work that afternoon which is why I got to go to the Talk Cinema film) and then the three of us walked back down to around 18th Street. We decided to go for delicious beers and dinner at Monk's Cafe. Definitely one of my favorite Philly food spots. We split a couple of pots of mussels, and decided to be adventurous and try one of the varieties with cheese and apples and balanced it with a more traditional Flemish pot. We were all a bit disappointed that the cheese and apples didn't really flavor the mussels themselves, but they made a delicious broth to soak up with our bread! Finally, we topped the day off with gelato at Capogiro. So creamy and delicious. The flavors of their gelato are so clean and taste so true. It's a good thing their shops aren't just around the corner...

On Sunday I went to the Philadelphia Zoo with JM and her daughter E. It was damp and chilly, and raining a bit when we got there, so we spent as much time inside as many of the houses as possible. At the first house they had a face painting station. E was remarkably patient for a 3 year old and sat so still so she could have a pink pig painted on her face (it's all about the pink!). She spent the rest of the day being very very careful to not wipe off any of her pink face. Even during lunch she was careful and got worried when we we had to clean the ketchup off her chin. Lucky for us, the majority of the pink stayed on, despite the apple she ate and the ketchup.

E's reaction to the reptile and amphibian house was priceless! We walked in, she ran ahead, rounded a corner, and when she saw the snake (a big green python I believe) she turned around and ran back for the door shaking her head and chanting "no no no no no!" That was the end of the reptile and amphibian house for the day. Lucky for us, she got over it her fears quickly as there was much more to see at the zoo.

We spent the majority of our time in the primate house. E loved watching the monkeys. Probably because they were so active and gave her lots to watch. And the Squirrel monkeys barely stopped moving long enough for me to get a picture. E spent a good 5 minutes having a staring contest with a Golden lion tamarin. The zoo also had a baby sifaka! It was so cute! Mom and dad were up in the branches with baby, and every now and then you'd see this tiny little black hand grab white fur and this little face would appear under the arm of a parent. While I was watching, the baby decided to sit on dad's head for a bit. Just adorable. We were lucky and the rain did let up so we were able to see the big cats before we left. All the cats were spending their afternoon napping. Lazy lazy Sunday. Well, except the jaguar, who was pacing (I think it was almost lunch time as he was pacing in front of the door leading inside to his food!). The trip to the zoo was a nice break for my brain (and a much needed one!) after the intensity of the movie the day before. And I added a bunch of photos to my Philadelphia Zoo set on Flickr.

That's several weekends in a row with lots of activities and lots of walking. I think I need a weekend to recover from my weekends and get some chores done!

Friends and art

Last weekend I had visitors. One of my colleagues, MA, and her daughter, MAjr, were here. MAjr had a dance audition on Saturday morning at a local university downtown. The audition seemed to go well, but you never can tell with these things. Supposedly they'll notify the students in 2 weeks whether they got in or not, so cross your fingers (and toes) she gets in!!

Anyway, while MAjr danced, MA and I walked around Center City for a bit. The day was bright, sunny and clear, but it was a bit chilly with the wind. Still, nice for walking, especially in the sun. We walked to City Hall, took the obligatory tourist photo of MA in front of the LOVE sculpture in JFK Plaza/LOVE Park with the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the distance, and then wandered down to Rittenhouse Square. While we were petting dogs up for adoption (volunteers with eligible dogs wearing the orange "adopt me!" vests appear at random around the city), MAjr called to let us know she was done and to meet her back at the main hall. Her timing was a good thing. I don't think Aussie would have appreciated it if I had come home with a new sibling for her (best to not upset the household balance the two of us have) and those dogs were so cute...ah well.

After a trip back home so MAjr could shower and change, we decided to go to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the afternoon to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit (it's been on my list!). We were joined by MAjr's friend S. S's dad J generously drove us to the museum and even offered to see if he could use his company discount to get us in. Unfortunately, discounts don't apply to traveling exhibits, but we had a random confluence of luck that ended with us acquiring 4 tickets for only $20 (normally $20 each!)! As we were getting in line, a woman stopped us and said that they had two extra tickets they'd sell for half price. MA and I said great! There's two tickets for only $20. But we still needed tickets for the girls. We got in line, and as we approached the counter, MA saw a $10 bill lying on the ground. She picked it up and handed it to the women behind the counter, telling them to put it in the donations box or something (have I mentioned MA is a sweetheart and very honest? well, she is!). As we were figuring out the two remaining tickets (the entrance time, etc.), a member walked up and turned in two tickets (members get free tickets) that they didn't use. The woman the member gave them to then handed them to us and said enjoy! Wow! Talk about luck! [Side note: I think maybe we should have bought a lottery ticket with all that luck...]

Anyway, we had about 30 minutes before our scheduled entrance time, so MA and I headed for the 12th Century European art, and the girls split and went for the modern and contemporary collection. We agreed to meet up after we'd been through the Kahlo exhibit and then we'd go get dinner. 12th Century European art is largely religious and religious influenced, and includes many church commissioned pieces. Some of the stained glass is so beautiful, and the woodworking extraordinary. After a brief wander and some gaping at the reconstructed stone arches, MA and I headed off to get in line for Frida.

I was beyond excited when I heard the Frida Kahlo exhibit created in honor of the 100th anniversary of her birth would be coming to Philadelphia. I'm a huge fan of Frida, and have been since high school when I had an art teacher tell me I kind of looked like her. When I asked who she was, he told me to go look her up (what a good educator, no?). So I did. And I fell in love. The movie Frida with Salma Hayek was very true to her life, having been based on the biography by Hayden Herrera (which yes, I do own and have read). Frida Kahlo was a fascinating woman, a feminist before feminism. And her paintings are such intense self studies. Her eye was unflinching, exposing everything in her art. MA said at the end of the exhibit that she was exhausted and drained from the intensity of it all. I'd have to agree.

The exhibit itself was incredible. It included a free audio tour, which normally I avoid, but decided to try since it included commentary from Herrera, various artists, and the exhibit curator. The audio did a wonderful job of putting her paintings in context with what was going on in her life at the time they were created. In addition to the paintings, the exhibit included many photographs from Frida's personal albums, many never seen by the public before. Many had scrawled notes/commentaries written on them by Frida, offering even more insight into her life. As MA said, the exhibit was intense, offering the most complete picture of her life possible through the combination of audio, photographs and her paintings. Well put together, well organized, and absolutely amazing.

Overall, I'd say the exhibit is more than worth the $20 entrance fee. Even if you aren't a huge Frida fan like I am it's definitely worth the $20. I could have spent another couple of hours wandering and just staring at everything. I even learned a few things by having them put in context through the audio tour. And I really want to go back and see it again before it leaves May 18th.

We met up with the girls again and after a few photos on the Museum steps decided to head down to South Street for some dinner and wandering. S's dad J had finished his errands, and once again generously offered to act as chauffeur and drive us there and then decided to join us. We opted for cheesesteaks at Gianna's Grille, agreeing that since it was the first trip to Philly for MAjr, cheesesteaks were a necessity. Gianna's is a bit of a dive, but their food is consistently decent, and they have the option of getting fries with Old Bay seasoning (which I love). After a tasty dinner of cheesesteaks and fries, we wandered up and down South Street for the better part of 2 hours, window shopping and chatting. MA even did a little bit of gift/souvenir shopping.

It was a wonderful day. I had such a good time with everyone. I can only hope that MAjr gets in to the university so MA is forced to visit more often!

Rude awakening

At 4am this morning I was awakened by a crash. Specifically the crash of glass breaking. As I lay there, I heard another crash. Now, Monday is trash day, so my first thought was "what s.o.b. is throwing out glass at 4am!?". So I got up to take a look and possibly yell at them (it's 4am!). But I was wrong. It was nothing so benign as trash being tossed out, rather, it was drama.

Apparently one of my neighbors across the street and his girlfriend(?) had a fight. As I looked out my window, I watched her, in a black coat with the hood up, carrying two white plastic bags, pace briefly in front of his house, muttering about how he's wrong and she'll get him back. She then put down her bags, walked up onto the porch, kicked the front door, and smashed in the front window! She then left the porch, picked up her bags, and walked up the street, all the while muttering to herself about how he'll be sorry and how she'll be back and a bunch of other stuff I couldn't hear. Well then. I think it's safe to assume that she's quite pissed off.

Now, given that it was 4am, I honestly thought I had dreamed the entire thing. I did manage to fall back asleep until my alarm went off a little over an hour later. It wasn't until I left the house this morning to go to work and saw that instead of a front window my neighbor now had a piece of plywood that I realized it really happened.

This is the most drama my neighborhood has seen in a good long while. Why the drama always has to happen in the middle of the night when I have to get up early for work is anyone's guess. Next time, do you think we can schedule it for the afternoon?

w00t!!!

Nine Inch Nails is coming to Philly!!

Friday, August 29th. At the Wachovia Center. I'm not-so-patiently waiting for the date tickets go on sale.

I AM SO THERE.

A little beer, and a LOT of rain

We had another happy hour for work last night. Despite the horrible rainy weather, we had a decent turn out. And we tried a new bar and pub: Slainte (pronounced Slawn-cha). The name means "cheers" in Gaelic. It's a new bar in West Philly, owned by the same people as the New Deck Tavern. It's a modern yet classic bar, lots of rich dark hardwood, and very comfortable barstools (I tested them thoroughly). They have a great selection of European beers on tap, including Guiness and my favorite Smithwicks, and a few American beers like Sam Adams as well. The even have hard cider on tap and decent happy hour specials. We sampled the cheddar and beer dip (similar to a Welsh rarebit), which came with toasts and veggies for dipping. The toasts were delicious, and dusted with black pepper. And surprisingly, the vegetables worked well with the cheddar beer dip, even the cucumber! We also sampled the chicken and cheese quesadillas, which were very tasty. I do believe we'll be having another happy hour there sometime next month. And I'm interested in going back and trying the rest of their menu for lunch or dinner.

Today the sky really opened up and we've been under a flood warning here in Philly. It poured, and I do mean poured, rain all day. We even had some thunder and lightening. It would have been great, except for one small detail: I had to go out in it. I needed dog food. Needed as in Aussie wouldn't get dinner if I didn't go to the pet store. So off I went. I was a bit crazy and took the dog with me, and by the time we went for our morning walk, and went in and out of the store, Aussie looked like she had enjoyed several baths and I felt a bit like a drowned rat. Five hours later my coat is still drying out and my shoes will probably be damp for a few days. I am very glad that I learned to drive in the rain of Portland, OR. The other crazies on the road, however, could use a few lessons on driving in heavy rain with water on the roadway.

A measure I can get behind

Currently in Pennsylvania, unless you go to a deli/restaurant or a bar (where it's marked up), you can't buy less than a case (24 cans or bottles) of beer at a time from a beer distributor (i.e. a beer store, wine/liquor stores are separate). For a single person that doesn't drink much, that's a LOT of beer. Sometimes I don't get all the way through a case before it starts to go skunky on me. So I waste money. It also means I have to buy a LOT of only one kind. This is fine for a party, but frankly, I get sick of drinking the same thing for weeks on end and inevitably end up with a few bottles that have gone bad before I get around to wanting it again. I like variety in my beer diet just like I like variety in my food diet. Sure, you can purchase mixed cases, but they always include 6 bottles of something I don't like, so I waste money yet again. I'm on a budget. I can't waste money on beer I'm not going to drink or that's going to go bad before I can drink it. Beer is too precious for that, thankyouverymuch.

So I haven't been buying beer very often unless I'm taking it to a pot luck or open house. I've been buying wine instead since I can buy less at a time.

There's a measure right now in the legislature to allow for the sale of smaller quantities of beer from beer distribution stores. This makes me happy. In fact, I'd probably buy more beer on a more regular basis because I'd have that variety I crave. Ironically, some local beer brewers are trying to block it, out of fear that the sale of packs containing 12 or 18 bottles/cans would hurt their business because they're not equipped to package beer in quantities other than 6 or 24 packs. The brewers that do distribute 18 packs are the big named national companies like Anheuser-Busch, not the local microbreweries. Many microbreweries are afraid that because they can't offer those sizes to consumers it means they'll lose business and people will be buying those 18 packs of Budweiser and Miller as opposed to their microbrews.

Frankly, I think the objecting microbreweries are being shortsighted and just a little bit idiotic.

See, I'm a beer snob. I'm not interested in the big national beers like Budweiser. I want good microbrews. That's what I like. That's what I drink. Most of my friends are the same way. And right now the fact that I can't get a variety of good microbrews without paying mark-up or getting stuck with stuff I don't want means I'm actually NOT BUYING BEER very often.

If they want me to buy more beer, then let me buy it in quantities that are reasonable and that give me a variety of tastes and styles. As a beer drinker, I'm all for supporting this beer-sale reform proposal.

A six-pack of controversy to go | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/03/2008

Weekend activities

This weekend was full of food and a play. Not a bad weekend. Unfortunately, now it's Sunday, aka "chore day."

Friday night I met a friend down in the Rittenhouse Square area for some food and beers. We started at Bard's Irish Bar for dinner. Good solid Irish food. And they have Guiness on tap (naturally), but they also have Smithwick's, which is one of my favorites. We eventually migrated down to Barristers Bar and Grille to catch the end of the Detroit Red Wings game (they lost...GROWL). Not a bad selection of beers on tap. They purchased the NHL Center Ice package, so now I know where to go to watch the hockey playoffs!

Saturday night I went to dinner and a play. A coworker was the assistant stage manager and ran the sound cues for a university production of Frank Wedekind's Spring Awakening (not the musical version currently on Broadway). I met AH and her husband DS for dinner at White Dog Cafe for dinner before the show. The White Dog is rapidly becoming one of my favorite restaurants. All their food is made with local, sustainably grown products, and is delicious. Since they focus on local products and produce, their menu does change slightly from season to season. I love the chicken sandwiches. Their burgers are incredible. Of course they always have at least one vegetarian, and usually a vegan option as well. I have yet to eat anything there that wasn't yummy and satisfying. Lately they've had this delicious lemon vinaigrette for salads that's fresh and tart and even has chunks of lemon peel in it! Drool...

Anyway, after a delicious dinner, we headed over to campus for the play. Spring Awakening is not exactly an uplifting play. It's quite intense. This production was done in a black box setting, so everyone was close to the actors and the scene. It made it hard to distance yourself, and I found myself sucked in to the intensity. The play is about young adults, adolescents, experiencing a coming of age and sexual awakening in Imperial Germany. The overall play is tragic, with one character committing suicide and another dying, and yet another consumed by self-hatred. Like I said, it's quite intense. But it was very well done. The students did an outstanding job playing their characters. The set and lighting was minimal but worked well with the intense emotions played out by the actors. For all the intensity, the production itself was well done and enjoyable. And of course my coworker did a fabulous job with the sound cues!

Original choral music, followed by pizza and beer

Friday night I went to a choral concert. My friends AH and her husband DS sing in a local choral group, the Choral Arts Society. I had yet to make one of their concerts, so I was determined to make it to this one.

This particular concert showcased the works of local composers by partnering with the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Composers Forum. They performed the works of 6 artists, the first five of which were shorter. The pieces ran the gamut from poetry and prayers arranged with original music to new arrangements of existing works and hymns.

One of my favorites was the arrangement of a Jewish prayer for a funeral, the Kaddish, by David Ludwig. It was beautifully done, so serene yet full of emotion. The Mourners' Kaddish itself, while spoken during funerals and during the period of mourning, does not actually mention death at all, but rather focuses on life and spirit and exalting God. I think David Ludwig did an amazing job of presenting this so it came through clearly in the music.

I particularly liked the fact that all the composers were there. They each spoke briefly before their piece was performed, giving us a little bit of information about what inspired them and what they aimed to create. It's not something you normally get to hear, and it adds so much more to the performances to hear a bit of the background behind the pieces. The performance was also recorded, so the composers would have a copy of their work being performed for promotion and personal record.

The last piece was one that had been commissioned by the Choral Arts Society artistic director, Matthew Glandorf. He asked Anthony Mosakowski to do a rendition of the Passion according to St. John. Fortunately, this was not the 2 hour version of the Passion. The four soloists were incredible. And Anthony added to the usual limited role of the larger chorus. Typically their role consists of playing the part of the crowd or the people. But in the scripture itself, it references other scriptures and prophesies. So Anthony had the chorus singing and chanting those referenced parts in the background while the soloists sang the St. John scripture. It was interesting to hear the Passion with another layer added to it.

Overall, it was a beautiful concert. As someone that's not normally a big choral music fan, I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed myself. The chorus is awesome, and I'm actually looking forward to future performances and hearing more choral music.

Afterwards, we went to grab a bite to eat and a drink at Dock Street Brewing Co. Their specialties? Beer (duh!) and pizza. Really really good pizza and small locally brewed batches for their draft beers. They have this great information board that lists all the available beers and a brief description of each one, which simplifies the selection process. I had their Baltic Porter, a porter brewed with maple syrup, which was very nice, dark, smooth, and had just a hint of sweetness. It complemented the pizza beautifully.

There were 7 of us, so we decided to split 2 large pizzas, which allowed for 2 slices each plus an extra for whomever was really hungry. These are not small slices, so two was plenty for me. We chose one with meat and one vegetarian pizza, which was not easy as there are many tasty options. We all agreed that there hard part of the decision was not agreeing on the choices, but having to limit ourselves to only two! The meat pizza we chose was the Flammenkuche and the vegetarian was the A La Greek. The Greek was pretty standard (tomatoes, feta, etc.) but topped with a mixed-greens salad, which was a nice addition. The Flammenkuche had bacon, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, and rosemary. OMG that was yummy. The crust on both was perfect, thin while still soft and just a bit chewy.

The only negative about Dock Street? It's very noisy. The building is an old firehouse, so there's not much to it. High ceilings, lack of "soft" material, so everything echoes. Plus they have music playing. Not a place for intimate conversation. But I'll certainly be back to try other beers and work my way through their incredible pizza menu.