Regular Unnamed Friday Column

I'll remember this week as an explosion of excess akin to the Monty Python sketch of the man at the restaurant. Too much of everything. Even the good stuff seemed more than I could handle. Here's a rundown.

RIP. This was a week full of celebrity deaths. We all know about most of them, so I don't need to explain the roll call here. Steven Wells, Gary Papa (pictured), Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson. With the Philly deaths, Steven Wells hit me harder than Gary Papa. I think that's because I read Wells' Philly Weekly columns about his cancer. Here is his last Philly Weekly column. On @PhillyWeekly Twitter, there have been some great tributes like this one being posted up.

Social Overload. Social media is leading to socializing overload. The event invitations on my Facebook are piling up. I received at least 20 social invitations (including personal invites from friends for coffee or lunch) this week. Highlights this week included: Casino Free Philly circus, Philly Tweetup at McGillans, Derrick May at Arts Garage (Saturday), Jake Henry's record release party at Vango (Friday- tonight!).

Casino Free Circus

Need something to do today (Thursday) for lunch. Check out 718 Market Street in Center City, Philadelphia, the new location for anti-casino organizing in Philadelphia.

I'm heading there for lunch with a friend who has been active in this movement. Sounds interesting. At the very least, the flyer is eye catching. We are going to support the cause and also because my friend has a crush on someone who might be involved in the event. But that's no surprise- romantic intrigue spices up activist events.

I realized there is a 99.99999999999999999% percent chance that nobody reading this blog post will be able to make this event. Especially considering I am giving an hour's notice.

But no worries, you can get involved in Casino Free or learn more by clicking here.

Mark Sanford Made Me Smile

After being bogged down with tales of death and mayhem in Iran, on DC Metro trains, in West Philadelphia neighborhoods, in Pakistan, North Korea, Iraq. Everywhere I turned it seemed like someone new had died or had gotten cancer. Perinatal HIV on the rise. Neda. Ed McMahon. Another child gunned down in a city street.

Plus the minor annoyances like the rain, the Septa delays, the people who say they care, but won't look me in the eye. This week I started losing my optimism. I skipped my volunteer job on Tuesday and stared mindlessly in the face of the tv- something that cannot possibly love me back. But could numb me out for a while.

Today I went for my usual late lunch at 1:30 pm and when I returned at 2:30, I looked at Twitter and saw Argentina, GOP, Sanford as trending topics. And I read the tweets. The stories, recaps, tasteless jokes.

And I smiled. This politician's sordid affair was so big in the world of news. And I suspected we were riveted because we desperately needed a moment of distraction. From the global recession and the death and suffering that seems to be everywhere.

Thank you Mark Sanford for giving me a few moments of rest from the real problems of my life and of the world.

Day 30 - Blogger Challenge

Final Day of our Blogger Challenge!!

Name That Address ... Silver Screen Edition

One of my favorite homes in Philly.

And right around the corner from it, they're shooting exterior shots for a new film with Dr. Horrible himself, Neil Patrick Harris. Also some other people none of whom I've heard. Add to this the Al Brooks project that is slated to start filming in July, and Philly will be crawling with talent and gaffers! Maybe even a best boy or two! If I didn't already have my own best boy ... I'd know where to get one.

Vacation Planning

I want to take a real vacation in September. The kind where I go somewhere new to explore. Or maybe someplace loved and familiar such as the Jersey shore. I'm having a difficult time deciding what I want to do. This are the disparate options I'm thinking about:

1) Explore a new city- With a flying phobia and no driver's license, my options are limited to places where Amtrak goes. I was thinking of going to Toronto, which is only a 12 hour train ride. I'm not sure what is there, but I know the city is bigger than Philadelphia and has a vibrant music scene. Plus, it's out of the United States. It's about the only foreign travel I can handle right now.

2) Go down the shore- My mom has a place in Avalon and I love vacationing there in the off season. It is quiet and many stores have closed down giving it less of a touristy feel. However, the water and air is warm enough for swimming. I don't mind the frequent tropical storms of September. Hurricane season is exciting to me.

3) Social vacation- The tough part about vacationing alone is the loneliness. No one to talk to and laugh with. I have been thinking about finding a conference or retreat and doing something with a group of strangers. A tour is not my speed because I hate museums, walking tours, and anything historic. But maybe if there were a cool convention or festival going on somewhere, I could glom onto that.

If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.

Day 29 - Blogger Challenge

How Crazy Would It Be?

To continue the saga of How To Buy A House: Under-Employed Edition, I'm beginning to see the financial possibility of home ownership. I'll have a down payment from my divorce settlement, and the mortgage payments would be lower than my rent. The sticky wicket is this: no employment history to speak of, and a part-time job that barely covers my work wardrobe, let alone my rent! Hmmmph. Buying a house would save on the monthly bills, but I can't buy a house because I can't afford my current monthly bills.

Here comes the crazy part ... I'm considering asking a friend to buy a house with me. A female friend who likes my kid, my cats, and my sensibilities. One who can offer the employment history to coincide with my down payment money, and split the mortgage payments with me. Someone who will be easy-going about the eventual re-financing if either of us decides to move out for whatever reason. Someone I'll like having around.

I've written about how important my girlfriends are to me, and how proud I am to have made some wonderful ones over the past few years. So it really isn't surprising to me that when considering sharing my home with someone, it's my girlfriends I mentally page through. After all, I may be in love, but I'm not going to do the let's-move-in-together thing, not for a good long while. And somehow it doesn't feel like I'm abandoning my independence if I share a house with a fellow traveler--you know, one I can bum a tampon from in a pinch!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go play "Sistahs are doin' it for themselves" on my iPod.

Gossip Girl

So on Twitter, I got overloaded with the gossip thing...

Chris Brown court case & Rihanna and the plea agreement

John & Kate announcing a divorce

Perez Hilton & the Will.i.am assault issue

And then the hard news stories of health care reform, North Korea, Iran democracy movement, and deal Barack Obama struck with the pharmaceutical companies to help senior citizens with prescription drug costs. I was a little burnt out by the end of the day. It's great to be informed, but Twitter felt like it was demanding my attention. And I wanted a little time for me.

Day 28 - Blogger Challenge

Stylish Storage Ideas

Since my honey moved back into the apartment, space is at a premium. My pretty party dresses, work suits, flowery blouses, winter coats and fall sweaters fill five Ikea wardrobes even after two major donation dumps at the Salvation Army. Let's not even talk about the shoe collection. Now he wants to hang up a few dress shirts and I just simply don't have the space. How do I let him carve out his own space while still maintaining a clutter free home? A few ideas:

Check out this gorgeous built in cabinetry. If we owned, I would make every wall into built in closets and cabinets.

Here is another version of the "wall of closet". The mirrors make it bright and spacious, a great idea for a small apartment. Now what about those shoes?

I love the acrylic. If I can't see my shoes, I forget my options.

This is the perfect place to store cosmetics and jewelry. I don't like to have anything out on the counter tops if I can help it.

Vintage file folders like this are easy to find at thrift stores in Philly like Uhuru. And it will be a wonderful place to hide all his little piles of change, receipts and mismatched bike lock keys for bikes stolen long ago.

My apartment needs are expanding, and I need to get crafty to make it all work. Let me know if you have any good ideas to share for making a one bedroom into a two bedroom.

(Images Source, Living Etc.)

Solstice

Summer Solstice event at the Kimmel Center was completely wonderful. I had gotten a 50% of flyer and was able to attend the event for only $5. It was a bargain and definitely worth the trip.

I got there around 8:30 and joined a throng dancing to PhillyBloco, a local Brazilian band. The band is in yellow in the photo to the left. For an encore they left the stage and joined the audience filling Verizon Hall with the hypnotic sounds of drums.




Right after PhillyBloco, I went for the Bollywood dance lesson. That was truly exhausting and aerobic because the dance moves incorporate vigorous arm and leg movements, synchronized and strong. I flailed for an hour, arms akimbo and sweating profusely. Very fun, but my legs are still sore from last night.

It was great dancing in areas where food and beverages were prohibited. No spilled drinks on the floor or in my hair. A nice break from my usual weekend dance experience.


After Bollywood dancing I check out Karen Gross' Caberet show and saw some of a drag show out in a main area. That drew a lot of attention and the performers were quite fabulous and bigger than life. I ran into Pop Culture Casualty who was there with her sisters and some friends.

A great night. Who else went and did you have fun?

Day 27 - Blogger Challenge

Top Five Links for the Day

1. PC World documents ten hidden features of the iPhone 3.0 update, in addition to the "official" ones. Now, if only my screen didn't keep freezing ... time to check if this is a common problem with my update?
2. SpotCrime.Com shows all police-recorded crimes in a given area, on a map, nicely labeled with what happened, when it happened, and further information that helps the viewer determine if it was a random crime or a personally motivated one. I'm looking to buy a house, and this is proving invaluable and strangely addictive!
3. I love street art, and I have to say that I think Philly's kind of dead in that area. I know, we have murals EVERYWHERE. And they're gorgeous to be sure. But there's something about the random and un-condoned nature of graffiti artists that I find exciting. Is it because it's subversive? Or because it'll get painted over in a week or so? At any rate, Wooster Collective is perhaps my favorite blog of street art. Ji Lee's "Duchamp Reloaded" (above) caught my eye on a recent perusal.
   
4. Apartment Therapy doesn't have a tab for Philadelphia (they have NYC, LA, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and DC) but for some reason they put articles about Philadelphia in their DC section. Hmmmm. At any rate, there are some beautiful images there, great articles with design ideas and how-tos, and resources for where to get some fabulous stuff.
5. I know you've all seen this already, but I just want to say I've watched this at least five times in the past couple of days. Very Karate Kid of our Commander-in-Chief. Someone get the man some chopsticks!
   
   

Post Secret

A blog post published on a Saturday evening is probably not going to get much traffic so I'll put up a couple of pictures and call it a night.

I have noticed that most people look flirty and attractive when they purse their lips on camera. But not me. I look hideous.

See this picture on your left. I just snapped on my computer camera. I look normal and friendly enough. Please excuse the hair- it's been monsoon season in Philly and I've been a frizzball all June.



But look at what happens when I try to do a flirty pouty picture for you all...



Definitely not attractive. What's wrong with my nose, it has become misshapen. I have taken dozens of shots of this pose, but I can't ever make it look good. So I need to stop.

If anybody has a good idea for an alternative pose, I'd love the help. I want to update my profile pictures on several online sites, but can't get a good picture.

Day 26 - Blogger Challenge

Oh so random, oh so lovely!

Okay, I have 15 minutes 'til midnight, and I haven't written my post. I spent the day selling shoes after very little sleep, but then my loveliness began: an evening at the Lombard St. pool courtesy of my friend who's a member! Open bar! Food! Pool! It was so great. And now I'm back home, with my kitties and some great takeout Mediterranean food, and an awesome human being who brought over the rest of season 2 of Rescue Me. I'm set.

Best Week Ever...Not...Week 2!

I almost forgot that Fridays were going to be a wrap up of...borrowing someone else's catch phrase... The Week That Was. I still don't have a name for this weekly segment because I'm a grantwriter by trade, not a copywriter. Nothing gives me chills more than writing for brevity and impact. I like my writing to obfuscate not clear stuff up.

So here are my impressions of week:

Seeing Green, Hearing Green, and now Feeling Green. Of course, I am referring to the Iran elections although I couldn't help but think of my Irish heritage this week. I had a nerdgasm over the use of social media with promoting democracy. That blog post I put up this past Tuesday got a fair amount traffic. On Wednesday, I went to a demo in Rittenhouse Square that was organized by an Iran students association. I passed along the messages of people based in Iran and now that a few days have gone by I would say I am no longer in the social media underground. Now that election candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi is on Twitter and has a Facebook page, I am seeing tons of tweets (Twitter posts) referring us his official Facebook for information. The honeymoon is definitely over in terms of using Twitter for the latest info...I am back to relying on my regularly visited news sources for useful info (and verified) info.

SEPTA as Gender Police Wednesday was a big day for me with being out and about and active. I started following a story that I think would appeal to anyone who uses SEPTA. And that is the plight of transgendered people who are getting harrassed by bus drivers and train conductors questioning the M or F on their passes. The idea of being denied transportation because of your gender is discriminatory and wrong. The group SEPTA RAGE is working on this issue & join their Facebook page to stay informed. They have 564 as of this moment, which is a pretty huge group. Not only do they have a Facebook page, they do stuff. On Wednesday, they had a happy hour, meet and greet event at Stir. It was very well attended with people talking about the initiatives to make Pennsylvania a state that truly doesn't discriminate on the basis of gender. The Philadelphia Weekly had a nice piece about this issue titled Transpassing Prohibited. Carline Arcila, who was featured by the PW was at the Stir event and told her story to all of us gathered.

If Only I Could Clone Myself The summer of insane fun continues with another weekend of activities. Too bad, I'm not like the Citypaper or Philly Weekly and give you a heads up of happenings in advance. Instead I find out about things at the last minute. Usually on Monday I have nothing to do on the weekend and by Friday, I am bursting with way too much to do. Here's my schedule. Probably won't make everything but I'll try:

Friday June 19, 2009:
-Party in West Philly to say bye to Dave who will be in Montreal painting murals for summer.
-Free concert at Electric Factory with Major Lazer featuring Diplo and Drop the Lime.

Saturday June 20, 2009:
-2nd Street Music & Popped Festival sponsored by Philebrity from 2 pm - 9 pm from 2nd & Poplar and north toward Girard.
-Summer Solstice event at Kimmel Center- This party goes from 3pm - 6 am. A true all nighter. I'm a little nervous about their talk about a drum circle at 5 am, but I'm thinking of checking it out.
-Medusa Lounge has some good music on Saturday. Might swing by for a while.

Sunday June 21, 2009: Don't tell me about stuff going on for Sunday because I'm not listening- La, la, la, la. I need a day of rest.

Day 25 - Blogger Challenge

My Sisters Are Coming to Visit!

Tomorrow night, my sisters arrive for a weekend visit. Myself, my oldest sister, and my youngest sister, will be trying to blend our varied interests into one fun-filled weekend.

My oldest sister is from San Francisco, likes to hike, play soccer and wear breathable pants. My youngest sister is a starving actress/nutrition student/yogi/waitress/vegan living in Manhattan. I am a Rittenhouse brat that thinks shopping is cardio. So how will we all meet somewhere in the middle?

Here is my proposed plan:

• Friday Night vegan chili dinner at Joe Pistola's.
• Saturday afternoon doing a “Secrets of Philly” Watson Scavenger Hunt.
• I’m a guest judge at Saturday night’s Kimmel Center Storyslam on the theme “Great Outdoors”. Both sisters already have stories prepped.
  
• A rainy Sunday afternoon at The Bridge watching Up.
  

Anyone else have suggestions?