I'm NOT a Jr but a Jr Jr

Wow. What a weekend.

Friday 5.13

Friday the thirteenth...yep. Awesome. Sat in traffic on 76 forevs. I wonder about this effin road. Is there ever a time when it is not jam packed? I just don't get it. I've tried just about every combination of departure/arrival times to get to T's house and it never turns out good. It's a good thing the boss supplied some unbelievable pizza, wine, and of course kettle one. Otherwise, I would have one cranky drivvvaaa.

Never noticed how ridiculously hilly Manayunk was until I had to walk 900 blocks to the train station in my 6 inch heels. I felt like I was in San Fran again. Regardless, it was worth it. Arrived right back in Center City ((yea walking distance from my joint, go figs)) to meet Libs for her birthday celebration. Jolly's is typically not my cup of joe but for Libs anything shy of a two min run in is great. Not to mention big Russell from the old school SIC crashing days is the bartender. So free drinks are always flowing. Libby's embarrassment on stage particularly made the evening, well, just perfect. Love her. Having both her and Trisher in the same establishment at one time is pretty much the best thing that could ever happen. Not to mention...I get to do it all over again this Saturday.




Saturday 5.14

Got my ass up at 6 am to avoid the 76 bullshit and of course to see mr Jose who I missed dearly. Immediately went back to bed and woke up to the craziness of the Italian Market Festival. Shit was nuts. Mistakenly decided to drive to Target and it took me, no lie, 45 min to move two blocks. If I could have turned around I would...def could have walked all the way to Target and back in the same amount of time.

Got back to my place and was welcomed with the overwhelming aroma of Italian awesomeness. Too bad I gave up meat again about a month and a half ago. It took about every bit of me not to slam back some meatballs and roasted pork sammies until I saw the poor old pigos on display. Instead I filled my belly in the next two days with just about everything else I could eat. Pasta, caprese salads, olives galore, artichokes, cannolis, tomato pie....ahhh it was all so delicioso!




This is about the only time of year when the Italian Market is actually not realistically the Cambodian Market. The dynamic was amazing and it was just so nice to see the roots of my neighborhood come to life. I mean a full Sunday of listening to Sinatra on the streets can never be bad. I would spend more of my time with the hipsters at Gleaners if this was actually how it really was. Unfortunately, my extended family at Claudio's is typically the only reason to venture and spend a shit ton of money on the reg at the market.

The whole experience reminded me of my pop and how awesome he is. The FU Bros would have been so proud of their beloved granddaughter.

Motivated myself for the cheesy 104.5 Summer KickOff party at the Piazza to cure Doc's desire for us to see Biffy Clyro. However, being the girls we are we did not arrive until just about ten minutes before the thing was over. Wardrobe decisions, non-charged Iphones, and the rain were definetly our excuse for moving slow as shit. Well we got there...and the falafel at Green Olives was well worth the $20 cab ride.

Stopped by Bonnes' joint which is amaze. I am totally crashing there more often. Played some old school card games while throwing back PBR pounders prior to the main event.



Off to Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr (yes that's two Jr's) which I pretty much had no expectations of. I had heard some of their tracks and I liked, but I was in no way prepared for the incredible show that was to come. I have not seen a bad show yet at KFNT and this was one of the best yet.




Participating with skeleton masks made me feel like I was 18 and on mushrooms. I could not stop laughing for the life of me. Looking at Ames and Jac with their masks on gave me such extreme giggles I almost pissed my pants. Not to mention my love of skulls. I was eyeing up the skull masks lying on the stage from the minute I saw them figuring out how I could, of course, snag one before I left.



Hanging out with the trio after the showed just proved that these guys rocked. They were so genuine and down to earth. I am looking forward to seeing them again at ACL. Of course, being the slobs were are...we ended the night by throwing back some food at the Tap. FYI their veggie burger sucks ass sideways. I should have stuck to my tequila diet or just licked the side of ranch whatever that came with. What a waste of eleven bucks.

Sunday 5.15

Joined Zilla to the Amitayus Kadampa Buddhist Center for Sunday morning meditation. Nothing else to say except AMAZING!

Returned within 24 hrs for my next session. I am already reminded of the benefits of practice. I don't like to talk much about my experience as it is pretty personal to me, but it just makes me feel so much more complete and focused. Love...that's all.

Fill your mind with compassion. Be Awake.


Craze craze amaze weekend. Repeat.

namaste, namaskar, not a star

Bitch Blog Alert.

Okay so I've been taking this Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga class over the past four years. I began taking this class to cure some serious anxiety issues and came to love it so much. My instructor Lisa is just simply amazing...she kicks your ass and supplies some pretty awesome tunes as she does it. The fact that I can meditate and workout all within an hour and half of time is just fab.u.lous.

But....the weirdos. The weirdies. Lord do they show up for these classes. Along my side of the room alone last night consisted of five straight up waaackkks.

Wack #1--The smoker: Despite my love for ciggies, I hate this lady. She shows up to every class smelling like Denis Leary's ashtray. I don't even know how she gets through the intensity of the class. I am surprised she has not lit up while hanging out in downward dog. Use body spray lady, or for the sake of everyone else's nostrils take a bath before class. Puhlease.

Wack #2--The Yoga Professional: This other lady is the complete know it all of yoga. Ironically, she sucks. She spends half the time in child's pose chilling out while all the rest of us are listening to her psychobabble about how we are positioned wrong. How about you actually participate in class and stop using your hurt shoulder as your excuse to get outta sun salutations. Come on. Or simply, shut the eff up, this is MY time and I don't feel like listening to you.

Wack #3--The farter: Serial. I understand you are relaxed and all, but farting, when it is that quiet and intense is just a set up for me to non-stop belly laugh for the rest of the class. Farts are funny, really funny, however, hit the toilet before class...it may help. If you are having gas issues that day, take a beano and watch some jeopardy instead.

Wack #4--The Overachiever: I hate this man. Hate him. NO the yoga instructor will not sleep with you. NOR will anyone else in the class for that matter, even Mrs Fartski. Stop showing off. Counting every breath and calling out the poses is the instructors job, not yours. You are horrible at yoga and should just give it up. Coming to class in a polo and khakis is not acceptable.

Wack #5--The Wam Bam Falamajam Man: He is all over the place, flailing his arms, grunting, jogging in place...whatever he is doing is not yoga. I can assure you that. He never misses a class...and surprising his technique has not changed at all. My instructor has officially threw in the towel. She somehow manages to get him positioned in the back of the room for lack of distraction. Kudos Lisa....however, a referral to step aerobics might be better.

Somehow through all of this I am still able to come out of class completely rejuvenated.

Thank you and no thank you for your wacked out company.

Namaste.

The Low Anthem

Goooood Friday, ummmmm yea. Luckily, due to the holiday I had the day off and was able to attend WXPN's Free @ Noon featuring the Low Anthem. Steph, Bob, and I headed over to the Kimmel Center to meet Allison and Craig for the show. I was suprised to see that they had set up the show in the middle of the Commonwealth Plaza and I immediately thought the sound was going to be horrible. We set up shop upstairs on the balcony overlooking the stage where Bob was able to set up his recording equipment. Again, we did not think the recording was going to be any good since we anticipated the sound not being so great. Wow. We were wrong. Sound was amaze.



Low Anthem is pretty much a collection of musical geniuses. The array of musical instruments used amazed me to say the least. A hammer dulcimer, really? I have not seen one of these things on stage yet, however, Joci Adams had that shit down pat. Playing a saw? Really with a bow? Even better. It seemed the band was just pulling stuff out of the garage to create such a beautiful and well, original sound.





Okay...now let me get into the use of the cell phone to make "This God Damn House" so insanely unique. Typically, I would think most bands would be annoyed with the over use and annoyance of cell phones during shows. Low Anthem embraced this technology and insistantly used it to make the sound of crickets at the end of the song. To do this...the band asked us to call the person next to us and put both phones on speaker. I had no idea what to expect. Soon enough the whole joint was cricketing. Sounded like we were straight up chillin in the neck of the woods. Sick. Again amazed, just amazed.



During the show, I took notice to the whole front row of children that were at the show. I figured that down there was a very smart teacher who decided to pack up her kids for the afternoon and use music to get out the classroom to see one awesome band. It got me thinking about those kids and how at least one, maybe two or three, would be influenced by this show. Watching them watch the band in amazement made me so incredibly happy. It is so beautiful to know that something so small can create something so big.



"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination
and life to everything." ~Plato

After the show....we closed off the afternoon with a never disappointing meal at Sabrinas.

Ohhhhh what a Good Friday.

Rusted Root

Okay so being the old school flower children we are D and I decided to revert back to the college days and check out the Rusted Root concert at the new XPN venue the Queen. First off, the Queen is simply amazing. I cannot say anything but that. I hope to see as many shows as I can here.



I was not really sure what my expectations of RR was since I have not seen them since college. The last show I had seen them at in Pittsburgh was effing awesome. All I can remember was it was pouring and we were covered in mud, "Rain" came on it was just epic. I remember every second of the song and how incredibly lucky I was to share my love of music with such cool ass people. The three hour ride home however was not so much fun. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised that RR still had it. Despite the loss of my favorite member and the discontinuance of my favorite track I still enjoyed every minute of the show. It is amazing to see a group of people use such a broad spectrum of instruments. Liz Berlin is just so incredibly talented.



At the end of the show of course we stuck around, like old times, scored some autographed guitar picks and then peaced out.



Of course the night never just ends for D and I. Continued with some rooftop reminiscing.



The overall consensus of the night was that we would like to go back to college...even for a couple days. Danielle would like to return for the partying, I myself, would like to return for the naps in between classes. These 9 hour work days simply suck ass.

Next up at the Queen....Robert Randolph

Artsy Fartsy

Despite the rainy weather the girls (Jackie, Allison, and Amy) and I decided to venture out for our planned Artsy Fartsy day. We ventured out prior to the rain and within a couple of blocks we were immediately met by the annoying ass storm that would continue through the night. Both the rain and the closing of the Parkway made our attempt for a cabbie absolutely impossible. So we trekked it through the Bill Nye Science Guy fair to make it to our first destination Kite and Key for some eats.

http://www.thekiteandkey.com/

Its never easy to get a seat anywhere on a Saturday at 1pm for some grub however, we patiently waited over a bloody mary for our table and it was so so worth it. First, the fried pickles were the perfect way to settle our hungry grumps. Amaze. Next up came the most dynamite veggie burger ever created in the city of Philadelphia. Swear.to.Allah. Go get one. Like now. I have been dreaming of it since. Oh Toasted Brioche you made everything come all together in awesomeness.

Following lunch we called for a cab because it was seriously monsooning outside. Decided to go wait outside to try and hail one prior to the 45 minute wait suggested. Jackie almost bitch slapped on old angry drunk cabbie who insisted that he was on a call and we need to shut the *$%^ up. Never a dull moment. However, once Ronald our cabbie came it was all worth it because he was the Shiiiiitt.

Making it to the Perlman Institute soaking wet we were ready for the Marc Chagall exhibit. Chagall was an early modernist, creating works through a broad spectrum including painting, book illustrations, stained glass, stage sets, ceramic, tapestries and fine art prints. The cubism work was by far my favorite and I was sad to not get any service on my phone for the audio tour. Bummer. However, the exhibit was enjoyable, leaving me, like usual, always wanting more.

We then moved onto the Unsettled: Photography and Politics in Contemporary Art exhibit which was equally amazing. The photographers used their artwork to address some of the most controversial political and social issues of the late 1970s through the early 1990s, including feminism, racism, the AIDS crisis, and gay activism. The photos were very provocative but definetly influential in getting political statements to shine through.




Finally, we moved on to the men's fashion exhibit which was just hilarious. Personally, I believe a more approprate title should have been: hipsters through the years and some other weird shit.







This was definetly a wonderful way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon. Next up on the artsy fartsy schedule Roberto Capucci exhibit which is highly anticipated on my part.

Saturday evening festivities included taking an overabundance of shots and celebrating Al's big ol promotion. Evening ended in a perfect Irish goodbye.
Overall, what a great weekend. And what a great way to end it.

Esperanza.

So I am currently in Raleigh, NC and have met, to say the least, some very interesting people while I have been here. Today was oh so very humbling after meeting a dynamic woman by the name of Esperanza. I first saw Esperanza while standing outside waiting for my friend Joe to meet me. Now it was absolutely a “tarantula” down pour outside and I was thinking about how I could save my non tailored pants from being completely ruined. I am not sure if Esperanza saw the annoyance in my face, or if she just simply noticed a five foot two girl with brand new untailored pants trying to figure out a plan, but she instantly surprised me. She did not know me, she did not know she was going to meet me upstairs in a few minutes, and she definitely did not know if she would ever even see me again, however she said in her beautiful Columbian accent “would you like to have my umbrella, I have a hat.” I was so incredibly surprised that someone would even offer I just quickly said “no that’s okay, thanks.” A few minutes later of waiting and the “tarantula” rain got even worse. I figured that it would be smart for me to go back to my office and grab an umbrella before Joe arrived. I got back to the office and to my surprise Esperanza was sitting at the table for orientation. She said, “I knew you were going to need this, “and passed me the umbrella. I just smiled, thanked her, and returned to the rain.

After lunch I returned to work and began helping all of the individuals that had come for orientation. Our new program creates the opportunity for displaced workers to receive training/schooling in order to get back to the workforce. Immediately, I was introduced to the most miserable women I have ever met. She was not prepared with the documents needed and for some reason believed this was our fault. However, this is a regular and most normal occurrence in my field of work. I dealt with it and then was on to the next candidate, Esperanza. I was happy to see her again because at least I knew she was a pleasant and generous woman. I began speaking with her and instantly loved her. She was so incredibly positive and so interested in sharing her life with a complete stranger. Maybe she was lonely, maybe she just needed someone to talk to, regardless, she was pretty much awesome.

Esperanza moved to the states from Columbia when she was 27 (now 54) due to the political turmoil and unsafe living conditions in her country. She explained that she feared death almost every day and could not continue to live her life this way so she moved to find a better way of life. She moved all across the country trying to find herself. Recently she moved from New Hampshire to North Carolina after the loss of her job with the state. In the past few months, she has been trying to establish herself in Raleigh, which to her surprise, from my point of view, was not working out so well. She continued to apply, interview, and get turned down from each and every job. She has been out of work for over six months with absolutely no income. She explained that she was appreciating her ability to buy one meal a day due to her new svelte figure. She explained that her living conditions, in a neighborhood full of crime where her neighbor was just shot point blank, were satisfying due to her nicely decorated apartment. She told me that life was just what you make of it. And she was making it lovely.

At this point I noticed her hat, which was shelter enough, to offer her umbrella to me, read “Life is Good.” I commented on her hat and told her that it was nice to speak with someone who was so positive. She continued to explain to me that life was good and she was so blessed to be in a country with such opportunity. Opportunity? Really? Maybe I was missing something. It seemed there was not much, as far as opportunity, working in her corner. She went on to further explain that America has given her the opportunity to love, to learn, and to above all to be whoever she wanted to be.

We went over her bank statements to determine her low income eligibility and it proved that out of her life savings she had $62 left. I was reviewing her purchases and questioned an online payment for $14.95 within the past two weeks. She explained to me that even though she did not have much money she felt the need to buy a self help book to keep her positive. Ironically, it is the same exact book I am reading at this time. I did not tell her this because I wanted to get her take on the book prior to explaining the coincidence. She explained that she was learning to master her mind and to learn to think only in the Now. She wanted to get rid of all of the negative energy roaming around in her mind. She did not want to think of the future, nor the past, she wanted to think of today or rather each and every moment. And today, right at this time, at that very moment, she was happy. She refused to think of anything else. When you think this way, and trust me it is very hard, you learn to appreciate each and every second, disregarding time whatsoever. Most people would say geez this woman is ridiculous, she needs to think about getting herself in a better situation. She needs to find a job. She needs to be realistic. However, from my point of view, and hers, she will never need to think this way, because none of this matters. What matters is that at that very moment, she is positive and confident that her life will be exactly what she wants it to be. It is not always so simple to think this way, and almost impossible to spend all your time in this mindset, but it is the most gratifying way of living. I am learning, as should everyone, that Now is the only, what we call “time”, to experience pure happiness. If you miss it, well…there is plenty of opportunity to close your eyes and feel it again. That simply, is the beauty.

After her acceptance into the program I offered her a free meal and continued sharing some funny thoughts. We talked about our cultures and of course diversity. She explained that she did not know much about “the Irish” except of the man curse as she called it. I asked her about the curse and she was shocked I did not know that all Irish men have small packages. I explained to her that from my experience this was not, all of the time, true and that she could definitely set out to find her a good Irish man. I explained to her that the most identification I had with her culture would be my love for tequila. She then followed that this “love” may be exactly the reason I could not agree with the justification of the “Irish” man curse. I just had to laugh.

I could have sat with her for days talking and laughing and just experiencing positivity but unfortunately I had to get back to work. I wished her the best of luck and told her that I looked forward to working with her in the future. When she left I had to excuse myself and just take a minute outside. I was so incredibly humbled by my experience speaking with this woman. Esperanza reminded me once again how precious each and every moment is. She proved that regardless of what life throws at you nothing matters more than how you feel at that very moment. And if you stop and feel, really feel, at this very moment, with no thoughts roaming in your head, that you are perfectly happy and blessed; you will understand the power of Now. There is no past. There is no future. There is no time. The only thing that matters NOW is your love for yourself, for others, and for the beauty of life itself.

Gracias Esperanza.

For some reason, reasoning

So the reasoning behind this stupid and idiotic blog ish is that I write way too much and never save any of it. I open word documents almost each day and write a whole bunch of shit and never keep it. Just delete. I for some reason now think it might be important to keep and look back on. Sometimes I feel as if I am living in some sort of freakish fairytale so I can only humor myself.

I've been running a lot and would like to remember some of the thoughts that inspire me to take each and every step. So much goes through my head during this time and it is pretty much impossible to document it at that time. It will be put here.

I am learning to understand my thoughts. Practice monitoring them. They are not really me. I am me. So instead of letting them create negative energy I will put them in the now.

I will not make fun of people's hair. I promise.