Striiiiiike!

It's been an interesting few days. I went to NYC yesterday for work and had to walk 20 blocks from Penn Station to my office because of the big transit strike. It took me about 30 minutes. However, 20 blocks was nothing compared to one guy in our office who walked 73 blocks! That took him an hour and a half. Thankfully I had already arranged to stay overnight in a hotel which was very close to the office so I didn't have to fight the mad Penn Station confusion. I caught an early train back to Philly tonight and am ready to pack up for tomorrow's eeeaaaarrly morning flight at 6 AM!

Kyle and I opened our Christmas gifts to each other tonight. Here's a picture of our tree with presents underneath....

OK! I've GOT to pack....In a few short hours we'll be headed back to Texas!!!

The Home Stretch....4 Days 'Til TX

It's been an exciting week! Kyle's been studying for finals and I've been working hard to get things wrapped up at work before I am gone for almost 2 weeks! This is gonna be great! I can't wait to be home.

Kyle and I tried out a new restaurant on Friday night called Monticelli. It was pretty good. Then we went to (where else!) the Ritz Carlton for our usual favorite...a brownie sundae dessert. Yuuum. On our way to the RC we witnessed a strange sight. Remember, it is about 8:30 at night as we head to the RC and we kept hearing people yell things from all different directions. We then realized there were people in groups of 3 or 4 running along the sidewalks who were doing the yelling (couldn't really tell what exactly they were saying). However they didn't really look or were dressed like professional runners. And it wasn't just one rogue group because we saw several of these groups of "runners" pass. Some were wearing Santa hats or Christmas-y attire. Then from behind us we heard jingling...like jingle bells on a reindeer and then WHOOSH a slightly round man with a reindeer headband jogged by with a jingle bell belt on so with each step he took he sounded (and looked) like a reindeer. It was weird. Kyle noticed it was a full moon out. Somehow we were trapped with the crazies on Walnut Street.

But we safely made it to the RC. We people-watched and had a nice evening of conversation and enjoyed the big Christmas tree in the atrium. It's sad to think that when we come back to Philly Christmas will be over and the winter will be in full force. We've been warned that (weather-wise) it gets much worse here . YIKES!

Today I volunteered in the nursery at church and played with the kids. They're so cute. We had this one little girl, Kennedy, who looked and acted like an 80 year old woman in a 2 year old body. It was hilarious. When her 4 year old cousin arrived in the room looking skeptical because she doesn't normally stay in the nursery Kennedy walked up, stood right in front of her and put her little hands on the cousin's shoulders, rubbing them up and down as if to comfort her and said "dear, dear!" (or maybe she was saying "there, there"?) and then gave her a gentle hug like a little old mother would do. What a riot! She is an old soul in that little baby body.

Well, it's off to start packing tonight. I'll be in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday and then we leave early Thursday morning.....So I've got to get my packing done tonight!

In the Meadow We Can Build A Snowman....

It's offical: my nose is now just a raw nub on my face. I've been sick and having to use non lotion kleenex coupled with the fact there is no moisture in this freezing air has just made my nose look horrific, despite my moisturizing efforts.

I'm really glad I invested in a feather down puffy jacket. It feels like I have my feather down bed comforter wrapped around me when I'm outside. The problem is that my face cannot be completely covered unless I wear a ski mask which is not going to happen. So the face still turns into a popsicle.

Yesterday was busy in NYC. As usual. I've decided the only way to LIVE in NYC is with ECANJ (Endless Ca$h and No Job). Going there for work is losing it's luster since I don't ever get to see anything besides the ugly white walls of work from morning till dark. Upset with the situation I'll voice my disapproval here with a loud bellowing BOOOOOOOOOOO!

At the Philly firm I work at I sit in the front area near the receptionist, in what used to be a conference room. Apparently this room has speakers which are wired to the XM Satellite radio and ALL day long I am subjected to Christmas music. Now, I love Christmas music. I am one of those people that will bust out the Christmas music in July because I love it so much (just ask Kyle). However, I like listening to it at my leisure. 20 different versions of Walkin' In A Winter Wonderland playing throughout the day is enough to send me into a crazed mental state. If I hear one more thing about "Parson Brown".....really! I hope this is only for today.

Hot Toddy Night!

Ugh! For the past few evenings I've been forcing down the repugnant mixture of hot water, lemon juice, honey, & scotch to ward off my throat soreness and pesky sniffles. My mom used to give me this when I was sick. It works and helps me to sleep but BOY does it taste icky!

Tomorrow I have to work in NYC so I HAVE GOT to feel better. After this week, I just have half of the next week and I'll be back home to Texas. I can't wait! I'm so ready for some time off.

Last night we went to a party of Kyle's classmate that was on the 21st floor of our building. I met a bunch of Kyle's other classmates which was fun. The highlight of the party was the fire alarm going off about 45 minutes into it and we all had to evacuate the building. Of course Kyle and I didn't bring our coats because we didn't leave the building to go to the party. Standing in the cold with no coats wasn't too fun. Then the challenge was to get back upstairs and anyone who has visited us knows the horrible elevator situation. Imagine at least 60 people trying to get back upstairs. So we decided to take the garage elevator to the 14th floor and then walk up to the 21st floor. I definitely felt the burning in my thighs and hope to never climb that many stairs again.

Let it Snow!

So it did snow on Thursday night/Friday morning and I experienced my first ever walk to work in the snow-slush. It was interesting because you really have to watch the ground for icy patches as you're walking. The worst part is getting to an intersection and facing the slop and puddles. You must choose your route wisely. I felt like Super Mario in Nintendo having to jump and dodge obstacles at every intersection. I made it to work pretty easily. I could have even walked the whole way underground via the pedestrian walkway but I wanted to experience my first snow walk. After Friday I can see how this situation gets old....especially if you had to drive!


I walked throught Rittenhouse Park today when I went to the post office. The tree looked so great that I had to take a picture for you.

They light up the tree at night and it looks great! I also came across a bizarre sight....something I dubbed "The Unfortunate Homeless Snowman"

One leg (fragmented into pieces, no less), one arm, beady newspaper eyes and if you can't see close enough a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his snowman lips. Kind of a scary sight for a Saturday morning stroll in the park.

Kyle is studying for finals these days so keep him in your prayers. I know he'll do so well but there's always lots of material to cover.

OH! Kyle and I stopped in the Polo store on Walnut today and he pointed out what he wanted for Christmas. Black velvet slippers embroidered with skull and crossbones. Sometimes I think I know my husband and other times I'm not sure that I follow?

When I have a spare $650 maybe I'll splurge?

Penguins & Moisturizer

This morning I waited for my bus for 8 minutes. On most days that isn't too long but considering the official weather at the time was 24 degrees (but felt like 17) it was a long and harrowing 8 minutes. It was so cold and the wind was making my eyes water so I had tears running down my face and maybe boogers too but I couldn't tell about the boogers because my nose and upper lip were frozen so I couldn't feel them if they were creeping out. I bet my fellow bus companions were thinking "Is that crazy woman crying because the bus is late?" Indeed, you could say I was crying because the bus was late.

I've also made it a habit to slather moisturizer on my face lest I turn into a leathery-faced Clint Eastwood type. Last year at Debbie's Christmas party I met a really nice woman who used to live in Texas but relocated to San Francisco. The first thing she said to me was, "OH! Your skin! It looks so youthful and healthy!" all the while analyzing every pore on my face and then with a wistful sigh she said, "Oh, I'm sure I would have aged so differently if we stayed in Texas". For some reason this woman's very casual comment is forever emblazoned in my memory and now I have a complete fear of living in dry climate where my skin will surely shrivel up like a prune if I don't take serious precautions. Maybe I should bump it up a notch and make sure every morning begins with a thick Vaseline mask to prep my face for the abuse ahead. What a scary sight that would be....here comes Vaseline face!

If you haven't seen the movie March of the Penguins I highly recommend it. I'm such animal person though so I love anything that has to do with animals that have even a remote sense of personality. And I have learned by watching this movie that penguins have an AMAZING personality and sense of family (at least with their family the year they breed). Ok, I know you're laughing but...they do!

Anyway, watch the movie....my point is that the Emperor penguins in this movie survive harsh winters in Antarctica where the temperature is 80 degrees BELOW zero. How insane is that?! It's a mystery to me how the penguins don't just freeze solid instantly. Maybe they could use a Vaseline mask....hmmmm. So all that to say -- it makes me feel better that it's only 17 degrees in Phila and I don't have to huddle with my head tucked down in a crowd of people at the bus stop to brace against the wind....that's what the penguins do. Thank goodness I am no penguin. But if I were a penguin you can bet I'd be a highly moisturized one :)

We're settling in for a cozy night. It's supposed to snow!

Sock Mania!

I haven't been to NYC in a whole month (for work, at least). So this morning it was rough waking up so early. I took a quick nap on the train. It's getting easier and easier for me to sleep on that train. Today the buzz at work was the Hot Sox sample sale on floor 7 (I work on floor 8). I hopped down there with some co-workers and purchased some funky socks. I got some fishnets, some argyles, & some crazy striped knee high cashmere blend socks that are sure to keep my legs toasty in this cold weather. Woooo-weeee!!

So the train ride back from NYC was one of the most miserable I've experienced thus far. Several of the trains before mine were running late and as I watched the Penn Station board carefully for my train track number to show up my train listing disappeared momentarily! Thankfully it reappeared but in the meantime I had a small panic attack. Being a veteran train traveler, with the track listing delayed, I decided to move to the concourse level of the Station to watch the monitors instead of watching the large board on the upper level. As soon as the track number flashed on the screen I took off like a bullet! I arrived at the train only to realize it was pretty full already so I grabbed the first seat available. Then all the people who were watching the board from the upstairs arrived and it was pandemonium. People from the earlier delayed trains were told to take our train. All seats were full, the entire aisle was packed with people and it was unpleasant. Some unfortunate people stood the entire way from New York to Philly. The train ticket man didn't even have room to come around and check tickets until 10 minutes before we got to Philadelphia. There just wasn't room for him to move. It got so hot in the train. It was hard to believe it was 20 degrees outside. I wanted to throw myself out the window. In fact, I never put my coat back on after I left the train.

Well, it's 10 PM and I'm off to eat dinner. I think it'll be cereal tonight.

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful....(not really)

This morning I forgot to bring breakfast with me to work and was absolutely drooling all over myself dreaming about how wonderful a big egg and cheese kolache would taste. Mmmmm. It's official. I'm going to make a beeline from the airport to The Kolache Factory when we arrive in Houston in a few weeks.

This morning I actually had to walk through a little bit of snow to get to work. The weather people were a little zealous in predicting 3-6 inches. It was more like 1-1.5 inches. On the bus I take to work, we passed by Rittenhouse Park and it looked so pretty. There's a big Christmas tree in the middle of the park and now it has a dusting of snow that makes it look so picturesque. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me today but I'll have to take a picture of the scene at some point.

Speaking of pictures. I'll have you all know that I am now an official card carrying member of Longwood Gardens. In a few short weeks I should also start receiving the AARP magazine. JUST KIDDING! No offense to all you who get the AARP magazine. Dad, you're one of them :) It just seems that those who frequent Longwood are either little people or people of , as they say in Spanish, "The Third Age". Just an observation!

A year membership to Longwood is John & Debbie's Christmas gift to Kyle and I. Since we like going there so much and now we can go ALL THE TIME. You thought you'd seen the end of the flower pictures....ha ha....just wait till the Spring Tulip Extravaganza!

It's soooooo cooooold

Sunday morning we all woke up to our first snow of the season here in Philly. Kyle mistakenly thought lobbing icy snowballs at Kristen and I on the way to church was an amusing past time. He also clocked John & Debbie's rental car with a windshield snow bomb....while she was driving, no less. Later in the day we banded together for a counter attack while he was distracted on his cell phone.

The wintery trend continues this week because the forecast for today is icy with 3-6 inches of snow in the afternoon. Today Kyle and I went to lunch together and all I could say as we were walking was "It's SOOO cooooold!!!". And today, at 30 degrees, is supposed to be the "warmest" day this whole week. This evening I'm going to snuggle up with my newly discovered favorite drink: Dunkin' Donuts hot chocolate (which is soooooo yummy fabulous!!) and enjoy the view of the snow-covered buildings from our (nicely heated) apartment window. I can delight in the snowy atmosphere a bit more than others because we don't have to drive anywhere. I'm SO glad we didn't bring our car because it seems like a big hassle during these months. All we have to deal with is walking and that's not so bad as long as your eyes spot the icy patches before your butt does!

And what is another thing the cold, dry air brings? Static electricity. With my body full of charged electric particles who needs a taser for self-defense? Just give me a patch of carpet to shuffle my feet on and I'll point my cold bony little finger in your direction. You would fear me too!

Weekend Vacation Warriors

So it's been a busy couple of days. Kristen and I went to NYC on Friday and did a whole lot....of walking. We started with the charming little area of Manhattan called SoHo then ventured on to Chinatown, Little Italy & Canal St. We ate at a cute little restaurant called Il Palazzo in Little Italy that I had discovered when my parents were in town for Thanksgiving last week. Yummy

We caught up with Emily after lunch and walked up 5th Ave to look at all the big department store windows, took in all the Rockefeller Center action with the huge tree and ice skating rink, then moved on to Central Park. We found a little cafe to sip some cappucino and give our legs time to recouperate before we headed to The Metropolitan Museum of Art which was really exciting but, unfortunately, we didn't have nearly enough time to see everything. We didn't get home until 10:30 last night.

After sleeping well and late into the morning Kristen and I went to Reading Terminal Market for brunch and just about the time we finished our meal Kyle showed up with John & Debbie who drove in this morning from CT. The girls toured The Market while Kyle and John went back to the apartment to watch some football games. The girls went to Lord & Taylor afterwards to watch the famous light show and then we headed out to Longwood Gardens to see the Christmas display. All this was a repeat for me since we did this same stuff with my parents but I enjoyed it all the same. I always see new and exciting things at Longwood especially. I think everyone really enjoyed the Longwood experience.

After dinner we dressed up our Christmas tree. Debbie had taken pity on our pitiful tree and returned from CT today armed with ornaments and candy canes for dressing. I had some semi-Christmas-looking fabric scraps that I fashioned into an impromtu tree skirt and now we have a presentable tree! See......

Christmas Time Is Here.....

Today was a pretty good day. Work is getting a bit stressful. My project is getting more complicated by the minute so every day is a battle with myself to stay positive.

John and Debbie arrived today and we had a yummy dinner at Smith & Wollensky's on Rittenhouse Square. Debbie tells me that people miss the blogs when I miss a day so here I am reporting today's news! Kyle left after dinner to practice a skit with his study group tonight. They have to perform this skit tomorrow in front of the class so I hope he gets his part right.

Tomorrow I look forward to Kristen's arrival. We are going to attend the tree lighting at Rittenhouse Square and enjoy the festive atmosphere. I love the crisp winter smell in the air and the twinkling Christmas lights decorating the city. Even City Hall is in the spirit, lit up with all sorts of colors. I love Christmas!

The Thanksgiving pictures are up

It is super depressing that it gets dark here around 4:30. I'm not sure I agree with that type of solar phenomenon. I had a busy day at work. Kyle stayed up at school the whole day so we got to walk home together this evening. My mom brought about 100 desserts when she came so it's like a party every day. I can hardly decide what to eat for dinner soooo maybe I'll just eat dessert for every meal.

I'm watching a show on TV (cable, of course) about a college girl who fell out her apartment window and landed upside down, impaled on her butt on a wrought iron gate. OW! And she lived. And they had VIDEO of this! OH! I just noticed my face has been frozen in a contortion for about 3 minutes solid watching this story. So, obviously, there's not much to report here if I'm sharing freaky medical stories.

Click here for the Thanksgiving pictures

Happy Thanksgiving from Central Park

I've certainly neglected the blog lately. It's been busy with my parents here. We did A LOT! We toured New York on Wednesday, went to the Macy's Parade & Radio City Rockettes Show on Thursday, saw Philadelphia on Friday, and headed out to Amish Country and Longwood Gardens' Christmas light show on Saturday. Phew! It's been nuts.

Today I did a little shopping and put up our Christmas tree. I'm pooped. We're going to bed early to get some rest. Wednesday John and Debbie arrive and Thursday Kristen will be here! The more visitors the merrier. I'm really enjoying getting to see everyone. Oh, how I miss all of Y'ALL! (now that's a word you don't hear often up here)

I'll post the link to pictures of our trip in the coming days....for now it's good night!

The Nor'easter Attacks!

Oh me oh my.....went out to get lunch and the wind almost blew me over flat on my face. It's SO COLD out there and rainy yuck! It's 43 according to CNN. But the WIND!! The wind makes it feel like 20 degrees or less. I hope I can make it through the winter. This is just too cold for my thin southern blood and it's just the beginning.....

My parents will be here today! Hooray! I hope they get to land on time. Last night I think the Phila airport was having delays due to heavy winds. I can track my parent's flight status on Continental's website. Every so often I watch the little plane graphic move across the map. Neat-O.

Tomorrow we leave for NYC at 8 AM. Kyle will join us in the afternoon since he has a boring old class to attend in the morning. I see that it's forecast to snow on Thanksgiving Day which is a good and bad thing. Good (and exciting) that it might snow for the parade and feel like a true NYC Thanksgiving. Bad if it's a downpour so that we're wet AND freezing and stuck in NYC with no way to get home. I'm going to hope for a nice, light snow dusting....just enought to set the holiday mood.....

Well, I'm going to try and finish up my work quickly so I can take off and pick up some stuff at Sue's Produce on my way home. Sue's is this great little herb, fruit, & veggie store that is about 10 feet wide and if you blink you may miss it on the street. They have super prices on all those little things that tend to go stinky in my refrigerator if I buy them too far in advance.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We hope you have a great holiday. Kyle and I send you all lots of love and hugs and especially this season we are thankful for friends and family like YOU!

A Holiday Nor'easter!

How many loads of laundry can two people produce?! This makes me wonder how long it takes Justin and Erin to do laundry?? That's pretty much all I've done this afternoon and now it is almost 11 PM. What happened to my day? Kyle met a classmate this afternoon and then spent most of the afternoon and evening studying.

We went to church today and afterwards joined in on the church-wide Thanksgiving lunch. It was fun. I'm excited about the short week. I have Wednesday off and the festivities begin with family and friends visiting over the next few weeks. Looking forward to it all. There's also a lot of fun things going on here in Philly regarding the holidays so that will be fun to experience. And I'm liking the fact that the weather matches the holiday season. None of this Christmas in shorts business that happens in Texas. This holiday season will be AUTHENTIC.

Well, I'm off to watch the news. The weather man came on during a commercial to say "stay tuned for news about the holiday Nor'easter coming through" oh...nooooo...this better not ruin our NYC Macy's Day Parade trip!

The Wedding Crashers!

We had a good Saturday. I didn't end up going to Manyunk. I got up late and after making pancakes for breakfast, decided I had a lot to do in town. Most importantly having to travel several blocks to get to the closest large grocery store within walking distance, Super Fresh! I ventured out with my grocery cart and Kyle since I usually need an extra pair of hands to carry all the bags home.

This evening we went to dinner with our friends Shelley and Matt. Shelley is the receptionist at the Philly architecture firm where I work. Her husband, Matt, is in his 1st year at Wharton with Kyle. Small world. Matt spent some time in China so that was interesting for Kyle and him to share stories about their time there.

As we walked back from dinner Kyle and I decided to drop in at the Ritz Carlton. The Phila. RC is super nice. It used to be a bank and it has a great rotunda with a skylight and has a big open atrium space. We had a little cappucino and brownie sundae dessert and enjoyed some good people watching.

The Scene: We were seated at a little table next to a glass circle cut-out in the floor overlooking a ballroom dance floor below where a wedding reception was taking place. However, we couldn't see unobstructed into the ballroom because our view was through the glass cut-out and through the top of a huge ballroom chandelier. We could only see silhouettes below, through the strands of the chandelier. Kyle and I were cracking up because the dance floor was packed with people totally grooving to music that we couldn't hear. Pointing out old Uncle Fred and Cousin Marty shaking their booties (looking so intense but to what music?) provided minutes and minutes of entertainment. It was SO funny! The reception looked mighty fancy. Kyle and I thought about dropping in for a bit....

Another fun weekend evening.....there's always something interesting to do here...and who were all those people saying Philly was boring??

Carnie Makes Successful Steak Dinner

WHAT IS UP WITH THESE EYE TWITCHES! It's like I'm a carnie freak. I can't stop the spasms.....like annoying hiccups that you can't get rid of!

TODAY IS FRIDAY! I'm so glad it's Friday....again....it seems to come
so quickly! Today is the day we put Kyle to work. He went to the market to pick up some juicy steaks for me to attempt to cook tonight. Yummmmm. After buying the steaks he called me with strict instructions that I couldn't mess up the steaks because apparently they were kinda expensive. The butcher said they were special restaurant quality steaks. YIKES! I'm just an amateur cook here?!

I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL TUESDAY! (I seem to be shouting a lot today in all caps?) But I'm very, VERY excited that my parents will be here soon. I only wish my doggie could come visit too.

I've been scouting out adventures for this weekend. I'm hoping to discover a part of Philadelphia called Manayunk tomorrow (there's Passyunk, Manayunk, Schuylkill....get it straight and make sure you say it right!). Manayunk is a cute little town on the
Schuylkill River, northwest of Phila. that is best known for the annual arts and crafts festival in June....too bad we missed that one! However there are tons of boutique shops, pubs, and restaurants along Main Street. It becomes very picturesque and festive during the holidays so I am looking forward to strolling Main Street tomorrow afternoon. I hope Kyle isn't busy with school work so he can enjoy the stroll with me! Otherwise it's just me and the shops and no one to hold me back!!!!

SO I made the juicy steak and man was it delish! I didn't know that it was so easy to make steak. Just some salt and pepper and and a hot pan. YUM-O as Rachael Ray from TFN would say. She's one of my favorite chefs and I learned how to make the steaks from her cooking show. Kyle was super impressed (or so he says). He claims it was better than the steak he had at Fork the other evening at his recruiting dinner. Thanks KB! :)

Kyle would like to let Uncle Jim know that he got a spot in Prof. Siegel's class next semester. Seigel is a well known professor who has written some best-selling books on investing and I think he's on CNBC pretty regularly? Purty cool.

The Baddest Place in Philly

Yesterday I went on a FIELD TRIP!!! We had to meet with a department that is out in Moorestown, NJ. They hired a van to take the group out there and I enjoyed the pretty scenery. The place was out in the country...it looked so cute and New England. Who knew New Jersey, car jacking capital of the world, could be so quaint?!

However, by the time 5 o'clock rolled around I suppose a Nor'easter blew through because the temp dropped about 30 degrees. AND it was raining AND of course I didn't bring my Inspector Gadget raincoat OR my umbrella. Thankfully, the office is across the street from the subway stop so I ducked into the subway which took me a few blocks, then I had to travel a pedestrian walkway that has an outlet right across the street from my apartment door. I can pretty much get from work to home barely having to go outside. I hesitated taking this route because I tried it once before and aborted that mission as quickly as it began. The underground was deserted and smelled like the homeless people used it as a bathroom...if ya know what I mean.... However, a few weeks ago KB came home one rainy day and told me how he discovered this pedestrain walkway and how great it is to use when there's bad weather and it lets you out right at the apartment and I should try it. I believe the term "great" was used very liberally because great it was not. The path was just as I remembered it. Dank, stinky and yuck. Peeee-uuuu! The Philadelphia underground is a dirrrrty, dirty place to be. I will only take it in emergency weather situations. The NYC subway is squeaky clean compared to the Philly system. EEEEWWW!

Kyle's speech went well yesterday. He felt good about it. Last night he went to a recruiting dinner at a restaurant called Fork in the area of Philly they call Old City, the historic part of town. Lucky KB! I had a glamorous evening of my own compiling a grocery list and watching Martha Stewart's Apprentice Show. Marcella stays in...YAY! She's my fave.

I'm going to attempt steak tomorrow night. I'll report back on how it turns out. I'm a cooking machine, I tell ya!

Blame it on TFN!

What a week! It's only Tuesday, huh? This week wraps up the department
head meetings that we've been doing at work. They make the day go by
fast but it's tiring shuttling back and forth to all the meetings (here
in Philly, not going to NYC). We've been doing this over a period of
about 4 weeks. I'm ready to not have so many scheduled meetings
anymore. I've neglected the blog because I've just been pooped
lately...that mixed with my obsession of attempting recipes I see on
TFN (The Food Network) and watching TFN has kept me from blogging...ok,
I admit it: TFN is sometimes more exciting than blogging. Last night I
was fascinated by a guy making beef jerky using HOMEMADE liquid smoke,
bungee cords, fans, and home AC filters...totally serious!

I found a grocery store this weekend that should be condemmed. It is
near our apartment and from the looks of the outside I have never gone
inside. Some may call this superficial but sometimes you DO need to
judge a book by it's cover because sometimes the cover is telling you
the WHOLE story.....in Cliff Notes version.....so you don't have to
suffer through the whole thing. Lesson learned. I needed just one item
so I rushed in. However, upon entering I was thoroughly disgusted and
appalled at it's state. I will never return.

Today is a banner day because it marks exactly one week until my
parents get here. I can't wait! It'll be here before we know it. I've
asked for certain items to be brought to me (like Jardine's chipotle
salsa) which cannot be found in these parts.

Kyle is preparing for another speech. He had one last week where he had to pretend to be the CEO of a company that was having difficulties and talk to stockholders about it. I happened to see an email from the professor that said he did an excellent job. Of course he wouldn't have shown that to me on his own so I have to spread the word that he is doing well in school! He has another speech tomorrow. I will pretend to be the angry audience and put on my stern face. So off I go!

A Weekend Day in the Neighborhood

Kyle and I had a lazy day today. No weekend outings planned since the Aggie game was at noon today. I visited some stores along Walnut Street and then met up with Kyle who was watching the game at The Fox & Hound with the other Aggies who showed up from the Delaware Valley Texas Aggie Club. The crowd was about 8 today. Unfortunately we lost the game :(

Last night we went to a nice little Italian restaurant. Very authentic. The place is so small that the tables are literally touching each other so you're pretty much sitting with the people at the table next to you. Kinda weird and akward to share a table with people you don't know but it was worth being squished because the food was excellent.

Kyle and I want to wish John a very Happy Birthday today. We hope you had a super day!!

Family in Full-a-dull-fya

It's been a day full of meetings. My brain is going to explode. Don't have much exciting to say. I met Kara for coffee this evening which was fun. It's nice to have a friend to do stuff with and figure out Philadelphia with. When it gets closer to Christmas we are planning to visit a little town to see the Christmas lights. Preferably a little town that looks like a winter Thomas Kinkade painting. Something to look forward to.

Another thing to look forward to is family coming to town. Just a week and a half till my parents get here....YEEEEAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!! And then the next week John and Debbie will be here and then my friend Kristen will be here! I am so, SO excited to have people come visit!

I've been observing how people talk here and I found a website that might explain to you what a Philadelphia accent is like. If you visit the city you will understand how different it sounds. If you're interested in this weird phenomenon click here. And notice the quote at the top of the page..."very defective" indeed....

Miscellaneous Thoughts of the Day

The weather is cooling down, the leaves are falling, and I just put Christmas music on my iPod last night and now I'm happy as a clam getting into the mood of Christmas while I work. I know, I know, it's not even Thanksgiving yet...but are there songs for Thanksgiving? no, I don't think so. I can't wait for the holidays in Philadelphia. I love the spirit in the air.

Yesterday Square and I were swaping war stories about the frantic pace in NYC and how silly we think it is. She is working as a schoolteacher and her profession goes at breakneck speed as well. I was thinking maybe it was just my business. But apparently it's everywhere. This is definitely not a place to stay for a long time. I can feel the frantic-ness in my bones and it's not a feeling I want to feel 24 hours a day. Philadelphia is fast paced but certainly not as much as NYC.

I made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight. It was pretty good. Kyle stated he thought it was the best meal I've EVER made. Wow, thanks Kyle! It was yummy. I'm having fun trying out new recipes lately. I feel so empowered with the Food Network!

On a different note: I have been scouring Ebay for a particular Pottery Barn duvet cover and I finally spotted it and won the auction a few days ago. I received my package today and it looks WONDERFUL! I love Ebay!!

Turnstyle Strikes Again!

Went to New York today. I took my little rollie (rolling suitcase) because my boss asked me to haul 2 big heavy books from Philadelphia to New York and the weight of the books in my shoulder bag was enough to break my back. So the rollie was the transportation mode of choice and what a mess getting through the turnstyle in the subway! I got caught then the bag got caught and I clogged up the line during morning rush hour and an unhappy (and probably very ugly) man felt free to give me his opinion of my struggle with the luggage and turnstyle with some unkind words and of course I thought of a good retaliatory comment about 30 seconds too late. But that's OK. I realize people in NYC just have problems with anger management (all due to my earlier theories on mass transit commuting) so I was able to overlook it. I spent the entire subway ride thinking of a more efficent way to get my rollie out of the subway turnstyle and by the time I made it to my stop, after mulling over a few ideas, I came up with a sucessful patented Turnstlye Luggage Pass-Thru Maneuver.

It was a very busy day at work as it usually is in NYC. They ordered pizza for us and we worked through lunch. Always exciting to be chained to the desk with scarcely a moment to spare for a dainty break to the ladies room.

On the train leaving NYC two men got in an argument about seating arrangements and I thought about how normal it is to be rude to perfect strangers in this city. Again I am privy to yet another display of people with anger management issues....I was just thankful I wasn't the object of disgust this time. Where, oh where, did good old-fashioned tact and politeness go?

Kyle would like to report that on Friday he started a part time job! Hurray. He is working part time (10 hours a week) at a small oil & gas company here in town. He's excited about the good work experience he'll get working with these people.

That's all for tonight!

The Details of the Season and Enjoying Them All!

What a weekend! We've had such beautiful weather here...unseasonably warm so we wanted to take advantage of being outside. On Saturday morning we went to Reading Terminal Market (see this link about the open-air warehouse/farmer's market in Philadelphia) and had brunch at a little place called The Dutch Eating Place (creative name, huh?). It was soooo yummy. I think it was an Amish-owned operation because we saw Amish people cooking the food in the back. Saturday's a busy day for brunch. There was a line but they rush people through pretty quickly. No time for lollygagging. Eat your food, pay, and MOVE! After brunch we walked around and enjoyed the sights and smells of all the fresh items.

We left Reading Terminal Market and Kyle went to a study group and I sat down for a bit. One and a half hours later I found myself glued to the Food Network having watched 3 cooking shows in a row! Now I know why Christina loves this channel. I could have watched it all day. I was so inspired to cook! It was a good thing too because we had invited Kara over for dinner and to listen to the Aggie game. I had already planned on making quesadillas and bought some fresh tortillas and fresh salsa at Reading Terminal Market I also decided to make homemade whipped cream (so easy) to eat with strawberries for dessert. It was all delish!

Today we went to church then Kyle had a great idea to make lunch and take it to Rittenhouse Square for a picnic. It was still beautiful outside. The leaves were falling. Whenever the wind would blow it knocked the leaves off the trees and looked like it was snowing leaves in different colors. There were 3 people playing violin in the park and a crowd had gathered. I thought Kyle was enjoying the whole scene with me until I turned around and he was facing the complete opposite direction, looking upward, patiently waiting for a breeze to blow so he could catch a falling leaf. HA HA HA! To each his own. We took a walk afterwards and dropped in at Williams Sonoma which is so wonderful during the holiday season! They had hot cider and pumpkin butter (sounds weird but it was so good)

Tomorrow I'm off to NYC. I wasn't there last week so I'm looking forward to it and my early train is sold out so I get to take a later train...30 more minutes of sleep for me!

And the French Concur...What IS "The Shore"??

We had dinner tonight with a nice French couple who lives down the hall from us in our building. They are both from Paris and have lived here in Philly for a few years. The guy is one of the youngest research professors (focusing on large scale crisis management) at Wharton and his wife works for an energy company here. It was fun visiting with them. They have these fabuloso French accents and we happily discussed zee food, zee business, and zee importance of good sho-ko-lat! I think we had what you would call a leisurely French meal complete with an abundance of food and wine. I'm a little toasty so bear with me! The French do luv their wine...and sharing it too.

We laughed with them about how people here do not talk about "the beach" they talk about "The Shore" as in, "I have a shore house down at City X" and "we're going to spend a day at the shore". You always hear the news report during the weather about what the temperature is at The Shore....even europeans know that it's called a beach?! What the heck is a shore?

We were talking about places Kyle might go for an internship and they recommended Monacco for it's good financial ties and proximity to the French Riviera. I'm sold. We're going to Monacco for the summer....see ya!

Goodbye Food Truck, Hello Taco Soup!

I decided that my "regular" lunchtime food truck person is no longer.
The reason for the abrupt change, you ask. Because regular he is NOT.
And I can't stake my lunch time cravings on someone who is not
dependable. So that's the story. Period. He had it coming....over the
past few weeks I noticed the food truck has been missing at the usual
20th & Market intersection. I've given him the benefit of the doubt.
Maybe he keeps strict lunch hours and I've been missing him due to my
recent lateness in taking lunch? But I have the sneaking suspicion he's
probably toodling around in his food cart on some other corner that is
too far for these little 2-inch heels to transport me to, making other
people turkey hoagies and leaving me high and dry! So that's it for
you, Mr. Food Truck Man!

Good news. Kyle received some of his test scores back from last week's finals and he did well. So he is in good spirits today.

Kyle is such a sweetheart. You all know that already but I have to give
him extra applause. Did he know what he was getting into when he
married me?! He has put up with a lot of my lunatic tendancies of late.
I'm definitely a happy camper, I just overanalyze & am super hard on
myself when I make mistakes (mostly I'm talking about when it comes to
work stuff) and I think sometimes that makes me unpleasant to be
around. But Kyle is always positive and encouraging and points out the
good things I do like....make excellent taco soup for dinner last
night! Even if we now have enough taco soup that we could bathe
ourselves in the stuff (the recipe sure does make a lot!). He's so even
and I'm so all over....but I'm sure God put us together so we can learn
from each other....I think that's the point, huh? OK, so enough of the
philosophical stuff. Overall, today, November 1st was a super day!
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I can FEEL it! Consider the
Turkey, he only has 23 days left. He has a reason to be down & out. Me?
no excuse!!

Hey! Are You Union?

SEPTA is the public transportation system here in Philly. The union workers of SEPTA decided to go on strike today. This left Kyle and I no option but to hoof it to school/work.

Click here for the exiting news story

It didn't really affect me since I normally take the bus TO work only because I am perpetually running late. When I leave work I always walk home. Kyle, however, had to face a 35 minute walk to campus. I think he split a cab fare with other students to get back home. I hope this strike doesn't last long because it's kind of annoying. At least the weather isn't so cold once the sun comes out of hiding.

I wasn't prepared for the big dose of whimsy I received upon arriving at work. As I sat at my desk I saw a big flash of orange out of the corner of my eye. The owner of the Phila architecture firm was wearing an oversized poncho/sweater combo topped with a loose black scarf imprinted with metallic orange moons and stars and (I do not lie) a 3 foot tall pointy black wizard hat with, you guessed it, more moons/stars on it. She was conducting meetings, huddling with staff, and discussing her latest client presentation with me all as if she were your everyday run-of-the-mill resident wizard. It was pretty funny because I overheard her and her husband (who is also a partner at the firm) conversing very seriously about this presentation and I glanced over and thought about how much talent it must take to talk seriously with a pointy 3 foot hat on.

Kyle went to the apartment leasing office to cash in on our $50 cookie. Apparently the building manager randomly asks people in the elevator if they have a chocolate chip cookie and awards them $50 if they give him one (I know, sounds really bizarre and I probably should have played the lotto that night with that kind of luck). He tells Kyle that management is trying to keep people happy because we're having to put up with renovation & scaffolding in the lobby and super-double-duper sloooow elevators. I could write a small novel in the time it takes the elevator to make it to the 37th floor where we are. It really is frustrating so, now that I think of it, yeah! we deserve that $50!

I've always heard people say you start to take on characteristics of your spouse the longer you're married. I (scarily) noticed how close I got to that this weekend when I found myself happily enjoying a good 20 minutes of one of Kyle's preferred TV shows featuring none other than midget wrestling. Oh, help me! Did I just say that?! I do not find wrestling to be as entertaining as Kyle but somehow Kyle and I bonded over this midget wrestling. I found myself intrigued and disgusted at how these little people could look so tough, be so mean, and have so many tiny muscles? It all was a bit surreal....

Valley Forge Pictures

Pretty trees at Valley Forge....


It was coooold....this is us playing in the leaves at Valley Forge. Apparently it's a federal offense to remove leaves from the National Park Grounds....

A $50 Cookie and a Trip to the Pokey Averted

Ok, this was a long one...bear with me

Another weekend, another excursion. This car rental thing is working out really well for us. It's so cheap at $30 a day! We went to Valley Forge and once again noticed we were the youngest people besides those who were with their parents. This solidified our theory that we must have a taste for eldery entertainment. What with our Friday night jazz evenings at the Four Seasons, Longwood Gardens, and now this. Apparently Kyle and I should have paid more attention in history class because we both thought we were going to be checking out battlegrounds. Little did we know that no battle was fought at Valley Forge, it was just a winter encampment where Washington kept his troops during the winter. We toured the replicas of soldiers cabins, Washington's Headquarters (which is intact as it was back in the 1700s), and a neat patriotic Episcopal chapel. The scenery was really beautiful because the leaves were turning colors and it was sooooo chilly!

Our pastor and his wife invited us & Kara over for dinner tonight. We had a good time with them and learned that the pastor and his wife attended and met eachother at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY which is where Phillip and Cami will be headed next summer/fall. Small world, huh?

On our way to dinner we had an interesting exchange in the elevator. The manager of our building got on the elevator and saw the platter that I was taking to the Thompson's and he asked "what do you have there?"
me: cookies
he: they're not chocolate chip cookies, are they?
me: yes
he: well, you know what happens if you get on the elevator with me and you have cookies?
me: you take all of them?
he: no, you have to offer me one
me: sure
he: come by the office on Monday and I'll give you $50.
WE: WHAT?!
he: seriously. thanks for the cookie...

So my cookies are apparently worth $50 apiece...just you remember that. And he even offered the money without even tasting first. He must have really had a hankering for a chocolate chip cookie!

On our way back from dinner we had another funny experience. To give you a little background, most in-town driving excursions put Kyle and I at the mercy of Kara's driving (just kidding, Kara!!). The main road to get to our pastor's house/church is is on a really confusing street which runs diagonal thru the city and it's just not marked clearly at all. You'd think after 4 weeks of Sundays we'd figure out how the street works but....whatever. Today as we were leaving the pastor's house, we finally did something illegal. Of course there was a cop behind us and the lights start flashing. Uh-oh. Kara starts panicking. It's a bit chaotic in the car and right before the cop comes to the window Kara gives me a scared look and says "you guys, my driver's license is at home in my backpack!" oh no.

The cop tells us we made an illegal turn. None of us saw the signs! He asks Kara for license and registration. The three of us know the first part of that request is gonna be a problem. Kara is pretty hilarious to begin with so, flustered as she is, she starts to open her glove compartment (which is completely stuffed to the brim with papers). She's fumbling around with a GIANT wad of papers, receipts, etc....opening each one while saying "well, we just moved here from Texas.....uh, I hope I have the right papers, I'm not quite sure where my registration is.....ummm..." she's opening every single paper....meanwhile the cop looks less than impressed. However we all know Kara is stalling because she doesn't have her license. "Here's something! Here is my title...here ya go....ummm..." I see her open a receipt for some sort of car maintenance and she's trying to give that to the cop. Because we all know cops ask for car maintenance receipts when they pull you over?! I was trying to hold back a roar of laughter because it was just plain ridiculous what was happening. Finally the cop says "how about your license? can you just give me that?" So this is it, I think. We're going to jail. She says "weeeeeellllll...." the cop says "oh-no! no crying...girls always cry". Kara says "no! no! no tears here. I'm not going to cry it's just that my license is in my backpack and I was just coming from school and I left it behind....." The cop finally said he would let us go with a warning and we were amazed and very thankful that Kara used her feminine wiles to avert a disaster tonight.

What a day! We're looking forward to getting that extra hour of sleep tonight!

New York is not for Sissies

It's been a rough week. Yesterday I got an email from my boss asking how I was doing and apologizing for having "thrown me to the wolves" working by myself in Philadelphia and sending me on this big series of client meetings by myself (because there was no one else available to come from NYC to go with me). He threw in an encouraging word that the team really liked working with me...I was feeling pretty good and needed to hear that because I was starting to feel like I was in over my head.

My happiness was short-lived because it all went downhill at my afternoon meeting. Someone got totally bent out of shape and was SO rude to me. I was really upset when I left because I always like doing a good job. Today I talked to my boss and we sorted out the information and it wasn't all my fault so that made me feel better because I tend to beat myself up about stuff like that.

Kyle said people in New York are just crazy and mean. One of his classmates said when she worked in New York someone threw a chair in a meeting so I guess I fared better than that?

Anyways, the weekend is here and I am so excited to put all of this behind me. Kyle and I are going to rent a car and head to Valley Forge and apparently the leaves are turning right now so I hope we get to see some good color! YIPEEEE!!!!!!

Inspector Gadget and the Case of the Split Pants

Really. I debated with myself about telling this story but I'm all about being real on the blog. I was in a rush this afternoon getting all my stuff together to leave work and I bent down to stuff some papers in my bag. All of the sudden I hear a big loud Crrrrshhhhh!. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest and for about 4 seconds I thought my bare bum was exposed to the world! How embarassing!! I did a quick booty check, ran to the bathroom and realized it was the lining in my pants that ripped. I was safe. Although, before I knew I was safe I immediately sent praises up for the Inspector Gadget raincoat that could provide cover.

Another busy day in New York. Whenever I'm there it seems that I barely get a break to eat lunch. I'm always busy busy. People at that office work hard and fast and it just sweeps you away.

Finals are over for Kyle. I think the results come in next week. Annnndd....I think I just heard gunshots outside??....and now ambulances....hmmm....we really do live in a good part of town?! I promise.

OK. We're about to settle in to watch the Astros game. It's do or die. They gotta win tonight!!!

2 blogs for today....I'm on a roll

Kyle has ruined my new raincoat! He announced that I look like Inspector Gadget....and now I wonder, do I really look like this?
So every time I pass my reflection in a building or whatever I have to stop myself from laughing out loud because maybe I do look like a cartoon? But that's OK. If I look like Gadget then so does half of Philadelphia.

I can't decide what's worse...a New York accent or a Pennsylvania accent. I had 2 people invade (or rather I should say, I graciously offered up) my "CEO office" to discuss another project temporarily and I aaaallll-most stuck a pencil in my head after listening to 2 hours of PA accent. I don't even know how to describe it but it is horrific sounding.

Fortunately, I had an excuse to vacate the area to grab my usual cold-day lunch which consists of hot soup and a sweet corn muffin. Mmmmm. I even joined the other girls here who gather for lunch at the Philly office. After lunch and talking with the girls here, I decided I will not complain about work any more. As design firms go, I work for one that takes good care of their people, provides great benefits, and doesn't work their staff to death with no compensation. It's easy for me to take for granted since it's the only place I've worked since graduating but there's a reason people come back to work for my company after leaving to explore other firms. So, enough of the attitude. I have a great set-up and a new corner office, what's my problem?!

Grrr! My eye tic is back. The last time the old eye tic pestered me was around February when I was stressed out working on a big project in Houston. Apparently, something is causing the eye tic to come back? Could it be the stress of being appointed the new CEO of my imaginary company? quite possibly....

Hopefully Kyle is doing well on his test tonight. He wasn't so excited about yesterday's test.

We gotta Nor'easter blowin' through today!!!

Now this is a new phenomenon for me. I've never heard of this weather condition called a Nor'easter. And please do not call it a "North Easter" because I distinctly saw The Weather Channel spell it in big capital letters: "NOR'EASTER" (the drama is in the apostrophe). Kyle is familiar with these Nor'easters since he lived in Connecticut and he explained to me (in great detail last night) the meteorological weather patterns that create a Nor'easter, complete with hand motions and all. It was as if I had my own personal weather man in my living room, the only thing lacking was a radar screen behind him. So basically this Nor'easter is bringing rain now and will bring snow in the future when it gets colder. There are also high winds today because ol' Wilma's outer bands are lashing the east coast. More gray skies for us! Enough of this weather lesson...

Yesterday I was in NYC and got to hear Bette Midler sing "Fever" and "Hey, Big Spender" from my desk at work. She is so good at singing those jazzy songs and I was humming the tunes all day. I left a rainy New York last night and was so grateful for my new raincoat. Not only do I repel the rain, but I look cute doing it. What else could a girl ask for?! I didn't post yesterday because Kyle was hogging the computer with some excuse....I think he mentioned something about studying for finals? I suppose that's more important than posting my blog? hee hee ;) He's got the last final today and then it's on to the second quarter! (Wharton is on the quarter system)

I'm trying to make the best of my work situation and living in a conference room all separate from the rest of the world. As I walked in today, I imagined that I was the owner and CEO of this company coming in from the cold rain to sit in my heated corner office. I say to the admin (in my mind, of course. I'm not totally nuts), "Hold my calls! I'll be in a meeting till 10!" Then I slam my invisible door shut (because there is no door on this conference room) and do my part to make my company run. Yes, good thing I have an active imagination because I feel much better today than I did on Friday. Two people have already come by to complement me on my new "office" and the spacious square footage....well, this IS what a CEO like me is accustomed to, no?

Unpacking....Still!

I spent most of the day today fixing up the apartment. There were some frames and random items that were in boxes and still unpacked so I tried to tackle all the little straggling pieces. Will this apartment ever get put together?! It's getting close...

Kara gave us a ride to church again this morning. The sermon was good. The topic was loneliness. Kara and I decided we (and I'm sure Kyle) could relate to that on many levels being here but I thought it was especially fitting after my Friday episode of being moved to a corner all by myself at work. Pastor Jeff and his wife invited us over for dinner on Saturday so we're looking forward to visiting with them.

Kyle has a final tomorrow so pray for him. I have to go to NYC. It'll be an early evening but we're trying to stay up and watch the Astros. So far we're winning 1-0.

World Series Saturday

Surprise! Today ended up being a rainy day. I had to go to the post office and ended up having to walk several blocks because the post office near us isn't open on Saturday (whatever?!) I ventured out hoping I wouldn't run into any one of the approximately 3 people I know in this city. No makeup, hadn't showered. I looked pretty rough. On my way back I had to stop in a few stores. With all this rain and it hovering in the 60 degree temps, I've been on a 2 week long look-out mission for a little raincoat that can double as a light jacket. Today, I found it in one of my favorite stores called Zara. It's perfect. Now I don't have to fear the rain because I have a rain coat and it's so cute!

Kyle listened to the Aggie v. Kansas State game over the Internet. We won! I spiced up my afternoon by doing some laundry. Speaking of spice, I was inspired by the Food Channel to make an exciting dinner. The other day I watched Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals and she made this chicken breast covered in mashed up honey roasted nuts and bread crumbs with a side dish of succotash. Yes, succotash, like the pilgrims & Squanto. I don't know about you but when I was in Kindergarten we made a Thanksgiving meal (including succotash) and we sat around dressed as American Indians and Pilgrims and ate the feast. But I digress....

The meal turned out pretty good. I was impressed with myself. And that's why I like the Food Channel. I'm hoping to learn how to cook.

We (Kyle especially) were very excited to watch the Astros game. Kyle busted out his Clemens jersey and his old school 1988 Astros Buddies Club duffel bag.....

Kyle would like everone to notice that he is obeying the Mayor's decree to not wear socks. He was singing a funny song while he was showing off his lack of socks, hence the akward pose.....
And to maintain the superstitiousness of the game he did not shave today.

This is me sneaking up on Kyle right before the game and look at what the little booger is watching on TV......wrestling!!!!!

Another Friday Night, Another Week

First of all, a big HURRAY for the Astros!! We're anxiously anticipating the 1st game of the World Series. My mom reports that the Mayor declared everyone in Houston should go sock-less throughout the series.

Whoa! It's been a busy week. Kyle's been furiously studying for finals. 2 days in NYC (Mon & Tues) for me has wiped me out. I had meetings all day on Thursday in Philadelphia.

Today at the Philadelphia office they moved me from my nice window seat cubicle and sitting around people to sitting all by myself in what used to be a conference room . It's actually kind of depressing. I tried to remain positive about the whole thing because the conference room used to be the owner of the company's office. It's a corner office with glass looking out into the lobby and it has a heater in it so no more frozen hand syndrome for me. But it's still more isolated than I would like. And I was just starting to get such good leads on road trip destinations from my neighbor at work! He's the one who recommended Longwood Gardens and we all know how perfect that trip turned out!

Kyle and I went to Pietro's Coal Oven Kitchen this evening for dinner. It was yummy. Another one of our little neighborhood restaurants. It's so cold here already. It reinforces my fear about winter. I've already brought out my wool coat and a lot of people are just wearing light jackets?! I'm still trying to figure out how to dress.

Hopefully the rain will let up around here so I can get out while Kyle studies all weekend.

GO ASTROS!

Interesting....today the biggest headline story on the local news was how to avoid hitting deer on the road. Apparently that's a big deal around here.

Kyle's busily studying for his first final tomorrow. I made cookies. I'm so Martha.

Kyle and I are now munching on fresh baked cookies and watching the Astros. We really hope we can win this thing tonight. We are flipping between the game and the Food Network. Ever since we got cable I have been completely intrigued by the Food channel. I love watching all the interesting recipes these people come up with. I especially think Emeril and the Iron Chef are fun to watch. Kyle thinks I've been cooking more since we got cable. Maybe??
Oooooh, just saw a show advertised named "Sugar Rush". Who could resist a show called "Sugar Rush"? Not moi.

We're winning 5-1 at the moment. For the record, the Cardinals players we dislike the most: Kyle gets very angry at the sight of Pujols and I get the heebie-jeebies when they flash pitcher Taverez on the TV. Kyle and I have decided Taverez' face looks distinctly like a real live monster.

Still Commuting...

Still not a lot going on except for the hectic commute. It's tiring doing the travel at the beginning of the week. Early to bed, earlier to rise....I thought I was going to be able to come home early today but (the audacity!) those people at work actually expect me to get stuff done so I had to stick around and finish up what I was working on.

Kyle's studying for finals. He's on the quarter system so his finals are at the end of this week and beginning of next. Hopefully he can squeeze in a little bit of time to watch the Astros make it to the World Series! Yesterday's win was just soooo close and it all slipped away!

I can't wait until Friday!!!

Same ol', same ol'

There hasn't been much to report the last few days. I've been hauling it into NYC for work. Was there today and am going tomorrow so I've got to get some sleep. It's been pretty busy.

Kyle went to a recruiting dinner at Morton's Steakhouse tonight. He had a big ol' filet mignon without me. Life's rough, huh?

We're watching the Astros and hoping they can finish off the Cardinals tonight so we can go to the WORLD SERIES! Go 'Stros! The score is 2-1, St. Louis is winning :(

Good night, sleep tight

A Perfect Day to Visit the Garden

The Short Version:
We finally got out of the city!!! And it was a beauuuuu-tiful day too!!!!
Today was THE day to be outside. We rented a car and took off to Longwood Gardens under perfectly clear skies, temperatures in the high 70s, and a great breeze. A really perfect day. I was so excited to finally go to Longwood and boy was it spectacular.

Click here for the amazing pictures of the Gardens

The Long Version:
Pierre duPont's family has owned this land near Kennett Square, PA (about 45 minutes west of Philly) for centuries. After admiring gardens in Europe and parts of the Americas, Pierre decided to recreate botanical gardens on his land and the family developed a huge garden complex including the original duPont home and a 4 acre conservatory. Kyle and I decided that Papaw would certainly love this place.

Now, I have always liked taking pictures of flowers for some reason. So when I entered this place I was completely overwhelmed. I went pretty crazy upon arrival but Kyle tells me I really lost all control when we visited the Wall of Orchids and the Water Lily Pond. I took a bazillion pictures and I'm so ecstatic that my camera really captured the amazingly brilliant colors. However Shutterfly doesn't capture the color as well as I wanted. I hope you enjoy the pictures because I had so much fun taking them.

Kyle and I were really having a spectacular time upon leaving Longwood. Smiling, laughing, holding hands, making googly eyes at each other. We just were enjoying all the beauty of the gardens and the perfect day......
however, our carefree happiness was suspended ever so briefly as we attempted to take the rental to Costco to do some bulk shopping. About 4 tense miles on the Pennsylvania Turnpike revealed that Kyle and I would never be good teammates on our favorite TV show, The Amazing Race. I'm sure I don't have to go into detail about driving disagreements between couples, we've all been there, right? Suffice it to say, it wasn't pretty once we found ourselves on the Turnpike (not the right road) and it was a matter of split-second decisions that kept us relatively close to the Philadelphia Metro Area instead of somewhere in Car-Jacking Land (aka New Jersey). We found our way back to a recognizable road and decided to leave Costco for another adventurous day. The jumbo 75-roll pack of toilet paper will have to wait.

Square is Famous!!!!

Square is on Letterman tonight and she was tricked into saying the "a" word. Make sure you watch CBS tonight.













Here are pictures I took of my TV.

A Day in the Life

8:45: looks like another gray day

9:10: hahaha...laughing because a friend emailed she has to go to the doctor to remove a Q-tip that broke off in her ear. hee hee hee

10:18: it's really raining outside. I hope this stops by lunch time because I need to venture out to get food

10:30: AH! It hit me. It's too early in the day to hit me. Let me explain: It's very cold, as most office buildings tend to be, and every day my right hand, which controls the mouse on my computer, gets so unbearably cold that it starts to feel hot. It feels like the circulation just stops. I have to periodically sit on my hand to warm it up. It really hinders my work and I think I'm going to have to pull a Michael Jackson and wear one glove on my right hand so that I can function properly.

10:35: I've unfolded the end of my long sleeved sweater and created a sleeve-glove for my frozen hand. It's sort of working but makes it difficult to type

11:48: Still raining. I'm so hungry!

1:02: Lunch at last! It's definitely a soup day. It was windy & sprinkly out there but my trusty umbrella held up under the wind. It threatened to blow inside out a few times but thankfully I was spared the embarassment

2:13: It's days like these I wish I was in NY with the rest of my team, working in my own office. My connection to the NY network is down. I can still do my work but being off-line makes it a bit annoying. TECHNOLOGY! (big sigh)

2:18: I wonder if Kyle is having a good day. hmmm....I sure hope so

3:12: Hand is still freezing! On hold with Overstock.com. Never ordering from them again. I can't stand customer service representatives that are rude and then hang up on you!

4:41: one hour left....

4:53: Kyle is headed home from school

5:11: Listening to the song "Come Back to Texas" on the iPod. It's such a great, upbeat theme song. "Come Back to Texas....it's just not the same since you went away...before you lose your accent and forget all about the Lone Star State. "

5:43: I'm outta here!!!!!! Kyle's cooking some ravioli and I'm headed home.

7:14: Just finished a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats for dinner. I wasn't that hungry. My lunch soup was pretty filling.

8:15: Returned from Rita's. We bought 4 pints of water ice to tide us over through the winter. I think we're going to have to make another trip tomorrow. They close for the winter on Sunday!!!

Just Another Regular Day

I'm beginning to think fall/winter around here is about gray, cloudy skies and cold weather. I don't mind cold weather but it makes it especially gloomy if you can't see blue in the sky or the sun everyonce in a while. I'm hoping the sun hasn't gone into hiding until April. That would be very sad.

No eventful storeis today. Work is fine. Went to my usual food truck for a turkey hoagie. Sat in the park for lunch. I have a feeling it's going to get too cold to do that soon.

Dunkin Donuts is a phenomenon here. I dare say it's bigger than Starbucks (!). There is a DD on every corner. I've been afraid to actually enter one out of fear of becoming addicted plus the convenince factor scares me. The pumpkin spice donut has been taunting me through the DD window and today I finally tried one for lunch-dessert. yummy

I'm going to make something delicious (and easy) for dinner because I finally have my recipe book back. I think I'll make taco soup. Our friends in London made this for us when we were there last year and it tasted so good on a cold day. Kyle especially likes all the cheese involved in the recipe.

Since Pumpkin Spice Donut scammed me into eating it, I think I may workout tonight. I'm going to take it easy this time. Only 10 minutes on the elliptical. On Saturday I tried to push myself to do 15 and Kyle returned from a study group to find me spread eagle face down on the floor of our apartment just praying that my heart wouldn't explode from the strain and panting like an absolute dog. How embarassing. It certainly wasn't my most glamorous moment.

Thought for the day:
Sometimes I just don't understand architecture people.
A co-worker posted this website: http://www.breuertrailerhouse.com/
His friend is selling this house. I'm very sure it has some place and story in architecture history but to me it looks like the person who bought it is a slave to maintaining the interior 1960s mod just to be authentic. Weird. So weird.

I Saw the Goo!

It was an EARLY morning!!! I woke up at 4:45 so that I could take the early train into NYC and get some work done before the Goo Goo Dolls' mini concert on the Today Show this morning. I was at my desk working at break-neck speed so I could go downstairs. I tried to block out the yells and screams I could hear outside every 15 minutes which made it very difficult to concentrate because I wanted to run to the window to see what was going on! However, I pushed aside my raging curiosity until I had finished what I needed to do and then at 8:30 I ran downstairs with my camera, pushed my way through the sign-waving crowd, and waited for about 10 minutes before they actually started the song. Holding my little camera above the crowd, I got a good 1 min 30 sec video of the whole thing. And, bonus to all this, I finally got a picture of the elusive Matt Lauer. I hadn't seen him once all these times I'd stalked the Today Show personalities. I think he's been on vacay. He looks pretty good in person, I have to say. I am such a TOURIST!
(Picture above is Goo Goo Dolls lead singer with way too much makeup on. Looked like a very ugly girl. It was kinda scary.)

New York is getting fall-ish. The weather is cooler, the ice-skating rink at Rock Center opened today and we could see people skating through the window, I treated myself to a Starbucks and felt so urban chic with the whole scene.

For all of those who heard my Subway v. Walk 20 Blocks dilemma this weekend, I did end up taking the subway this morning instead of walking out of bomb fear. As is a loving husband's duty, Kyle calmed my subway fears with the rational argument (as rational as you can get at 5 AM) that terrorists seem to attack at 8:45 (naturally) so since I was taking an earlier train, I should be safe (of course). That reasoning was good enough for me and I made it OK.

After a long train ride back to Philly I was delighted to pieces to receive a package from my parents with homebaked cookies. Thanks mom! And just a note that we are praying for Aunt Mary and Uncle Jim and hope that we hear good news from the test results.

It's been a long day but what a relief that we have cable. Since I'm busy blogging, I'm missing simultaneous programming of baseball, football, and wrestling. Hmmmm....

And Another Weekend Ends....

It's been a long (and still rainy) Sunday.

We went to church this morning with our new Aggie friends & Kara. Our Aggie Section composed about 1/5 of the congregation this morning. Pastor Jeff is amazed that we show up with new people (Aggies, no less) every Sunday. It's pretty funny.

After church, I thought I would go into work and get a little ahead since I have to go to NYC tomorrow and I needed to do some things. Well, as soon as I stepped in I heard the security alarm warning tone. DARN IT! I totally forgot these people have an alarm and since I'm not technically this firm's employee (here in Philly), I have no idea how to disarm it. Sooooo, the blaring alarm siren goes off. And I'm trying to turn it off with no luck. A police car shows up. Thankfully I don't look like a hardened criminal because he didn't arrest me but I ended up not staying because we couldn't figure out what to do and the owner of the firm didn't return my call immediately. So now tomorrow morning I have to leave a full hour earlier (AHHH!!!!) on the 6AM train to NYC so I can get my work done. Oh well....

The cable guy came to install our cable TV and now we have way more channels than we've ever had and are contemplating if this was a mistake. Although Kyle gleefully proclaimed that wrestling will come on twice a week now instead of one. Now, that's something to look forward to! I've never dealt with cable guys but this one was weird. He realized he would have to run the cable through our dining room (because of where they terminated the cable when the last person moved out) and actually said he would have to reschedule the installation because:
1) Kyle was having a study group in the dining room and he couldn't work with all the people in that room
2) we changed the work order (decided not to get internet)
3) he didn't have a staple gun to route the cable through our dining room.
WHAT?! It's bad enough we had to freeze our scheudles today to wait for him to show up between the vague time slot of 12-4 PM but he would have to come back? No thank you. We moved the dining table and the study group to the living room, I own a staple gun, thank goodness, that he used and he somehow managed to change the work order manually. What is WITH cable people.

Kyle's group was here for 4 hours. They wore out their welcome at about hour #2. I entertained myself doing laundry and reading a book tucked away in our bedroom.

After a lengthy Friday email discussion with my fellow northeast transplant friends about which winter boots we should buy for us novices facing the impending arctic winter, I decided on the Merrells. They're super comfy and look cute too. I've been eyeing them for a while and finally bought them today.

Those Aggies!!!!!

We just got back from The Fox & Hound and watching a very difficult A&M v Colorado football game. It was difficult to watch in many ways. We've been having massive rainstorms so when we arrived at 6:30 (for the 7 PM kick-off) the satellite had cut out and there was no game. Finally about 7:30 the satellite kicked in and we started watching the game. Then about every 10 minutes the restaurant would switch off the game and turn it to some random game even though there was a group of about 20 of us Aggies watching the game?! (I could see beads of sweat forming on Kyle's forehead at this point and knew it was taking every ounce of self-control for him to not YELL hysterically to get the game back on!!!). And of course the satellite kept going fuzzy and messing up at critical times. Plus Colorado is really out-scoring us by a horrible margin.

But on the bright side, Kara met us to watch the game. We also met a new Aggie couple who just moved here and they seem really nice. They are both going to nursing school (just like Kara) and will hopefully join us at church tomorrow. It's a small world. All of us girls attended Grace Bible Church in College Station so that is funny.

Today has been such a gloomy day with all the rain and since Kara is the only one with a car around here she graciously took me and 2 of her nursing student friends to the King of Prussia mall earlier today. K.O.P. is one of the largest malls in the US and it is awesome!! They have Nordstrom, Neiman's, and all sorts of other fun stores that can't be found around here unless you go to NYC. It's pretty comparable to the Galleria, I would say.

So since Kyle and I's grand plans to go to Longwood Gardens got smooshed by the rain, today turned out to be enjoyable...meeting new people and getting out of the city for a while.

The weather lady (whose name is Amy Freeze?! imagine that) just reported that today was the 2nd wettest day in Philadelphia history (and their records go back to the late 1800s). A lot of the rivers & streams are cresting and parts of the city got 10" of rain!! Good thing this info doesn't really affect us since we don't have a car but it's interesting to note...

Friday & Food!

Today I decided on a food truck that I will deem my "regular" food truck. I have gotten lunch from the food truck at the southwest corner of 20th and Market St for 3 days in a row and I calculated that at$2.75 for a decent sized (and filling) turkey hoagie, I cannot beat this price if I were to buy the ingredients myself and bring a sandwich to work every day. The Italian couple who runs the food truck is really nice. I think the guy recognized me as a triple header customer because when I arrived at the window he already knew "turrr-key?...wanna little must-ed, dahling?" No mayo here and he picked up on the fact that I had refused oil and vinegar on my sandwich for the past 2 days and he didn't even ask today. Now that's service. I was wary of food trucks for a while. It's taken me several months since moving here to get over the fact that people make your food. In a truck. WITH their bare hands. Along with handling money and change. Hmmmm....I just try to avoid watching them make the food and move on while thinking to myself "the acids in my stomach are very powerful to destroy germs". The rest of Philadelphia eats from them and they are surviving.

Unfortunately, we may not go to the Gardens this weekend. It's supposed to rain all weekend and all next week. What a bummer.

We received a mysterious package in the mail today (which is always exciting in itself) and it turned out to be a cute quilt from Aunt Mary with a sweet note. Thank you for thinking of us, Aunt Mary! It brought a smile to my face :)

Kyle took his mid-term accounting test last week. Today he received an email from his accounting prof that said in her 11 years of teaching this class is the smartest she has ever seen. They scored the highest average ever! This news comes with a tinge of scariness since the class is graded on a curve and while Kyle did great, his score is not in the top half of the class. This is discouraging to Kyle but what's important is that he passed and he's doing great!

Fridays are our nights to go explore the little restaurants sprinkled throughout our neighborhood. Center City is CHOCK FULL of cute little restaurants and the ones we visited so far have been excellent. We're off!!! Tonight it's a repeat at the Italian Bistro. They have great bread.

Recipes, Row Houses, & Squigglyvision

I have been really bummed about misplacing my recipe binder with all my favorite recipes (including the famous cookie recipe). I've been without the binder for 2 months, unable to cook all our favorite meals. I figured it must be in a box that I put at my parents house for storage. Today was a a great day because I FOUND IT!!! It was in a box labeled "work stuff". A box I had already looked through twice but apparently not close enough. I am so excited.

I went to the girls Bible study group tonight with Kara. The girls are nice and I enjoyed myself. We meet in one of those typical "row houses" they have here in Philly. I'm sure you've seen these houses that are smooshed together and all look identical with porches in the front. It's such a weird way to build neighborhoods. Kara said she sees row houses built like this even when there is plenty of land available.

Tomorrow is the beginning of the weekend. I'm hoping it doesn't rain as forecasted (remnants of yet another tropical storm!) so that Kyle and I can enjoy our fun-filled Saturday plans.

Kyle would like to report that we are getting cable installed on Sunday and until then we are watching the Astros on "Squigglyvision" TV.

Check out Kyle's new business cards (or, I guess, school cards??)




Who gets school cards? Fancy.

Ready for the Weekend

I just discovered there's no La Madeleine around here. Not even in the burbs. It's a southern thing. What? How will I survive winter without tomato basil soup?! I don't believe this....

I'm soooo excited about this weekend. Kyle and I had talked about renting a car and visiting the city of Valley Forge but especially Valley Forge National Historic Park. There's a museum there and lots of interesting history on the famous battle that George Washington led. BUUUUT, I went to work today and my neighbor told me about a place called Longwood Gardens which is this massive acreage owned by Pierre duPont. It is supposed to be really beautiful. Now I can't decide where to go? And, of course, I want to visit quaint little Amish Country. I think it'd be fun to go to the Adirondacks in upstate NY too. There are so many fun places to choose from....

Looks like this may be the last week before it turns cold. I hear there's a cold front a comin' through.

Lastly, I'm happy to report that I made it through Wednesday (so far) without bruising myself. Ok, I'm off to work out....I'm turning over a new leaf....

Tuesday, Tuesday

Penn Station makes me laugh. It's infinitely amusing to see 50 yr old adults dressed up in suits and business attire run like a mob of 4th graders to recess when their train is announced over the booming speaker. I've never found the need to run for my train but I think some of the NJ Transit trains have gates that are far away and when the track number is called, some of these highly professional and poised people assume a panicked look on their face and tear off in a semi-sprint. What a riot!

At lunch I had to rush to Fashion Ave (7th Ave) to get thread. (I can't get thread in Philly unless I go to "Fabric Row" on a weekend b/c I can't make it during their business hours in the week). The Garment District in NYC is neat. (I wish I was a dressmaker!) All sorts of fun shops selling fabric, ribbons and sewing notions line the crosstreets of Fashion Ave in the Garment District. All was good except I couldn't find the original shop I was looking for so I had to ask around for an alternate thread shop. How hard is it to find thread in this city?!?!?!?

I finally got what I needed and was running a little late heading back. I get off at my subway stop at Rock Center but I didn't recognize the exit I was at. I kept searching for the familiar underground tunnel that connects the subway to my building. As I neared the subway exit I was busy trying to read the signs on the other side of the exit turnstiles before I actually went thru them. Because you can't go back once you've gone thru the turnstile (they don't go in reverse, only forward so you can't get back in the subway after you leave). I'm reading the signs......concentrating......trying to find that familiar tunnel location......before I realize it, I go thru the turnstile and.....BOOM! Metal bars -- 2 inches from my face!

Which brings us to today's most embarassing moment:
I had gone thru the exit turnstile and, because of my intense sign-reading, I didn't notice the exit was closed off on the other side by a movable metal partition that looked like a jail cell front. I am now stuck in an 18"x12" box between turnstile and jail cell gate and the turnstile won't go backwards. I am stuck in what looks like a mini prison and a man in the corner who looks like he is "of the street" is laughing at me and harshly asks me, "What are you doing!?".
As if maybe I was trying out some new Houdini trick or something? "What the heck does it look like I'm doing? I am stuck you idiot!! Does it look like I did this on purpose?!" was what the New York Lori wanted to say but I really said something a bit more polite. I tried to gracefully jump over the turnstile which took a few tries because I am wearing a fitted skirt. I banged my shin hard in the first attempt but finally made it out.

See, mom & dad, I'm still as uncoordinated and klutzy as always. Will I ever grow out of this? Between Monday's Platter Attack and Teusday's Turnstile Trauma let's hope that I don't have a bruise slideshow to post on Friday's blog.

AHAHAHAHAHA! I will laugh at myself so that I don't cry! :) Who needs cable? I am my own amusement these days.

Enough about me. Kyle's been a little sick these past few days but we've been pumping him with NyQuil and Vitamin C. He's such a trooper. Still studying a lot but we've been trying to go to bed early and get lots of rest. Pray for our health this winter. The last thing we need is to battle some crazy bird flu.

Monday, Monday

I was in a rush this morning (as usual) to grab breakfast out of the refrigerator and as I pulled the door open one of those heavy Wilton Armetale silver platters (which I had decorating the top of my kitchen cabinets in Houston) came crashing down and landed squarely on my head with a thud and just stuck there (at least my big head saved it from crashing to the ground). But, really, who needs a hard wallop on the head at 8:15 in the morning? It was totally unneccessary for a Monday morning especially. I was upset this morning but now, looking back on it, I laugh at what a weird sight that probably was. I'm glad Kyle wasn't at home to see the Platter Attack because I'm sure he would have found it somewhat humorous and that would NOT have been a good thing....for him at least. But I'm OK, I have a tough head, I guess...
(PS: I was right. When I told Kyle what happened this morning he did laugh)

I am thankful for Rittenhouse Square Park. I love getting out of the office at lunch time. The park is only 3 blocks away (halfway between work and our apartment). I went there for lunch today and enjoyed my chicken cheesesteak. I noticed a big banner at the entrance of the park that read: "October 8, Carnival of the Dogs: Dress up your pooch in costume and come". That should be interesting...I am also thankful for the park benches that are just big enough for 2 strangers to sit on either end and eat lunch and it's not akward.

I am thankful for Nuts To You, an eclectic little shop that sells all kinds of snacks from dried fruits, animal crackers, candy, chocolate covered pretzels, chocolates, popcorn & of course every variety of nuts pre-packaged in 1 lb or 1/2 lb baggies. It's very reasonably priced too. My favorite are the animal crackers for $1.25/lb. Not bad. Mom, I think you'd be a fan of this store. They have quinoa.

Lastly, today I'm thankful for the flowers I bought at the flower shop on my way home. I noticed them on my lunch break and thought to myself "I know someone who was mildly injured this morning and flowers would be just the thing to cheer her up". A sympathy gift to myself for knocking some brain cells loose this morning.

A Rough Weekend Ends

Today Dee and I visited Pity-ville, population 2. Pity-ville is a land where people who have been transplanted to the northeast have decided they want to go back to TX. I've been having a rough weekend and she, living in CT, has been having a rough time too being away. She calls this afternoon and declares she's ready to go back to TX. Me too. Today I've just had it with rude people, stores closing at 6 PM, Rita's closing for the winter in 15 days, being confined to a carless 2.5 mile radius of life, and an overall general lack of familiarity. To cheer me up I had a Gelati at Rita's Ice. It was really good. A gelati is composed of custard (frozen yogurt) in a cup, then a layer of flavored ice (I chose strawberry), and another layer of custard on the top. SO good. My first Gelati. Normally I get the Misto but the gelati was a great choice.

We went to church with Kara (our Aggie friend) today. She drove us to Church of our Savior in Wayne, PA. It's about a 30 minute drive. There is so much beauty around Philadelphia. All the historic towns and cities, the countryside is beautiful. All the trees...I was so amazed, like I was in a different land that I didn't know existed out there because I'm stuck in a city-island. Church was nice. I liked it because it kinda reminded me of 1st Baptist back in Houston. We were all craving Mexican food as we left and we ended up going to a little Mexican restaurant dive in our neighborhood. It looked sketchy & run-down which meant, to us, that it had a good chance of being slightly authentic. I got some fajitas that were good. Although the concept of free bottomless chips and salsa was a little foreign....where is Pappasito's when you need it! And Freebird's! Pico de Gallo (the restaurant) would have to do for today. (Kara and I below)

Kyle and I just discovered a show called Cold Case that is on CBS. It is set in Philadelphia and there are a lot of shots in the show that are near where we live. Maybe that's what the TV cameras and filming on Broad Street was about yesterday?? Anyways, it's our new favorite show because we recognize places.

A Day of Observations

Today I did nothing interesting so I'll report a few interesting things I observed. There's never a shortage of interesting things to see when you live in a big city melting pot.

#1
As I walked along Broad Street, I noticed a man in front of me in a bright red pinstripe suit wearing a white fur cloak with a cane and a crooked hat. Yes, it was full fledged 70s disco fever pimp in my path. Two guys on the street actually stopped to take a picture with him because he was such a sight.

#2
As I walked further down the street, a policeman was directing pedestrian traffic out of the way and said there was a TV show being filmed so I looked around and there were cameras at every corner of the intersection and beyond but I couldn't figure out what was being filmed. Some people were looking 4 stories up at a building, some people were looking down another street, some people were looking at cameramen. I never saw the object that was being filmed...maybe it was the red-suited pimp man but he had disappeared by this point.

#3
The last interesting sight was 2 people strolling down Walnut Street (which is the main drag with all the nice clothing shops) on their Segways. As if it was the most normal thing and everyone rides a Segway to go shopping? Never seen that.

So that's about it. We watched the Aggies beat Baylor (barely). I met Kyle's learning team group whom he had persuaded into eating lunch at The Fox & Hound so he could watch the game and eat lunch at the same time. What a smooth operator ;)

Phour Seasons Philly-Style! (and on a student budget)

It's dusk in Philadelphia. Above is the view from our apartment tonight. It's a beautiful night. We can keep the windows open instead of using the A/C. Kyle and I are going to wind down from the long week by going to the Four Seasons for dessert. On Friday evenings, they have live music in the lounge/bar area. It should be nice. I'm looking forward to it.

Today especially I seem to be missing everyone back home. I've felt that way all day. And thanks to you, Kristen, for making me cry in the lobby of our building! Way to go. I got your card today and after missing home it was just what I needed to push me over the edge and send a little tear down my cheek :) I'm sure I looked like a real winner to the crowd assembled waiting for the elevator....crying over mail?! What a girl....

Well, I do have a funny story that Kyle told to me to cheer me up. Kyle was on the subway and a man boarded who was wearing pants very low on his hips and had 2 cell phones strapped to his belt. One phone started ringing (the ring tone was a rap song...apparently one with a good beat). He took his phone off his hip, looked at it, put back on his belt, then started dancing to the rap song in his seat. The people on the trolley laughed. But then another phone call came in and he stood up and started dancing toward the front of the trolley. Full blown arm-pumping and hip-swaying dancing in the aisle of the subway. I can imagine that was a funny sight and it made me laugh ;)

We're off to the Four Seasons! Dessert, here we come!!