Weekend Recap

We had a great weekend, even though it didn't go according to plan.

Friday night we drove out to Media to visit our friends Katy, Andrew, Deb, and Antoine.  We had fun brainstorming over cheese, wine, and other snacks.  It was a productive night and I look forward to the next steps that will come from that meeting.  The only downside was Jeannie's prediction came true: we'd get home so late that we'd be tired and sleep in on Saturday, causing us to cancel or postpone our plans to take a road trip South.

As such, most of Saturday was a day of rest.  I can't even say that I remember what we did, except that we stayed in the house for most of the day.  If I recall correctly, I folded some laundry that had been in the dryer for a day or two, and I did some reading.  But then some time in the late afternoon, around 5pm I wanna say, I suggested to Jeannie that we take a walk.  She agreed, so we packed-up Seva and we headed out.  The weather was exceptionally cool for this time of year; I just heard that the high temperature yesterday was only 77 degrees.

Our first destination was the Wine & Spirits store on Market Street.  After taking our last bottle of red wine to Katy and Andrew's place, I thought we needed to restock.  We got three bottles: two bottles of malbec and one bottle of tempranillo from the Rioja region of Spain.  Right before we got there, though, I saw a couple of men standing in the middle of the sidewalk and looking at a map.  Once we were near them, I spoke up and asked them if they needed directions.  They asked in which direction was the river, to which I replied: "which one?  The Schuylkill is that way (pointing west down Market Street), and the Delaware is that way (pointing back east on Market)."  After chatting with them for a couple minutes while walking west, we found out that they were a couple guys from Australia, probably in their 50s, looking to head back to their hotel after they'd gotten a drink or two at a bar.  They said that they were in town for a combination of business and pleasure, and that they needed to get ready for dinner.  I was happy to have pointed them in the right direction.  Hopefully they enjoyed the rest of their time in the 215.

After getting our wine, we walked around somewhat aimlessly for a while, looking for a place to get a sweet snack.  I won't even go through the progression of places that we considered and/or actually went to.  I'll skip to the point that we finally decided to go to Miel, on 17th Street, where we each got a chocolate cube dessert, which we ate at a table on the sidewalk.  We noticed a lot of people wearing lanyards, indicating that they were very likely in town for some sort of convention.  I commented to Jeannie how so many people walk in public without making any eye contact at all with anyone else, as if everyone is scared to interact with a stranger.  While sitting there, I on the other hand looked at everyone who walked by; perhaps this was easier and less potentially intimidating to others since I had Seva standing with my assistance on my lap for most of the time.  Anyway, we had a nice time sitting there for a while, enjoying the cool, comfortable weather that I already mentioned.

Due in great part to that great weather, as well as a feeling (for myself at least) of being out of the house and enjoying it, I suggested to Jeannie that we continue our walk by getting burgers at 500 Degrees.  Jeannie agreed, so we walked over to the 1500 block of Sansom.  We each got a burger, and Jeannie got a side of truffle fries, which we split.  Again we sat at a table on the sidewalk.  After eating I went in to wash my greasy hands and when I came out, there was a guy sitting at another table next to ours.  He was asking Jeannie, then me, for advice on whether he could take a 19 year-old girl into Rumor.  I gave some advice to him as best as I could.  And we chatted for a few minutes.  He said he was from the Congo.  I asked him: "Kinshasa?" to which he said "no," so I immediately smiled and said, "Brazzaville?" to which he was very impressed.  He said that he was in Philadelphia for the first time, visiting for a short period to practice his English (which was pretty good, other than an accent).  He said that he was living in Paris, which was common practice for Africans who want to create a better resume for themselves and thus open up better job opportunities for when they return to the Congo.  At the end of our short talk, I gave him my personal business card.  I enjoyed our short, impromptu meeting.

On our walk home, we stopped through Rittenhouse Square, where we saw a gathering at the main entrance to the park, at the corner of 18th & Walnut Streets.  There we saw a recognizable Philly street singer singing to a small crowd.  We walked up to join everyone and listen in for a few songs.  At the end of one song, the singer announced to the crowd that, in addition to being a singer, he was also a psychic.  He approached a woman in the crowd and asked if her name was Patricia; she nodded yes.  She was standing next to her boyfriend.  Then, the singer began singing a happy song (which I didn't recognize, but Jeannie did).  I forget how they got there, but the girl and her boyfriend ended up listening to the song from a more prominent position in front of the singer.  Then, about halfway through the song, the boyfriend stepped away from the girl, reached his hand into his pocket, pulled out a ring, dropped to one knee and proposed to her.  The singer stopped singing, while the music kept going, but pretty low.  The girl indicated that she said yes and the crowd cheered!  In honor of the couple, the singer immediately began singing Etta James' famous song, "At Last."  It was a very touching and authentic moment.  I saw some women wiping tears away from their eyes.  It was great to be there to see and experience all that.

Shortly after getting home, Jeannie changed Seva's diaper.  I was downstairs.  Seva must have been revved up and excited, because as Jeannie was changing her, Jeannie was asking questions about our walk, to which Seva answered by just yelling pretty loudly for her little body.  It was hilarious.  After a couple minutes of this, I came upstairs to capture it on video, but I only caught the very tail-end of it.  It was funny, though, hearing Seva really test her lungs and assert herself.  Jeannie and I were both laughing.

Finally, Jeannie and I slept in this morning.  It was another cool day and another day of rest.  We watched the movie "Coach Carter" on tv.  Then later in the afternoon, while still sitting on the couch, while Jeannie was holding Seva, I started to play with Seva, mainly by rubbing my head into Seva's hands and her belly and chest.  Seva started laughing!  It was such a funny and beautiful moment.  We really had fun.  It was one of those moments where we were all together as a family and just enjoying being together.

So I guess you could say that, although the weekend didn't go exactly according to plan, it was a great weekend, and for that I thank God.

A Very Nice Day, but a Day of Foreboding?

The dateline for this post will read Thursday, April 10th, but since it's just past midnight, I'm actually writing at the end of the day on Wednesday, April 9th.  Overall, it was a good day.  It was sunny with blue skies, pretty windy at times, but a high temperature of about 65 degrees.

I took a sick day today to spend the day with Jeannie, especially for her two medical appointments.  I drove her to the medical building at 8th & Walnut Streets, then found a parking spot on 9th Street just south of Locust.  When I got upstairs, the receptionist told me that Jeannie had already been taken back for her NST (non-stress test) and I wasn't allowed to go back.  I told the receptionist, if she could, to tell Jeannie that I wasn't going to step outside then.  I took the elevator back down and walked over to Washington Square, where I got a large coffee to go from Talula's Daily.  I went out to grab a seat at one of their sidewalk tables, sitting in the direct sunlight, with a seat facing Washington Square.  It was wonderful.  While drinking my coffee, I read half a chapter in The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic, which I got from Father Ed the other night that I visited him.

Eventually, Jeannie got done with her appointment and she came down to meet me.  Since we just so happened to watch the movie Unbreakable last night, I took advantage to walk her, without any preamble, to see Dream Garden, the incredibly beautiful mosaic in the Curtis Center, which was featured in a scene in that movie where Bruce Willis and Robin Wright are at a restaurant eating dinner.

From there, we walked over to Chestnut Street to look for food and I presented to Jeannie the choice between three contiguous restaurants: Prime Burger Company, Aqua, and Rosa Blanca.  After reviewing all three menus from the sidewalk, Jeannie settled on Rosa Blanca.  We liked the vibe inside.  As the hostess walked us back to our table in the back left-hand side, I saw Good Day Philadelphia co-host Mike Jerrick sitting at one of the booths up front.  The food was pretty good.  Jeannie and I both got sandwiches; mine was called a Calle Ocho.  I also ordered tostones on the side.  Jeannie drank a mango milkshake with our meal.  After the meal, I got a cafe cubano to go, which we shared while sitting on a bench in Washington Square before going back in for Jeannie's second appointment at 2pm.

The afternoon appointment was another weekly follow-up with the one of the midwives, who conducted a cervical examination.  The results were very promising; the midwife told us that Jeannie is nearly 4 centimeters dilated, about 80% effaced, and the baby's head is at about a minus-1 or minus-2, all very good signs that childbirth should be imminent.  In fact, the midwife explicitly stated that, though there is no guarantee, she predicts that Jeannie will go into labor "tomorrow or Friday."  Jeannie and I were both happy to hear that and we're hopeful that the prediction comes true, so the next 48 hours may certainly be momentous.

After the appointment, we drove home so I could drop-off a couple things, then we drove to the post office so Jeannie could mail some tax forms to her/our accountant.  Next, and as the final highlight of our day, I drove us to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where we "ran" (more like slowly jogged) up the steps to Art Museum, then walked back to the bottom again.  Then, when a group of young people, perhaps high-school kids, lined up to race to the top, I spontaneously joined them in the race (and I believe I may have actually won, or at least place in the top 3).  After walking back down to join Jeannie, we walked up to the top together and then went into the museum.  This idea to climb the steps to the art museum, in an attempt to naturally "induce" labor, came to me from Belinda, a receptionist at [...], who told me that she did the same thing with her daughter, who was then a few days beyond full-term with her son, Simaj, who happened to be born the next day.  Coincidence or not?  I don't know, but I hoped that the same technique could encourage the birth of our baby girl within the next day or two now.

Jeannie and I enjoyed walking around the art museum, focusing our walk in the wing on the back right-hand side.  By total chance (or was it?), we saw Jeannie's good friend, Veronica, who lives in San Diego (!), who so happened to be there on an official tour with a group of work colleagues.  It was so random and so crazy that we must believe that it was meant to happen.  It was really hard to believe that we actually ran into her there.  So on that note, dear reader, I want to remind you to have faith.  Always.  God will bring you surprises and happiness, sometimes when you least expect it!

Sun after the Storm

Although today was Wednesday I used a vacation day to take the day off from work.  I needed it.  Yesterday was one of the most emotional days at work since I've been back as an attorney.  I had exit interviews with two of the outgoing law student interns, the first being terrible, the second fortunately allaying most of the fears and insecurities that arose from the first.  Between the two, I met privately with Diana in my office in what turned out to be total gush of pent-up emotion, then a shorter open door meeting with Diane, which started out as an honest conversation, until the second law student showed up and thus began the second exit interview.  Although Jeannie and I went to Corey and Laura's house for a barbecue later in the evening, I was emotionally spent and my self-esteem had been greatly injured, therefore blunting the effect of what would normally have been a good time hanging out with a good friend and his fiancee.

Today was a much better day, although it started slow as I still had an emotional hangover from yesterday.  I felt tired, groggy, and emotionally weak for the first half of the day.  The fact that I wasn't in the office, which is the source of my low self-esteem and unhappiness, was a good thing and it ended up being a good day.

Jeannie and I stepped out around 9:30am to an absolutely beautiful day: blue skies, cool air, and a crisp breeze, a real precursor of fall even though we're still in mid-August.  We caught a cab to Pennsylvania Hospital for Jeannie's first prenatal appointment.  Jeannie had led me to believe that it was going to be a more comprehensive medical visit, but after waiting for nearly an hour and a half, during which time Jeannie filled out a bunch of paperwork, we eventually met with who I think was a nurse's assistant, who gave us some brief advice on the prenatal process and also scheduled our next appointment.  Then Jeannie had to get some blood taken.  And then we left.  It was sort of anticlimactic based on my assumption what it was going to be, but Jeannie said that she was happy that I went with her.

Next, we walked a couple blocks to Washington Square, where we got a coffee and blueberry scone for me and a cafe latte for Jeannie.  We sat at a sidewalk table in the direct warm sunlight and that's when a lot of the negativity from yesterday finally evaporated into the air.  It felt good to be with my girlfriend on a warm, relaxing summer day.

Next, we walked up Walnut Street to 16th, then walked to Chestnut and doubled back halfway up the block to get to H&R Block, where I finally got my taxes done for years 2009 through 2012.  I was due refunds for federal and state taxes for all years, so despite the hefty fee for the tax preparation, the net gain was worth it, especially to be completed in only about an hour and a half.  I felt content to finally check that task off my to do list.

Next, we walked home to eat lunch out in our back patio.  I warmed up some spaghetti, then ate some yogurt and cherries.  We had just enough time to eat lunch and relax for just a couple minutes, then it was time to see Father Ed.  Jeannie met with him for a little more than an hour.  We talked about preparing to get confirmed.  But most of our conversation was about preparing to get married.  During a minute when Father Ed had to step out of the room to take a phone call, Jeannie whispered to me that she would tell him that she's pregnant, in order to find out if it would effect his advice on our timeline and preparation for getting married.  I'm glad Jeannie did tell him, because he said that we could get married sooner if that's what we chose.  So our conversation led to a tentative decision to at least consider getting married at the end of this year, perhaps in December.  Finally, right before we left, Father Ed recited a prayer for parents-to-be from a prayer book, we all recited the Lord's Prayer, and he blessed us with holy water.  It was a really nice thing.  Writing and thinking about it now, I hope that God truly blesses us.  Insofar as work has been very trying lately, I pray especially to "forgive those who trespass against us" and to "lead us not into temptation" and "deliver us from evil."  Of course in the longer view, and in light of the prayer for parents-to-be, I hope to God that I'll be a good man and a good father.  For that I hope that God blesses me with the Holy Spirit and guides me to where I need to be, with whom, and what I should do and say in every situation.

Now, at the end of the night, I feel a sense of calm and relief, which is a complete 180 degrees from how I felt this time last night.  I have to go back to work tomorrow, though.  I can only hope that somehow some way things have or will turn a corner there.  For my part I know that in some way I probably need to lighten up and not take things too seriously.  Anyway, it's time for bed now...

Dear Ileana, Last night, after writing, I turned off the light, lied back in bed and prayed like I do every night.  While praying last night I broke down and cried hard.  I'm tired of feeling this way.  I feel so empty, like there's nothing that can make me happy.  I have no interest in other women, because I have nothing to give.  I gave my heart to you and you still have it.  My empty chest can't provide anything to anyone.  As much as I want to see you and talk with you and be with you, I fear that I'm so dead, that I'll actually turn you off.  So I'm in this terrible funk where my separation from you is causing all this suffering, yet to see you too soon would probably hurt my chances for what I ultimately hope for: to be with you again.  Which leaves me with no real choice but to continue suffering, wondering if you still love me and if we will have a future together again.  I had the missed call from you back on Saturday, April 7th, but I haven't heard from you since then.  What am I to think?  Am I being impatient like I have been in the past?  Or am I a fool that's holding out hope in a hopeless situation?  I'm scared of losing you.  I'm not ignorant of our rough times, but I always thought that we'd get through everything.  I felt that we had something special, that could not be destroyed, that would survive every challenge no matter what.  Was I right?  Or was I wrong?  I love you and I miss you so much.  I remember you were with me when I bought this pad of paper at Rite-Aid at 23rd & Walnut.  I never would've guessed that one day I'd be writing love letters, of a love lost, to you on this very pad of paper.  We both have things that we need to work on, need to learn, but I thought we had a good relationship -- all the hours we spent together, all the things we did together.  Why can't we be together now?  Like Michael Grimm covered Al Green on America's Got Talent: "Let's Stay Together."  Please Ileana, I love you.  Love,

Winter wonderland

A major snowstorm hit Philadelphia. The snow began falling late Friday night, and it didn't stop until some time Saturday night. When it was all said and done, there were 28.5 inches of snow on the ground. That's the official snowfall for Philadelphia, according to the news. And based on that, it's the second biggest single snowfall in the recorded history of the city. But from what I can estimate at the double-deuce and Spruce, I think the snow total was less than two feet. Don't get me wrong though. Even now, on Monday morning, there is still a ton of snow on the streets. Even the sidewalks of major streets, like Walnut, are not completely clear. It's times like this that I really wish I had a digital camera that worked, and a notebook computer that had sufficient memory to allow me to upload photos. Those are two things (a camera and a computer) on my list of things to get. Anyway, with temperatures not really expected to exceed the freezing mark, it will be very difficult to remove the snow before the next major snowstorm, which is predicted for this coming Wednesday.

On Saturday night, I took the Baby out on to the front stoop to let her see the snow. She was her typical self: a bit timid, but curious. We stayed outside for not much more than five minutes to let her do just a little bit of exploring.

Well, having a weekend where I mostly stayed indoors allowed me to do some reading. Last week I finished "Revolutionary Suicide" by Huey P. Newton. And although I've been meaning to make it to Borders or Barnes and Noble to get a new book, I simply haven't done so. Luckily, I still had the book that Ileana gave me as a gift for my birthday, a collection of poems by Pablo Neruda, which I've been reading for the past week. I've got a little more than 40 pages left, so perhaps I can finish it tonight.

I think Sue's husband, George, looks like Jeremy Shockey, of the New Orleans Saints. Last night the Saints won Super Bowl 44 over the Indianapolis Colts. I'd been routing for the Colts, who looked good in the first quarter. But the Saints staved off the Colts' momentum by eating up tons of clock in the second quarter, thereby keeping Peyton Manning (and the Colts offense) from getting into a groove. And by doing that, it allowed Drew Brees and the Saints offense to shake off any rust and/or nerves to get into their own groove. Despite that, the game was close, it was anyone's game, until late in the fourth quarter, when Peyton Manning threw an interception that was run back for a Saints' touchdown. Besides the points margin, it was a shift of momentum, a game-changer. Oh well, I guess I'm happy for the NFC to have won a championship. And I guess for the city of New Orleans too, as non-sportcasters in the news are making such a big deal about. As if the Super Bowl victory will do anything to rebuild a city or prevent the potential effects of another major hurricane in New Orleans. But maybe I'm being a little cynical. The Saints franchise has never won a Super Bowl, and there are no other major sports in that city, so if anyone deserves to win the big game, why not them?

Well, things seem pretty quiet today, with the snow and all. So I may write again later today, when my mind begins wandering, and I have some random thoughts that merit mention.

the end of a busy week

It's certainly been a very busy week. For the first time, I had three hearings scheduled for one week. It didn't turn out so bad, though, because my client at this morning's hearing had already decided to remit all child support arrears for the defendant and terminate the support order, all by the time I got to court. So in the end, I only had to put on two hearings this past week, on Monday and yesterday. Even besides the hearings and the preparation involved for them, I've been busy trying to catch up on call-backs to clients. I still have a list of about ten calls that I need to make today. And over the course of the day, other things always seem to pop up to slow down any progress. But I realize that it's all part of the ebb and flow of work. Next week should be pretty good. I only have a custody master's conference on Thursday. So that should afford me the opportunity to catch-up on some things that really need to be done.

Anyway, enough about work. This past Wednesday, Wagner and I went to see the Temple men's basketball team take on the UPenn Quakers at the Palestra, the famed basketball arena. The game turned out as we had both hoped: Penn hung around for the first half and into the beginning of the second half, enough to make it an interesting and entertaining game, but then by mid-second half Temple began to pull away en route to their 60-45 victory. For buying tickets right there at the box office about five minutes before tip-off, our seats were not too bad: just behind the Temple student section, behind and slightly to the side of one of the hoops, and not too, too far from the Temple bench. There were no outstanding performances from the Temple players, more of just an overall team effort. As I commented to Wagner during the game, I think Temple played down just a little bit to their competition.

Last night after work, I went out with a few co-workers for happy hour. Diane organized the outting, and we went to the American Pub, underground near the Clothespin on 15th and Market. The atmosphere was decent, though nothing to really go back to in the future. I had a couple Miller Lites. Afterward, knowing that I had nothing at home to make dinner, I invited Ileana out to dinner. We shared some mozzarella sticks and a pizza at Pietro's Coal Oven Pizzeria, on Walnut Street near 18th.

So that's what's been going on. Besides simply reporting my weekly, or even daily, activities, I wanna get back to writing here about random stuff. Maybe if next week isn't so busy at work, I'll be able to take a quick break here and there to post some thoughts on non-personal issues. In the meantime, I hope you don't mind too much reading my online personal diary. Have a great weekend, fellow user of the world wide web!

Did you miss me?

It's been over three months since I last wrote anything here. I give credit to Wagner for reminding me about the blog and, in turn, for reviving my interest in preserving my very weak memory. So the question: where do I begin?

Well, things have come full circle, at least professionally speaking. Before going to law school, I worked for nearly four years as a family law paralegal at Philadelphia Legal Assistance. Back in mid-October, there was word that one of the attorneys was suddenly going out on maternity leave, after finally being approved to adopt a baby girl. I was asked to interview for the temporary, six-month position. I did so, and was hired to begin working on Monday, November 2nd. Since then, I've enjoyed being back with a group of people that I truly consider to be my second family. And I've really enjoyed practicing law in the way that I believe I was meant to practice: client-based, client-centered, and in the courtroom.

Now, some highlights from the past three months that I will simply list for the benefit of my own memory:

• throwing a birthday party at the double-deuce and Spruce, to which my sister and a bunch of my friends came, and even my mom made a surprise appearance
• watching the Temple basketball team upset #3-ranked Villanova at the Liacouras Center, to the dismay of Wagner who was there with me to witness history
• going to a live music performance by Sara Tavares at the Kimmel Center, then going to dinner at Valanni's and then drinks at El Vez
• going bowling at Strikes in University City, and even playing a little ping-pong afterwards
• being snowed-in by the 23.2 inches of snow on Saturday, December 19th, and staying in the apartment that day to watch "The Hangover" and then "Up", then venturing out later in the afternoon to have a late lunch at Continental Midtown
• going out to West Philly a lot, including a pleasant afternoon lounging in the grass at Clark Park and nights at Local 44
• speaking of going out to West Philly, having to walk Walnut Street all the way out to 44th Street, because the buses weren't running as a result of the SEPTA strike back in late October
• taking a stroll arm-in-arm from the double-deuce and Spruce all the way down to Mixto for a first date

. . . and other stuff I can't remember right now. I'm gonna start writing here more regularly, so that way I can actually keep track of everything that I'm doing. In spite of the bigger picture (e.g., the economy), 2009 was a pretty good year. And I feel that things are on an upswing as we head into 2010. I hope that the new year brings you good health and happiness. And, if it's not too much to ask, I hope the same thing for myself. Let's see if I can write again tomorrow . . .

Mojitos

Yesterday afternoon I met up with my ex-girlfriend Heather. The last time I saw her was six years ago, and that was merely a brief, chance encounter on Walnut Street. The last time that I spent any real time with her was seven years ago. So needless to say, despite not having any intentions of anything beyond seeing her to catch up, I was still a bit excited to see her. We met at 3pm in Rittenhouse Square. Since I usually attend evening mass at 6:30pm, I figured a little more than three hours should be enough to catch up on most everything. The weather was sunny and dry and simply beautiful. Our meeting went exactly as I had hoped; I felt good that we had reconnected as friends. Now that I've seen her, though, my pre-meeting intentions have not changed. I'll be happy for she and I to be friends. Of the girls that I've dated for more than a month or so, there's now only one that I don't communicate with. All of rest care about me, just as I care about them, and they're mature enough to maintain a friendship with me. When I was younger (i.e., around the time when I broke up with Heather), I had a rigid philosophy of cutting all contact if a relationship didn't work out. But I don't feel that way any more: life is too short to hold grudges or exert mental/emotional energy to keep a wall up. Unless something really egregious happens to end a relationship, there's not much reason to turn your back on someone who you were compatible with to have a relationship with, even if it wasn't long-lasting. The reality is that the overwhelming majority of all relationships fail; relationships are the classic live-and-learn experience. So anyway, to bring it all the way back around, I'm glad that Heather and I can now be friends.

This past Saturday night was great. Wagner came by the double-deuce and Spruce to help me move out my old television and put it curbside. I had a few beers in the fridge, so we hung here for a little while. I took the opportunity to ask him some serious questions about his vision and goals for his law career. Since he's becoming one of my good friends here in Philly, I wanted to know if he would ever consider going into practice for himself, since that is my goal/hope/ambition. He said he had never really considered it, but said that he would now that I put the thought out there. It was a good, refreshing conversation before hitting the town.

Originally I had wanted to go to a new spot near me (at 20th and Sansom) called Village Whiskey. As we were walking out of my place, Wagner called up Tobin to let him know where we were going. At that moment, I took the opportunity to check my phone, lo and behold to discover that I'd missed a text message just a minute earlier. It was from Ileana, a girl who works with some of my friends at one of my old workplaces. She was out with her roommate and was inviting me to stop by if I wasn't busy. So the timing was perfect; Wagner's and my plan changed and we went to Rum Bar to meet up with them. It was a nice atmosphere in there, as there was a pretty good crowd, several of whom were wearing an eye-patch in honor of Talk Like A Pirate Day; it was pretty funny. We all spent the rest of the evening drinking mojitos. I was really happy to have the chance to talk to Ileana, since I'd only really talked to her once before for not much more than ten minutes. I kept being happily surprised to find out that we had a lot in common. So between the (strong) mojitos and the good conversation, I had a very good Saturday night.

The next morning, Sunday, I forced myself out of bed early in order to volunteer at a community event in South Philly: la Fiesta de San Mateo de Ozolco. For those of you who may not know, San Mateo de Ozolco is a village in the state of Puebla, in Mexico. And interestingly, anywhere from one-quarter to one-third of that village resides for at least part of the year in Philadelphia. Thus, to honor their community's community here in the 2-1-5, they hold an annual fiesta, with a traditional misa and dancing by los moros y cristianos and by traditional Aztecs. It was a fun cultural event to be at, although I had to leave early in order to make it back in time to meet up with Heather in Rittenhouse Square. But I have to admit that my Spanish-speaking skills were dulled as a result of all the mojitos I drank the night before. It was all worth it though.

Alright, that's all for now, folks. I hope things are well in your little part of the world, wherever that may be.

Quiet night

Today was a pretty quiet day, and tonight has been a quiet night. Being a night person, I got up late today. There are some days where I feel guilty for getting up late. Not today. Today I felt fine about getting up late. I had already set it in my mind that today was gonna be low-key. So I took the time to clean-up all the dishes and pots and utensils in the sink. I spoke on the phone with Evan for a while. And I made a call to an insurance company on behalf of one of my clients, but I only had to leave a voicemail there since no one picked up the phone.

Besides running out to Radio Shack to buy a power strip (to organize all the electrical cords now behind my television stand and to finally have an extra outlet to plug-in the antenna amplifier), I was inside all day. But I'm glad that I did run out for that quick errand, because on the walk home, coming up Walnut Street, I heard my name being called. I looked around and then across the street to the other sidewalk, and I saw my friend Nayami. So I ran across to say hi and give her a hug. We ended up walking together through Rittenhouse Square, she invited me to see her music group, PhillyBloco, perform at World Cafe Live on Halloween, and I gave her the gift of one of my two new power strips, since I only needed one. It was good to see Nayami, she's a really nice girl.

Tonight I just chilled out at home, drank a couple of my new favorite beers, Victory Whirlwind Witbier, and ate some spaghetti with sweet apple flavored chicken sausage and spinach mixed in with the sauce. While I ate, I had the Phillies game on low volume and listened to music from my iPod, played through my stereo. Overall, it was a good, chill night.

Now I think I'm gonna do some reading before going to bed. I hope you had as good a night as I did. See ya soon!

Red, red wine

Last night I finished the book "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway. It was a good book about American and British expatriates in Paris who decide to take a trip to Pamplona, Spain for las fiestas sanfermines, or more popularly, the running of the bulls. Much of the book's action took place in cafes and bars. For that reason, when Julie suggested that we go out for Center City Sips tonight, I told her that I wanted to go to a Hemingway-esque place. We settled on Caribou Cafe, on Walnut Street between 11th & 12th. If you've never been there, the place does a very nice job of recreating a typical Parisian bistro, down to the wicker chairs and "black cat" posters. I drank three red sangrias there. After the first one, I told the waitress to bring the next one without any ice; I knew what I was there for. From Caribou, we walked up Walnut to Rum Bar, where we met Wagner and the girl he's been dating for a couple months, Adrianna. They were there with several of Adrianna's ballerina friends. I drank two red wines, Cabernet Sauvignon, I think. After that I was feeling "pretty tight" (to use a phrase from "The Sun Also Rises"). So, after talking politics and law school with Maggie, an attractive 25 year-old girl who was friends with Adrianna, I suggested to Julie that we take a walk to the park. In Rittenhouse, we found a comfortable spot on the grass to lay down and look up at the one star visible in the city's nighttime sky. It was pretty relaxing. A little while later Wagner and Adrianna found us and we all stood up to talk. Adrianna showed us her two tattoos; I showed-off mine. Those guys took off and Julie and I came back to my place to hang out while I warmed up some spaghetti for dinner. I finished it off with a nice salad of greens, tomatoes, dried cranberries, and crumbled goat cheese. Now, since walking Julie home and then returning back to the double-deuce & Spruce earlier, I've been wasting time on the internet all night long. Only now did I decide to post something on the blog. Although I'm vaguely tired, I'm not in the mood to go to bed. That may not make any sense, but I guess I'm in an obscurely restless mood tonight. With coffee earlier today and a lot of wine later in the evening, along with meeting friends, I felt a bit like Jake Barnes, the protagonist in "The Sun Also Rises." It was a good night.

Checkin' back in

Hey folks, how's it going? Here's the deal: for at least the past month I've had to come to the coffeeshop in order to connect to internet, and that's the reason I haven't been posting too much.

Things have been pretty chill, still working on that project in a Center City firm, but wondering how much longer that's gonna last, hoping that it lasts until the end of March, if I'm a lucky duck. But just this past Saturday I officially submitted my online registration for what would be a career track; I applied to take the foreign service officer test. I'll sit for the exam this June, and depending on how well I do, I'll likely be asked two or three months after that to go to Washington, D.C. to take the oral exam. By the beginning of 2010, there's a decent chance that I'll be working in a foreign country. So keep your fingers crossed for me, thanks!

This past Saturday night, Corey and Evan came into town to visit me. The brief run-down of where we went (purely for the purposes of my own recollection) was: Sidecar, Ten Stone, Parc, Alfa, and Denim. Needless to say, that last place should trigger the correct guess that it was a late night; didn't get back to the double-deuce until somewhere around 4am. Although I did a vodka shot at Ten Stone and an Irish car bomb shot at Alfa, I wasn't completely out of my brain; I can say with confidence, though, that I was feeling pretty toasty by the end of our long evening.

Well, the other nice thing about this past weekend was that the weather was pretty nice: our first real taste of spring with temps near 70 on Saturday. Corey got into 30th Street Station at 2:30pm, and after I dropped-off some groceries from Trader Joe's, we walked over to Rittenhouse Square to enjoy the sight of all the passers-by, especially the females. We sat there for a while, enjoying the weather and generally catching up. I suggested that we take a walk down Walnut Street, and as we were leaving the park, I heard my name; it was Teresa, my friend from Friends of Farmworkers. I haven't seen Teresa for at least a couple of years, so it was cool to see her and catch up; her future mother-in-law, as she claimed, was flying in from Puerto Rico early that evening, and she was just hanging out eating a salad before she had to catch the R1 to the airport.

Anyway, I really oughtta get going home now. I'm representing one of my clients at a child support hearing tomorrow morning and I need to go home to eat dinner and do some final, last-minute prep for the hearing. The feeling I get the night before a hearing, and as I go to it, are very similar to the hyped-up feelings I got before football games in high school and college; there's a certain acute awareness that's part adrenaline rush and part psychological coming-into-focus for the big event. As much as I didn't want to represent this guy at tomorrow's hearing (because, in my estimation, this will likely be my first-ever true loser of a case), I'm happy for the primed feeling that I'm already starting to feel. Oh well, if I can possibly get back in here sooner than a month from now, I'll let you know how it goes. Peace out, friendly readers, and I hope all is well in your corner of the world!

Los Amigos Ya Son Visibles

Last night's concert was amazing. A group of my friends came to support the let's-have-a-good-time cause. And I feel pretty confident saying that we accomplished our mission. The music was non-stop and it was highly energetic and infectious, as is the nature of the music of Los Amigos Invisibles. My only minor complaint is that I feel the volume was a tiny bit too high; I think that last year's show at World Cafe Live was at a slightly lower volume level. But hey, that's a very minor point, so we're all still happy!

This morning, in anticipation of Evan and Paul coming into town, I wanted to take care of a couple things at the law library. I got done around 12:30pm, and the weather being so beautiful here today (72 degrees and sunny), I decided to walk back to the Double-Deuce and Spruce.

So I'm walking down Walnut Street and, as I'm on the 1200 block, I look across the street to the other sidewalk, and who do I see? The drummer and lead guitarist of Los Amigos Invisibles just walking down Walnut. So right there I cross the street, and as I'm crossing Walnut, I cup my hands around my mouth, and yell, "Amigos Invisibles!" They stop and look at me, I shake their hands, and then we talked for about five minutes. I told them that I saw their show last night, and had a really good time, that they did a great job. I also said that I would've loved to see them tonight down in DC, if not for a couple good friends (see supra) coming into town this evening. I asked them if they had ever played in Costa Rica, and they said yes, at Playa Tamarindo; I told them that it is a bit touristy there, but it's a really nice place. They explained to me how the style of their shows are different in the United States compared to Latin America, and how that usually means an indoor solo show versus an outdoor show with accompanying acts. They also seemed to imply that the songs that they play may also be a bit different. I told them that my family is from there, and that my mother is there right now. So the lead guitarist asked me in Spanish, "Eres costarricense?" and I replied, "Naci en Colombia, pero mi mama es de Costa Rica. Hace tiempo que estoy viviendo en Philly." And he simply replied, "Ay carajo." Haha! It was so cool to see and meet those guys after just seeing them play last night. I told them that this was my third time seeing them. They asked me my name and I told them, and they said it was nice to meet me. I wouldn't have minded hanging out with them for a bit, so I asked what they were up to, and they said that they were actually getting ready to drive down to DC in a little bit. So that was that.

But hey, from last night to today, things are rolling along nicely. I've gotta thank God for blessing me. As the Beastie Boys sing, "life comes in stages, take the good with the bad." Well, it's always more fun when you're in a good stage, and I feel like I'm just at the beginning of a good stage. The trip is coming up so soon, and I know that it will be an incredible experience, and to come back I hope to be blessed with a full-time gig again. And then, God willing, all I'll need is to find true love. And I'm truly hopeful for that. In the meantime, though, I'm just gonna keep on doing my thang, and see what happens.

Los Amigos Invisibles

Listen up, friends! / Oye amigos!

One of my favorite groups, Los Amigos Invisibles, is performing tomorrow (Thursday) night at 7:30pm at World Cafe Live, 30th & Walnut Streets. / Uno de mis grupos favoritos, Los Amigos Invisibles, esta tocando manana (jueves) a las 7:30 de la noche en World Cafe Live, ubicado en la 30 & Walnut.

I've seen them live twice before, both times here in Philly: October 29, 2005 at the TLA and November 9, 2007 at World Cafe Live. / Los he visto dos veces antes, las dos veces aqui en Philly: el 29 de octubre, 2005 en el TLA y el 9 de noviembre, 2007 en World Cafe Live.

Their music is versatile and multifarious; different songs can be labeled as acid jazz, funk, disco, latin jazz, and/or dance. As LA Weekly said: ""Los Amigos Invisibles have taken the rhythmic sass in salsa, the bass-heavy fun in funk, and even the note-bending bile in acid-jazz, and mixed it all up to produce an infectious beat. They've put the joy back into dancing, sending a warm current into the cold alienating waters of industrial strength techno."

Su musica es versatil y polifacetico; piezas diferentes pueden ser catalogadas como acid jazz, funk, disco, jazz latino, y/o baile. Como dijo LA Weekly: "Los Amigos Invisibles han quitado el descaro ritmico de salsa, la diversion del bajo bien-bajo de funk, y hasta el mal genio de las notas-torcidas de acid jazz, y los han mezclado todo para producir un ritmo infeccioso. Ellos han repuesto la alegria en el baile, enviando un corriente tibio en el agua frio y alienado del techno de fuerza industrial."

If you're in Philadelphia, or at least happen to be passing through tomorrow night, then please think about stopping in. I can guarantee that you will have a good time. These guys put on an amazing show. As much as I love their music on cd or playing from my iPod, this is one group that I can truly say sounds even better live. You don't wanna miss this opportunity, party people!

Si tu estas en Philadelphia, o por lo menos estas pasando por aqui manana en la noche, debes considerar venir con nosotros. Te puedo garantizar que vas a pasarlo super-chevere. Estos maes van a poner un show fantastico. Lo tanto que me encanto la musica de ellos en cd o escuchada por mi iPod, este es uno de esos grupos que puedo decir verdaderamente que suenan mejor en vivo. Ustedes no quieren perder esta oportunidad, fiesteros!

And in case you need any more convincing, check out the video for their song, "Una Disco Llena," which happens to be my favorite song by these guys:

Y si tu todavia necesitas mas para convencerte, chequea este video para la pieza, "Una Disco Llena," que por casualidad es mi pieza favorita de estos maes:



"SIEMPRE MIA TU SERAS, SI ME BESAS AL BAILAR."

Need Change?

I was walking down Walnut Street earlier today. On the southern side of the 1400 block (between Broad and 15th Streets) and between Lush and the Bank of America ATM, there was a group of three modern-day hobos, i.e. train-hoppers, the color of brown from head to toe: clothes, skin, hair, and all. I'm not saying that they were of African descent; no, by all outward appearances, they were almost certainly of European descent. I'm merely saying that they were totally brown, kinda like Pigpen from The Peanuts.

Well, of these three hobos, the one sitting in the middle was young and healthy-looking. He was holding a sign that read: "I'm like Obama. I want change." Pretty good pun, huh? I got a good laugh from that one.

From the Gayborhood to Dubai

I watched the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics last night. I had decided that I wouldn't go out to meet my friends until I watched the delegations from the United States and Costa Rica walk into the Bird's Nest during the Parade of Nations. Throughout the procession I cooked and then ate dinner: pasta shells with roasted garlic spaghetti sauce and two, chopped roasted garlic Italian sausages.

Once the CR delegation came into the stadium, I got ready to head out. In honor of Team USA and the start of the Beijing Olympics, I wore my red-white-and-blue Nike Prefontaine sneakers and my gray t-shirt with the G.I. Joe insignia, including the red-white-and-blue striped box next to the subtitle, "A Real American Hero."

From the Double-Deuce & Spruce, I walked straight down Spruce Street to Valanni's, a restaurant just below 13th Street. I went there first because the text that I had received from Park a little bit more than an hour earlier said that the group was there. So I walked in and looked around; I didn't recognize anyone there. As I walked out, I looked at my phone, noticed a missed call, and was about to check my voicemail, when I simply looked across the street and saw the gang seated at an outdoor table in front of Mercato. So I walked over briskly, wet my right pinky finger, and with the all-important element of surprise, gave Park a wet willy.

I sat down with the bunch there while everyone finished off their food. I had a couple glasses of wine and a few nibbles of dessert. It's important to note here that the reason that everyone gathered for a night on the town was the imminent departure of our friend, Park, who is set to relocate to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, just this coming Monday. Our night out was a chance to have some fun before he takes off, and to let him know that we're gonna miss him.

Everyone else having finished off their food and the 5 bottles of wine that they BYOB'ed, we gathered up the troops to hit the town. We walked down Camac Street all the way over to Walnut Street, until doubling back half a block down Quince Street between 12th and 11th to go to a practically unmarked bar called the Bike Stop -- a bar which, unknown to me, is apparently renowned in the Gayborhood.

The Bike Stop could've been a bar out in the exurbs for all appearances -- it was very dimly-lit, it was filled with a bunch of biker-looking dudes, it had a pool table on a raised platform on the far side of the bar, and there was classic rock music from the 1980s. But once your eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, you realized that the appearances revealed the bar's Gayborhood nature -- some guys were shirtless, either with or without leather suspenders, and there was not one lone woman inside the place (until we showed up with 3).

Park had explained to me that the basement of the Bike Stop was a destination in its own right; the word was that it was filled with gay guys four rows deep in total darkness and that you would have to grope your way through sweaty bodies to get to the bar. Of course once we got to the Bike Stop, I asked Park which way to the famed basement to find out if the basement was really as intimidating as its reputation indicated. Before walking down the stairs, Park noticed the sign that said "no cologne and no sneakers allowed"; neither one of us could quite figure out why those two things were prohibited. And despite the fact that I was wearing my bold tricolor sneakers, we went down anyway. So what did we see? To be honest, it really reminded me of the basement of the house I lived in on Water Street during my senior year of college: dank, dark, and cement-exposed walls. It was not, however, totally dark, nor did we have to touch anybody to get around. Other than the very strange, inexplicable feeling that all these quiet men were lined up around the cement wall waiting for some kind of performance to take place, and that there were only men down there, it wasn't weird at all.

Needless to say, we didn't stay down there too long. Park's girlfriend had come down just a couple minutes after us, and after milling down there for a few minutes, we decided to go back upstairs to play pool. The group of us played for about an hour or so. The table that we played on was so terribly slanted toward one corner that it made for some miserable games; it was funny at first, but by the end it was annoying.

So we left there around 1:30 and went directly to Knock. It was a very nice place; I was told that this is a prime location for gay professionals to meet. We all stood around and chatted for a while. But the real story there doesn't begin until right before we left, at about 2:30.

From what I understand, Park had ordered a glass of wine during last call right at 2:00am. He paid for it and may have had a couple sips of it; the glass of wine was sittting on the bar. In the bartender's haste to clean up after closing, however, he accidentally cleared Park's glass of wine. Partly because Park had paid for the wine and had not finished, but also, I suspect, because Park wanted to make a point of having his glass of wine on his last night out in Philly before his grand trip, he demanded another glass of wine to replace the one that had been taken. The bartender poured him another glass, but at that point, the owner came around to find out why a patron could be demanding any alcohol a half-hour past last call. Park had little patience (or sobriety) to explain the whole story, and the owner was put-off, saying that it was against the law to serve alcohol past 2am. So Eric steps up and says to the owner, "We are the law." And James, sensing the tension -- and obviously not knowing to whom he was speaking -- says to the owner, "Hey buddy, why don't you beat it." Right then, I walked out of the bar to meet up with the other half of our group, who were already waiting outside on the sidewalk. Surprisingly, and fortunately, things inside simmered down and the misunderstanding was cleared up -- Park downed his whole glass of wine and the three guys came right out to meet us on the sidewalk. Crisis had been averted.

Without belaboring the details, I'll say simply that we all said our good-byes and best-wishes to Park. His flight to Dubai leaves on Monday. He intends to begin a blog once he gets there; of course I'll post the link.

From the corner of 12th and Locust, four of us -- Eric, Alex, James, and me -- walked west up Locust, since we all live in the general Rittenhouse Square area. For the first couple blocks of our late night walk we saw several trannies walking the streets in search of business. Immediately after crossing Broad Street, I saw two girls and a guy up ahead, so right before we passed them, I said, "look, here are a couple more trannies;" the look on the girls' faces was one of pure indignity, but the four of us laughed our asses off. Then, on the 1500 block of Locust, as we approached Misconduct Tavern in fact, I saw that there was a chain-link chain hanging across part of the sidewalk. So I kept talking to the guys, pretending that I wasn't looking ahead, and purposely ran into the chain, feigning surprise and pain; we all laughed our asses off some more before going our separate ways.

Flip-Flops

This afternoon, after work, I went to Urban Outfitters (which, incidentally, began in 1970 as a store called "The Free People's Store" right here in Philadelphia) on Walnut Street to take advantage of their sale of flip-flops: 2 pairs for $10. Considering that I've been needing to pick-up flip-flops, this turned out to be a great opportunity. I got a brown pair and a blue pair.

Afterward, in the spirit of getting some stuff that I need, I walked a block down Walnut to City Sports. I've really been in need of some athletic shorts to play basketball and work-out at the gym. I was in luck. I picked up a pair of navy blue Nike basketball shorts.

After that, I walked over to Rittenhouse Square to sit down on a bench and enjoy the really beautiful weather (mostly sunny; 88 F / 31 C). Of course, on a warm and sunny Friday evening, the park was packed with people hanging out and walking through. It was the kind of scene that really makes me happy and proud to live in the city, and so close to the park itself. After sitting and enjoying the scene for a little while, I decide to call Paul to talk to him about, among other things, our trip. We both agreed that we have some planning to do. And Paul suggested that at some point while we're over there we should rent motorcycles and just go riding through the countryside to see where we end up. I told him that I love that idea, that's what it's all about!

Well, in a little while here, I'm heading off to Northern Liberties to meet some friends. I'll let'cha know how that all pans out.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- night

There has been so much going on that I'm not necessarily sure where to begin. I'll start with what is probably most significant, especially in terms of who I am today.

Yesterday afternoon, while hanging out on Walnut Street with Paul and Corey, Paul spotted someone who he thought he recognized across the street. It was Heather, my ex-girlfriend. I'm sure I hesitated because of the initial shock of a moment that I could never prepare for. Then, I jogged across the street to catch up with her at the southeast corner of 17th and Walnut. I called her name and she turned around, with a look of surprise on her face. I immediately kissed her on the cheek and gave her a hug. And then I asked here where she was and what she was doing. She told me that she had just started classes at UPenn in their social work program; she said she was living on-campus in University City.

I had already said hello to her aunt Donna and younger cousin Rebecca, and Corey and Paul had come up to us too. Heather asked me what I was up to these days. I told her that I was still working at PLA, and that I was once again beginning the application process for law schools. Then, fortunately for me, Corey intervened to ask Heather about the program at Penn. It got me off the hook because I really had nothing else to ask nor anything else to offer.

After a couple minutes of that, Donna and Rebecca pulled slightly away, as did Paul and Corey. I guess that was their way of giving us a moment of private conversation. Heather seemed dumbfounded, or else just allowing me the initiative. I simply said with sincerity that it was really nice to see her. Then, I said I would see her around. And finally, I hesitatingly took a step backward while giving a short, quick wave. I turned around and walked away to catch up with Paul and Corey. I didn't ask for her phone number or address, so that was that.

Despite the to-be-expected surprise and bit of awkwardness, it went just as I would have hoped it would. I've gotta be thankful that I was with two of my boys to support me through that. On the flipside, I've gotta be thankful that she was with the only two family members who actually seemed to like me. And lastly, I've gotta be thankful that I was in a good psychological frame of mind. My social life, specifically with regard to women, has been on an upswing for about two months. But this weekend was especially solid. I couldn't have asked for a higher confidence level to see Heather. That may seem either selfish or shallow, but it really is important.

But I'll re-cap my other activities in my next entry, which I hope to make later this week. I'm just feeling beat right now. I've gotta get ready for bed to rest up and feel better tomorrow. But it was all worth it. No doubt about it.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- early morning

Earlier this evening, I left 2008 Walnut Street for the last time. Corey and I had to clean it in order to get our security deposit back. It is interesting to think that I moved into the city two years ago. It's also interesting to think back to all the memories from 2008: from my first weekends in the city to pre-gaming sessions just about every weekend to my going-away party and everything in between. To think of all the meals that I cooked in that kitchen. To think of all the hours of reading books and the hours of watching television there. To think of all the deep, late night conversations I've had with Corey and other guests. Perhaps just as much as everything combined, though, I think of my experiences with several different women: the young 19-year old sophomore girl to the experienced 34 year-old attorney to the 23 year-old physical therapy student to the 19 year-old Filipina girl. More than anyone else, though, my memories are dominated by Heather, the girl that I loved and wanted so much, but was just not to be.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- night

It has been just over two months since I've last written. There's no need to make excuses since I have no obligation to write. But then again, I feel that writing is important, so I do feel bad that I haven't kept up.

I moved in my apartment here in Philly on the first weekend of June. In some ways, the transition to living on my own has been more difficult than I expected, partly on a materialistic (and hence financial) level, but even a bit on the emotional level. I thought I would be well-prepared to live on my own from my solo travels in Central America. But there was always that sense of excitement and newness when on the road. Being alone in a stable environment has proved to be a different game. Nevertheless, I still think it was helpful that I travelled solo in order to transition to this new experience.

In material terms, there is much work to be done, most especially with regards to living room furniture and decorations for the walls. But since I have all the essentials I have inevitably lost much motivation to complete my settling-in. I am a simple man, so I don't as much for coffee tables and rugs. Perhaps only my love of color, and the life it brings, is impelling me to decorate the walls. Even still, I have been slow to take initiative in the area of interior design.

Now, I could catch things up on my life at the office, or my educational ambitions, or my social life, but right now I don't feel moved to do so. Probably next time. Before ending this long-awaited entry, I'll re-cap a very interesting experience of the past two days, a two-part journey through the city of brotherly love.

On both Saturday and Sunday afternoons, at 4:00 p.m. to be exact, I left center-city for a tour of a different section of the city. On Saturday, I left for West Philly, travelling west on Walnut Street, then Spruce Street, then Market Street before eventually reaching 69th Street, the city's western limit and its border with Upper Darby. During my tour, I saw more than a handful of block parties, where residents blocked off roads at their own discretion, and set up barbecues, loud music, and games for their children. The smells in the air and the sights of young and old alike having fun were enough to light up the soul. I was also impressed by the stateliness and grandeur of the architecture in West Philly, which evidenced that it had once been the wealthy suburban section of the city. Much of it has been kept up nicely, despite a more middle-class character. It was depressing, though, to see some buildings falling apart as a result of poverty and lack of maintenance: a snapshot of the long, slow death of the beautiful architecture of an age long past. I also rode my bicycle past Malcolm X park; I was slightly surprised to find out that a park would be named in his honor. It makes sense due to the predominantly black population of West Philly. But for the city government to recognize that name surprised me a little bit. On the ride back into University City, I stopped at Abner's for a decent cheesesteak. From there, I crossed back over the Schuylkill River to finish Saturday's journey.

Earlier today, I set off on a similar voyage, but in a different direction: south. I started off down Broad Street until I turned left on to Washington Avenue. Then I turned right on to 10th Street. I took that as far as I could go, before getting back on to Broad Street to eventually reach my destination: FDR park, right by the stadiums. Once there, I dismounted my bike to walk the circuit, passing by all the picnic areas and pavillions. Most of the groups there were either black or Southeast Asian, either Vietnamese or Cambodian. I was really impressed with the groups of southeast Asians since some groups were as large or larger than 50 people. It was amazing. It was great to see everyone having a good time. After walking the circuit, I hopped my bike to ride back to my apartment. I couldn't stay out as long as yesterday since I was really hungry for lunch. I rode back most of the way on 16th Street. It was nice to see other parts of the city. I hope to do it again.