Proud to be a Two-Fifteener

I just saw on the ESPN ticker that college football begins August 28th.  I'm excited.  There's nothing like football.  College football on Saturdays, pro football on Sundays.  It reminds me that fall is on its way, my favorite season of the year.

Earlier today, I met Jeannie outside La Colombe across from City Hall, while she ate her lunch from Five Guys and I drank a coffee.  Despite the very light drizzle, I rode my bike to see her.  It was nice to spend some time with her while her dad watched Seva at home.

After dropping off Jeannie at her job, I walked over to 15th & Market Streets, where I sat down and waited for my friend Mike to come by.  I waited for about half an hour, but I didn't mind because I enjoyed people-watching and that, for once, I wasn't in any rush to go anywhere or do anything.  It felt really nice actually.

Finally, when I saw Mike walking towards me, I noticed that he was with [F.B.], another attorney who I've argued cases against and who I know Mike has become friendly with over the past year or so.  When [F.B.] came up to me he gave me a hug.  Despite our encounters in Court, we've always been friendly with each other.  It was probably also cool for him to see that Mike's friend was me.  [F.B.] suggested that we grab a drink, so we walked a couple blocks to Tir Na Nog.  We mainly talked about the practice of law and our families.  It was a good time.  Eventually [F.B.] had to leave to go back to his office, so it was really nice to have a chance to catch up, just a little bit, with Mike one-on-one.

Having had a couple beers, though, by the time I got back home I was just enough out of sorts that I didn't get much done.  I still hadn't eaten lunch, so I did that first: ham & American cheese on seeded rye with wasabi mayonnaise and a slice of pickle, along with popcorn, a banana, and an apple on the side.

Fast-forwarding to tonight, Jeannie made salads as usual and I cooked macaroni and cheese with tuna and peas, while we watched the movie American Reunion on FXX.  While sitting on the couch, Seva began yelling as she has the past few days, not in any kind of angry or demanding way, but instead as a flexing of her voice and lungs.  It's hilarious.  I have to admit that, once Seva gets started, Jeannie and I encourage it by yelling too.  We laugh the whole time.  It's really funny.

Finally, to conclude this post tonight, I'll offer a totally random thought: I would not for any amount of money or at any level of income live in New York City.  Just the thought of living there tires me.  It's just too much of some things (people, money, attitude) and not enough of others (living space, trees, open spaces, a sense of community).  I happily prefer being a Two-Fifteener: just enough city, just enough sense of community, with quick enough accessibility to open spaces within the city and then the suburbs beyond.

Leadership

Tonight I watched the second half of a rebroadcast of last year's Georgia at Auburn football game, ranked by ESPN as the #3 best college football game of 2013.  It got me thinking about college football, football in general, and also leadership.

I remembered my college football coach, Barry Streeter, who SUCKED as a football coach.  I have stated to others and I write unequivocally here that my high school football coach was superior to, better than, Coach Barry Streeter.  When I played for Coach Streeter, he ran the wing-T offense, consisting of three running backs and only one wide receiver.  He remained stubborn in this offensive set during a time when college football at the Division I level was opening up to a more pro-style offense, that is, more passing.  I remember that his inflexibility actually gave the opposing teams an advantage, because his playbook as head coach was the same year after year.  So opposing head coaches and defensive coordinators could just study film from previous years and coach their defense on how to defend a particular play based on the offensive formation and the action in the backfield.  This is common sense of course, something that Coach Streeter apparently lacks.

I just looked up Coach Streeter's overall record as head coach (see here).  In the past 16 seasons, he's had a winning record just 4 times.  Despite anyone who may want to call him a "legend" based on his long tenure, this record is anything but legendary; it's sub-par.

Now, let's contrast...

I just saw an article on philly.com, the headline of which was "Expect Kelly's Eagles to have new wrinkles in their offense."  The first sentence of the article reads: "Chip Kelly has said since Day 1 that offense is personnel-driven."  Then, just a couple lines later, Kelly is quoted as saying: "The biggest thing that you have to do is identify the skill-sets you have..."  I made this same point numerous times as a college football player to my positions coach under Coach Streeter.  Even as a student, I recognized that you don't plug players into a cookie-cutter system, which minimizes players' unique talents and makes your offense completely predictable.  And this is a principle of leadership that should apply to any team, organization, or company: you take the time to assess and understand your talent, then you put your team members in the best possible positions to exploit those individual talents with the objective to meet your team's goals.  It's not rocket science.

As author Warren Bennis wrote in his book "On Becoming a Leader": "The success or failure of all organizations . . . rests on the quality of their decision makers."  Again, refer back to Coach Streeter's overall record over the past 16 years; does that significant sample size reflect success or failure?  (As an important sidenote, Warren Bennis died two days ago (article here)).  There are certain traits of a leader, which include being active (as opposed to reactive), experimental (as opposed to rote), and flexible (as opposed to rigid); these are all cited by Bennis in On Becoming a Leader.  Whereas Coach Kelly exemplifies those positive leadership traits, Coach Streeter exemplifies the stagnant traits of a manager wearing a leader's mask.

I imagine that, at this point, at this late date, there is likely no way to get Coach Streeter to retire (or have him 'relieved of his duties').  If you're a high school player being recruited by, or considering playing for, Coach Streeter, my clear advice is: don't.

And for the vast majority of you who aren't being recruited by Coach Streeter, keep this leadership principle in mind when looking at your own career: spend as little time as possible in a workplace where management and supervisors are mediocre managers, rather than true leaders.  You'll get sucked in; your self-esteem may take a hit when you don't fit into the cookie-cutter mold; and you may start to question your skills or abilities.  If that happens, get the hell out of there!  Go somewhere to work for real leaders, people who will support you, encourage you, and positively challenge you, based upon an assessment and understanding of your individual skills.  Understand that good leaders make you better; bad leaders mostly waste your time, except to learn how not to be.

Towards Good Health

Once again, I've left myself very little time to write, so once again I'll have to write some short blurbs.

I took a bike ride today, just as I did last Wednesday.  It felt good.  By the time I came inside I was drenched in sweat and still sweating more.  My lung capacity is nowhere near top shape, but hopefully I can continue moving in a positive direction.  Both rides were about a half-hour long (32 minutes today, 29 minutes last week, to be exact).

This coming Sunday will be Father Ed's last mass as pastor at St. Charles Borromeo.  It's gonna be hard to imagine St. Charles without him.  I hope that the parish (including me) can make the transition positively.

I miss the fun, competitiveness, and togetherness of high school football.  It was a unique experience in my life and one that I think about often.  There's nothing like it as an adult.  Although the competitive aspects of being a lawyer sometimes come close, I can't say that it's as fun as playing football and my most recent chapter certainly lacks the togetherness that characterized my high school football experience.

Tonight Jeannie cooked cheese ravioli with spaghetti sauce with meatballs and spinach for dinner.  It was good.  We ate it while watching The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on tv.  Although I fell asleep for part of it, it was a decent movie.

Since I've been on paternity leave, I feel that my physical health and mental health have both improved.  I've been exercising every weekday since I've been on leave, which has led me to feel better already.  And simply being away from the negative, personality-dulling effects of the office, I've felt much better about myself.  On both counts, physical and mental, I know that I have more progress to make in direction of good health and feeling good about myself, but I know I'm heading the right way for both.  It's a good feeling, and for that I thank God.

Friday night musings

Work

I'm in an abusive relationship with the family law unit of [...].  I'm committed to the relationship: I show up every day, I work consistently, I don't take time off unless I'm truly sick or for a pre-planned vacation.  Yet although I'm committed, I'm taken for granted by the other side in the relationship.  I've never once been offered praise or a complimentary word or a positive word of recognition by my supervisor or anyone in the unit.  If anyone in the unit denied that, I would ask the cross-examination question: "can you produce one email or written evidence of having done so."  And like an abusive relationship, when it's not the default of being taken for granted, when I do get attention, mainly from my supervisor, it's criticism, it's what I've done wrong.  Just like the oppressed party in an abusive relationship, I'm made to feel like shit and that I'm never good enough.

Culture

In current events, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson was released today.  I'm fine with it.  Although he's certainly talented, I still think he's overrated.  Similar to my criticism of members of my own field of law, I dislike how DeSean has such a big ego.  Show up and do your job, do it well.  The media is claiming that there is evidence that he associates with gang members, who have been tied to murders.  I also dislike the glorification of violence and crime so prevalent in a certain element of the American hip-hop, urban, primarily American-of-African-descent culture.  Leaders of society -- chief executive officers, business owners, politicians, coaches, lawyers and judges, media personalities, and others -- should set a stronger, more vocal example against the acceptance or acquiescence of this culture of death.  So, with all that being said, I'm fine with the Eagles releasing DeSean Jackson.

Love

I feel so blessed to have Jeannie and Rocky and the Baby in my life.  With our baby daughter on the way, due to arrive any day now, we're really becoming a family.  My marriage, and my relationship, with Jeannie is strong and healthy.  And Rocky and the Baby are there for me, making me happy day in and day out for the past nine years.  As much other shit may be going on in the world, from my office and beyond, I thank God that my life at home is good and stable and healthy.  Thank you, God.

A Day to Thank my Enemies

On this date, March 2nd, I thank all those who have broken my heart, insulted me, offended me, failed to believe in me, underestimated me, or talked shit about me behind my back.  Two years ago today, on March 2nd, 2012, Ileana walked out on me, walking right out the door to my apartment at 1015 Bainbridge Street.  I haven't had any direct contact with her since.

Earlier today, before I got out of bed to take a shower before church, I thought about two episodes where I really felt hurt and then ashamed of my reaction.  First, when I was a senior in high school, I remember dating for a very short period of time one of the most desirable girls of the junior class, Marissa McCormick, a beautiful girl with lush, curly hair.  She was a goalie on the field hockey team.  And she was later that year voted as the best looking girl of her class, or something along those lines.  I remember going on a double date with her and Mike Potter and the girl he was dating at the time.  We went to the Friendly's right by the Marlton Circle (the intersection of Routes 70 & 73, no longer a circle for at least four or five years).  Anyway, it may have been later that night after the double date that another guy, Tim, from our football team threw a house party.  We had lost to Pemberton earlier that day, putting this whole episode on Saturday, October 14, 1995.  Marissa and I both went to the house party.  I don't remember if I picked her up to go there, or if we just met there.  But we were definitely dating, or so I thought.  I don't remember much about the night, except that I think I was trying to play it cool by not being attached to her.  Maybe that was my mistake, because I recall that I hadn't seen her for a while and so I went looking for her.  I opened the door to a bedroom to find her sitting on the bed with one of my friends on the team, John Cidoni.  It's possible that I immediately jumped to a false conclusion, but even my written description now seems hard to justify, so I was understandably hurt by what I saw.  I remember going back downstairs where I had been sitting in the basement.  I remember talking with Taryn Young and I think also with Mia Tatum, a couple of the cheerleaders, both very beautiful young women in their own right.  And I remember getting upset to the point of crying.  I admit before God and whoever later reads this that I'm a sensitive guy; there's no doubt about that.  But I still feel a bit ashamed at my emotional reaction.  Although I had good reason to feel betrayed -- not so much by Marissa, between whom we had not likely developed any kind of allegiance, but more so from my friend, Cidoni -- I still feel like I could have handled the situation with more grace.

The second episode didn't happen too much later, as the calendar would indicate.  I was a sophomore in college, so this was the fall of 1997.  It happened during a football game, although I don't remember which one.  At that point, I was still our team's starting wide receiver.  The moment really hit me at halftime, although it had been building up since some point in the second quarter, and at a deeper level pretty much since the start of the season.  I had a terrible first half, dropping at least a couple easy balls.  The point in the second quarter, that I refer to just above, was what should have been a very easy catch, but was instead a dropped pass.  I was frustrated.  And it had been building for a while.  I was being underutilized by the coach, Barry Streeter.  In other words, I felt that my skills and my talents were being taken for granted, or even worse just disregarded.  That was the issue, not so much the frustration of the moment, but the fact that I felt like less of a person than I had considered myself.  It made me question my identity as a football player, as the best wide receiver that I knew.  And when I got into the locker room at halftime, it was too much to hold back.  I took off my helmet and cried by my locker.  I couldn't handle it.  Again, I think back to this episode and I wonder if I had the emotional grit to handle the situation with more grace, perhaps wait until a more private moment to release my pent-up frustration and self-doubt.  Or perhaps not.  Perhaps that was exactly what needed to happen.

When I look back at both of those moments, I see that something "good" came out of each one.  After the first, I developed a hunger to hit Cidoni in tackling drills and the like during practice.  Before that, I'd always had an aversion, if not fear, to hitting and being hit.  My love for the game of football had more to do with displaying my skills in having really good hands to catch the football and exceptional speed to set myself apart, athletically, from everyone else on the field.  Now, in reaction to this episode of hurt, I wanted to punish Cidoni.  And I overcame my fear of hitting others as hard as I could.  I remember that it was later that same season that I put a huge hit on Aamir Dew in our win against #6-ranked nationally Toms River North.  And I wasn't scared any more of getting hit.

After the second episode, I think I began to realize that my own identity was more than a football player, or at least it had to be, and I had to figure out how so.  Right before I was supposed to report to camp in August 1998, I called Coach Streeter to tell him that I wasn't going to return to the team.  I had been developing as a team leader during the off-season work-outs, but I decided to apply those skills elsewhere.  I joined our college chapter of Amnesty International and eventually led it to the second biggest budget for a student organization on campus and ushered in a period of increased membership and activity on campus.

Maybe this is all revisionist history on my part, especially since I still feel a bit of shame from my reaction to both episodes of hurt.  I hope I'm remembered for more than just my reactions.  I hope I'm remembered for being genuine in my emotions.  And more than that, I hope I'm remembered for the positive aspects: for being desired by a really desirable girl, for being a great football player, for being a good organizational leader, and for always putting my heart into whatever I did.

Circling back to the commemoration of today's date, I also know that I was devastated by Ileana walking out that door.  The next two months marked one of the biggest depressions of my life (on par with my third year of law school).  Similar to the first story, I felt rejected by a girl.  And similar to the second story, I felt like I had lost a big piece of my identity.  But like both stories above, something really good came out of it: only six months later, to the day (September 2, 2012), I met my wife at a Labor Day barbecue I hosted at the very same apartment at 1015 Bainbridge Street.  And not just that, I had learned the importance of valuing and cherishing my relationship with my partner.  Since then, I'm very aware that I've been blessed by God, and I'm very thankful.

Sometimes, it's the people who hurt us in some way that teach us the most.  This March 2nd, I thank those people by still being here, being alive, and being happy.

Cool winds

It's that time of year.  Football is almost here!!!  This coming Thursday is the college football kick-off.  There's one more week of NFL pre-season, then the NFL regular season starts just two weeks from now.  The downside, I guess, is that summer is coming to an end.  Labor Day is next weekend, but that's a nice thing for me now since that's the anniversary of when I met Jeannie.  It's also the start of my favorite season of the year: fall.  In addition to being football season, I love the warm days and cool nights.  I remember as a child walking the trails of Cheesequake State Park and Holmdel State Park during the fall.  I also remember favorably the excitement and anticipation of a new school year and the building excitement for the fall holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, my birthday, and Christmas.  It's a good time of year, for sure.

I'm hoping some of that spirit of renewal and rejuvenation effect me this year.  If you've read my recent posts, you know that there has been a lot of negativity in the air, mainly at work.  Jeannie and I leave this coming Thursday for a long weekend in Montreal.  I had been hoping that our recent trip to Ensenada, Mexico and San Diego might infuse me with some positive rejuvenation.  It didn't happen that way, but I remain hopeful that this upcoming trip to Montreal will finally do so.  Now that Jeannie and I are expecting a baby, and especially since Jeannie is still looking for work, I feel it's important that I use the challenges at work as an opportunity to learn lessons and re-double yet again my focus and energies on the work itself, rather than bothering myself with worries about other people's perceptions of me.  God knows me.  God knows that I'm not a perfect man, but that I'm a good man who does good work by helping others, both at work as part of my job but also outside of work as a compassionate man.  This past Wednesday when I was leaving work and walking with Ben, his boyfriend Kyle, and another attorney from the office, Jane, down 15th Street toward Baja Room, I saw a homeless woman with whom I'm friendly, Maria.  As I passed her, I happily said hi, and she turned around and came running back to me to give me a hug.  Earlier that day, as I was walking back down Chestnut Street from Court, a young guy approached me and shared with me his story of trying to get on his feet and look for work.  He asked for help getting shoes or shirts for work.  In response I arranged to meet him at 2pm tomorrow to give him a pair of shoes and possibly some shirts, to get him going in the right direction.  God knows that I'm a good man, even if I haven't been perfect.  Whether any one at work realizes that is no longer my concern.  I'll do my job to the best of my ability until I feel in my heart that it's time to move on.

Whoever you are reading this now, I pray that God blesses you with good health, happiness, and love.  Whatever troubles you may have or worries on your mind, may this season be one of healthy renewal for you too.  God bless you.

Several reflections on society

I think all the media and events sympathetic to Trayvon Martin are ridiculous.  Trayvon Martin was bashing George Zimmerman's head into a sidewalk.  George Zimmerman was justified in defending his life.  There was likely poor decision-making on the part of both men, but George Zimmerman did nothing unlawful at any point, either before, during, or after.  And if poor decision-making is a punishable crime, then we're all guilty.

I think it's terrible that the United States has militarized the border with Mexico.  Open the border.  The whole point of the NAFTA was free trade (obviously, since that's part of the acronym).  If the U.S. is in favor of free trade and commerce, then it should be in favor of the free movement of labor.  Labor and capital are two sides of the same coin.  Policies must be consistent, or else they are simply hypocrisy.

I think it's a real shame that so many people of wealth and means are not religious.  Everything you are, everything you have is due to the grace of God.  To be ignorant of that is sinful pride and arrogance.  Failure to give thanks for the people and things in your life, and for life itself, is a sin.  I have little respect for people who think they are "the shit."  God shall humble you when the time is right, and your wealth will be exposed for its worthlessness.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper has been getting lots of publicity, largely negative, for getting caught on camera using the "n-----" word.  I condemned my friend Paul for using the word several years ago.  And I stand in my position that the word should never be used.  But returning to the theme of hypocrisy from above, I disrespect any person that uses the "n-----" word, including persons of African descent and/or dark skin color.  Quit using the word; depending on your appearance you either sound like a racist or an ignorant, uneducated fool.  If the United States is going to be the greatest country in the world, it must act like it; being or looking like a racist or ignorant, uneducated fool demonstrates the opposite of being great.

And speaking of judging others, up until I created a big hullabaloo a few months ago by speaking truth at a weekly unit meeting, my supervisor would frequently use the word "asshole" to describe men, and only men, opposing parties in cases where we considered whether to provide attorney representation to our clients (who, in these particular cases, were women).  I have no tolerance for any kind of racism, sexism, or bias rooted in immutable characteristics.  Quit name-calling others, you sound like an insolent adolescent.  Again, if we're going to be a great nation, each and every one of us must hold ourselves to high standards of conduct, not just for ourselves as individuals, but also as mindful of the example we set for others, especially the young.  Regularly calling any class or category of people an "asshole" or some other offensive word is the opposite of great; it's a base reflection of the reality television culture we live in, where people are implicitly encouraged to speak and act impulsively, often at the expense of other people's dignity.

Saw Temple vs. Rutgers at Lincoln Financial Field, section 105, row 26, seat 9 for $35.00 with Paul.

Saw Temple vs. Villanova at Lincoln Financial Field, section 133, row 23, seat 9 for $20.00 with Wagner, Corey, and Ben.

Facebook status update

It still amazes me that Shawnee now has a turf field. It's been a while since I was a Renegade, but I still missing playing football every fall.

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.

BCS National Championship

Tonight is the big game between Alabama and Texas. I have no plans tonight other than to chill out and watch the game at home. Hopefully it's a close, entertaining game; wouldn't want to end this college football season with a flop.

Earlier today I filed exceptions in a child support case. I thought the master did a really shitty job of calculating the child support. And I think she was motivated to prove me wrong since during the hearing I refused to settle with the other side for a meager monthly sum on behalf of my client. I insisted on a hearing, and the master became visibly angry that she'd actually have to put on a full hearing. That's why I think she wanted to tweak the numbers in whatever way possible to make the final order for less than the other side was offering to settle for. The exceptions were due today, and I got them done just in time. I found plenty of caselaw to support my position. But as with anything else, there's no way to know how the court will resolve my exceptions. With the court, as on the football field, it's "any given Sunday." But as I instant messaged to Ileana earlier today, while I was putting the finishing touches on the exceptions: "my legal arguments are swift and painlessly painful." That was my way of saying that I think I did a good job in preparing my exceptions, i.e., making my arguments. Now we'll just have to wait for a hearing date.

Besides that, all is quiet on the western front. I've been super-busy at work and that has been the main focus of my life these past few days. The only other thing that I'll comment on now is that the weather has been really cold. I think I heard that it may snow tonight, which is hard to believe since we've had perfectly clear (yet cold) skies all day long today. But hey, it is winter, so what else should we expect? That's all for now, folks, hope all is well and quiet on your front and back too. Peace.

Happy new year!

A new year has begun! 2009 is in the past, 2010 is the present and the future. Hopefully it's a good year filled with good health and happiness.

The New Year's Eve weekend was pretty good. My sister Jessica came down from Easton to hang out with Ileana and me for the night. Jess picked me up and we drove out to West Philly to meet up with Ileana and her roommate Jess. Ileana warmed up some dinner that she had cooked earlier in the evening: yellow rice with shrimp and vegetables. It was really good, although it would've been better if it had been warmed up more. The highlight was the sangria that Ileana made from a recipe that she got online; she used a bottle of malbec and mixed in a bunch of fruit. It was really good.

After that, the four of us walked the block and a half or so to a house party on 45th and Locust. Even though we didn't get there until around 10pm, people were still showing up around that time. We milled around for a while, chatting it up with a few people and eating some of the appetizers laid out on a table in the dining room. Mostly I just talked with Ileana, while Jess talked with this guy John who sorta looked like the actor Ryan Reynolds. Finally midnight approached, so everyone gathered in the living room, where a smaller television was set-up to watch the ball drop. At a few minutes before midnight, John and I psyched everyone out by shouting out a countdown "ten, nine, eight..."; everyone's surprise reaction at being caught off-guard was pretty funny. Finally midnight struck and I realized that there may not have been any couples there at all, which Jess told me later, made her happy. We all toasted small plastic cups of champagne and the new year began!

The next morning, Ileana and I cooked eggs with green pepper and onions for ourselves, with english muffins on the side. Then Jess and I drove back to my place so that I could clean-up my apartment while Jess went out to do reading at Cosi in the afternoon. Later, I walked over to meet her, and then Ileana took a bus to come meet us there too. From there, the three of us walked back to Jess's car and we drove to have a late lunch / early dinner at Bar Ferdinand in Northern Liberties. Because there was a happy hour special when we got there, we were able to have two carafes of sangria. And we all split 8 tapas and 2 bowls of soup. Overall the food was delicious; nothing like empanadas to hit the spot. After dinner, Jess drove us out to West Philly so that Ileana could pick-up her passport (to use as ID for the night), then dropped us off at Drinker's in Center City so that we could hang-out with my friend Mike and his girlfriend Christine. Before that, though, Ileana and I ran in to buy tickets for the movie Avatar, playing later that night. Ileana and I split a pitcher of Bud Light at Drinker's, while chatting with Mike and Christine, and then booked it just in time to catch a cab out to the Bridge at 40th and Walnut. The movie Avatar was awesome. Upon the advice of Ethan (who texted me earlier that day for new year's), we decided to pay the extra money to watch it in 3-D; so worth it! The special effects were amazing and the visual picture was just beautiful. Ileana and I really related to the storyline, especially as it paralleled the Conquest of the Americas, a topic that we had spoken a lot of while I read the book "Open Veins of Latin America" by Eduardo Galeano, which I had just finished reading a few days earlier. The only bummer was having to wait for 20 minutes on the corner of 40th and Chestnut for a bus back to Center City on a night when it was freezing cold and windy. Despite the cold weather, though, we were both buzzing from the after-effects of watching Avatar.

Saturday, we took our time getting the day started. We finally made it out in the mid-afternoon to take a walk to a coffee shop. We tried going first to Good Karma, but every table was taken, so we kept walking until we got to La Va Cafe, on 21st and South Streets. We got a table there and sipped our coffee while reading: she with Song of Solomon (by Toni Morrison) and me with Revolutionary Suicide (by Huey P. Newton). From there we stopped back at my place to pick-up a Trader Joe's gift card, which my mom had given to me for Christmas, and we went food-shopping together. We had a lunch of California rolls and crackers with Iberico cheese and salami. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching television, including some college football, which I tried to explain to Ileana. Later in the evening we cooked some organic spaghetti with spinach mixed into the red sauce, and then Ileana left to go home to get ready for the night. Although I was feeling pretty tired, I had promised Ileana that we would go out dancing. So when she texted to say that she was in a cab on her way down to the Walnut Room, I left my place and walked over there. There was a pretty decent crowd there and I took a few minutes to ease in to the atmosphere by drinking a couple PBR's and feeling the music, which was mostly 90's to more recent hip-hop. Ileana was dancing pretty much right from the get-go, and eventually I started dancing too. After a little while, I had gotten into it. Towards the end of the night, the dj played a merengue song, and I could see that Ileana was impressed that my dancing skills (at least when it comes to merengue) were better than I had let on. Even though I was tired throughout much of the night, the music energized me just enough and we had a really fun night dancing together.

Sunday was a very lazy day. We got up at 11:30am, only to migrate to the couch for breakfast and then a nap that lasted until around 2pm. After getting up and having lunch, we finally went out later in the afternoon for a coffee at La Colombe. I did a little more reading in my book, while Ileana read from Citypaper and Philadelphia Weekly. We went back to my place so I could drop-off my stuff before going to church, while Ileana stayed behind and did some reading. When I got back from church, we cooked a dinner of pollo asado (pre-seasoned courtesy of Trader Joe's), white rice with coconut milk, and black beans. It was a good dinner, enjoyed while watching episodes of Lost, season five. Our Lost marathon lasted until past midnight. And so, our long New Year's weekend finally came to an end.

And so now, it's back to the grind. In this new year, I'd like to do a much better job of getting to work on-time, getting to the gym more regularly, and keeping in touch with my friends more, all things that sound easy, but I find ways to make difficult. That being said, I wish you the very best in 2010!

Autumn: coffee, football, and work/out

Today was a pretty good day. I met Michael for lunch today at Coventry Deli (at 20th & Market). Actually, he had lunch while I drank a coffee I had picked-up along the way at La Colombe. We were able to catch-up on some gossip, which is always a lot of fun. Afterwards, I walked across the street to the courtyard at Commerce Square, where Jeanette came down to say hi. It was nice to see her; she looked good. The three of us talked for about 15 minutes before they had to get back to work.

After getting back home, I took care of some phone calls (one to a potential client, the other to a current opposing party) -- as you can see, I'm trying to keep busy while I'm in between projects. And then I ran out to mail a bill and deposit my last paycheck at the bank (may it last for long time!). Anyway, I feel like this is turning into a play-by-play of my day, so let's move on to other topics.

The Philadelphia Eagles. Along with so many other people, I'm not expecting much from Kevin Kolb this Sunday against the Saints. I'm predicting that McNabb won't even suit up, now that they have Garcia. I think Garcia will be in by midway through the 2nd quarter. And I actually think that the Eagles will come out with a win, after the offense rallies around Garcia and the defense generally stifles the Saints' offense.

The weather. I love autumn; it's my favorite season. I wore a short-sleeve t-shirt to meet Michael and Jeanette, and I was fine. Tonight the windows are open at the double-deuce & Spruce, and there is a nice chill in the air. The weather reminds me of football. And it reminds me of long walks in the leaf-covered trails of state parks when I was a young boy. Autumn reminds me of growing up, since it reminds me of the excitement of returning to Gettysburg for four consecutive years as an undergraduate. I really love this time of the year.

Now, to return to my daily recap, I finally made it to the gym this evening, my first time there in about a week and a half. The work-out was good; I felt strong. Bench press was solid, dumbell bicep curls, lateral raises, cable tricep push-down, front raises, crunches on the Swiss ball, and an extra set of dips and push-ups at the end for good measure. I saw my recent gym buddy Brian there and talked to him for just a minute, told him that I felt good and wanna do better to make it in there more often. With the way I felt during and after the work-out, I most certainly will.

Good night folks!

End of an era . . .

. . . or at least another project. My time at Pepper Hamilton is over, at least for the time being. There was talk that we may be called back in two or three weeks to begin another phase of the case we were working on, or else for a new case. I don't necessarily mind the break, as long as it's only two or three weeks. I have to complete a case for one of my friends. And I've got a couple side projects, personal and professional, that should occupy my time for a couple weeks. I sure hope, though, that by the beginning of October, I've landed another gig. Of course I'll also take this opportunity to scope out the scene for permanent jobs, although I don't hold too much hope on that front, what with the economy and all. But who knows, it's worth a lookie-lookie.

I don't think I fully realize how excited I'm going to be by the end of tomorrow. I'm taking the R7 up to my dad's place in Levittown to have lunch and then head out to the Walmart near him to pick-up a television antenna and digital converter box. Then we'll drive down I-95 south to the Illadelph, and more specifically to the Ikea down on Del Ave so I can hook myself up with a nice television stand. After that, the project will be to put it all together. And hopefully, voila, by the end of the afternoon, I'll be able to kick back and watch some college football. And that's when it'll hit me how excited I'll be. Right now it's just a vague premonition of excitement.

Finally, I'm resolving myself to hitting the gym consistently now that I'll have no excuse. I've been too lax for too long now, and I really gotta get in there. Last time I was there, about a week ago, this guy Brian told me that he would push me back into the gym if he saw me walking around the street. I haven't seen him yet. But I'm not gonna wait to find out if he was serious; I'll get back to the gym on my own. I'm pretty sure that watching football on tv will motivate me to work-out; football fires up the athletic competitiveness within me.

Follow-up on the Baby and no NYC

The Baby is doing fine. As I write this she's sitting on my bed, grooming herself by licking her tummy. Earlier tonight, Rocky and the Baby were chasing each other around the apartment. Rocky cornered her underneath the bicycles leaning against my bedroom wall, the Baby assumed her normal defensive position by lying on her back with her four paws up in the air, trying to stiff-arm Rocky's attempts to nose-dive into her and bite her, and the two of them alternately swiped at each other's paws to create an opening for "attack." It was fun to watch them play.

I was going to go to New York City this weekend, but I think that's no longer gonna happen. First of all, there is a very strong likelihood that the project that I've been working on is going to end tomorrow. The work has simply run out. That translates into once again having to be conservative with my spending. Second, I had hoped to hear back from at least one of two girls: one, Elsa, an El Salvadoran girl I met about a month ago when I last visited New York, and the other, Anne-Sarah, a French girl I met last November when we sat next to each other on a four-hour bus ride from Vang Vieng to Vientiane, Laos. Elsa lives in New York, Anne-Sarah is currently visiting New York. I had been corresponding with both of them a couple weeks ago, and since mentioning to each that I'd be in New York this weekend, neither one has responded. This has seemed to be my luck lately, in a general sense. I write to people and they don't write back at all. Oh well, what can I say, if they haven't thought to write back, then it's probably not really worth my time to go see them, I'll just keep doing my thing here in Philly. Finally, my third reason for staying in Philly this weekend is that my dad has offered to help me pick-up a television stand from Ikea, on which I'll put my new, pre-owned television. I'll also need to buy a digital converter box and an antenna, and then I'll be set to watch football. I've effectively not had television (other than to watch dvd's) for the past three months or so (whenever the digital transition took place). Now that it's starting to get dark early, with the coming of autumn, the nights have seemed just a bit darker and lonelier lately. The distraction of television and the accompanying illusion of other human voices in my apartment will be comforting. Not to mention, watching football is one of my true and simple pleasures in life.

Positivity

"Life comes in phases, take the good with the bad."
"Sometimes life, it seems to stall, but never be ungrateful, y'all."

A couple of quotes from songs by the Beastie Boys, arguably my favorite music group due to their playful humor, diversity of musical genres, and occasional bits of wisdom (such as the above) to be found as nuggets throughout their songs.

Anyone who's been keeping up with me lately knows that there has been a decent amount of negativity in my life lately, much of it admittedly brought on by myself. Hey, I never said I was perfect, and just as every single one of us (unless you're God) must do, there's always room for improvement and making progress.

And speaking of making progress, I was hired today to join a project at the Philadelphia offices of one of the 15 largest law firms in the world. I interviewed with one of their associates just yesterday, and today I got the good news that they want me on-board. Of course I said yes. As is the nature of these projects, there will be an end date. But that's not a bad thing by any measure. In emotional terms, it gives me some purpose on a day-to-day basis, and brings me into daily contact with other people; perhaps I'll even make some new friends. In financial terms, of course I'll be earning more by working than what I'd been receiving in unemployment benefits (as not insignificant as they - surprisingly - were), and even better than that I'll be making even more than I was making at the end of my last project. Looking at the bigger picture, though, the greatest benefit to this project is that it takes the edge off of the urgent pressure to fulfill one of my top two pre-eminent new year's resolutions: to begin a career track (the other resolution being to be a better communicator, as that has hurt too many people, including myself). Don't get me wrong, even though I got this job, there will continue to be a certain steady determination to begin a career track. I already have a good idea as to what I would like to pursue, i.e. where my unique skills and personality traits best suit me to work. At the superstititious risk of jinxing myself, though, I'll keep these dreams and aspirations in reserve until I at least begin to make more substantive progress in real, material terms to achieving those goals. As with any true resolution, I know that I have to consciously focus on making progress toward fulfilling the objective that the resolution represents.

Anyway, I'm here at Good Karma cafe, typing these very words, and hoping that I can begin to soak up some good karma. As I wrote in an email to my friend, Lisa, in Dubai, earlier this evening: the Eagles are feeding off of the cautious optimism of the city of Philadelphia, an optimism that is no longer dulled by cynicism as it was in the past, due to the Phillies' breaking the championship ice just a few months ago. The cynical, self-defeating edge to past optimism has been largely defused by the Phillies, so now there's just the good energy of truly "believing". Let's all root for the Eagles, and for the growth of that positivity in the city of brotherly love. E-A-G-L-E-S, go Eagles!!! And may we all turn the page to a positive, happy and healthy new year.

A lil lighter

The last two posts have been on the heavy side. New Year's Eve was as terrible as I thought it would be, despite going out with a friend of mine to a local watering hole. But hey, that was '08; that's old news.

It's a new year, and that means turning over a new leaf, at least in terms of outlook and attitude. I've resolved to be a better communicator, keeping in more frequent contact with my family and friends. The one positive that I can take from all the negative of the past week or so is the realization that when times get rough, I will oftentimes retreat within myself. And that a lot of what happened recently is a direct result of failing to communicate my feelings during a time of separation. Cherise lost a lot of faith in me because, as far as she could see through her eyes, I basically abandoned her; all she could naturally assume was that I didn't really care about her too much. And believe me, this exact same paradigm has definitely affected my relationships with my family and friends. I want to change this, and I hope to God that this is the year that I can make that change. I want to foster better relationships with my family and close friends, and as far as Cherise, I will make sure to keep in touch, and take comfort in the fact that whatever will happen, will indeed happen.

I went to the gym earlier today. This was my third visit in four days, but before that I hadn't gone since October 31st. The gym is a good way to blow off steam and I know that it makes me feel good when I'm in good shape. I'm gonna keep that up consistently, as I always did before my trip to southeast Asia. Knowing myself as I do, I should be close to good form in about two weeks. By the end of the month, I should be lifting close to my max weight.

A funny thing, though, from the gym earlier today. The radio was broken, so there was complete silence. Well, at least until a tough guy came down to use the squat rack, and began screaming at himself at the end of every set. This kind of thing reminded me of my college weight room. For those that don't know, I played football in high school and college. So being around my teammates, I was exposed to the archetypal meathead, and it always made me laugh when they screamed in the weight room. And for some reason, it's almost always during squats. Great stuff.

Well, that's all I feel like posting today. Speaking of football, I wanna get home soon to watch the NFL wild-card playoff games.

Here's to a healthy and happy '09. Cheers!

Windows closed

This morning was the first time that I took out the screens and closed the windows in my apartment since the last time I had my air-conditioning on for a hot day in the summer. Today was a little bit chilly in the morning. And now tonight, it's feeling even chillier. So autumn really is coming now!

Yesterday I was out and about, and walking around the city. I realized in the mid-afternoon that I still hadn't eaten breakfast yet (I'd had a second round of coffee around noontime, due to a completely restless -- and totally worth it -- weekend). So I went into Goodburger, on the 1700 block of Chestnut Street, to get a quick meal. I've eaten there once before, probably about two months ago, not too long after they first opened. I recommend it. Anyway, it was there that I was very fortunate to catch -- coincidentally -- the last two innings of the Phillies game, in which they were victorious over the Milwaukee Brewers, thus winning that series to move on to the NLDS (the National League Division Series).

And speaking of the NLDS, it starts this Thursday right here in the Two-One-Five. With all respect to Michael, I hope the Phillies make a statement and handily handle (that's a handful!) the Dodgers. We all know that this city is desperate for a championship. And especially with the prospects of a good Eagles' season going quickly down the tubes, we've gotta send all our good karma in the Phillies' direction. (Or better yet, in the economy's direction, whatever direction it may be -- but let's save that topic for another time).

Okay, amigos, time to figure out what's for dinner. "I'm audi, so check me."

Noticias

Estimados lectores hispanohablantes:

Este noviembre voy con mi amigo, Paul, al sureste de Asia. Mas especificamente, vamos a intentar a visitar los 4 paises de esa parte del mundo: Tailandia, Laos, Cambodia, y Vietnam.

Estoy emocionado porque esto sera mi primera vez en Asia. Realmente, mi primer toque en Asia sera en Japon porque tengo un cambio de vuelos ("lay-over") en Aeropuerto Narita, que es el aeropuerto de Tokio. De ahi, voy y llego en Bangkok, la capital de Tailandia.

Otro evento mas temprano es el concierto de Tortured Soul, uno de mis grupos favoritos. Haga clic AQUI para visitar el sitio de ellos y escuche unas piezas de Tortured Soul. El concierto es el proximo jueves, en Newark, una ciudad al norte del estado de New Jersey, que queda muy cerca, solo unos kilometros de New York City.

Tortured Soul es un grupo de tres maes: uno en la guitarra baja, otro en el keyboard, y el baterista, quien tambien es el cantante. La musica puede ser clasificada como house o electronica, por el sonido del keyboard. Pero tambien puede ser clasificada como soul, por la voz y la forma de cantar del cantante. En total, es una combinacion que me gusta mucho.

Finalmente, les digo que tengo ganas de ir a un partido de football ("futbol norteamericano") de mi universidad de derecho: Temple University. La universidad esta ubicada en el norte de la ciudad de Philadelphia. Por un acuerdo con el equipo profesional de football aqui en Philadelphia -- los Philadelphia Eagles (Aguilas) -- el equipo de Temple juega todos sus partidos en casa en el estadio profesional de los Eagles. El estadio se llama Lincoln Financial Field, y es uno de los mejores estadios en todo el pais. Fue construido muy recientemente.

En la temporada pasada, el noviembre pasado si me acuerdo bien, yo fui con mi amigo Bill a un partido de los Temple Owls contra los Penn State Nittany Lions, en Lincoln Financial Field. Penn State es mucho, mucho mejor que los Owls, y ellos ganaron. Pero los Owls lucharon hasta el final contra un rival mas fuerte y con mas "armas," es decir, mas jugadores mas atleticos.

El primer partido en casa de los Temple Owls es el 6 de septiembre. Quiero aprovechar de ver un partido en Lincoln Financial Field, sin pagar tanto como ir a un partido de los Philadelphia Eagles. Y a la misma vez, quiero apoyar mi universidad, la universidad donde estudie derecho.

Bueno, ticos, nicas, boricuas, y cualquier Fulano de Tal, espero que todo este bien con ustedes. Espero que sigan visitando mi sitio aunque sea casi siempre escrito en ingles. Y finalmente, espero que todo este PURA VIDA, MAE!!!