E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!

So despite the fact that it's been face-burningly cold for the past week here in the 19107, we've been out and about. We lost at Quizzo (AGAIN), once more proving that Will's random knowledge does not reach far enough to win us $20 at Doc Watson's. Also, it proves that they don't ask enough questions about literature/pop music (my expertise), and apparently that Will is gay because he's utterly useless during the sports round. I mean... the only NBA team with a sword in their symbol? He was sure it was the Sacramento Kings. Good guess, but no cigar. It was the Cleveland Cavaliers, and even I was able to guess that one. I guess being forced to watch Sports Center every morning does amount to something good. 

Then Friday night I had a girls night with (you guessed it) some girl friends of mine. We did lots of random stuff, from shredding it up on guitar hero to watching How I Met Your Mother to playing Rummikub. All in all it was a good time; and made me wish I was personally friends with NPH. 

Then yesterday I went to an art supply store on South Street and found some kick-ass beads which allowed me to make these kick-ass earrings. 

The ones on the left are for Nancy and the ones on the right are for our neighbor who LOVES corn. So of course when we saw the beads, we knew they were very appropriate. I could definitely see myself taking up earring-making as a hobby. I think I have an eye for good bead combinations and I'm pretty awesome at curling wire. We'll see. Considering I spent $30 at the bead store, I better get my money's worth in the amount of earrings I make. 

And that brings me to today, when the Eagles face off with the Arizona Cardinals to see who is going to the Superbowl, and who is left behind, crying in their own pile of bird crap. I'm a bit scared for the Eagles... although last weekend I thought they wouldn't beat the Giants and they did. So who knows... anything could happen!

GO PHILLY! GO EAGLES!

Using Jewish Rituals Incorrectly

Way to go, Akbar. 

Inner Dialogue

Today I got to walk home from work alone, which is a treat since I usually walk with Will. When I'm traversing the streets all by my lonesome, I feel a lot like Zach Braff in one of my FAVORITE shows, Scrubs. That's because I have tons of (random) thoughts flying through my head and it would be pretty funny if there were a voice-over dictating them out loud, like there is for Zach's character, J.D. 

Alas... there is no narrator for my life (just me), so I wanted to include in this blog the meandering stream of conscious that I experienced on my walk home from work today. And go!

Is it still raining out? I hope not. I'm going to put my umbrella up anyway. What if it's not raining, though, and I'm one of those freaks I hate who hold their umbrellas up even when it's not raining? Oh. It is raining. I hate when it rains. I hate having to hold my umbrella. My hand gets cold and my arm gets tired. Why is the lady in front of me walking so slow? DAMN that girl's boots are like 5 inches high. I'd probably laugh if she broke her ankle right here on the street. That's mean. Whatever, she deserves it for wearing those impractical boots. I wonder if I'll ever be rich enough to eat at that restaurant. Uh-oh, that dude in the SUV is getting pulled over by a cop. SUVs are impractical, just like that girl's boots. He probably deserves a ticket. SERIOUSLY this lady is walking slower than death. What is her deal? Is that man homeless? I hope he doesn't ask me for money. I never give homeless people money. Does that make me a bad person? Are my feet getting wet? I'm wearing galoshes, that really shouldn't happen. Maybe they're just cold. I wonder how late Will is going to get home tonight. At least it gives me a chance to play online games in peace. I have to pay the electric bill. And the gas bill. And do dishes. That's a lot of crap. I need a vacation. DAMMIT LADY HURRY UP!

And there you have it, a brief glimpse into my head. I think it explains a lot. 

A Question and a Comment

First - the question. Why the hell are the doors at the Bellevue (on 15th Street) so friggin' heavy? I go there for lunch pretty frequently because there's a great food court with lots of selection (including a Bain's Deli, yum). But I seriously don't understand why I have to pull a muscle in my bicep every time I want to go in. Are they trying to deter people from entering? Do they only want massive body builders to go inside? Do they want to crush me? What did I ever do to them to deserve this treatment? Until these questions can be answered, I'll just struggle my way in, grab my Pad Thai, and struggle my way out again. 

And now the comment - way to go FACEBOOK for having the weirdest ads EVER. Check out this gem: 

Now if you're that suspicious of the person you're dating, you shouldn't be dating them in the first place. But I guess that's what you get for finding a boyfriend on Facebook. Right? Also, if you use this service, you're a crazy stalker. 

Now if you'll excuse me I have to go check if Will's parents are, in fact, his birth parents. 

*NOTE: I haven't written anything about New Year's and all that jazz, but I'm going to post an entry with my resolutions soon. As you can tell, one of them was not stop procrastinating. 

Ode to my Green Galoshes

A haiku, appropriate for today...

In rain, others skip

away from puddles. But I

simply skip through them. 

Terrorists Your Game is Through

I know this is COMPLETELY out of left field, but I wanted to post this great article from the Op-Ed section of the Times. It's by Thomas L. Friedman and addresses how the Pakistani people should speak out against the radical terrorists who attacked Mumbai. 

Check it out here. 

I was nodding my head (up and down, that is) the whole time I was reading this. We've heard a lot of people say things like, "there's no negotiating with terrorists". Of course, those people are mostly war-mongers, but I think they're somewhat correct. I think of terrorists as that annoying kid in middle school who is ALWAYS being bad, always bullying people, talking back, and disrespecting everyone - but the worst part about the kid is that he just doesn't care about consequences or other people's feelings. You knew people like that in middle school, right? 

Because he didn't care, there was no way to reason with him. That's how terrorists are. They don't think that what they are doing is wrong, they've just been so indoctrinated in hate. So yes, to a point there is no negotiating with them. But that's why Friedman's article is so important, because it provides a solution that I agree is very viable. That is the terrorists own culture and community acting out against them, shunning them, making them realize that they are not acting for the common good, they are not in tune with the community, and no one appreciates what they are doing except themselves.

I think that's how change will happen in societies where terrorism thrives. It has to start within the society.  Terrorists have to be stopped by their own people, or else they will feel that their actions are valid and they will perpetuate. 

Anyway... I'm going to get back to work now but I just wanted to share that. 

Philly Sidewalks, Broad Streets

So last night I was up until 2:30 AM waiting for Will to get home from NH. His flight kept getting pushed back due to the wet conditions. But eventually he got in, we got like 5 hours of sleep, and now it's Monday and I'm back at work wondering exactly what I'm doing here (and wishing to God I was still in bed). 

Walking to work this morning felt like going through an obstacle course. We had to dodge some trucks that were parked right at the curb in the crosswalk, make sure we didn't get drilled into by some big construction equipment (that was so loud it practically made my ears bleed) and of course squeeze around the limping homeless people that take up 3/4 of the sidewalk. One man, who was waddling around asking people for quarters, had tucked his pants into his socks. I guess that's one way to keep your ankles warm? Or make a fashion statement? Not really sure what he was going for. 

It seems like there's always a construction project happening in this city. But I can't complain that they're keeping sidewalks walkable and streets drivable. It makes me think, though, about the budget problems the city is going through right now. We're very much in debt, which isn't surprising with the economic climate and other cities (ahem, almighty NYC) also faltering. But as with any situation like this, people are questioning what should be cut and what should stay. Mayor Nutter says he won't cut "core" services, like police forces, fire houses, and trash collection - which I think is important because we don't want more crime or dirt blowing through the streets (well... any more so than there already is). 

But he is going to cut things like library branches and city workers, and raise fees like parking tickets. (Read some of this here.) I want to jump on the bandwagon with my fellow English majors and proclaim the importance of literary outlets in the city, but I actually kind of agree with this move. I wonder how many people actually USE those libraries? And I know of lots of privately funded non-profits that work to ring literacy to the city. If they're so upset, why not get some rich donors to buy up a property and store books there? It's just as good as library. Don't get me wrong, I'd love for the government to promote reading since I think it's getting more and more unpopular as time goes on, but I think in a time like this, it's necessary to focus on getting the debt under control so that, in the future, we can have surplus to bring these services back and make them even better. 

In other news, last night I saw STELLA live and got their autographs after the show! How's that for arts and culture?