Mar 12, 2017

Becca and I decided to head to Philly and figure out our day as we went. We started off at Sedgley playing a round in the cold. We played 9 holes by ourselves and as we started the back a guy pulled up and asked to play with us. He was nice, if a little talkative, but we had a good time. We decided to call it after hole 18 and went to get a coffee at Lucky Goat. 

While we warmed ourselves on a hot beverage we drove toward cold ones at Tired Hands. We started at the original brewery where we had a couple of amazing saisons, Blue Eyed Soul and Lord Invader, as well as a couple others before we headed over to the Fermentaria. The MimosaHands orange juice IPA was awesome and refreshing. They had a lot of good beers here.

The Rust & Decay II sour brown was awesome and there were a handful of tasty IPAs on tap. We went back up the hill for a couple glasses of the beers we started with and a plate of incredible curry potato salad to finish off our afternoon.

We had both independently thought of going to Loco Pez so that kind of inspired our trip to Philly in the first place. We got ourselves a seat at the bar, ordered our beers and nacho waffle fries (potachos *tm*) and enjoyed a slow time. The potachos were incredible of course. I nursed my Neshaminy Creek a bit since it was my last beer of the night and we ended up not getting charged for our beers anyway. Not a bad end to the day.

Nov 23, 2013

I had a meeting with potential clients for a wedding in the morning in Roebling, which is near Trenton. After rushing I got there just on time. The meeting went well and we talked about a bunch of things besides the wedding so I'm hopeful that they will hire me. I headed over to Wissahickon for a run to kill some time before meeting Jess later. It was quite chilly out, but once I started running the hills I warmed up really fast. I had a good run of about 3 miles, but I kind of turned my ankle twice on rocks. I'm surprised it wasn't worse considering how many rocks I have to sidestep on those trails. There were still enough leaves to make the trail really pretty.

I went over to Sedgley, where they were having their monthly tournament and found Philly's Mayor Nutter learning to putt at the practice basket. It was quite an unusual sight. He made one after a few attempts. The tournament was starting the second round and they weren't utilizing 10-18 so I played those first before getting back to 1. On hole 3 I caught up to two guys, Ben and John, who invited me to play with them. They were beginners and were quite amazed at my slight abilities. We had a good time playing, and somehow I was putting extremely well. I was hitting putts from twenty feet that I would normally miss for sure. 

I met Jess over at the Divine Lorraine and got a chai latte before trying to find our way in. This time we had to enter the adjacent building and go through the basement to get up into the hotel. After that it was familiar and easy. We checked out a few different floors as we climbed the stairs up. Jess was shooting more than I was because I wasn't interested in too much in the open, empty rooms. We got up to the top floor and then decided to take the fire escape access ladder up to the roof.

We had a beautiful view from the roof. The skyline was mostly unobstructed and when the sunset began it just kept getting better. The sky turned into burning magma cascading across the sky and it was just perfect. Right around sunset is when we suddenly looked up to see a guy standing there. It was very unexpected. He was followed by about 7 others. I thought we were going to be alone the whole time so that was a surprise. The people were from all over and met up on Instagram then decided to come here to meet in real life. Everyone was very nice.

After it started getting dark we turned on our flashlights and headed down the stairs, through the basement, up the ladder, and under the fence back to the street. It was quite a successful shoot. I headed home and met Ryan to play some of the Wii U Super Mario Bros. It's pretty great; just like the one for Wii. After some good playing we went out for a walk near the church. The wind was blowing like crazy and it got pretty chilly, but walking quickly helped warm me. The day tired me out so it's bedtime.

Sep 8, 2013

After successfully finding a ticket for the Fall Out Boy show for a good price, I had to go to Philly early to meet the guy at the box office. I met the guy I talked to and his daughter, who was very upset about not being able to go to the show. I was happy to get a ticket though. I went over to the nearby Whole Foods to get food from their bar for lunch and ate most of it before going out for a game at Sedgley by myself. I had a good game and the course played really fast.

 I went to The Abbaye for a couple of beers, the Anchor BigLeaf Maple which was pretty tasty and the Terrapin Tree Hugger which was refreshing. It got pretty boring sitting at a table by myself so I walked over to The Foodery and constructed myself a four pack of beers with generous ABVs. I parked my car a block from the Liacouras Center and poured my Wawa cup full of the Cape of Good Hope and turned up the Less Than Jake. This year's batch is amazing. It was a little awkward since Broad Street is really busy at that area, but I was enjoying myself. Darkness fell and I was texting people inside to find out when I should finish my last beer and head in.

There was a little bit of a line at the door so I ended up missing Panic's first song or two. It was unfortunate that I found out later that they played my favorite song first. They were really good, and I was surprised to know more of the songs they played than I thought I would. Even the newer ones they played were ones I had heard or was familiar with. It was a fun set, but the crowd was filled with jerks and people that just wanted to stand still. I wasn't having any of that.

After a long wait with people pushing on me intentionally and making friends with people nearby as I talked about what assholes the others were being, Fall Out Boy finally came out. They opened with "The Phoenix," which is a great opener and then went into a great selection of songs. They played quite a few new songs, which I got into during the show, but I wished they played more older stuff of course. Patrick played a piano acoustic version of "What a Catch, Donnie" and then segued into "20 Dollar Nose Bleed" with Brendan Urie. That was a cool moment.

They went out to a small stage in the center of the GA section to play a small acoustic set of "Lawyer" and "Grand Theft Autumn," which I would very much rather hear electric. After that they finished the regular set and started the encore with "Save Rock and Roll," so I was pleased with that choice. They finished strong with "Saturday" as always and the crowd slowly filed up the steps and back out to the street. I was really glad that I parked on the street because the parking garages were a mess. I was literally in my house before Kate told me her and Jon were finally getting on the bridge.

Sep 6, 2013

I had quite a busy day, beginning at a house near Philly in the morning I had to shoot for a real estate listing. I enjoy doing these jobs sometimes, but I feel I have a hard time making empty rooms look interesting. I think I need a wide angle lens that isn't a fisheye to give them a flat look and show them more accurately.

After the shoot I headed to Sedgley for a solo round. I really like that course for a quick, varied game when I'm in the area. I made some great putts. When I finished I headed over to the Legacy Photographics office in Bridgeport for my training session. Along with a handful of others I had to "unlearn everything I knew about cameras" so I could learn to do things Dave's way. It was basically a review, but they do things a specific was so it was actually very helpful to have him go over things repeatedly so it burned into my brain. The other photographers seem cool too.

When I finished there I headed to Delaware and killed some time getting food and watching shows on my laptop while I waited for my shoot time. I had to meet the people at the church and set up for video in the chapel. I had to wait longer (after they pushed the time back already) because they hadn't written their script for the narration yet. The job really isn't worth all of this. Anyway, they finally got it together and I shot three versions of the narration so I had some options, then I headed home. It was a good, productive day.

Aug 15, 2013

I went up to Bridgeport, PA in the morning to have my interview with Legacy Photographics, even though they kind of already told me that I had the job. I had to take a test, which I thought was humorous. It was about camera settings, ISO, aperture, and things of that nature. I asked how I did and they said I put way more detail than they needed. They just wanted to make sure I had a basic idea of what a camera is and which way to point it. The interview went really well, and I felt comfortable talking to all of them. I left knowing I had the job so that felt nice.

I celebrated by going to Sedgley and playing a round of disc golf. I met a guy at the first tee and we played together so that was nice. I headed into the city and picked up some tickets for upcoming shows sans surcharge before crossing back over the bridge and meeting Jeff at his house to hang with him and Simon. We took a walk with the baby and got some food to bring to the park, where we sat and ate while we talked about business plans. Simon contributed by throwing his bottle on the ground.

I went to the Apple Store next to see if I could exchange my iPod since it just doesn't work anymore. I was able to use advice I got from a former Apple employee to do so. The saleswoman took my old one and brought me a new one that was actually bigger (160GB) and then she told me to have a good night and left. I slowly left the store, unsure if they were billing me later or something. By the time I'd gotten to my car I'd all but confirmed with my friend from Apple that I had stolen it. Or something like it. I guess she forgot that she had to ring me up? Oh well, free iPod!

Chuck came over later in the night to try some of the beers I'd brought home. We finished up the Vanilla Imperial Stout from Schafly and then had the Epic Cap'n Cromley's Pale Ale and some Cape of Good Hope. It was a good night.

Sep 25, 2011

Instead of going to the gym in the morning I went for a run along the river and came back home to do exercises. I picked up Joanna and we went to Sedgley to play a round. We play twelve or so holes to avoid people on the course. It was good, but I didn't feel like waiting for big groups to finish.

We went over to The Abbaye where we dropped off Chuck for Pepe's going away party. It was a small-ish gathering of friends and family. He brought the baby with him too. He greeted me by smelling my armpit to see if I smelled bad after playing disc golf. I didn't. We hung out, had a red bean burger after waiting for them to make a new batch. It's still really good.

We had a few drinks and finished our food then bid Pep farewell on his move to Miami. It was a good time after all. When I got home I went for a walk and listened to Jack's Mannequin, getting excited for the new album and trying to get tired enough for bed.

June 15, 2011

I worked my last full day at Lakeside for the year. The students were pretty checked out already, of course. I put on a video but they didn't pay it much attention. They were too busy signing yearbooks and trying to go to other classes that were having parties. The day went pretty quickly though as I read my book though.

After work I came home for food and then headed up to Philly with Joanna, where we played nine holes at Sedgley instead of hiking because of time. Philly traffic will do that. It was good, but I did spend a lot of time searching for one disc that I ended up finding.

We headed over to the REI store in Conshohocken for a Backpacking seminar put on by Backpacker magazine. We joined the group and the man and woman hosts, who were also a couple, gave us the rundown on what kind of gear to bring, how to plan ahead, and how to lighten our load when on long trips. They were really helpful and made me want to get out there and do more. They also did a raffle and I won a set of lightweight steel cutlery.

After being motivated to do something, we went to the bar and played Quizzo with the group. We got there for the last three rounds and ended up placing sixth. Some of the questions we were present for were fun though. And it was fun getting our waitress's attention.

I went to sleep later knowing that there was only one more day left with those students and then summer begins..

Jun 12, 2011

I wasn't sure what I'd be doing today, but since it was the last day of Art in the Open in Philly along the Schuylkill River, I decided to go up and check it out and meet Leslie from Philadelphia Sculptors at the same time. She had a piece in the show so she was easy to find.

Her piece had to do with memory and each person who chose to be a part of it had to choose an image that related to a memory and give a thumbs up or down to tell whether it was good or bad. Then she emails the photo to you. Interesting concept. I like the actual piece better than the interactive part. We talked for a while about what I would be doing for the organization and then I headed out after she kept having to stop to give people the rundown on her sculpture.

I went over to Wissahickon Creek and did a little bit of climbing before taking to the trails and running up and down the rocky hills. It was an awesome place to run, I wish it were closer. I ran most of the way around until it got too steep and I walked a bit.

I took a trail I didn't know and then found my way back to a familiar area where I ran the rest of the way back for a total of almost three miles at a really good pace somehow. Always a fun spot to come and now I have another reason.

I climbed down to the rocks in the stream and chilled there for a while eating trail mix until I was cooled off and ready to get going.

I went over to Sedgley, which was packed full of people. Discs everywhere. I managed to play four or five holes before I decided that it wasn't worth the trouble and waiting around. I came home and had some good food.

Ryan came over a bit later and went to the cemetery for a run. We did a timed run this time so we set a twenty minute limit and we ran around the paths wherever we wanted until time was up. I ran 2.5 miles. It seems to be my magic number, but I was happy with my pace.

Lots of running today. It felt good to shower and lay down after all that. I feel much better being able to run frequently again.

Apr 10, 2011

What meal do you think this is? Snack maybe? No, it's breakfast. That's what happens when you eat in the school's caf and wake up at noon to eat your first meal. What a healthful start to the day!

I went with Joanna to Sedgley Woods DGC in Philly to play a game; my first in a very long time. It turns out I still remember how to play and have somehow improved some of my throws with the nine months since I've last really played. It was fun and a really nice day for it.

We played the back 18 holes because there were so many people on the front 9. I also spent some time taking photos with my disposable camera for Keith's class. I got some interesting images I think.

I was craving some sweet corn soup from Chili's so we went there on the way home. It was delicious.. but filling. I was not ready to eat half of my burger after the bowl of soup. Not to self: you only need soup next time.

We came back and went to Westby to work on some writing and vocabulary games. I hung out there for some time after. We got slices from Ciconte's later on.

Alex took me back to my car later when we left and we sat and talked for a while. It was long enough to get the attention of the law, apparently, because a cop came over to ask us why we'd been sitting there for three hours (it was really only about a half hour, so I'm not sure what this guy was smoking that made time go so slowly.) After telling him several times that we were fine and just talking he left. It was amusing at least.

Sep 5, 2010

I went to the Sedgley course with Joanna in the morning to dust the cobwebs off my disc golf bag.. and the basket. It was a really nice day out for a game.

There were a lot of people there but we managed to play pretty quickly without waiting for anyone more than once or twice. I would say I did decently. I got a handful of deuces and a bunch more that should have been.

I finally lost my XL on one of the back holes. I have no idea where it could have gotten to but I spent a long time looking for it. I guess it was bound to happen sometime. It's been a good disc. We played all 27 holes and I started feeling like climbing things toward the end so I did.

We went over to the art museum after the game since they had their "pay what you wish" first Sunday thing going on. I hadn't been there for a while anyway. We spent most of the time in the contemporary section. There were a lot of pieces by Brancusi, including "Mademoiselle Pogany" (several versions) and "Bird in Space." I really like both of those pieces and much of his other work. I always want Hottle to be there to tell me more about them!

I spent some time in the room full of Marcel Duchamp pieces. I liked this one, which I don't recall seeing before. Raymond Duchamp-Villon was also well represented in the contemporary section, with several small models for "The Horse" which we saw the large version of in Baltimore.

Jasper Johns had quite a few pieces here as well. I really love this piece, called "The Critic Sees." He has done some great things and I want to see more. It's always unusual and unique.

We went across the street to the Perelman Building to see what was new and on display. The most interesting thing by far was an exhibit of contemporary lighting.

The room was lit by all of the lights on display and there were a lot of amazing and crazy lights. The one in the foreground is called the "Wo Bist Du, Edison?" lamp. It was designed by Ingo Maurer and the light you see is a hologram that changes shape and color as you move around it. The actual light comes from a small light one the hanging piece which also creates a profile of Thomas Edison. This lamp was just one of the amazing pieces on display. Everyone should go check out this display.

We went to The Loving Hut for lunch and I decided to go with the sandwich this time. There was an unfortunate caliber of workers this time. The guy at the counter was new and guessing about things (guessing wrong, at that,) and the woman making my sandwich burnt the roll and tried cutting the burnt parts off and then blew on it to get the crumbs off. I asked for a new roll. The sandwich was only alright. I'll stick to the stuff I know is good next time. And hope that the other lady that works there is back.

I came home and got a few things ready for the fire and then chilled out until Chuck showed up. I gathered some sticks up and tried to get there fire started. It took some TLC, but once it started up it got big and stayed that way.

More people showed up and we had some drinks and talked about a wide variety of subjects ranging from genocide to pink houses and conversations we had that night. Sketch had a good time chasing balls around the yard as we tried to hide them from him. He always managed to get them back.

It got really chilly and the fire was nice to sit by. After everyone left and I had sufficiently extinguished the embers I went in and got to sleep.