Rosie Thomas Part II

On the Sunday of Thanksgiving, I had the pleasure of seeing Rosie Thomas in concert yet again. She came to World Cafe Live in Philadelphia to kick off her tour for her Christmas CD. I gave the evening and her CD a perfect 10. Rosie has such a unique voice and always puts on a great show. I think even people who have never heard of her will always enjoy a show she puts on. Here are some pictures of the evening. In the very last picture, you will see myself, my friend Kim, Rosie Thomas' brother Brian, and my friends Mary and Suze. Last year when I saw Rosie in concert she came out after the concert and talked to people for a few and we got a picture with her. Well this year the concert was recorded by NPR and she was being interviewed backstage so we couldn't get another picture....therefore I settled for a picture with her brother. I figured that was close enough :)

Also you will notice in the first few pictures that Rosie is dressed rather...well...she is festive but she is also playing the part of her alter ego Sheila Shaputo. She basically plays this late 20s early 30s single woman who just can't seem to get her act together. It is hysterical and makes for a very funny comedy bit.

West Catholic Football

Well I have been delaying reporting on this all week because I was trying to find footage online with some recap of the game or the visit to our school that all the news stations made but I haven't been able to find it....so this is an article fro the Daily News here in Philadelphia about the game. As you can see, we didn't win. It was actually pretty heart wrenching and many would say we had multiple chances to win throughout the game and we just couldn't capitilze. There are some links to other articles at the bottom so feel free to read. We are immensely proud of the football players here. Tough way to end the season but what an experience the last 4 or so months. There are also some pictures of the game on the Inquirer Website. You can see them here:

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/gallery/20081214_PIAA_Class_AA__Wilmington_35__West_Catholic_34.html

PIAA Class AA: Wilmington 35, West Catholic 34

By Rick O'Brien
Inquirer Staff Writer

HERSHEY, Pa. – In one of the most exciting PIAA state football championship games in memory, underdog Wilmington upset West Catholic, 35-34, in double overtime in the Class AA final yesterday at HersheyPark Stadium.
After a 2-yard touchdown run by Raymond Maples in the second OT answered a Wilmington score, Burrs coach Brian Fluck elected to go for two points and the victory. On a left-side conversion run, quarterback Curtis Drake was tripped up and hit the turf 1 yard shy of the end zone.

"We have athletes out there," Fluck said, explaining his decision to go for the victory. "We thought we could go in from the 3-yard line. We fell just that much short."

Wilmington, a District 10 school located in New Wilmington, about 60 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, won its first state championship. In 1988, the Greyhounds advanced to the final before losing to Bethlehem Catholic, 26-11.

"It wasn't something that I wanted too bad, that's not it at all," Terry Verrelli, Wilmington's 30-year coach, said. "I don't coach just to win a state championship, but it's just a tremendous reward for me that these kids could come through like that and win that game. I'm just amazed."

At least two other times, West Catholic, so dominant all season, was a play away from clinching the crown and bringing the championship trophy home to 45th and Chestnut Streets.

In the first overtime, after Maples scored on a 5-yard run and the Burrs went ahead by 28-21, the Greyhounds (15-1) faced a fourth-and-goal situation from the 16.

Somehow, QB Shane Wagner, zigzagging from left to right, found his way to the end zone. He escaped at least four would-be tacklers on the incredible scramble.

"I rolled out left, there was nobody open, so I decided to run," Wagner said. "It felt like the play was happening in slow motion. When I was at about the 5, I just held up a bit and waited for their last defender to commit."

Another heartbreaking moment for the Catholic League and city champions came with just a little over a minute left in regulation. After driving 78 yards on 11 plays, they were faced with a fourth-and-goal from the 1.

Fluck rolled the dice and opted to go for the TD instead of sending Tim Carroll onto the field for a try at a game-winning field goal of 18 yards. That decision backfired. Drake, on a keeper over left tackle, was stopped short of the goal line.

"You don't know what's going to happen there," Fluck said. "You're at the 1-yard line. Put it in [Drake's] hands and see if he gets it done."

Electrifying all season on offense, West Catholic (14-2) came in averaging nearly 50 points per game. Yesterday, after taking a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter, it looked as if the Burrs were going to bring home District 12's first state football championship.

But Wilmington fought back with a pair of third-quarter scores to forge a tie. The second, a 1-yard plunge by fullback Derrick Burns, followed an interception and 25-yard return that set the Greyhounds up just 12 yards shy of paydirt.

"In the second half, we came out and we got it done," Verrelli said. "We moved the ball, used the clock, scored. I don't know what else to say."

West Catholic regained the lead on the first play of the fourth quarter, a 5-yard burst by Rob Hollomon. But Wilmington answered with a 12-play, 82-yard scoring drive to make it a 21-21 contest.

Wilmington 0 0 14 7 7 7 - 35

West Catholic 7 7 0 7 7 6 - 34

WC: Maples 28 run (Carroll kick)

WC: Drake 29 run (Carroll kick)

W: Wagner 11 run (Wilson kick)

W: Burns 1 run (Wilson kick)

WC: Hollomon 5 run (Carroll kick)

W: DeMedal 1 run (Wilson kick)

WC: Maples 5 run (Carroll kick)

W: Wagner 16 run (Wilson kick)

W: Burns 1 run (Wilson kick)

WC: Maples 2 run (run failed)

Some other articles:

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/20081215_High_Schools_-_West_Catholic_s_season_ends_with_disappointing_double-overtime_loss_to_Wilmington.html

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/high_school/36121314.html

Qoute of the Day

Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.

- Etty Hillesum,
died in Auschwitz in 1943 at the age of 29. From An Interrupted Life, a compilation of her diaries and letters.

West Catholic Football Team

Somehow I have failed to mention that West Catholic is the Pennslyvania AA High School Football State Championship game on Saturday. It is a really big deal obviously and yet I have completely forgetten to post about it.

Today we had our pep rally at school and there were four news stations at school recording the assembly and interviewing the students. I am going to try and find the footage online tonight after the news and send some links so you can see my school and the students I work with at West Catholic. The game is on Saturday at 1pm and of course we are hoping for a win.

This game is especially important because this year is the first year West Catholic or any of the Catholic schools in Philadelphia for that matter can compete for a State Title in any sport. Before this year, there was a seperate Public League and Catholic League. The Public League teams have always been able to compete for the state championship but the Catholic League teams would just compete for City Titles and then be done....no state competition. I thought it was strange when I moved here but at the time the Catholic League and West Catholic were in the process of becoming part of the PIAA (high school sports association) so we could compete on a state level.

This is our first year as a part of the PIAA and as a result the first year we can compete for a state title...and wouldn't you know it we find ourselves in the state championship game. It is almost unreal and the students here are very excited.

Once I find the link to the news stories I will send them your way and maybe you will see me in the background of some of the shots...you never know.

Thanksgiving Blessings

Well I finally had time to type up my story from this past Thankgiving. It is both funny and rediculous. You will be left asking yourself "Did that really happen?" Becuse I know I was.

I am not going to post it here for a couple reasons. First, it is incredibly long. Second, it isn't something I want to post in such a public internet space.

If you would like to know what happened, I will happily send you an email with the story attached. I warn you it is long but worth the read.

Just send me your request to my email address:

mari.anzicek@gmail.com

I will send you the story as soon as I am able.

Cool

I stole this blog post from my friend Curto.....so ifyou read her blog this is a repeat...if you don't take a look

Here is something you don't see everyday...forget the design shows with a budget of $500.... Try $10 and a Sharpie

See Room Here

Sweet Street Art

Found this awesome street art in Philly over Thanksgiving weekend

Quote

Lead me from death to life,
from falsehood to truth.
Lead me from despair to hope,
from fear to trust.
Lead me from hate to love,
from war to peace.
Let peace fill our hearts,
our world, our universe.
Peace, peace, peace.

- Satish Kumar

LVs Run Philly and Students Run Philly Style Recap

This post is a long time coming. I have been anticipating writing about what it was like running the Philadelphia Marathon with students from my school and now I know. We ran on Sunday, November 23rd and everyone finished. It was an incredible day. I wrote a long thank you letter to individuals who supported me and the LV program financially. I recognize not everyone has the ability to do that, but I still wanted to share my experience with you. The following is a bit long but definitely worth reading. I am also posting photos at the bottom of this so scroll down to see those. The LVs also posted information on the website with pictures from the weekend. Feel free to check those out as well. Here is the link

http://www.lasallianvolunteers.org/marathon/

Awesome. Incredible. Inspiring. I could add many more words to describe how I felt after the Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday, November 23rd. It was a jam packed weekend that ended successfully with every Lasallian Volunteer and student runner from West Catholic finishing their individual race and seeing the LV program exceed our fundraising goal of $56,000. As of last count, we raised just over $64,000 and donations were still coming in. I am excited we exceeded our goal, but my greatest highlight of the weekend and probably one of my life is seeing each student from my school finish the half marathon and marathon.

Race weekend started on Friday with myself and two other running leaders from our team taking our students to the Marathon Expo. None of the students had ever been to an event like this and needless to say they were excited about all the vendors and of course free stuff. I am sure each student received more than their fair share of free Smart Start cereal samples, 5 minute massages, cookbooks, clif bars and many other things. After the Expo, we headed too West Philadelphia for the Students Run Pasta party. It was a pump up event of the race and of course an opportunity to “carbo-load” for the race on Sunday. We had to build up our reserves.

I headed home to a community already filling up with LVs, Brothers and friends from around the country preparing to also run the races in support of the Lasallian Volunteer program. I connected with old friends and enjoyed a houseful of excited first time and veteran runners.

Saturday was also incredibly busy with trips to drop runners off at the Expo, making final arrangements for the race on Sunday and preparing for our pre-race mass and dinner. The day flew by and before I knew it we were eating dinner with 130 supporters of the LV program and our runners. I did my best to get to bed early to be ready for the race, but failed miserably. I figured 4 hours of sleep was better than none.

I awoke at 4am, quickly put on my running clothes, ate breakfast and was out the door by 4:30am to pick up some of my students. Did I mention it was 25 degrees outside and 18 with wind-chill. It was a chilly day but nothing was going to stop me from seeing these students start and finish the race. We arrived at West Catholic at 5am to meet the Students Run Philly Style bus to take us to the race start. We met the other Students Run Philly Style teams at the Art Museum in Philadelphia and waited for the race to start. There were over 100 student runners that day preparing to run their first, second and for some their third marathon. I will always remember posing on the Art Museum steps that morning with the many students and running leaders anticipating the race start.

Students Run Philly Style has a customary cheer we do before every race. It is a call and response that goes like this:

Leader: Who are we?
Everyone: Students.
Leader: What do we do?
Everyone: Run.
Leader: How do we do it?
Everyone: Philly Style.

It sent chills down my spine that morning as we all screamed the cheer together. I realized how far my students have come from our first practice way back in March and our first race in April when they were introduced to the cheer. Nine months prior to Sunday it was difficult to get them to run just 1 mile and here I was with seven students getting ready to run 13.1 miles or 26.2 miles.

After the cheer and a picture on the Art Museum steps, we headed to the race start as a team. Melissa, another running leader, took our two half marathoners to their race start and myself, Gina and Adam took our four student marathoners to the marathon start. We waited in anticipation for the race start. Before we knew it, we made step number one of many that day. All of us stuck together for about 5 miles but slowly started separating as the race went on and individuals slowed down or settled into their pace. Gina and I ran the entire 26.2 miles with two students, Rafael and Tip. They were troopers and fought through cold, wind, sore muscles and even ice on the ground to push themselves to a 4:51:44 marathon finish.

Tip’s first words after finishing went something like this, “Wow...I have done something less than 1% of the US population has done.” He understood the magnitude of what he just accomplished and I was beaming with pride. Chris finished shortly after us at 5:18:34 and Haftom finished in 5:52:28. Our two girls finished the half marathon as well. Christina finished in 2:21:02 and Jamella finished in 2:25:28. I am pretty sure I teared up each time one of my students crossed the finish line but also when I saw any Students Run runner finish. It was incredible watching these students push through pain and being tired to finish something they set their mind to months ago.

I still don’t have words to fully capture how I felt watching each student, LV, Brother and random individual finish the marathon and half marathon on Sunday, November 23rd. I think running is incredibly inspiring no matter what distance someone is completing. This was my fourth marathon. It wasn’t my fastest but it was by far my favorite. My memories from that day will continue to live in me a long time….hopefully forever. I don’t want to forget the overwhelming pride I felt as I ran with each of my students and saw them accomplish something so incredible. More than that I am proud of the team they have become. They think of each other as a small family and only they really understand each other and what it meant to be a part of this nine month experience. I am already looking forward to March when we start again. Hopefully with all of the same students and new faces looking forward to starting their nine month journey to complete a marathon.

I wrote this story to give you a glimpse of what the marathon weekend was like and an idea of what an amazing cause you chose to support. I am humbled by your generosity and grateful for your support. Thank you for supporting the Lasallian Volunteers which in turn supports me and the 55 other volunteers I serve with throughout this country. Not every volunteer runs with their students, but we are each doing incredible work in our own way. My personal fundraising goal was $1000 and I was able to exceed that amount raising close to $2000. Thank you for helping me meet my goal and helping the Lasallian Volunteers exceed our fundraising goal. If you would like to hear more about Students Run Philly Style, the Lasallian Volunteers, my experience running with my students or anything else, please don’t hesitate to call or email me.

Peace,

Mari

Hmmm

We Did It

I will definitely be writing a thorough post about the marathon...running with the LVs, my students, the weekend...everything. I thought this could wet your whistle until you get the rest.

If you would like to see pictures the LVs took over the weekend, check out this website:

http://www.lasallianvolunteers.org/marathon/default.asp

Yep We're Famous

Check out this website:

http://www.broadstreetrun.com/site3.aspx

If you watch the scrolling slideshow on the front page for about 20 seconds you might see someone you know with a group of students in blue shirts....yeah that's right. Go ahead and check it out.

Also, I will write soon about how this weekend went with the marathon. I am still trying to catch up on everything I have been avoiding. Don't worry it will be coming.

Quote

It is no wonder that just the touch of another human being at a dark time can be enough to save the day.

- Frederick Buechner,
Beyond Words

You've Got To Be Kidding Me

http://www.secureourdream.com/

It's for real...check it out. I laughed. Laughed again. Then wondered how much money he is making. This is America right. Anything is possible.

We Are Almost There

You can help us reach our goal...

Thoughts from Archbishop Oscar Romero

Peace is not the product of terror or fear.
Peace is not the silence of cemeteries.
Peace is not the silent result of violent repression.
Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution
of all to the good of all.
Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity.
It is right and it is duty.

- Archbishop Oscar Romero

Free Photo Books from Oprah and Snapfish

This is a for real deal from snapfish and oprah....just click on the link below...I think the only trick is you have to redeem the coupon by tonight at 11:59pm pacific time (Although I just read on the website that they extended it to NOvember 22nd but I would redeem the coupon right away so you can guarentee you get one)....and then create the book by sunday....either way it is well worth it....so if you don't have time to make the book right now at least login and redeem the coupon and finish the book by sunday.....

Here is the link and the details...


http://www2.snapfish.com/info18

This offer is only good for one standard 20-page 8" x 11" custom cover photo book per household. Coupon dispersal ends on Friday, November 14, 2008 at 11:59pm PST. Free photo book must be redeemed by Sunday, November 16, 2008 at 11:59pm PST. Offer does not include customary shipping & handling charges or additional pages. Offer applies only to US customer accounts and mail-order delivery to U.S. customers. Offer cannot be combined with other coupon codes. Coupon cannot be resold or otherwise transferred, and is void on the earlier of redemption or the offer end date.

Wordle is just so fun

I can't get enough...here is one more and the link again

http://www.wordle.net/create

There's Still Time

If you haven't yet donated, there's still time. We are 8 days from the Marathon and I am so excited...for many reasons: to see these kids finish, to finish myself, to be done for a while (I need a break...badly), and to experience the excitement and energy of marathon day. There isn't quite anything like it in the world. If you would still like to donate and haven't yet, please visit our website to donate online. Here is the link:

http://www.lasallianvolunteers.org/marathon/donate.asp

Just enter my name in the donation box so the donation is in honor of me.

Wordle - Check It Out - You will be happy you did

If you haven't already heard of it, check out http://www.wordle.net/

It is one of the coolest websites I have stumbled over in a long time. Be warned once you start you might not be able to stop. Ellen you will absolutely love this.

Just type in some text or insert the link to a website or blog. It takes the words, especially those which appear most often, and makes a neat word assortment with them. You can change the layout, color and font to look how you want it to. Here is a small example of one I did....start exploring and enjoy!!!

Go Vote

Students, Running, and Volunteering....Oh My

As you may or may not know, I am running my 4th marathon, the Philadelphia Marathon (26.2 miles), on November 23, 2008. This marathon is very special to me for a few reasons. I am going to give you the short version here. The rest is detailed in the link below. Before you go to much farther...yes this is a fundraising post, but remember $5 goes a long way.

This marathon is different because I am running it not only to raise support for my volunteer program, the Lasallian Volunteers, but I am also running it with 7 students from my the high school I volunteer at in Philadelphia through a program called Students Run Philly Style. It has been a long adventure training with these students for this race. I started our team way back in March with about 30 students teaching them on how to run and for most of them completing their first mile ever with them. We ran a few 5ks (3.1 miles), the Broad Street Run (10 miles) in May and most recently the ING Half Marathon (13.1 miles) in September. It has been an exciting adventure, and I can't wait to line up on Marathon day with them at the starting line. Obviously training for a marathon takes a lot of commitment, so we had many students dropped out along the way. These final 7 students who committed to a long training and race season are very inspiring teenagers who give me hope for the many students growing up in cities with few resources and even less support. It has truly been a life changing experience running with these students and learning with them each day. I joke that I spend more time with them than my family, community or friends and it is actually probably true. I would like to think I am having an influence in their lives, but truth be told they are probably influencing me more than I realize.

The longer version about running with these students, my volunteer experience, why I am raising money for the Lasallian Volunteers, and how you can support me can be found here:

http://lasallianvolunteersrun.googlepages.com/mari%27sfundraisingpage

I decided to create a website with all the information about this fundraising effort so you wouldn't be flooded with information in one blog (not sure I actually reduced the amount of information). Please take some time to check out the website and determine if you are able donate to our cause (you can donate either online or through the mail). I know the economy is bad and we are all stressed out about our retirement accounts (well not me....I don't really have one to speak of), so if you aren't able to donate at this time, send me a hello or let me know what you are up to. I always love hearing from folks.

If you would like to skip all the information and just donate (please by all means I won't stop you), you can donate online here:

http://www.lasallianvolunteers.org/marathon/main.asp

Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you.

Love

Mari

Mari Anzicek
Lasallian Volunteer - Philadelphia

Phillies World Series Parade

Thais, Michael and I went to the Phillies World Series Parade on Firday. Thais was lucky enough to have school canceled for the day, but alas we were not. Our school did compromise and we basically had a half day. I got out of school at 11am and Thais met Michael and I at West Catholic and we headed downtown to City Hall.

The subway was packed like I have never seen it in Philly. We basically had to throw ourselves in the door and hang on to the people in front of us hoping that our back sides weren't sticking out in the door. Somehow we made it on and headed downtown. We got off and City Hall and muscled our way to a spot at City Hall.

The parade itself was lame. I am not going to lie. It felt like it lasted all of 10-15 minutes and the players weren't doing anything spectacular. Thais said it would have been better if they were throwing t-shirts or something like that. I mean the Philly Phanatic was probably the best part and he is just the mascot. While the parade was kind of lame, it was totally worth it to be downtown and experience the energy and excitement of everyone. They originally predicted about 1 million people would come down and it turned into more like 3 million.

Philly was obviously very proud of this win. If you know anything about the curse of Billy Penn, you will know what a big day this was for the city. Below you will find some pictures or our adventure around the city....and yes they were giving out huge free pretzels. When in Philly....well eat a free Pretzel.

If you look closely at the parade pictures, you will be able to see the World Series Trophy....nice stuff.

GO PHILLIES!!!!

I am beginning to believe I have some World Series magic...or something like that. I would say I am doing pretty good. I moved to Chicago....White Sox win the World Series. I move to Philadelphia....the Phillies win the World Series. My Sister in Law, Emily, says I need to move to Detroit and bring my magic there.

Really it's incredible to be here right now. Philadelphia has had a championship drought among the major sports going on 25 years....the longest of any major metropolitan area with four professional teams. There are all sorts of theories floating around Philadelphia as to why including the curse of William Penn. Google it....kind of interesting. But our fare Comcast building stepped in to help out by placing a small "statue" of Billy Penn on the top of their building....still don't know what I am talking about....work that google button.

Anyway, the game was amazing tonight...considering it was continued from a suspended game on Monday night. The Phillies played perfect and earned an incredible championship.

Bud, Leo, Thais and I went down to Main Street in Manayunk to experience the fun with the many hundreds of people out there. It was crazy and I am not lying when I say it feels like Mardi Gras....great fun. There are thousands of people all over the streets in Philadelphia...I am not sure anyone will go to work tomorrow or Friday. I know I don't want to but well....duty calls.

Have a beer in honor of the many Philadelphians who will be doing it all weekend long....

This is a Real Photo

I initially thought this photo was some sort of photoshop job. Turns out it’s the real deal. Poor McCain. He can’t get a break.

Yep...my neice is learning already

Maybe accidental....maybe not

Poverty

We must talk about poverty, because people insulated by their own comfort lose sight of it.

- Dorothy Day

Vote

This Guy Is Pretty Impressive

Great Obama impresonator

Big News

I am know beginning to understand why 2nd siblings often feel jilted when it comes to attention from their parents and other loved ones in their lives. I realized today that I failed to post about the birth of my second niece. I am going to try and be better about this and not solely talk about Rosie because we got two girls in the house. I am excited to meet her when I come home...whenever that will be.

Amelia Avery Anzicek was born on Friday, October 3rd at 11:32am. She was 6lbs. 12 ounces and healthy.

Here is a link to pictures if you would like to see her

http://picasaweb.google.com/canzicek/BabyAmelia?authkey=JD3mXqrVGVU#

St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

- St. Francis of Assisi

Das Energi - A Good Reminder for All of Us

A poem by Paul Williams, from the book, Das Energi.

What is this word "efficiency"?
Sometimes it seems a close cousin to Death.
We are encouraged not to linger, not to enjoy life, to hurry up and get it done so we'll have time for something else.
Something else?
What?

Efficiency the destroyer, millions upon millions of living dead, done in by the electric can-opener and the automobile.
Progress is our most important product,
babies are our business,
time is money,
life is cheap.

Modern technology, modern business, the modern state give us everything we need except breathable air, drinkable water, edible food, meaningful work, freedom from fear, freedom to love, freedom to be ourselves, courage, pride, friendship, hope.

The moral of the story is: don't be in such a hurry.
Beware creeping efficiency.
Slow down and live.

A Good Point

As my mom pointed out after the Debate on Friday night regarding the little "game" I posted about:

Mari - with those parameters after what was discussed last night, nobody would be sober, their hands would be sore from clapping and voices hoarse from laughing!!! I think everything happened.

And yes mom you are correct.

A Debate Party

I am attending a Debate Party tonight at a Bar in Center City Philly. I have never been to a debate party before and this one is sponsored by Catholics for Obama. I am really intrigued and excited to go....not only for the debate aspect but also because Mayor Nutter is supposed to make an appearance along with Kerry Kennedy, Robert Kennedy Jr.'s daughter...I think it should be a great evening.

I sent the invite out to many of my friends and some are coming....one of them suggested the following as a good way to enjoy a debate. I don't necessarily endorse any of the thoughts below but this guy came up with some funny stuff. I thought it would make some of you laugh....or at least smirk.

I will not be participating in these festivities...just enjoying the debate at the bar. I have a 15 mile run with my students on Saturday morning so needless to say a night at the bar before a long run isn't a good idea.

Enjoy the game...or however you decide to play it...

A game suggestion for Debates....you can drink or do whatever you want....traditionally people make drinking games out of this stuff but you can find all sorts of ways to enjoy it. It is just funny the stuff people come up with regarding these candidates.

Drink/Laugh/Clap/Whatever when:
-When the buzzwords “change” or “maverick” or “hope” are used
-When someone says “I voted for or against” or “He voted for or against”
-When McCain refers to Obama’s “inexperience”
-When McCain stammers and looks like he might have a heart attack
-When McCain somehow works in his personal story as a POW during Vietnam
-When McCain refers to the moderator as “my friend” or the audience as “my friends”
-When Obama somehow works in his personal story of being raised by a single mom and his grandparents
-When Obama makes a smirk, shakes his head, and says, “Now wait just a minute…” or “hold on there…”
-When Obama makes the case that McCain and Bush are one and the same or uses the phrase “more of the same”
-When Obama talks about “multi-tasking” or having to address more than one crisis at a time as president
-When anyone brings up “suspending the campaign”
-When either one lays claims to being “bipartisan” or working “across the aisle”
-It’s a Social when Sarah Palin is mentioned!
-Finish whatever you are drinking if McCain loses his temper!

ECONOMY SPECIFIC RULES:
Drink when:
-When someone mentions the “Bailout” of Wall Street
-When someone mentions Wall Street and Main Street in the same train of thought
-When someone starts quoting dollar figures (for example: 700 billion)
-When someone talks about mortgages/foreclosures/homeowners

FOREIGN POLICY SPECIFIC RULES:
Drink when:
-If anyone uses the words “surge” or “victory”
-When anyone mentions a particular nation as being a potential “nuclear” threat
-When McCain talks about Islamic Radicals/Terrorists
-When Georgia and/or Russia are mentioned
-When Iran and/or Iraq are mentioned
-When Afghanistan is mentioned
-It’s a social for al Qaeda or North Korea!
-Finish whatever you are drinking if anyone delivers specifics on how to get out of Iraq “safely and responsibly”.

How It Went...

The ING Half Marathon was this past Sunday. We had six students running and myself and another leader. We all finished in what I would say was great times. Here is a short but detailed version of the day...at the bottom of this post you will see some photos of the day. I only have a few. It is hard to take pictures when you are running :)

The day started at 5:10am when one of my student runners called to tell me she missed her bus...that would then take her to the school where the Students Run bus would pick us up. Only two problems...I was still in bed and Ashley, my student, lives in South Philly. I proceeded to run to the bathroom, change into my running clothes, grab a quick breakfast, and run to the car. I realized as I was pulling away from the house that well....I forgot to brush my teeth. Yep it happens...and well there wasn't anything I could do about it.

I picked up Ashley and proceeded to the school. All the students made it and we headed to the race start. We had about 45 minutes before the race start and we stretched, went to the bathroom, and got ready to start. Every one of our students finished the race and improved on their previous race times. We actually had one student who dropped 28 minutes from his 10 mile time. Basically it was an amazing day. The weather was beautiful and perfect for a run.

I am really looking forward to the marathon and half marathon in November. We should have four guys running the marathon and three girls running the half marathon. All in all I would say that is success....I mean even making it this far has been a success and I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of these students' lives.

Here are the very few pics I promised:

Big Race

I have a big race with my students on Sunday...the Philadelphia Distance Run. I had a hard time sleeping on Friday night because I realized I didn't express to my students just how far they had come and how proud of them I am....

We started running in March....one mile was difficult. Tomorrow we line up to run a half marathon in which I know for a fact they are all well prepared for. We might not run it incredibly fast, but I know they will all finish.

I kept tossing and turning in bed thinking about what I would like to say to them Sunday morning before the race. I want them to know how proud of them I am. I want them to know they are about to accomplish something not many people have tried or even their many peers at school. I want them to be proud of themselves and the progress they have made.

Overall, I am exceedingly happy for them, inspired by them, and proud of the many risks they have taken on this journey, and I realized I need to express this tomorrow before the race. It wouldn't be right not to. I am running with another running leader tomorrow and six students. Six students who have never ran 13.1 miles before but who will by tomorrow afternoon. Think about us Sunday morning at 7:45am eastern time....it is going to be quite a day.

Here is a link to the distance run and also a picture of the course map:

http://www.ingphiladelphiadistancerun.com/home.html

The Pink Uglies

No I didn't say the Pink Ladies....The Pink Uglies

So many of you know I am part of a running program in Philadelphia called Students Run Philly Style. What you might not know is that this program gives free shoes to the running leaders depending on how many students run on your team. Needless to say I am one recipient of the free shoes because I am a main running leader on the team. Well a running store in Philly donates all the shoes and some are way cool, most are just fine, and a few are down right terrible.

Well my first time around, I got a "mostly just fine" pair of shoes. They weren't amazing looking but you wouldn't look at them and want to barf or anything like that....

Last night I received my second pair of shoes....I really should be grateful I am receiving a free pair of shoes and don't get me wrong I am....but well I had a hard time swallowing having to wear these shoes...

Take a look for yourself and The Pink Uglies



Basically I think Puma makes some pretty ugly shoes as illustrated above. Luckily or ironically...I am not sure which....the shoes don't fit me well. They are too thin and I have somewhat wider feet. We have a sneaker exchange next Wednesday night. I am going to try and get some shoes that fit better...and I will sadly part with The Pink Uglies.

You Gotta See This - Guarenteed Laughs

If you didn't catch the opening skit to Saturday Night Live last night you have to see this. Tina Fey was a dead ringer for Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler does a decent job with Hillary Clinton, but honestly Tina Fey steals the show. Ever since Sarah Palin came on the scene I thought Tina Fey would play an amazing double. Take 5 minutes to watch it because you will laugh out loud multiple times.

Sad News

As some of you might have seen, the program I run with in Philadelphia, Students Run Philly Style, was not one of the top vote getters for the AMEX funding. I think we finished somewhere between 50-60 out of over 1100 programs. Which really is amazing because many of these programs have a reach across the nation and even in the world. Our little non-profit made quite the splash, but it wasn't big enough.

Overall I think we received just under 900 votes which is incredible for a program that has only two full-time staff, an AmeriCorps Vista Volunteer, and about 30 Running Leaders like myself who pound the pavement with these students 3-4 times a week. I am sure the Top 25 are worthy programs but it is still disapointing. If you feel so moved, I would encourage you to vote for one of the top programs so they can receive the funding that we didn't.

On a side note, we were the top vote getting program in Pennsylvania which is really amazing. In the least, it helped provide some national exposure for our program and introduce it to many new people who may decide to donate on their own. Also, it created a little buzz at the school I volunteer at, West Philadelphia Catholic High School. Many teachers voted and have commented to me about the program and are impressed with the students still running.

Thank you for voting and supporting me vicariously through that vote. I definitely appreciated it and more than that appreciated hearing from so many of you who did vote.

How to Fix a Flat Bike Tire

Yep Folks....I took a class tonight on how to fix a flat bike tire and it was probably the most productive 2 hours (learning wise) I have had in a long time. The teacher was great and totally informative. It was hands on...as I type my hands are all black from grease....and there were only two students...can't beat that for students to teacher ratio...and it was free...for sure Trophy Bikes (my favorite bike shop in Philly) has earned my business in the future.

He also gave me some great advice for getting my bike ready for touring next summer...oh yes if you haven't heard I am almost 90% positive I will be riding across the US next summer with Venture, a non-profit my friend Aaron Smith from North Central University started.

Check it out

http://www.ventureexpeditions.org/

All in all it was an evening well spent and I am ready if my tires should ever go flat.....

Wedding, Running, Rain, Rob Schnieder and More

It has been quite the weekend. It started with at 12.5 mile run with the students from my school. It is the longest we have run so far and the last 2.5 miles or so were pretty difficult for the students but I am proud to say they all made. I am impressed by all of them and the work they have put in so far. We have a half marathon (the Philly Distance Classic) coming up in two weeks. I am excited for them to take on this challenge.

After running, I went home, showered as fast as I could, at lunch, and headed to a wedding of friends of mine in Philly (Oscar and Karen). You can see pictures from the wedding and reception below. It was in a beautiful church and a great wedding. Also, some friends who used to live in Philly but moved about 2 months ago came back for the wedding with their 4 month old son, Collin, who has been a real treat to have around the house (they are staying with us for the weekend).

Between the wedding and reception, I went home and slept for almost two hours because I was exhausted. During which the effects of Hurricane Hannah started taking its toll on the Philly area. We had pretty much torrential downpour from 1pm until about 9pm last night. It was unbelievable...and crappy weather for a wedding but we got much needed rain.

I head to the reception after my nap. The reception was great and Karen and Oscar's wedding officially is listed in my top 5 favorite weddings. They know how to throw a great party. I danced for most the evening, the DJ was great, the food was amazing, and the bridge and groom made their rounds talking to probably everyone...all in all an evening well spent.

Today I headed down to South Street in Philly for the Philly Green Festival...yes you called it...a festival all about saving the world and cleaning up our environment one person at a time...of course I loved it. I met my friend Mary, perused the booths, ate at Moaz's (a falafel restaurant), visited a sewing store, and on my way back to the car....I know I couldn't believe I drove to a green festival instead of riding my bike....

Anyway on the way back to my car, who did I see...none other than Rob Schneider of crappy movie acclaim. I couldn't remember his name at first and called my brother, Collin, to help me out but just before Collin answered it came to me. He had hsi arm around a lady and signed a few autographs. We walked the entire length of a block together...kind of strange but hey it was my first famous person sighting in Philly...although I don't really consider him famous....just a crappy movie actor....

Here are pics from the wedding...enjoy

Yep That's Right

Yes folks...I did it. I went on the longest bike ride of my short life. All in all it was just under 30 miles. I was pretty tired at the end of it but it felt great to have accomplished that. My butt is crazy sore...that is the hardest part to get used to.

Just think, if I was doing an Ironman, I would only have 82 miles left to bike...sick....

Weekly Food Consumption in Countries

Okay I posted this once before but the pictures didn't upload. I thought it was worth posting again with the actual pictures...this might leave more of an impression with you.

What is eaten in one week!

This is undoubtedly one of the most interesting e-mails I've ever received. Take a good look at the family size and diet of each country, the availability & cost of what is eaten in one week.

Germany : The Melander family of Bargteheide
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07



United States : The Revis family of North Carolina (Sure hope most American
families eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and less junk food than this family.)
Food expenditure for one week $341.98



Italy : The Manzo family of Sicily
Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11



Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca
Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09



Poland : The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna
Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27



Egypt : The Ahmed family of Cairo
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53



Ecuador : The Ayme family of Tingo
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55



Bhutan : The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village
Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03



Chad : The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23

Nominate Students Run Philly Style

If you know and care about me at all, you will take five (5) minutes of your time to nominate Students Run Philly Style for American Express members Project. There are many programs hoping to receive funding from American Express, but only the top 25 make it into the next round. If we make it to the next round of judging, we will share in 2.5 million in funding from American Express.

Follow the link below to nominate this great program. You have until September 1st, 2008, so do it now before you forget. I will greatly appreciate it and so will the students that benefit from this great program.

http://www.membersproject.com/project/view/REMW3T

After you click on the link, all you have to do is register as a guest (unless you are already an American Express card holder) and follow the directions. Once you have registered, nominate Students Run Philly Style and you are all done. Simple as that. Hopefully you will have helped our program receive some funding we definitely deserve.

If you want more information about Students Run Philly Style checkout their website at:

http://www.nncc.us/studentsrun.html

I absolutely love this program and I have been a part of it since March mentoring and running with kids. Our longest race so far was the Braod St. Run which is a 10 mile race in Philly. We are currently training for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 23rd. It is exciting watching these kids dedicate themselves to running and meeting their goals in the process.

Candidates in Philadelphia

So again this happened forever ago but it was a small moment of fame in my life. Hillary Clinton came to Philadelphia for a rally prior to the Philadelphia primary and I was lucky enough to attend. I came with Bud and Sara and we had great seats to the left side of the podium she would be speaking on. There was a huge build up to her coming out to speak with both Governor Rendell and Mayor Nutter introducing her. In the past few years, I was able to hear John Edwards and Barak Obama so I was completing the potential Democratic President trifecta by seeing Hillary Clinton.

Hillary's people created a video of the rally at Temple University, but it isn't posted anymore on Hillary's website. On this video you could catch a small glimpse of me and my friend Sara if you had quick eyes. Well everyone didn't have quick eyes so Dave (my brother) was kind enough to make a freeze frame of the video and circle me and Sara in the video.

You will obviously notice Hillary's head in the picture:



Here is a slideshow of some pics I have of the evening:

I'm Back....well at least I think so.

Okay so apparently I am terrible at this blogging thing. One of my goals for this upcoming year which by the way I still experience years from August to August...I can't help it. I have been a student forever and now I work at a high school. I think I will forever live by that calendar. Anyway one of my goals for this year is to blog and update people about my life more often. Not that I have all sorts of great things going on but that isn't the point. It is important to share life with people even if it is just the normal day to day and the things that make you think, laugh and enjoy life that day. And also the things that make you sad, lonely and wish the day would end sooner.

These are all important and hopefully you can look forward to hearing from me more often. Here's to another year and life lived. Selah

Sailing and then some

Jibing, Tacking, Spinniker, Hiking out, Jib, Port, Starboard, Ready About, and many more...

Before yesterday, I had no idea what many of these terms meant. I was a child in the world of sailing. I still am but I have one race under my belt and 2 hours experience with an excellent sailing teacher. My friend Mary invited me to go sailing with her On Wednesday. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. We went to the Riverton Yacht Club in New Jersey that has sailboat races every Wednesday night on the Delaware River. Often some boats are looking for extra crew because they need weight in the boat or an extra set of hands. I was lucky enough to get picked up by a Allen and Diane. Their third crew member was unable to come that night so I took his place. The next two hours were a crash course in sailing. Needless to say we didn't win the race, but I personally had a nice time trying. I was invited back for next Wednesday's race and I think I might take Allen up on it.

After the races are over, everyone meets on the dock for snacks and drinks. It is really a neat culture to be a part of....if even only for a couple hours every week. There are three types of ships in the races: J22s, Lightnings, and Mariners. I rode in a Lightning. We are given a mapped out course and compete against the other ships in our category...so all the Lightnings set off at the same time to compete to finish the race first. We actually didn't finish the race because we didn't cross the final buoy on the port side so oh well...it was still a great experience...and I look forward to hopefully learning more next week.



That isn't me or the boat I was one, but it gives you an idea of what it looked like last night.

Amazing Grace

I just finished reading a book by Jonathan Kozol entitled, Amazing Grace: The Lives of School Children and the Conscience of a Nation. The book is a bit dated in that the material comes from interviews and information from the early 90s, but my guess is the majority of the situation described in his book hasn't changed. The author interviewed, researched, and basically inserted himself into the lives of many individuals living in the South Bronx in NYC. He talks to AIDs patients, preachers, children, teachers, drug addicts, mothers, fathers, drug dealers, and almost anyone you can think of. He paints a grim picture of poverty in America that is both disturbing and I should think accurate. Sometimes I think some of the material is based more on individuals emotional responses to situations, but the author does a decent job of backing up stories with factual information and even citing his own reservations and trust of people's recollections of events.

I find it hard to read this book and not want to do something. What that something is I am not sure. I sometimes think I am already doing something by volunteering and working in a urban school but often that feels more like my job than actively working to reduce poverty. Be forewarned, the book does not provide solutions. If anything it provides a bleak picture of our nation and what we are not doing to help the most in need. I definitely recommend it.

I don't know where to start

I am so far behind in this whole blogging thing. I was going to try and catch up but I decided that might just be too difficult so I guess you get what you get. Recently, I was given a free offer to try Blockbuster Online for free. Who isn't going to turn down free movies. I of course accepted the offer. What is great about Blockbuster Online (no this isn't a shameless plug) is that you can return your movies in the store for a free in store exchange. It is like getting more movies for free. So this month I am currently on movie #5. Here is a list of the previously watched movies and my recommendations.

#1 - Children of Heaven - Well done movie about about a brother and sister in Iran. The brother loses his sister's shoes and the movie is a beautiful story of what brothers and sisters do for each other.

#2 - The Darjeeling Limited - Not for the feint of heart. I am a Wes Anderson fan so I immediately liked this movie. The folks I live with weren't as high on it as I was, but I truly enjoyed this movie about three brothers and their "spiritual" journey.

#3 - To Be and To Have - A documentary about a rural French school teacher over the course of his school year. It is seems like a slow movie but really it just parallels the different pace of life in rural France. The teacher is incredibly loving and caring while also being strict and teaching his students effectively. I would encourage any teacher to watch it.

#4 - La Vie en Rose - Edith Piaf...enough said. Obviously many are probably familiar with this movie, but I finally saw it last night. What a tragedy to be given such an amazing gift but then to have a life that is filled with sorrow and disappointment. I was both amazed by her life and filled with sorrow. Marion Cottilard did an incredible job in the movie...It is not surprise to me that she won the Academy Award for her portrayal in this movie.

#5 - Pan's Labyrinth - I have already seen this movie, but no one else in my community has seen it. I am looking forward to seeing it again.

Also, I have a non-store rental I saw recently called Under the Same Moon. It is a movie about a illegal immigrant from Mexico and her son's journey to find her in LA. There are parts of the movie that are a bit overly sensational but overall it was a wonderful film and may even change your perspective on immigration issues in our country. I cried multiple times...not that that says anything...I cry a lot in movies.

As you can tell with my movie picks, I apparently enjoy foreign language films. I don't know when this happened but I definitely watch more documentaries and foreign language films than your run of the mill American movies. These are all great movies and I highly recommend them all.

Happy Viewing!

Clean Air 5k

We had the first race with kids from my school this weekend with Students Run Philly Style. Sixteen kids from the school and 8 faculty members ran the race. Some others came out to watch and all in all in was a great day. It was the first race any of the kids had ever run so it was pretty exciting. All 16 of the kids finished and we are gearing up for our next race in two weeks. It is a 10 mile run so it will be much more difficult but heck if they have to walk a ton there is no shame. It is exciting to be a part of this and introduce these kids to running. Here is a slideshow of pictures from the day. Br. Patrick who was taking the pictures got better with the camera towards the end so not every kid got their picture taken. I am looking forward to sharing more storied and pictures about our running adventures as we go.

Oh and Mayor Nutter was there....Sara and I got a picture with him at the very end of the day.

A New Addition To The Family

I am proud to announce a new addition to my family. It was a big decision but already well worth it....so check out my new bike. I have ridden it twice and it is oh so nice....if you are in the market for a bike, I would strongly recommend you check out Surly Bikes. They are very versatile and look pretty sweet.

Students Run Philly Style

As many of you know, I am pretty into running and well all sorts of sports. Well as I was training for the Chicago Marathon last fall, I noticed a ton of kids running the same paths as me with t-shirts on that said "Students Run Philly Style." I was very curious as to what this organization was so of course I googled it. I found out it is an organization in Philly that brings free marathon training to youth in Philly. Not only do they get free training, but they also get free shoes, race shirts, race registrations...basically they get to be a part of a team and become a runner for free. It is unlike any organization I have seen. I thought the program was so great I decided to join. I was able to recruit teachers at my school, West Catholic, and start a running team. This was was our first practice and we have anywhere from 20-35 kids running with us (depending on the day). It is really great to hear kids being proud of themselves for running their first mile and celebrating the beginning of some big accomplishments. I don't have any pictures of the team yet, but once I do I will definitely post them. Being a part of this has already been one of the most fulfilling experiences for me in Philly.

You can check out their website here http://nncc.us/studentsrun.html

Another Great Movie

If you haven't already seen Tsotsi, you should check it out. It is a hard movie, but also very well done. The movie is about a gang member in South Africa and the results of his well bad decisions....

Sleepless in Seattle...well Tacoma really

Well....this might finally get me caught up in posting pictures of my last few months. About two weeks ago I went to Seattle/Tacoma with my roommate Sara to visit a friend from college, Jen Curto. It was a great trip....we enjoyed the west coast, Pike's Market, crappy weather, Mt. Rainer, and the chill lifestyle of the west. We also saw the Crocodile Cafe....the home of grunge bands including Nirvana and many others....which sadly closed about a month before our visit. There are many great pictures below for your viewing pleasure....all in all a great trip and much too short.

Finally...Snowboarding

I went snowboarding with Denis, Katie, and Annabel last night. I am not sure if I have mentioned Katie and Annabel in blog...in case I haven't, they are two Lasallian Volunteers that live in Camden which is only 20 minutes away. We see them at least once a week but most often more than that.

Anyway, the four us went to the slopes last night. I was the only one snowboarding...also it was Annabel's and Denis' first time skiing so it is alway interesting watching first timers. They actually did pretty good and managed to stay on their feet most of the night. It was really strange conditions to snowboard in though...it was about 40 degrees outside and the snow was all fake but hey we at least got out. I am pretty sore today but it is worth it...this gets me one step closer to deciding to buy a board....you know I am going to be watching those end of season sales like a hawk....

Enjoy the pictures...

Sophie Scholl - Maybe the best movie in years

Last night I watched Sophie Scholl. I first heard about this movie about 2 years ago but it only came out with a limited release. Since then I have been trying to get my hands on it to watch it because I have heard nothing but wonderful things about it. I was blown away by the movie. It is at the same time beautiful and tragic. I find myself inspired and emotional often in the same scene. This movie dramatically depicts the true story of a two Germans, a brother and sister, who oppose Hitler and his ideas. They are caught distributing a inflammatory flyer around their campus and are subsequently put on trial. The remaining 1 1/2 hours of filming after their arrest will put anyone in touch with their emotions and inspire one to the deep ideas that are central to human existence.

I strongly recommend this movie to all. I finally got it through Blockbuster online so you could probably do the same or through Netflix. I found it was very difficult to find in a video store.

Enjoy the movie and please let me know what you think.

Mari, Sara, Daniel and Many Politicians

So Sara, Daniel, and I were coming back from downtown one night and we stumbled upon a lot of people at the Falls Bridge...which is about a mile from our house. We quickly realized it was for the lighting of the bridge (which it has never been lit in its whole history so this was a momentous event), so we decided to stop and participate.

I should probably backtrack a moment. Daniel is another Lasallian Volunteer who serves in Albany, NY. He was down for the weekend visiting with another volunteer. Anyway we pulled over and got to be a part of quite an experience. The lighting of the bridge itself was kind of a let down...not that spectacular but at least we could say we were there....but we did get to see most of the major Philadelphia and Pennsylvania politicians while we there...and I don't just mean see. I was about five feet away from all of them...you can tell in the pics below how close we were.

You will see our newly elected Mayor Michael Nutter, Governor George Rendell, and Senator Arlen Specter. It was pretty sweet. I could have pretty much reached out and touched any of them at a given moment. We tried to shake Michael Nutter's hand but some crazy girl started complaining to him about parking in her neighborhood...I wanted to say, "Look I know you can't find a parking spot but go talk to your neighborhood rep or something...your wasting the Mayors time and stealing my handshake." Which she did...oh well we at least got to see all of them in person...

Check out the pics....

NYC Marathon Trip

I went to NYC with Sara and Denis at the beginning of November to see another one of the Lasallian Volunteers run the New York Marathon. We also went to see the city...it was the first time I spent any real time in the city. We saw the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Ground Zero, Times Square...basically everything you can see in a 24 hour period. Sara and I also saw a musical, Avenue Q, on Saturday night. It was hilarious, awkward, intelligent, insightful, and altogether pretty good. We stood in line for almost an hour at the ticket booth where you get discounted tickets for all the Broadway shows on day of performances. Our tickets didn't really seem discounted because we still paid a ton for them....but it was worth it.

Sara and Denis had to head back to Philadelphia on Saturday night because they had a school commitment on Sunday morning. I stayed the night in one of our Brother's Communities with some other volunteers and got up early to see the NYC Marathon. You will see a bunch of LVs in the pictures as we are waiting for Joan, our LV runner, to come by. Sadly we did not see her or Lance Armstrong at the 8 miles mark where we waited forever, but we did find her just as she was finishing. I think her time ended up being around 3:30...yeah she is a lot faster than me :)

After the race, we headed to Chinatown to grab some food and then I grabbed what is called the Chinatown bus back to Philadelphia. There are buses all over the East Coast that go from pretty much every Chinatown in each big city. It is really cheap ($10) but the accommodations aren't always stellar, but what can you expect from a $10 ride. I made it back safely and all in all had a great weekend in New York.

Check our some of my pics below. The first picture on the slideshow is probably my favorite picture of the whole trip and also my favorite picture of Sara, Denis, and I. It is my favorite because we are caught in genuine laughter at this point. We are on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and we asked a older gentleman if he would take a photo of us with the Statue of Liberty in the background. He agreed but took so long to take the photo and the boat was turning as he was taking the photo that he totally missed the Statue of Liberty. We all started laughing hysterically because he didn't realize what was happening...needless to say it is great candid moment....with no Statue of Liberty in the background.

Okay I was way farther behind than I thought....

I was looking through my old photos and I realized that in my previous efforts to catch all of you up on what I have been doing that I really failed....so I am actually going to go back to events before Christmas and then slowly return to the present time.

The following pictures are from my visit to World Cafe Live which is an excellent music venue here in Philadelphia. World Cafe hosts a bunch of up and coming artists along with some established oldies. It is a small venue so the concerts are much more intimate and you feel much closer to the artists. I really love it and some of my favorite artists are coming in the near future including Ingrid Michaelson and Missy Higgins. I am very much looking forward to this.

We went to World Cafe this night to see Rosie Thomas. She is also one of my favorite musicians. Beautiful and incredible voice along with a hysterical personality and sense of humor. She opened that night and did a set for about one hour....the whole experience was great. Little did we know that the next band would also be great. It was my first experience with Over the Rhine and now they are also in my regular rotation of music. I am not sure how to describe their style...it is rock, jazz, gospel, blues and a little of everything else. More than their sounds is their lyrics. I am pretty sure they are considered some of top song writers of the past century....Yes they are that good....so check out their music if you haven't already.

Here are some pics of the night. Mostly of Rosie Thomas in really awful lighting so you can't really see much but you get the idea. The best moment of the night happened after Rosie's set. She walked right past us to talk with some friends and on her way back to the stage Denis stopped her and she talked to us for at least two minutes...and we also got an excellent picture with her. I pretty much could have died happy after that night. Enjoy the pics....



Here is also a little taste of Over the Rhine's music....not great sound quality but you might get a little idea of how great they are...

Christmas...Yeah I am trying to catch up again

Well its that time when I realize I haven't posted anything in about two years and I try to catch up....so look forward to a succession of posts if I have enough time to do it. I am starting with photos from Christmas. Great cute ones of my niece and of course other people too. My friend Paul puts me to shame with this whole blog thing. I think he posts about 3 blogs a day....crazy...I am lucky I post 3 times every other month.

It was great meeting my niece Rosie at Christmas and she is coming to Philadelphia in March with mom and grandma...I am really looking forward to seeing her...and them too :)

Check out the pics

Yeah I'm A Theater Goer

Earlier this week I went to an adaptation of C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters at the Lantern Theater Company in Philadelphia with most of my community. It was an excellent show. It won't travel but if it did I would recommend that you go see it, so you are going to have to take my word for it. Here is the synopsis:

"In a dark corner of Hell's bureaucracy sits mid-level demon Screwtape, scratching out letters to his nephew, Wormwood, filled with advice on how to corrupt a human soul. 'Bring us back food or be food yourself,' Screwtape tells him. Gleefully, Screwtape catalogues the list of human frailties upon which Wormwood is to prey – war, lust, debauchery, decadence, and all sorts of wickedness. This rollicking adaptation by Anthony Lawton turns this revered classic into a multi-media event sparkling with music, dance, and infernal unpredictability. Also featuring Geneviève Perrier."

The two actors did a masterful job not only bringing the book to life, but they also had small interludes between the dictating of each letter to Wormwood that were fantastic...sometimes funny, sometimes sensual, sometimes sad, and sometimes unbelievable...It was everything I was hoping for and more.

Here is a picture of most of my community before we went into the Theater.



Sara and I are also going to the Wilma Theater tonight to see a show called The Age of Arousal. I know...I am sure you are all guessing what this one is about. Here is the synopsis...it is supposed to be really excellent.

"Dare to enter the boldly uncensored world of loosened corsets as five Victorian women pursue a new age where erotic and economic freedom reign supreme. It’s 1885, and a population imbalance leaves England flooded with half a million more women than men. The Women’s Suffrage Movement is invigorated by the rise in numbers as non-married ”Odd Women” fight with passion, clarity, and confusion for sexual and financial independence. Determined to make women rich, a former militant Suffragette battles for equal opportunity and enlists female students to master the technology of the male-dominated workplace. But when a charismatic man with new ideas is thrust amongst the women, their most passionately held beliefs are thrown into question. Can women remain friends when a man comes between them? Is it possible for two people to love as equals? Sexy, fresh, and vibrantly funny, Age of Arousal is a modern look at forbidden Victorian desires on the brink of explosion."



I will let you know how this one turns out....