She sells sea shells by the sea shore

So it's Memorial Day weekend and Philadelphia is EMPTY! Everyone has gone down to The Shore. Not the beach, The Shore. That's right, anytime between Memorial and Labor Day weekend, all the big city folk toodle on over to The Shore. The Shore is not any one place in particular, it's the all encompassing term for any place that has long stretches of sand and salty water. What any one in CA would call the beach. Roomie and I think it's so funny that no one calls it the beach, apparently it's not posh enough. I also learned that you have to pay for the privilege of sitting on public property. At most places sun bathers and ocean swimmers alike must shell out around $7 for a day pass for the beach. The money supposedly goes to pay the life guards and for general upkeep of The Shore. I learned this little factoid about two weeks ago and it still outrages me. It's the beach! Shouldn't it be free to all? You also aren't allowed to bring your dog or barbecue or have bonfires. The upside to all of this is the water is supposed to be really warm and pleasant to swim in. All my memories of ocean water is walking in up to my ankles and scampering out because it's so icy cold. Perhaps the $7 is worth it to be able to walk farther into the Atlantic than I can in the Pacific.

Anyway, the city is pretty much dead. Usually there are people out and about on the weekend shopping, seeing the sites or lounging at a cafe, but everyone has escaped the heat of the city for The Shore. Getting to work today took less time than normal since the bus was on time and I didn't have to fight my way walking down the street. Work was pretty slow, but it felt great to be in an air conditioned building.

In life adventure news, I tried sushi with raw fish for the first time last night. I've had sushi a couple times before, but if it had any meat in it, it was cooked. But, I decided that I needed to stay on my roll of broadening my horizons and conquer my fear of uncooked food.
Here's the thing, I don't like things that aren't the way they're supposed to be. In my humble opinion, if I'm going to eat meat, it should be cooked all the way through. When I order a steak, I order it medium well. If I'm going to eat vegetables, I want them raw because that's the way they're supposed to be. I think fake meat made out of tofu is silly (though I totally applaud vegetarians for their commitment) and trying to convince me that it's real meat is even sillier.
Anyway, we ordered a roll with raw tuna and eel along with a shrimp tempura roll, California roll, and something called a Mexican roll (which was basically a spicier California roll) just to be safe. I have to saw that as long as I wasn't focusing on the fact that I was eating raw meat, it was pretty good. The tuna kinda melted in my mouth which was pretty tasty.

I wouldn't say that I conquered my anxieties of undercooked meat, but I do know that I can consume it and not drop dead the next day.

The dangers of Facebook and open windows

So I know this has nothing to do with moving to the East coast, but because it has happened to me twice since I left CA, I feel like it's somewhat on topic and appropriate.

Since when is it okay to ask to be Facebook friends as opposed to getting a girl or guys number? I completely understand that approaching someone you find attractive in any social setting can be an anxiety inducing event, but come on, how much more passive can you be? It's like saying "I'm interested, but only kinda." Well sir, I'm going to put forth the same half-ass effort you have; you can have my first name and have fun searching the land of Facebook for me. I'm often frustrated with my generation's lack of effort in many aspects of life, but currently I'm disappointed in the way we approach dating. It could be my age and it could be the places I go. I'm guessing it's my age group since most men in their early twenties are still in the college frat phase . But men, you'll have much better luck with a simple, "Hey, you're really attractive, let's do on a date, can I get your number?" Clear, straight forward, and women are more likely to take you seriously as opposed to "Hey, my name's John Spencer, find me on Facebook."

In other news it's hot as hell here. I've never appreciated dry heat more in my life than I do right at this moment. The humidity on the east coast (well at least in Philly) is like nothing I've ever experienced before. As I sit on the third floor of the house every day, I count down the hours until I get to go to work where I can stand in the air conditioned building and function like a normal human. Simple tasks like throwing my hair up or walking from one room to another makes me feel like I just ran a marathon in Arizona in July. And apparently this is just a taste of what July and August are like. Mmmm boy, I can't wait!

Also with heat comes bugs! Bugs that I didn't even know exist! Currently there is one buzzing around on the ceiling that also makes a clicking noise. I'e seen them in the room before and all I can tell you is that they're black, attracted to light and 0% intelligent because it keeps crashing into the ceiling, walls, light bulbs, windows, and basically anything solid. I can't wait to see what other treats Philadelphia's insect population will delight me with in the coming months!

On the bright side, these two problems have an easy fix. While I can't change the weather, I can buy sun and maxi dresses in bulk to keep myself well ventilated in the heat. Oh and sandals, sun screen and a great wide rimmed hat. And to save myself from panicking at every little phantom tickle I feel on my body that for a split second has me convinced that a bug has invaded, I'll just keep the windows without screens closed after dusk. Think positive!

"A hat is a symbol of positivity!"

So lately, not much has been going on. Roomie and I are still at Friend B's house, the Purple House. We don't do much during the day except look for jobs and watch a lot of Netflix. I can't even begin to count the number of jobs I've applied to, and still nothing yet, but I have learned a few things:

1.) Beware of marketing jobs! I was scammed in the past by a great sounding marketing position which turned out to be nothing but selling Direct TV memberships in Costco, and unfortunately Roomie fell into the same trap. She went on two interviews with two different "direct marketing" companies which, upon further research, were the same basic thing: door to door sales. So awful!
2.) Beware of job postings that do not include the company name. Now I know this is pretty obvious to the already employed or average person. Unfortunately, because I am not employed and pretty desperate for a full time job, I've been applying to any job that I feel like I'm at least 60% qualified for. I applied to a few Administrative Assistant positions that seemed a little shady (misspelled words and poor grammar) and heard back from a couple. One told me that I'd be making "regular contacts and drop offs" and the other told me that my interview would be conducted over Yahoo messenger. I respectfully declined both since I don't want to be a drug mule or an internet prostitute.

I also submitted a freelance piece to a local Philly website and got a "thanks, but no thanks" respond. Oh well, c'est la vie.

I work at BBW a few days of the week and I've gotten really good at working the bus system. Now, granted, it's only #32 that I'm an expert at, but I was able to help some visiting students from Brazil the other day, so I feel a tiny bit like a local. You meet all kinds of....special....individuals at the bus stop. One man was so kind as to tell me that God was going to kill me and I'd be going to Hell because I didn't have any change to give him. It was so nice of him to inform me, I can stop looking for a full time job now sit back and wait for the All Mighty to come pick me up. Note to self, no need to go to the grocery this week....

Since I have all this free time, I've been reading a lot. Right now I'm working on Pride and Prejudice. That Jane Austen is quite the verbose lady. I chose an easier Austen novel to start with; I've seen a few different movie adaptations of the book so I figured that if I got lost in the prose, at least I knew where the story was going. Of course I'm discovering that the book is way better than the movies. Once I've conquered all seven of Austen's novels (which at the rate I'm going will be in about a year), Sherlock Holmes is going to be my next challenge. Netflix keeps telling me that I'll like the movies, so I'm going to take their word for it. After all, it's on the internet, it must be true, right?

Roomie and I celebrated surviving the Rapture the other night to a pub called "The Happy Rooster." There a more than slightly inebriated gentleman asked me to marry him, he was quite the charmer too:
Roger: "Hey, are you engaged?"
Me: "Ummm, no"
Roger: "Well, do you want to be?"
Me: "Ummm, no. But thanks for asking"
I think I might have broken his heart.

One thing Philly has taught me is that while I might seem supremely high strung and anxiety ridden in CA, I'm laid back and easy going by East coast standards. I'm really hoping that I keep my CA personality and sarcasm while I'm living here though, I'd hate to become even more anxious than I already am!

The other thing I've learned is that cloudy skies mean rain, not a foggy marine layer that will burn off by early afternoon. If the sky is filled with clouds, there is going to be a down pour that may or may not include thunder and lightening. So, bring an umbrella and don't bother doing your hair because it's probably incredibly humid as well. The weather report is not a suggestion of what might happen is parts of the area. The weather report is an accurate prediction of the future. You cannot out-wit it or ignore it!

Bleu cheese cupcakes and French clowns

April 30

So I’ve worked at Bath and Body Works for over three years now and decided that I would de myself (and my bank account) a favor and transfer to one here in Philly. It’s about a mile and a half from Friend P’s apartment, so it’s totally possible to walk to work and back. So I went in today to see the manager and confirm that they’re going to let me transfer. The store is smaller than I’m used to, but it’s inside a mall that closes at 7 every night except Sundays. I thought that was pretty cool because then I would still have time to socialize at night. I talked to the co-manager and she put me on the next week and week after’s schedule. It’s such a great feeling knowing that I’ll at least have some source of income. I’m a little bummed because I had just gotten a raise at the one in Newport and since the price of living is lower in Philly, they wouldn’t be able to keep me at the same rate. Still, it’s a job.

After another mile and a half walk back (that’s three miles all together), Friend P and Roomie told me about a cupcake festival that was going on in Northern Liberties. Ummm, yes?! We decided to drive over since that area is pretty far from where we were and Friend P showed us a little more of the town, including China Town which was pretty crazy. Northern Liberties is an up and coming neighborhood with a lot of Hipsters. Since most that part of Philly used to be the industrial part of the city, most of the buildings are converted warehouses. Roomie and I decided it’d be a good place to look for apartments since they’d most likely be larger and newer. Unfortunately we got to the festival near the end so everyone was packing up their booth. It was held in a courtyard surrounded by apartments and small cafes and restaurants. I got gelato for the first time and now I understand why people love it so much! I got half creame brule, half Nutella and oh my goodness, it was heavenly! One of Friend P’s friends who met us there managed to grab Roomie and I a cupcake from a vendor who was closing up. Silly us took a bite without asking what the flavor was. It was bleu cheese. We spit our bite out and threw the offending cupcake away.

That evening was the closing night of the Arts Street Fair that was happening in City Center so after parking the car back at the apartment, we walked over. The city had blocked off one of the major streets down town for the street fair. It was really crowded with booths where you could get your face painted, or buy some art, or look at other people’s art and listen to music. We sauntered down the street with everyone else till we got to the end where there was supposed to be a big finale that started at 7:30. Well, it was 7, so we decided that because we were so close to the front, we’d stick around. In front of us was an enormous crane and two platforms on either side. So we waited and waited. Then when we were done waiting, we waited some more. Finally at 8, these two French clowns got up on the platforms and lit fires on little stakes on the platforms. They were yelling something, but no one heard because they didn’t have microforms. After about 15 minutes of inaudible French clowns, we decided to cut our losses and left to get food. We ate at a restaurant called Devil’s Alley. It was a cool atmosphere with yummy food. I had a turkey sandwich with cranberry mayo. DELISH! 

I was so happy when we finally got back to the apartment because I was super tired after walking all day. I think it's going to be necessary to buy more comfortable shoes to walk around the city in. My poor beloved jellies are not going to cut it!

Nice day for a Royal Wedding

April 29

Yes I woke up at 4:45am to watch the Royal Wedding. Yes, I enjoyed the crap out of it. Yes, I took a nap afterwards. Holy crap, the Royal Wedding was amazing! Of course, I loved every minute of it. She looked gorgeous and he looked handsome too. It’s refreshing to see the British monarchy look happy for a change. Unfortunately, I fell asleep before they got to the balcony, but I was able to find it online and watch it. So. Cute. Of course now I’m obsessed and read every article I can find on the wedding, the hats (so happy that hats are back in!) their pictures, etc.

Roomie and I ventured out into the city again, but this time we went to a coffee shop in Fairmount called Mugshots with Friend B who lives in that part of town.  It only renewed my desire to live in that area. Friend B lives in what’s called a row house which is pretty similar to the houses in downtown San Fransisco. And she has an extra room available until the middle of June that she offered to let us live in till then. We’d have to pay some rent and utilities, but we’d at least have our own room and get out of the way of friends in their own places. As you can imagine, we’re super stoked!

Anyway, Friend B coaches a high school women’s rowing team and she took us out to Boathouse Row to watch her coach. Roomie and Friend B know each other from UCI’s rowing team, so Roomie is very familiar with the Schuylkill River and Boathouse Row. It was pretty cool to ride in the coach’s boat while she coached and get a free tour of the river and the area. Except for the brown water, trash on the river’s edge, and graffiti on the bridges, it was a pretty.

When we got back to Friend P’s apartment (which is amazing by the way! It has a great view of the art museum and is within walking distance of the heart of downtown) we decided that it was time for dinner. We met some of Friend P’s friends at a little Italian restaurant called Mamma Palma’s. We had some really delicious pizza then walked over to a bar called Mouriarty’s in another part of the city. We walked through a park that I had been to back in the summer of 2009 when I came with my parents which was nice because now I had a point of reference and felt a little more connected to this huge city.

I’m starting to understand the city a little bit more. For instance, the whole city is on a grid, any street higher than 30^th is in West Philly, numbered streets run north-south, and streets with tree names go from softest to hardest wood. There is an urban legend that when the city was first built, they planted the corresponding trees on their street (i.e. a spruce tree on Spruce) that way farmers who came to the city who couldn’t read could navigate their way around the city. Unfortunately it’s not true. 

Downtown

April 28

Roomie and I started the day with, of course, breakfast at Gold Standard. This time I had macaroon pancakes, two of my favorite things put together! We drove around downtown a little and went to the restaurant where another one of Roomie’s friends works, Friend B. It’s a really cool place in Fairmount called Jack’s and it was converted from an old firehouse to a restaurant. It still has the brick façade and pole you can slide down. We hung out there for awhile and walked around the area a little. It has a lot of unique shops and eateries and the penitentiary where Al Capone was held for a few days. We went back to Friend H’s apartment and took a nap. For some reason Roomie and I are always so tired! It’s probably because we’re walking everywhere and we’re not that used to it; most likely the reason we’re always hungry too. After our short respite we learned that another one of Roomie’s friends, Friend P, said that we could come stay at his place. We felt sort of bad for leaving Friend H, but her apartment was way too small for three people. We were also pretty excited to be going somewhere with internet because the Royal Wedding was going to be on that night/morning. So, we packed up our stuff, said by to Franki and moved from West Philly to Downtown.

The boulevard is not that bad

April 27

Dear lord it was hot last night! Roomie and I shared the futon in her friend’s studio apartment last night. It rained, but there was a nice breeze. We went to a super cute café in the neighborhood called The Gold Standard for breakfast and hung out for a bit. Roomie and I loved it there and plan to go back a lot more. We ran some errands today which included going to the bank. I walked into the Wells Fargo and let’s just say that Roomie and I stood out. We went and paid for our Relo cube and were comforted by knowing that all our stuff had arrived safely, or at least arrived, we were allowed to look in the actual cube. We drove around the city a little bit and an enormous rain storm hit. It was weird for us because we’re so used to rain when it’s cold, not when it’s like 80 degrees outside. My curly hair did not appreciate it! Speaking of storms, one of the UVA girls sent us a message on Facebook telling us that Tuesday evening after we left the house, there was a tornado warning in Charlottesville so the whole house had to go down to the basement. Part of me was really happy that we missed it, but a smaller part was sad because it would have been cool to hunker down in the basement. Roomie and I are still amazed at our good luck at missing all the scary weather throughout the whole trip!

After our errands, we went back to The Gold Standard and researched apartments and jobs. Later tonight we’re going to a poker game at a friend’s house to meet new people. I’m getting a little more comfortable in the city, but it’s still a little overwhelming. Hooray for new places!

The Final Leg!!!

April 26

We left the UVA house today and explored the campus a little. It’s beautiful! So many trees and students walking everywhere! We walked down the main street parallel to campus and it had a myriad of shops and restaurants to stop and peruse. We ate at a little Irish pub that had a patio area right on the sidewalk. It was nice to sit and watch all the students rush by. Sometimes I wish that I had gone to a school that had a more connected feel to it. I loved UCI and everything I did there, but sometimes it felt like more of a commuter school. We left Charlottesville and started the five hour journey to our destination. On the way we got the honor and privilege of sitting in DC traffic. People may complain about LA traffic, but it is NOTHING compared to DC traffic. It was awful! In the end it took us seven hours, but we finally pulled up to the apartment where we’re going to be staying for a few days.

The city is huge a little overwhelming especially coming from Orange County. Half of the streets run only one way which makes it difficult to navigate. The apartment we’re staying in is a small studio so Roomie and I are very cozy with Friend H and her little doggie, Franki. It’s a hot night, but we’re so freaking tired that sleep should be no problem.

Sisters!

April 25

Nashville's downtown area was all that you would expect from a musically inclined city. The main street had old rock and roll and country music playing from speakers set on the street lamps and the street signs were in the shape of guitar picks. We went to the oldest operating ice cream shop in Nashville, Roomie got some coffee while I had a scoop of Tennessee Track ice cream. It was good, but not what I wanted at 11am. We walked the three blocks of downtown, passed some local guitarists playing on the street, took our picture with an Elvis statue, and decided that we had seen all there was to see.

Hoping to continue with our good weather luck, we drove through Tennessee. We had already dodged the fires in Texas, just barely escaped the tornadoes in Arkansas (they came the day after we left), now we were hoping to breeze right through good ole Tennessee and avoid the thunder storms. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had another plan. We had great weather until we got close to the Virginia boarder and all of a sudden it started pouring. It was so bad that at one point we could barely see five feet ahead of ourselves on the freeway. It poured on us for about 15 minutes, then just as quick as it came, it went away. As we got closer and closer to the Tennessee/Virginia border we kept our eyes peeled for the Welcome sign, but we soon discovered, much to our dismay, that Virginia did not feel the need to welcome us to their fine state. Thanks for ruining one of our road trip goals!

After a quick change at a gas station, we finally arrived at the sorority house at the University of Virginia. The house was so big and beautiful; just like a typical east coast house! It had a huge porch complete with a porch swing and large bay windows. The sisters who lived in the house were very welcoming and eager to talk to us about our road trip and about our chapter at UCI. We chatted a little bit upstairs with the girls and got a tour of the house. They told us that they don’t have meeting or initiation in the house itself, but rather all the Greek chapters hold all their meetings and Ritual events in an old church on campus. Roomie and I thought that was pretty interesting considering all the things they have to carry down for meeting. Two of the girls who live on the main floor were nice enough to let us borrow their room for the night so we let all the girls of the house get back to studying while we got a much needed night’s rest.

Hallelujah to ya!

April 24

I woke up on Sunday morning and felt a lot better. We all decided to go to a riverboat casino in Tennessee. However, I decided to do some laundry that morning and it took longer than usual to dry, that paired with other logistical issues, we decided not to go. Instead Roomie, Friend J and one of his coworkers went to a Mexican restaurant to have margaritas, which is exactly what none of us wanted. Roomie and I left shortly after for the birth place of rock and roll, Tennessee. As we got closer to the state line, we waited anxiously for a “Welcome to” sign, alas all we got was another sign over the freeway much like the one welcoming us to Arkansas while we drove over a suspiciously wide body of water. We were pretty disappointed until we found out that the large body of water we were passing over was the Mississippi River. Oops. Because it was Easter Sunday, not too many things were open and there were few people out and about. Memphis was kind of dirty and sketchy looking, but we did find a delicious bbq place about five miles outside of the city. It was in a small neighborhood and it had a huge patio on which to dine. We of course had ribs and I learned that ribs can come in two forms: wet, where the meat is cooked with the sauce on it or dry, with only a rub on it. These people were clearly serious about their ribs.

Spending Easter in the Bible Belt was definitely an experience. Nothing was open and we saw tons of “inspirational” billboards. Most were just Bible quotes, but some of them got pretty creative. Our favorite had a box of babies on it with the caption “God’s stimulus package.” I also noticed that groceries did not sell alcohol in them. For that, you have to go to a liquor store which are only open during limited hours in the day. However, many of the liquor stores have a drive through, which I thought was pretty ironic. It was pretty obvious that we were in a Red state. 

We finally got to Nashville and were too tired to do much of anything except go to bed. The next morning we packed up and went to explore Nashville.