My first scarf!

I finished my first scarf! I would have been done earlier, but I'd forgotten how to cast off, or finish the thing. I went online and found directions, and it was actually pretty easy. So here it is, ladies and gentlemen. I know you've all been waiting for it, my debut piece:


And Mother Nature was kind enough to provide prime scarf-wearing weather. Muggy and 68 degrees today. Cozy.

Deer v. Auto

It came at me from the left. One second, I'm driving along perfectly content, having just made a new friend at the movies, and the next second I see a deer flash before me. The image is burned in my mind. His fur was whitewashed from the glare of the headlights. His eye was like a black marble. I swerved and hit the brakes, but he still hit. I didn't know what to do. I kept driving until I found a lit parking lot, where I got out to inspect the damage. I called my mom, sobbing on the phone, freaking out. Should I go back to find the poor animal? Could I handle seeing it suffer, lying there on the road? I drove back looking for it, and couldn't find it. I called 911 (something I'd never done before) and they sent a police officer to take a report. He was there in two minutes. I sat in my car for 20 while he did who-knows-what in his squad car. Meanwhile another officer stopped by to report seeing a dazed deer walking on the side of the road. I am clinging to the thought that it was my deer. That it was just a little stunned, not seriously injured and certainly not dying. I have no way of knowing exactly what happened to my deer, but I have to tell myself that this kind of thing happens all the time, and I did what I could to minimize the damage. I also can't help but think of Darwin. I mean, come on, an animal that is attracted to fast moving bright lights cannot be one of the fittest for survival.

Meanwhile the irony is sickening. I never should have even been on that stretch of road. When I left the theater I turned left and I should have turned right! But thanks to my stellar sense of (mis)direction, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, I can't help but count my blessings and think about how it could have been so much worse. I mean, I was actually driving the speed limit for once, and I actually had both eyes on the road and both hands on the steering wheel, when frequently I'm speeding and either reading a map or taking a photo. If he'd hit head-on, my airbags would have gone off, my windshield could have smashed, I could have been hurt, the deer could have died. So I'm thankful things were not worse. The damage to my car is relatively minimal. Of course, minimal is all relative to an insurance company. My car isn't worth much to begin with, being a '98 with 97k miles, so even two grand of damage warrants being totaled. So we'll have to see what happens with that. Such drama!

Those dreaded words: "Assembly required"

For my birthday I got a new entertainment center. I went to a furniture store in Raleigh and picked it out. It's Sauder, which means it comes in a box and you have to put it together. To me, this is both fun and daunting. I really like the end result, gazing upon my very own handiwork. But the process can be tedious.

The first night (yes, this was a two-evening project) I spent three hours assembling the main structure. I had to stop at the point where you hammer nails in the cardboard that goes on the back, because it was after 11 pm and I'm sure my downstairs neighbor would not have been pleased with me (the unit was lying face-down on the carpet). The next morning I finished putting on the back piece, and then started hooking up all the electronics. Another nightmare. I wish they would make an all-in-one TV with a built-in VCR, DVD player, DVD recorder, stereo receiver, tape player, CD player, CD burner, and TiVo. I would SO buy that TV. Of course, if one thing breaks, you're screwed. Anyway, everything is hooked up properly and the unit looks awesome! So much better than what I had before.

Before:

After:

The big THREE-OH

Okay, so I never did post about my birthday. Being jobless and such, I have tons of time, but I've gotten really L-A-Z-Y. Nicole's trip out here was super fun! She arrived early in the morning, so we stopped at Waffle House for breakfast. New for both of us. Pretty much like a Denny's. Later we explored the shops on Salem Street in downtown Apex. They were all very charming. That afternoon we got pedicures. My guy took extra special pride in the design he painted on my big toe...kind of funny. He stared at the blank toe for a while, and made some brush stroke motions, as if planning out his masterpiece. He made me promise not to look until he was done, because he wanted to surprise me. It turned out to be kind of like a firework, with sweeping lines of gold and white bursting from the upper right corner of the toenail. But my interpretation was wrong! He told me, without a drop of sarcasm, that it was a depiction of the sunrise at 6 am. Mmm-hmm, whatever.

Anyway, the next day we went out to see the progress on my parents' house. Then we drove up to Chapel Hill to explore, and stopped at Southern Season because I'd read it was like this huge awesome store. It was fun to browse but all we got were some Kindersorpresa chocolate eggs (a reminder of Italy!). We drove all around just checking everything out, and Nicole played navigator. We almost made it to Duke, but using the Rand McNally street map while driving can be tricky. We wrapped up the day at the Streets at South Point in Durham, which I'd also heard was fabulous.


Fabulously crowded!! It was INSANE! The wait for The Cheesecake Factory (always long anyway) was two and a half hours. We opted for Firebirds Rocky Mountain Grill because it was only 90 minutes. While waiting, we sauntered over to the Bose store and listened to their top-of-the-line demonstration. Pretty cool, but also pretty pricey! When we finally got seated, the food was great, and I got a happy birthday creme brulee (sans the embarrasing singing) for dessert.

Sunday we went to the movies to see Dreamer with Dakota Fanning. Very heartwarming. I love me those happy endings! I also learned to knit. Nicole was incredibly patient with this clumsy student. It was so humbling to feel completely incompetent at something I know is so simple. But, I'm catching on, and can even watch TV now while I knit without having too many dropped (or added) stitches. So far I'm about halfway done with my first scarf. It is far, far from perfect but I'll still wear it with pride. "Dude, I made this!"


Yeah, that whole widening part there, totally unintentional.

Monday we hung out and relaxed, knitting and watching Fever Pitch. We'd watched Mad Hot Ballroom her first night here, which was so-so, cute but not a keeper. Unlike Fever Pitch, which was totally a keeper! I love romantic comedies, and Drew Barrymore is one of my favorite actresses.

All this fun kept me so busy I didn't really have time to reflect upon turning thirty. It's kind of weird to think I'm in that decade, but whatever. I can't help but feel a little behind, though, considering when my mom was my age she already was married with two kids. But there's no sense in brooding on it--if it's meant to happen, it will happen. If not, well, there's a LOT to be said for living alone! I am in love with my new apartment, it is so roomy and comfortable.

Well, that's it for now. To all my loyal readers (ha!) stay tuned, because I have updates on my parents moving into their new house, as well as the saga of assembling my birthday present--a new entertainment center!

This is what bloggers do, right?

Provide links to fun-slash-weird things they come across on the internet? Well, here you go! (Takes a few seconds to load, but worth it. Music starts before animation.)

The City of Brotherly Love

Philadelphia was fantastic! There is so much history there, it’s ridiculous. Come to think of it, there’s just as much history everywhere else, but in Philly it’s all the stuff you read about in school, so seeing the sites in person is quite a thrill. I think the best way to share about my trip is through photos, so here we go!

The drive to Pennsylvania was gorgeous. The fall foliage was absolutely spectacular.



I passed through several states (I missed the Pennsylvania sign because it was right after an interchange and I was focused on following directions).




Being from California, I get excited over silly things like rivers, big bridges, tunnels, and toll roads.



This was my first view of Philadelphia.


My first full day, we went into Old City. We happened upon City Hall and found out that you can take an elevator to the top—for free!—to get an awesome view of the city.



Next was the heavyweight, the star of the show, Independence Hall. Unfortunately they’ve sullied the landscape with security barricades (pitifully disguised with bunting), but it is nonetheless a sight to behold the building where such momentous events took place two centuries ago.

I have difficulty accepting such a close juxtaposition of old and new. The skyscrapers immediately behind the Hall kind of ruin the view, if you ask me, but at least they haven’t torn down the Hall to build a skyscraper in its place.


If you take a picture from the back of the building, though, there’s less modernity to intrude on the scene.


Now, of course, the obligatory photo that proves I was there.


Dude, this is where they approved the Declaration of Independence and wrote the Constitution!! You can’t get more seminal than that!


The Liberty Bell is housed in a separate museum-like hall, where you have to walk past tons of exhibits talking about the bell before you get to see the real thing. But they’ve positioned it in such a way to allow for a pretty great photo.


The Mint would of course have been another must-see for me, but due to 9/11 security measures, tours are not open to the public. You have to get sponsorship by your congressperson, which takes at least a month. I didn’t know about this until I was already in Philadelphia, so I was out of luck.


We visited the Penn campus, where Marcy works. It was Homecoming Weekend, so pretty crowded for a Saturday. It’s the second Ivy League school I’ve visited (the first being Dartmouth), and it does have a stately feel with all the old buildings and such.


And of course, with it being fall, everything was ten times as pretty.


Another obligatory pose with one of the famous Ben statues:


The next day we visited the Italian Market (great if you are in need of produce, because it is very cheap and good quality) and Reading Terminal (another market but less produce and more meats, cheeses, and breads, along with lots of options for lunch). I had a chicken cheesesteak sandwich from Rick’s, which I was so excited to try.


It was delicious, but alas made me quite ill afterwards. Not sure why.

The following day we drove out to Valley Forge, about half an hour away. It was another beautiful day. We took the driving tour of the park, which is about nine miles and takes you by about ten different pullouts where you can stop and view something such as recreations of soldier huts, Washington’s headquarters, or an artillery field.





Even just the drive by itself was breathtaking. The park was simply gorgeous.


That’s Marcy by the canon. Talk about a huge tree!


The visitor’s center was also worth stopping in because they have cool artifacts, like actual playing cards and dominoes the soldiers used.


We had lunch at the King of Prussia mall (apparently the largest retail space in America), and then began the drive out to Mertztown.

I was ridiculously excited to visit this town, and was not disappointed. Again, the drive was spectacular and I would have stopped every quarter mile to take a picture if I could have. Just look at those hills!! (Click for larger view.)



We finally made it to the Village of Mertztown, as you can see.


We came across a cemetery, and I got out to look for any Mertz tombstones, but didn’t have any luck.


Finding the intersection of Mertz Rd and Mertztown Rd was a little more difficult, as the directions from Google were not entirely correct. But we eventually did find it. This is what you see while driving on Mertztown Rd:


The intersection of Mertz and Mertztown did not have signs for both roads, but at least we found it! A storm was rolling in, so it was quite windy, but I cannot tell you how pleased I was that the sky was cooperating by offering a beautiful backdrop for my photos.


I would have gone down Mertz Rd further, but apparently the bridge was out.


Mertztown even has its own post office, so I mailed a couple postcards.


We stopped at the market to get something to drink and I had to sneak this shot:


On the way out of Mertztown, the hills glowed as the setting sun illuminated the foliage.


My last full day in Philly, I returned to Old City to see the sites we ran out of time for on our first visit. I must admit, for the most part they were missable. I’d rate Congress Hall a five out of ten. Not much to see, but important stuff happened there, like the ratification of the Bill of Rights and the swearing in of our second president, Adams.



Old City Hall (where the Supreme Court met for the first ten years) was about a two. A single room, took about 30 seconds to visit.


A lot of stuff happened at Carpenter’s Hall, too, like the First Continental Congress, but it was also just one room. Probably a three out of ten.


The Todd and White houses, which you can only get inside if you go on a formal tour, are very nondescript from the outside. You’d walk right past them and think nothing of it if you didn’t know better.


Franklin Court was very enjoyable, however. I’d rank it about an eight. The white frames outline where his house and print shop used to stand.


The free museum underground showcases some of his inventions (he was super clever!) such as the glass harmonica.


There’s also a working print shop where you can see how they printed back in the day.


Lastly, there’s a post office where they hand cancel the mail using a replica of Ben Franklin’s signature. All very worthwhile.

Continuing on with the Franklin theme, we stopped at the cemetery where he is buried. We paid $2 to get in, but you don’t have to—you can see Ben’s grave from the fence. You’re supposed to toss a penny on it for good luck, so naturally I did.


It seems odd that his grave is so close to a busy street. Doesn’t seem like a very peaceful place to rest for eternity. The rest of the cemetery was quite picturesque, however.


Alas, acid rain and the march of time have combined to erode many of the tombstones to the point where they might as well be unmarked graves.

Elfreth’s Alley is the oldest continuously inhabited street in America, and although it is rather quaint and charming, if you came to Philly and missed it, you should not fret. It’s a street. A rather short one. You walk down it, take a couple photos, and you’re done. A four out of ten.



Christ Church was worth the visit; I’d give it a six out of ten. It’s where George Washington worshipped, and so many other luminaries as well. A school group was letting out when we arrived, so it was rather chaotic. But their gift shop was the first I saw with miniature replicas of the Liberty Bell, so I was thrilled. Me and my knickknacks.

Now, aside from the cheesesteak, I haven’t mentioned much about where we ate. Everything was great, and not once did we dine at a national chain (big deal for suburban me). We ate at Marathon Grill twice (two separate locations). They have a rather extensive menu. I had a salmon burger first, and baked ziti second. Both were good. Kind of noisy inside though. Solid sevens. We went to Dmitiri’s one night, for Mediterranean fare. Tons of food. Delicious. Quieter. A nine. Mama Palma’s for woodfired pizza. I had one with lots of roasted garlic—I’m very into garlic these days. Quite tasty. An eight. Lunch on my last day was at Plough and Stars, an Irish pub. I was very original and ordered the fish and chips. The tartar sauce was fantastic, and the fish was impressive. Another nine. Even the food at the King of Prussia Mall was yummy. I ordered a turkey wrap from one of the food court places (I guess it’s probably a chain but not one I recognized) and it was very well done. One of the days we didn’t have lunch, because time just slipped away from us. But that day I got to try Tastycakes, which are apparently a big deal in Philly. They were okay, basically like Hostess cupcakes. I also had a pretzel from a street vendor, which was good, but it would have been better warm. But at the price of three for $1, you can’t complain.

A few other things I wanted to mention:

- The cheapest gas we saw was $2.29 out in rural Pennsylvania, on the way to Mertztown.

- Philly freeway signs measure in tenths of a mile, as in, the South Street exit is 2/10 of a mile ahead. Odd. I’m used to quarter miles.

- It cost me $10 in tolls to get to Philadelphia, but only $5 to return.

- The weather was great—unseasonably warm—except one night it rained. Of course we had walked to dinner, so on the way back we got soaked, but it wasn’t that far.

- I was surprised by how few souvenir vendors there were in the Independence Mall area. In the touristy areas of Italy, there were carts up the wazoo where you could buy your miniature replicas of David, figurines of the Vatican, etc. In Philly, you get your souvenirs from the official gift shops, basically.

- One cool thing about PA is there’s no tax on clothes or shoes. My only benefit from this was on the $10 slippers I bought at Nordstrom Rack.

- Google and Yahoo gave me different directions on how to get to Philly, and provided drastically different estimates of how long the drive would take. Google said 8:45, while Yahoo said 6:45. Google also took me right through Washington DC instead of bypassing it like Yahoo. In reality, it took me about eight hours to get to Philadelphia from my house. I did stop for lunch in Fredericksburg, VA, for nearly an hour. On the way back, it took me about seven hours. I stopped near Hopewell, VA for lunch, but only for 30 minutes. I think it was faster because I sped more, and also because on the way out I somehow ended up on the Route 64 business loop, and on the way back I stayed on the main highway.