Riding in a Down Pour

On Friday it decided to start raining about an hour before I was to leave work. It was still down pouring when I made may way downstairs with my bike. Once I was out of the elevator I stalled, hoping that it would stop long enough for me to make it to my apartment relatively dry. I hoped too much.

I waited until the rain had come to a stop and than was on my bike. Less that ten minutes later I was in another downpour which followed me all the way to my apartment. I was completely soaked, completely. I had made the mistake of wearing my white khakis too, which as heavy as they are shown pale pink sticking to my legs. Even my journal got wet, although thankfully not ruined.

The funny thing was I was smiling once I got to my apartment. There is something very nice about getting completely soaked. My father of course would ask me if I had remembered my soap (no is the answer). The funny thing is that it stopped raining very shortly after I got home, as if mother nature was having a laugh (along with all of the people who passed me in their nice dry cars).

Than Saturday I awoke to a downpour, which lasted almost the whole day. It held off enough for me to make my way to the bank and grocery store. I was actually very thankful for the cooler weekend. It was comfortable in my apartment! Although it was annoying having to wait for Sunday before I could do my laundry (I missed the first half of the World Cup final, although I did not really miss anything since Spain did not score till overtime). Thankfully I was able to dry out.

Its a Wonderful Thing!

Friday!!!! Let us say that again. FRIDAY!!! After a short week, due to the holiday and a very, very, very slow week at work, I am so ready for the weekend. Not only do I have to do laundry, but the Spain/Netherlands game is on Sunday (bring to a close the World Cup). I'm going for the Netherlands, but I would be happy either way (this is Spain's first time in the World Cup).

But mostly I am just excited to have made it to Friday, this week has been hard. Also I might have an interview for a better job, working customer suport for Drexel Registar Office (I talked to the Boss there yesterday and am waiting for her to call back to set up a interview). This would be a great opportunity not to mention a job with benifits and very close to where I live at the moment. Pray hard I get it!!

Well I guess now all I have to do is make it till 5:30 when I can leave work and go home and sleep (which is all I want to do at the moment).

Rehearsal

After walking home through the blistering hot July summer haze and sun, I stood in my stifling apartment sweating and gulping down a large glass of water. It was no were close to ice cold, but it was good none the less. After downing the glass and refilling it, I sipped water while walking around my apartment throwing open all the windows. I hoped that some air flow would happen, but felt little change.

After changing out of my work cloths to something a little more comfortable, I moved to the kitchen to make something for dinner. I had less than half an hour before I needed to leave my apartment for rehearsal. Quickly I shredded some lettuce I had in the frig and chopped up some green pepper. Than I smothered it all with blue cheese and feeling very much like a rabbit started to eat. After finishing the salad I felt hungry still so I at a couple of crackers with cheese. Than after another glass of water I left the apartment, already sweating in my 'fresh' clothing.

I quickly walked, nervous about missing my bus, while calling my sister to talk. I really like talking to my sister while I'm walking, doing two things at once, it makes it easier to appear at home in a place were I stand out. Being white in a area of Philly that is almost completely Black, I'm getting used to sticking out. I get to the bus stop right as the bus comes barreling down the street towards me, its early. I'm thankful that I did not miss it. I hang up with my sister, drop my token through the little box next the driver and awkwardly walk to the closest free seat as the bus sways back into traffic.

On the bus I look out the window at the passing rows of houses, which give way to the park. The bus stops and starts with the traffic and as it pull off to the side to let people on and off. Everyone on the bus sways as it gathers speed and than quickly decelerates before a red light. Slowly the bus empties until I am the only one on board. Finally we reach the last stop and I step off the bus and back into the heat wave. I start walking down the main street towards the pub we normally meet in. The shoes I am wearing start to eat into the back of my ankles, and my walk starts to become a hobble.

I make it to the pub, only to find it basically empty. Shortly after I sit down I receive a text to come outside, because we are moving to the directors house. I wonder out, find his car, and clamber into the front seat. Off we go through the streets of Manayunk, first to pick up another member of the cast at the train station and than off to the Directors house, which thankfully will be air conditioned. Together the group of us head inside sweat and ready for cool air, cold glasses of water and rehearsal. It seems everything I do here in the city is some type of adventure, at least I have yet to be really lost.

100 Degrees

Yesterday it was 102 degrees (according to the Weather Channel, felt like 110). Today has climbed to the same hight. I rode the El both yesterday and today, knowing that it was just too hot to bike into work. No only would I have arrived to the office gross and sweaty, but I am also sure that going home would have been killer. Seeing as I do not have air conditioning, getting over heated is something I have to be very careful about. So far so good. I've been warm the last couple of nights but between a whole bunch of water and a fan I've been ok.

The really interesting thing was yesterday the office experienced some kind of long term brown out. Slowly parts of the building lost power (not the whole thing, only part) and I ended up going home early because I could not work without my pc. Than this morning our internet was down. Luckly that did not last long and I have been working all morning. Still it is amazing what the weather can do. And I am happily contimplating the cool front that is supose to come through starting tomorrow. I don't care if it means rain and thunder. Bring it on! It will be so nice to have nights drop below 75 degrees. And heres hoping that we do not have too many 100degree days this summer.

Things that Scare Me.

This past weekend I had my Sibs (sister and two brothers)down. We went and watched both firework shows in Philly. The best was Saturday night at Penn's landing. The music of the Philly Pops along with the water and crowd made it an amazing experience for all four of us. All three of my Sibs think I'm crazy for living in a city and sometimes I think they might be right, definably after what happened on Sunday night.

Sunday we were all a little slow getting moving. I woke up slowly, but was up stairs to look in on the boys. Theo was throw across his bunched up sleeping bag in a way that looked like it had been staged and could not have been very comfortable. While Richard was half sticking out of his sleeping bag rather cute and very asleep. Soon we were all up and getting breakfast and off to see the 4th of July day Parade. We got to see the wonderful hour special before with the ringing of the bell and some rather amazing music. Than the parade started, although interesting, it was rather dragged out and unorganized and long. We than walked towards the Art Museum and had lunch then went back to my apartment. I took a very nice too short nap and the boys and Audrey watch The Great Race (a great old time movie courtesy of Netflix).

Sunday night we again left for the fireworks. We arrived just before 8pm. We waited 3hours for the show to begin, Richard falling asleep and all of us rather itchy from the dry grass we were sitting on. The show was great, bigger than anything we see at home, although not as cool as Saturday night. We picked up and joined the crowd of people walking across the bridge and westward on Spring Garden. When we were only about 4 or 5 blocks away from my apartment, there was a bang (which I thought was fireworks) and people started to run past us. The four of us quickened or pace. Than this morning I find out that there was a shooting on Spring Garden probably only five minutes after we had walked past. Talk about Scary. And to think that I was naive enough to think it was just people stupidly setting off fireworks like they had been doing all night. At least no one was hurt.

Go Dutch!!!

I was very annoyed when both the English and the Americans were eliminated. I had faithfully watch their games while they were in the group phase. I wondered about who they would play once they were to the 16 group. I worried about Germany, about the US waiting the last moment, England's haphazardness, and Ghana's fire. It all ended with Both the USA and England making it out of the group phase, and dieing their first game in the elimination round, figures.

The question became who do I know cheer for? The Dutch of course, and after their game against Brazil I'm happy with my choice (of course it helps that Brazil scored on itself). But why the Dutch? Well besides the fact that they wear my favorite color (orange), I also spent two wonderful weeks in Netherlands when I was a kid. And I really can't cheer for Germany, although I really do like Ozil, because I want Argentina to move on. Perhaps I take all this Futbol stuff to seriously.

Hey what else am I going to do?

The 4th

Normally the Fourth of July means that I would be going to see fireworks with my family and going to a family pig roast. This year however I am in Philadelphia, the home of freedom. I forgot until yesterday, when I was riding my bike past the art museum with all the tents and things, that Philadelphia is kind of where our country was born. For a country girl, who is used to fireworks being done at the elementary school and that really being the extent of the celebration, a whole week of events and activities leading up to the fourth is rather odd to me.

Of course what is making it worse is that I miss my family.

The fourth means six plus people: parents kids, and sometimes grandparents, carrying blankets, folding chairs, and cans of bug spray across the soccer Fields to find an empty piece of grass. Blanket unfurl, my brothers pull out game boys or start begging for money to buy 'stuff' (the parents rarely give in). Dogs park and kids scream, while a mass of people sit waiting for the sky to darken, praying the rain will hold off.

Than the 30min warning goes up with a pop and the faintest of whooshes, which ends in a boom rocking the hills around our small village. I know at home our dog will be hiding scared. Those 30minutes pass so slowly. The stars slowly show up, the trees around the baseball diamond, where they set off the fireworks, blacken and create a kind of wall. Men walk around checking the lines and talking to the fireman. My sister and I get in a argument about nothing in particular. Everyone stops really paying attention, although my brother starts to ask the time ever minute or so. My parents are having a conversation with friends from church.

Suddenly through the noise, everyone hears the first pop. The people laying on the blankets around my family hush, as if they could over power the fireworks. The first sparkling shower opens in the sky and the crowd break out in 'cool', 'wow', and 'that was a nice one'. My brothers annoyingly start saying 'ooh', 'ahhhh' after each one, in a rather sarcastic voice, that my mother says is all my fault. My Dad tells them to be quiet.

After a while there is a big finale, which depending on the year can be slightly lame, and than my family packs up quickly, and rushes to try and beat the crowd, who all have the same idea. My brothers start arguing, lugging chairs that seemed so lite when we first arrived, but are now too heavy. Some how through the mess of cars and people we make it out of town and drive the almost empty country roads towards home. Over the hills we can see the flashing lights of another villages fireworks coming to an end.

At home we unpack the car and reassure the nervous dog that we are OK. My parents make my brothers go off to bed, and my sister and I stay up talking. Sometime later we go off to bed and fall asleep in the darkness. The fourth having come to an end.