Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts

Today was the PIFA, hosted mainly on Broad Street.  Most of the street shuts down to pay homage to all the local theaters, artists, street performers and even some restaurants that turn food into art...(Brasserie Perrier, yum) 
 Today was more like fall weather then Spring, so with jeans and sneaks we took to the speedline to check out what they had to offer.  It was a nice day to walk city blocks because it wasn't too hot to be comfortable, and thank goodness for that because this draws such a large crowd and I don't do well with smells of hundreds of people. 
 By far the street performers shined.  We saw a performance done by two men in tights (that hardly ever seems ok to me) on a trampoline, one where you as the guest could sign up to learn, in front of a crowd, to swing on a trapez- and be tossed in the air!  There were three stages that offered musical and drum performances.  And then our favorite- street walkers...

She was beautiful! She stayed perfectly still until they played angelic music over the speakers and she slowly moved while standing in the fountain and water started  cascading out of each of her finger tips.  She kept everyones attention the entire time.

She walked among the crowd on her stilts while the fountain girl did her performance.  She found her way to a tree and lifted her arm to it, as to make them one.  Some people walked right by her not realizing.



Only time I ever saw grass right in the middle of Broad.  They laid sod for two city blocks to give people a place to eat and relax.

  We skipped the street carts of hotdogs and long lines attached to the better food tents and walked a couple blocks away to eat at Fado.  On our walk back to the speedline we stumbled on a large Ross and tried our hand. This is a shot of our resting outside of the store with our little bag of treasures.  I was sitting on a bench and that is Ants head that was overtaken by the 6:00 sun.

you can only really see our feet in this shot, but I love it.

We did find a small theater group that will be putting on a musical we would both want to see, The Great American Trailer Park. The picture of the three ladies with blond hair, dark roots and super tight shirts that were tanning themselves in front of the trailers is what sold Ant.  We also got a free tickets to Helium comedy club.  If you don't mind squeezing into mounds of people this festival is worth you time.  While I did enjoy it, and I always look for a reason to walk around outside, it did remind me that I am not a city girl.  I would much rather wake up on a quiet lake somewhere and hear my thoughts then be crammed into a city with too much of everything around.  But for a visit, this was perfect.

Bossy Pants

It is time to admit it, I have a girl crush on Tina Fey.  I can't find anything that isn't fabulous about this humble actress and comedian.  She is smart, well read, hysterical and down to earth.  To top it off she is all for empowering women and creating equal opportunities and roles for female comedians.  I would buy her dinner. And maybe a car.

 When I saw that she wrote a book based on her own life, I had to grab it.  I can't remember what I paid for it, but I would have paid double.  It is not often that a book can make you literally laugh out loud.  I couldn't put it down and it made my entire night last Thursday.  She created each chapter as an example, life lesson or belief that comes from her own personal experience. And since viewing things through her eyes is a hilarious ride, you can't help but finish it in one sitting. 

 It is a good reminder that if you can find humor and irony in things, nothing seems that bad.  She uses herself as a example of life for what she deems to be an "unattractive" teen.  And not in a "pity me, I hate myself" kind of way.  More like an, "oh yeah I got all the boys...sike."
 My favorite chapters (if I had to choose) included  one where she pulled so called "fan mail" where men insulted her looks, talent and so on.....and she responded with her own letters.  I re read one letter 3 times just to keep laughing.  Then I called someone to read it to them.  It was the best possible response.  *Look for, "PS., you know who does have a funny bone in her body?...your mom, every Sat night."
 She also created a chapter about how she got into Saturday Night Live and how her role grew through the years.  I loved when she mentioned the first time she met Amy Poehler (another girl crush) at a read through for  a skit.  It was before women had major roles on SNL and they mainly played the girlfriend or wife besides a man who told all the jokes and got all the light.( I know, you are shocked men need serious ego strokes in all they do, good thing we came far from that!)  She recaps watching Amy change her lines in the read-through and spit out some racy funny comments of her own.  At the time, Jimmy Fallon was the big deal at SNL and he told her he wasn't sure about that.  Amy told him to go F- himself.  "And I thought YAY, here is my friend!" was Feys response.  My kinda girl.  The two of them together changed the roles of women on SNL forever.  Can anyone forget the Palin/Clinton skits they did?  And the cheerleaders are one of my favorites, equal light for the woman and man (Will Ferrell, <3 you too, but the women were killing it!)
 She even got into her role of writing and producing 30 Rock and her internal struggle with mom or work.  Although she does beat herself up at times in how often she needs to be away, she does see the bigger picture of what she is doing with this show.  And it is clear to the reader this project is like a baby to her and she will have a hard time ever letting it go.  The career women of today can relate to that in what they have created for themselves pre-baby, and although the meaning attached may not line up (we aren't all creating jobs for 100's of people and breaking comedy strides for women on NBC) we all have worked for a reason for where we are.  Tina lets us feel OK about that. 
 When you close the book you realize it isn't so much a story of a comedian in the making, but the women she has become.  Or maybe who she has been all along, and learned to embrace and magnify.  If it were a children's book and we were looking for a moral, we might find the following:
If you do what you love, you will find happiness
If you stay true to yourself, you will become your best self
If you listen to everyone else, you suck
If you want to break a glass ceiling, you are your only obstacle
In doing things for others, you give yourself a gift
If someone insults you, throw them a mom joke, or become more successful, it is the best revenge

 If you need a laugh, pick up "Bossy Pants"....in a Barnes and Nobles near you.

Oh Brows!

To zap or not to zap, that has been the question.  I have been rolling back and forth with my gut on this eye surgery.  I was 100% sold on never having to wear contacts again.  Ahh, the joy of traveling without a package of contacts and being able to wake up and just run!  And I would never again be sitting in an important meeting where my composure and control would dictate the sale, and then boom, contact rips and I have to pretend like I can still actually see everyone and no I am not crying thank you.  My eyes just tear up when I am passionate about something!
 But alas, the Internet had offered up so many horror stories of PRK gone wrong, so the night before my surgery, I put it to a halt.  I saw another doctor that day, did more research and then the call today.
 I am lucky enough that my mother works for a very prestigious and well know eye surgeon.  Said surgeon had asked why I wanted this procedure done, and when the response was simply to never wear contacts again, he yelled "NO."  Why would you want to transform forever an otherwise healthy cornea, just because you are being lazy about contacts.  Today I can see clear, with the help of my plastic friends.  Would I give that up for a chance of constant halo and double vision at night? YES!- IF I wore glasses.  Glasses are awful. I understand that now that I have spent slightly over a week in them.  I could go on and on about the limitations and frustrations of a pair of glasses.  You never see the world completely or with peripheral vision.  Lights and sun glare off of them.  When it rains, they do not have their own windshield wipers. (Does anyone remember Duane Wanes glasses from Different World? He could pop that flap up and down anytime, very sexy Duane) You can never create a great smokey eye, eye shadow is lost on a glasses eye altogether.  And the shower, its awful to take a blurry shower.  I would resoundingly say YES if I were a glasses person.  But I pop in these little contacts and life is clear. I don't think I want to risk that. 
 So today I popped my contacts back in. Ahhhhh, what a huge difference this makes.  I looked in the mirror and saw my complete face for the first time in what felt like forever.  In my mind, a silent conversation went like this:
------"Oh, this is so much better, OH, there is my face, I forgot what my eyes look like and  OH HELL, hello unruly brows! My little guys have been having a party this last week it appears.
I do my make up blind and pop the glasses on.  It doesn't matter how accurate it is, because glasses hide most of it.  And apparently, the eye brows as well.  They were just hanging in every direction, like an 80 year old man who just woke up and said F it, I'm old, I can rock this.  So I now have a date with my eyebrow brush a pair of tweezers and some face cream.  At least it was a good laugh this morning. Eyebrows, sorry you were neglected!

A Festival, Adventure, and Delay

About a year ago, in an attempt to feel connected to what is going on around me, I subscribed to the Courier Post for the weekend paper.  It has turned into a Sat morning tradition that I wait for all week.  No matter what the day holds busy or lazy, we usually start Saturday morning with coffee and the paper.  (Sat also has the weekly store ads, - I can always find something I have to have but absolutely do not need).  I also use the paper to find events, restaurant specials and random happenings around us.  Last weekend Philadelphia was putting on the yearly Cherry Blossom Festival in connection with Saruka Sunday, a Japanese Celebration.  Last year we went to the International Festival of the Arts in Philly and loved it, so we figured we would check this one out. So when I saw this add in the paper, and knew we would already be in Philly, I thought, why not?...



Write up for Pizzeria Pesto in S Philly

So our day was planned.  They plan the date of Sakura Sunday around the 100% blossoming of the Cherry Blossom Trees.  And  that was really beautiful to see. The trees were various shades of light and deep pink along with random bright white. We were hoping for some more Japanese Culture as far as the festival was concerned, but we were greeted by tents holding promotions for cell phones, newspapers, and even the Phillies.  I would have been more interested in more culturally based tents.  They did have 2 stages going where they had various drum and dance and karate shows throughout the day.  Besides the Blossoms, that would be the best part.  Many people brought blankets and picnics and spent the day under the trees enjoying the weather.  It was right next to the Horticulture Center, so we popped in there as well.  It was a beautiful day, so even with the lack of worth while tables, it wasn't a bust.

After we walked the area a couple times and saw a show we headed to the Pizza Place mentioned in the article.  The writer was talented in the way he described the pizza crust and bubbly cheese.  At first read I was sold, I had to try this pizza.  The guy who flips your pie is great.  He has a wonderful and friendly personality and is overly accommodating.  That is the best thing I can say about the place.  The writer is also an exaggerator.  Ant liked the pie, but in his words, "you can't mess up pizza."  Me, I am a little more particular with my pies. I think there is a distinct difference between a great pie that has a perfectly baked crust (usually in a wood fire grill) and the sauce is a huge key, not to mention the quality of cheese.  I had higher hopes, but it was still cool to find a new place. 
 The disappointment in pizza left me wanting a sweet and believe it or not, IKEA has the best $1.00 Frozen Yogurt Cone.  Really, the thing is like crack. You will find yourself driving back over the bridge for a lick within a week. So we wrapped up the day with a new duvet cover for our bedroom and the crack cone from Ikea.  Successful day.
 Fast forward to today, and the delay.  I am currently writing this blog while still in glasses!  I am stuck in the Specs!!  I should have had my PRK surgery today but I had a nagging feeling something wasn't right and last night I went into panic mode online.  Today, instead of surgery I met with another doctor. Here I found I should be waiting 14 days without contacts, not the 7 days I was originally told.  So I have one more week of blind showering and dealing with feeling unattractive while I am trying to work around them each morning while attempting the makeup. The anticipation and build up with dealing with the surgery will have to start all over again.  But better safe then sorry! Well since I won't be bound to goggles while healing in the house this weekend, I am off to find my next adventure...in the words of JenJen...Live Love Liquor

Updates!

Girls dinner was fabulous because of the company of course.  What you can't see is the spicy sweet potato fries which are gluten free but just as good if not better then your normal fries.



Candy about to feast




Special Guest of the night, Ms Sophie

Candy and I discovered we both love a cheap red wine, I think around $15, that would also be great for Sangria.  So I am already planning that mix for my first summer party. We had some danish options for dessert and I also made this cappuccino mousse... I think this was my friend Holly's favorite part..

I sprinkled some cinnamon to make it look fancy and also stuck a mint milano cookie in before serving, went over very well!

 Unfortunately today is another rainy day.  I am bumming in yoga pants and a sweatshirt and slowly getting high from the paint fumes coming from the office. Although I absolutely detest when the weekend comes to an end, the one thing I will have to look forward to is a newly painted office! And with it all empty and inviting like that, I am not even sure I want to keep it an office.  There is nothing like a freshly painted empty room to get your creative juices flowing. At a very minimum you can switch the furniture around and you will still feel like you have a new space. But I am not kidding about the fumes, or the sweatshirt.  So I am thinking we better get out of here for dinner and give this place some time to air out.  I am not a fan of chain restaurants at all (except taking Gram to Olive Garden. I know for Italians that is a terrible thing to admit, but  ok, I'll admit it, I really like it there)  Despite all this, unless I am willing to go change, Chili's it is.  Willingness to change is at an all time low- Chili's, table for 2 please.

Fabulous Food

I am writing and cooking simultaneously right now.  Two of my favorite things.  I just added a glass of red wine to the mix, all the better.  My mind has been on food for the last 24 hours so this is fitting.  My mother swears by the Gluten Free diet (more for health then weight, but she is down over 30 lbs!).  I have been needing naps like a bear for the last year.  Since we have the same genetics, I figured why not give it a try.  And today was my first sample. 
Test- Can I get through the day without a nap?! 
All winter long I have needed at least 15 minutes to push me through, I do not want to carry this habit into spring- my ass print is on the couch! And I do believe diet has so much to do withour health and  how we feel, so I am giving this a try.
Breakfast- 2 scrambled eggs with some dry seasonings I picked up at a farm, organic and gluten free
Lunch- PBNJ on Ezekiel bread with green tea
3pm- here is where I felt the sleepy coming on, as I usually do.  Normally my body craves candy or something with sugar to give me a fake high of energy and push me through until after work when I can hit the couch. (plan for future- hit the gym!)
Snack- Banana and a few almonds -and it worked! It woke me back up, and guilt free.

So now here I am making dinner and writing while I wait for things to simmer and bake. On our menu for the evening-
Baked Chicken that marinated in homemade Italian dressing with some Gluten Free Breadcrumbs.  A box of Gluten Free Risotto, a bunch of roasted veggies and a salad with French dressing......
 I paused to eat here and it wasn't bad at all!  I liked it, I'm stuffed, and the red wine is flowing so I am a happy girl!  While it is probably best homemade as all things are, this little box of Risotto was perfect.  It was garlic and pepper flavored and I would never miss a thing with this creamy side.  It was also a very easy make, so it will be appearing again in weeks to come.
 My next task of the night is to come up with a menu for my girlfriends for our dinner tomorrow night.  I have already promised chicken cutlet, which is as easy as it is delicious.  I plan to make a salad with tomato and mozzarella but I am debating sides and apps. I am leaning towards my homemade bruschetta or Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese dip...
Dessert is decided as I am offering something for both the Gluten free and sugar craver.  I am attempting my first Gluten Free dessert with a chocolate chip scone.  And to be on the safe side I will also have cappuccino mousse mix served in a margarita glass with berries.  Oh you fancy, huh!?
 Which reminds me, I still have scones to prepare tonight so I should take it easy on the wine because zoning out in front of the TV is not an option on this evening.  I am looking forward to tomorrow not just because I am cooking for friends (top 5 favorite things) but because little Sophie will be making an appearance, my girlfriends perfectly precious baby.  And although I don't have my own case of baby fever as of yet, cuddling with this angel is a great dose of heaven.  So it won't matter what tomorrows work day will bring, the evening will far exceed the day.  Wine, Friends, Food, Soph!
 If you haven't tried to make something new lately, add it to your next weeks to do list.  The work week can get so mundane and become so routine.  We so easily reach for the same items at the grocery store and make what is tried and true.  Usually something that goes right to your rear and makes you dread the first pool party of the season.  But playing around and inventing in the kitchen can be invigorating and a fabulous meal and glass of wine can really spunk up a Tuesday.  I am going to try and make something new every week.  I am collecting gluten free recipes like I use to collect shoes, this isn't nearly as costly.   If you make anything fabulous, let me know!