Celebrity sighting? Check!

What do a cheesesteak, Felicia 'Snoop' Pearson,' and the Eastern State Penitentiary all have in common?

If you know much about the character 'Snoop' from The Wire and her recent arrest, there actually could be more than one answer to that question but the one I'm actually going for is that all three made it on my Philly Bucket List. The list, posted on the side of this blog, includes the things I plan to/want to/and did do during my last few months on the East Coast.

The best part about this list is that spontaneous and awesome things have jumped on it, and promptly been checked off. Its like when I put 'brush teeth' on my to-do list just so I check it off and feel accomplished. Only these things are unplanned, way cooler (though who doesn't love brushing?), and don't make me seem nearly as neurotic and nerdy.

For example, the other day, I was walking to work down good 'ol sunny Spring Garden street, lost in my own world, probably listening to Motown music, or possibly Sugarland, and before I can realize whats happening, I'm about 3 feet away from and looking right at Felicia 'Snoop' Pearson, a character from the series The Wire (pictured above). Not only have I seen Season 5 where she played a character called, "the most terrifying female villain in the history of television", but I recently watched Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations episode exploring food and culture in the Rust Belt cities (Baltimore, Detroit, and Buffalo) where she talked about growing up on the streets of Baltimore and then getting her acting break with The Wire.

I was too surprised and awestruck to actually say a word, but I smiled broadly (and probably weird-ed a few people out) for the rest of my walk to work. I knew I had a new box to add and to check! Philly, I completely underestimated you and your contributions to my list. Is this some type of ploy to try to get me to stay?

127 hours, 51 days, a post about crazy time periods in life

I watched 127 hours this weekend. The first half before heading out on Saturday night, and the second half after a night of pool, air hockey, and whiskey at the local bowling alley. The second half was pretty intense and brutal for anyone who likes to see nerve bundles stay intact. Luckily, the whiskey helped me through it.

Speaking of time periods and crazy things, I just counted and I officially have 51 days left in Philadelphia. 51! I will have lived here for roughly 4 years before I head to my new home, Chicago, at the end of June. 51 of 365 x 4 is not a big percentage. I just did the math (dork, I know) and I have 3% of my time left in Philly to go. O. M. G.

Thoughts of the move bring up a host of emotions ranging from extreme excitement to intense sadness. I'm absolutely thrilled to move to Chicago, but I've also really found my niche here in Philly and I constantly find myself wishing I could just be in two places at once. Can't I figure out a way to be here in Philly joining my friends in all of the fun summer activities they are planning (bike races, annual summer parties) and also be in Chicago starting my new midwestern life?

The good thing is, the combination of the quickly approaching move date along with school winding down has me in a really good place. I feel a little like I did when I first moved here. Truly excited about life and all it has to offer and wanting to fully experience it as much as I can. Even difficult experiences are approached with a sense of reverence and appreciation for the learning they will bring. Maybe a little like Aron Ralston/James Franco is thinking about life at that amazing desert sunset.

Its quite a bit different than how I've been feeling lately, to put it mildly. I ended my last post with the words, "carpe diem, yes?" It may seem like a miniscule difference, but lets just say that if I wrote those same words now, it would read, "Carpe diem. Yes!"