Photo Project: 9/1/2008 - 9/7/2008
I realized this week that I needed to get started on my list of themes… If I do one a week from the list, by the end of the year I will only have four free themes. The first photo of the week was an alleyway with a bunch of dumpsters and the week turned out pretty bad in more than one way, so this was a fitting theme. We had to go out of town for a funeral and then when we got back we had leftover hurricane weather which is always fun. I had intended to go to the Red Bull Soap Box Derby in Manayunk on Saturday but, it was too nasty to go.
Next week should be a good one though…the theme was suggested by Stanus: “Looks Like a Penis/Breasts/Vag/Butt” which I’ll be shortening to Looks Like [Naughty Bits].
Photo Project: 8/25/2008 - 8/31/2008
This week wass mostly spent getting to know our new neighborhood (Rittenhouse Square). Scoping out grocery stores, restaurants, laundromats, etc. We had limited cable stations before we got our box so much of my entertainment came straight from our window.
The first bit-o-excitment came around 2am on one of our first nights. I heard a dog barking his head off outside so I peaked out to see two police cars. They appeared to be looking around the ground level of my building with flashlights…well a couple minutes later a random guy came walking down the street with a laundry basket (mind you it’s 2am going on 3am). They stop him and have him take out his “laundry” which included a computer printer, and miscellaneous odds and ends (I’m watching from four floors up). They pat him down and talk to him for a while…this guy looks like he’s playing the roll of a crack head…shifting from side to side, constantly scratching his arm, and all around looking shady. Eventually they let him go on his way with his “laundry”.
The next window-based entertainment started when I heard some yelling outside through closed windows four stories down on the street. From what I heard, the guy with the back pack (who from this angle resembles the Geico caveman) was kicked out of the grocery store across the street (for what, I don’t know). Eventually the bald guy came out to act as a bouncer I guess. No punches were thrown but eventually the police did arrive (after the guy with the back pack had already left).
Last but not least of my window-vision was a bit of a fender bender. There was a bus pulling a moving trailer down the street. Well buses need to take wide turns… and trailers make it even worse. As this guy was trying to turn from Spruce St onto 18th St, his trailer grabbed a hold of a Honda fit parked on the side of the rode. It wasn’t just a scrape - the whole car was dragged for a couple feet as the corner of the trailer caught the wheel well of the Fit pretty nicely. The driver got out and inspected the damage…and decided the best thing to do was to straighten out and hit the gas to jar the car free. It worked…leaving a little more damage. The driver of the bus eventually left a note on the windshield and drove away. The fit stayed there for at least three days so I think it had to be towed away…
Welcome to Philly!
Photo Project: 8/18/2008 - 8/24/2008
This week was all about the move. Packing, cleaning, driving, unpacking… We cleaned out the “marital sock” in Arlington and loaded our rented UHaul to the brim on Friday.
The fun started Friday night when Kevin (who graciously helped us pack) noticed our fully packed truck had a flat tire. I didn’t notice while driving because it was one of those dually tires and only one was flat (really flat…almost looked like it was knifed or something). After a few calls to UHaul roadside assistance they sent out someone to replace it… I had never watched someone replace the tire from the rim but it was sure interesting. Does it usually involve the ax side of a sledgehammer? (it looked like a regular sledgehammer head but the one side was flat, similar to the claw side of a traditional hammer) I assume there is some machine that does it a little more gracefully…but this guy squirted on some lube (I assume) and went to town on the tire with the sledgehammer and a crowbar. Well…it worked.
We rushed getting ready on Saturday so we could beat the traffic and get to Philly in time to meet the movers at the new apartment (we’re on the 4th floor with no elevator!). We made it just in time…but the movers weren’t there. We made a few calls to friends and moving companies to find replacement movers but the original movers eventually showed up…. 2.5 hours late! About halfway through the five hour move, I asked for an updated quote…next thing I knew the head mover was declaring “I am not a crook. I don’t steal from my customers. I’m college educated and have never been to prison!” Ummm… I just asked for an updated quote based on the time the movers arrived and the length of the job (which was originally estimated at 3 hours). The guy just flipped out. Sketchy!
We got everything cleared up, and all of our possessions made it safetly into the apartment. Hiring movers was definitely the right move to make…I think we just picked the wrong movers. Here’s the new view from night #1 in the new apartment.
