camera phone: surprisingly NOT bad

Hotel in Philly + my finger. Still figuring out the new camera phone. At home, you have to open your own doors (in general) and pick up your own messes. I'm still happy to be back...My efforts to live more ayurvedically are going slightly better. Definitely have been adding more prana (life) into my food; it's surprising how much I eat food that all came from cans or a freezer. For lunch, had salad avacado, feta, etc., and roasted broccoli. Tonight: salmon, basmati rice pilaf (cooked in ghee, which is said to be detoxifying and has a much higher heat threshhold than olive oil, and roasted broccoli and cauliflour.

And a New Belgium Sunshine Wheat Beer.

i'm a loser baby

House appraised for the right amount. Yay! We can stop holding our breath now. Kind of. 3 weeks to closing. Don't ask us to dinner, unless you are buying.

Now, we are asking if the appraiser could justify an even higher appraisal, so we could have some help with downpayment...We are getting in right now with 6k, but that is SO painful. We are po'! We are eager to take the loser way out and finance a little of that right in. Yes, we know that that might make Suzie Orman or Rich Dad judge us, but it will lower our anxiety about adjusting to a mortgage and all the crap that can go wrong. So it's worth it.

But anyways, yay.

I've been scouting pets on petfinder.com now that we're going to have a yard. B is luke warm only on this, but I'm always the one who talks him into pets. And then he can't imagine not sharing our lives with them. And then, as if to give me the finger, they often end up liking him the most!

This time, we're getting a girl.

Phoebe-ish update: As encouraged by my ayurveda doctor, I put out an intention to find the right meditation right for me and "waited for the universe to respond." And, as I'm coming to expect, the universe DID! An old friend from KS wrote me to tell me about "zero point field" meditation, which she's getting very into. And in NYC, a cab driver who took me to the airport actually was a Buddhist Monk. He said he had met the author of my favorite Buddhist writing, "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying." Wow. He went on to tell me that he really hoped I'd look into "emptiness meditation." Wow, wow, wow. I am loving just following my bliss, putting out intentions, and waiting for the universe to respond. It is a new kind of faith for me. Regarding all the funky meditations: I think I just like sitting. Is that okay?

City of Brotherly Love

It was going to be the height of romance. Me + New York City = love forever. My crush was in full force; I mean, I had just watched the Sex in the City movie (okay, twice). We had an exciting first date a few years back, but this time I knew the magic was really going to happen. Tagging along with a girl I work with, I was enthusiastic to get my New York on. I probably didn't give enough consideration to the fact that we were staying in a studio with 3 other people, because I really want to be low maintenance like that. Fact is, people, I'm just not. It's not about space as much as it's about quiet time. But, I did stay one night in the Chinatown studio, and I'm proud for being a little bit flexible, especially because then I would get to see all of New York for super cheap.

Then I met Philadelphia.

True love.

I rode the train down from NYC to stay for a couple of days with my friend Candice in NJ (close by). The idea was to catch up with Candice and then head back to NY for the rest of the trip. I decided to check out Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love.

There was some chemistry there. I decided to spend the night. And another night. And another night. It has been me and me alone exploring what I think might be my new favorite city. I love the dinner cruise I took, that people walk around in Colonial clothes. I love the old-world charm (well, for the new world), how there are bicycle trails all over, the old boats, the pier, balmy summer weather, narrow brick roads, Rittenhouse Square, that there are a bazillion giant, old trees.. I love it in a political way, too. Reading the plaque by the Liberty Bell really moved me because the idea of liberty for ALL carries such meaning today. (Not to claim national symbols for my lefty ways, but you know, the righties did it with Christianity.)


What sealed the deal is that the downtown has the charm of NYC, tons of eclectic people that are actually sort of nice, AND it is ALL within WALKING distance. A long walk, but a walk. A total pedestrian-friendly city with little signs everywhere that show you where you are and all the places you could walk in 10 minutes. I love that. I hope that over time, Dallas can learn a thing or two from Philadelphia. Yes, there are some pretty to-the-core differences, but Dallas is making some progress with this. I think we can become a people friendly urban area. :)

This vacation has further solidified that 90% of people might not want to vacation with me. I like to go places with people, but I need so much alone time to really thrive. Constant time in conversation really leaves me needing to recharge. I used to think that indulging that side made me a baby, but I've realized, especially through this trip that it is just me.

I relish long meals alone in charming restaurants. I love to lay down on city benches and stare up through trees. Sitting in little coffee shops and smiling at people's dogs. Not huge on the sights, but I like to check out what speaks to me. Mostly, I like to just soak up the feel of a place.


Tomorrow I get back on the train to New York to catch my plane out of Laguardia. Plane leaves at 9:30. Not sure whether to catch a sight or so in NY or go to this place in Phill that apparently serves Oprah's favorite mac and cheese. Always the classy girl, I think I might choose the greasy comfort food. I really miss B, so I'm ready to go home.

And (since we don't have tv at our home), I'm watching t.v. right now. Wow. I see why people are getting stupider. Has mtv not gone down hill even more since I was 14? I am actually stupider. And the worst part is, I'm still watching. And on the flip side, I am noticing they are including gay couples in their little dating shows regularly. That is SO Liberty Bell.