Music Monday: June, Thanks!

There's nothing like an Elvis pig to brighten your day...

Vacations are awesome things. You see new sights, eat new food and see new people. Sometimes you also sweat like a pig, eat dinner at 1 am, drive the wrong way down a one way street and get pulled over by a bicycle cop, but, you know, such is life.

I've got one big Thank You for June, and that is that HUBS and I made enough cash to take a two day trip to Louisville, KY and Nashville, TN last week. It was fun and exhausting. We went out late at night and mingled with drunk, sweaty Nashvillians. We walked down dark, abandoned streets. On my way to the bathroom a clown covered in balloon animals told me to cheer up and I smiled at him even though I was thinking Fuck you, clown.

We partook of July 4th activities. Like when we stayed at home and the ghetto heathens of our neighborhood set off what must have been professional grade fireworks. They were pretty, but, really, I wish they would have stopped that shit by midnight instead of 2 am.

Saturday evening we took the train downtown to the last night of Fair St. Louis. We saw a free show by the Counting Crows, watched fireworks under the Arch, walked amongst the drunk, sweaty denizens of Laclede's Landing and ate an expensive snack at the Drunken Fish.

June's money got us there, people. And I am really thankful for that.

Citygirl Bites! Philly Road Trip Edition, #2

When we hit Cape May on Tuesday, our first stop was The Sea Shanty, a tiny spot in a strip mall-esq spot right across from the beach. The food was simply amazing. We actually had so much that it was hard for either of us to finish. I barely managed to eat all my lobster roll, while HUBS had to donate some of his fried clams to the seagulls. We did box up our mountain of fries, though, and luckily they held up well as we explored Cape May and Atlantic City.





Our big meal on Wednesday took us to the corner of two rival Philly cheesesteak behemoths: Pat's King of Steaks on one side and Geno's Steaks on the other.





Geno's wins in the cheese sweeps; it was loaded to dripping wit whiz. But HUBS and I both thought Pat's had slightly better meat. Plus, the sweet peppers on his were the bomb (yeah, I know nobody says that anymore...). I apologize, but for the second time in just a few days my ravenous hunger prevented me from thinking clearly and snapping shots of the sandwiches. Suffice it to say, they both looked roughly like this:


Photo

Now, here comes something truly special. On Thursday we were determined to get up early and get some major museum-going out of the way. As a reward for getting our asses out of the hotel pre-noon, we picked a spot for a nice breakfast out. We decided on Honey's Sit-n-Eat.



I don't even know how to describe the amazing-fantabulousness of this food. It's so good that I immediately knew I needed more of it after taking one bite of my challah French toast. It's so good that we went back again on Friday, our last day in Philly. It's so good, people, that about two weeks after getting home I yelled out I WANT HONEY'S SIT-N-EAT!! one night when we were debating dinner options. It's so good that you'll have sweet, maple syrup scented dreams after seeing what we ate:











See? Awe inspiring! Tomorrow? Part 3 of our Philly food adventure and some Friday goodies. Yea!

Yes, I'm Still Talking About Philly

As of today we've been back from our vacation for exactly a month. What's happened in this past month? Well, we've:

-Gotten sick and gotten better
-Buried a cat
-Picked up a stray kitten
-Bought all our Christmas presents
-Switched to cheaper cell phone plans with spiffy new smart phones
-Run out of money
-Then, within a week, had an unexpected period of financial security



Plus, I've:

-Impressed a new editor at work with my story ideas
-Written lists of employment and networking goals
-Reached out to some folks who could help me toward those ends (it's been over a week, haven't heard from any of them)

Not a bad list of things done, though of course I'd planned to get more accomplished immediately post vacay.

My biggest issue for the past few weeks has been getting enough rest. I keep saying I'm going to get ready for bed by 10:30 and then be in the bed trying to sleep an hour later. You know what I've actually been doing? Going to bed past 1 a.m. then getting up by nine the next morning, staying up all day and being exhausted but still not going to bed at night. I was up until three this morning! Then got up at nine! I'm silly with sleepless irresponsibility! But the nice thing is that I saw two shooting stars that made me feel really happy!!

Alright, I still have pictures to share, so here we go!






Delaware River


Ben Franklin Bridge






Joan of Arc


Schuylkill River


Tiger fight!


Prairie dog fight!


Hippo eyes!

From Cape May To Atlantic City

HUBS and I made July 5 an all Jersey day. After leaving Cape May we drove a couple hours north to Atlantic City, hung out with a feral boardwalk cat, walked the boardwalk until our feet hurt while dodging numerous inconsiderate sea birds, got lost inside a casino, ate mediocre BBQ, saw downtown AC at night, did a lighthouse drive-by and headed back to our hotel exhausted. All in all? It made for a good and not totally sad day.

Music Monday: Wow, We're A Mess Over Here

Man, Philly was worth it, but that vacation definitely wrecked us! The photo above is proof of that. What you're looking at, my friends, is a baking soda anti-itch mask on the chesticle area of yours truly. Now, I was expecting to get a heat rash in Philly. HUBS and I did tons of walking, and since I sweat like a robber on a chain gang the minute the temperature goes above 75 even when I'm standing still, I was prepared for some part of my face or neck to break the fuck out.

However, I was not prepared for the itchy, red, bumpy, irritated-by-the-slightest-bit-of-clothing patches that invaded my neck, ears, chest, face and now arms. I've been battling this rash, which, by the by, looks like a serious infectious disease, since the Thursday we were in Philly. That's almost two the fuck weeks, internet!

For that time I've been covered in extra strength hydrocortisone, cold milk compresses, calamine, the blissfully new clear calamine and, as you've seen, baking soda packs. For a brief moment this Saturday it looked like I was rounding the corner; my ears were cleared up and my neck and chest infestations had dried to less itchy but still physically unappealing dark, scaly patches. But by that night I noticed a new infection on other parts of my neck and chest, and now my arms and a bit of face are screwed.

I write to you now covered in Caladryl Clear and having made a dermatologist appointment for tomorrow morning. I hope I don't have scabies or a parasite or something really horrible and odd like that.

Also messed up in our neck of the woods? HUBS. He started getting sick the same day my rash appeared in Philly and, after his own brief period of feeling better, has taken another turn this weekend. He had to take three and a half days off work last week! And now his voice is so hoarse that he sounds like Darth Vader. Poor HUBSY.

So, I want to know, is this what you do Philly? Lure vacationers in with all your history and awesome food and murals, let them spend all their monies and tire themselves out and them make them sick just in time to go home? Is it, Philly?! IS THIS HOW YOU HAVE FUN, PHILLY?!?! SHAME ON YOU!!!

In other news, Marc and J. Lo! Say it ain't so!