Hope you have a safe and peaceful holiday!
Monday, December 25, 2006
Friday, December 01, 2006
back to normal
Well, somewhat. Much happened in November. The first two weeks were vacation. I really need it!
We went to Myrtle Beach to visit the in-laws, then to Charleston to visit friends, and finally to Tuscaloosa to visit my family. It was a great trip, minus the 16-hour drive back. Ouch!
Now we are back and preparing for winter. Seriously, it has been oddly warm, but that will be changing this weekend. Today, I brought some plants and patio furniture inside. I figured it would be a good idea. I have never had my own plants or patio furniture, so I would like them to survive at least two seasons.
One big change in our household is our new canine addition, Millie. She is a six year old Boston Terrier that we adopted from my parents. She wasn't getting the attention she deserves (my parents had four dogs), and she gets tons of love from us. The biggest issue that she has brought is that she isn't really house-trained. My parents had a fenced-in yard, and she spent most her time outside. She thinks she can use the bathroom whenever, so we are crate-training her. It will definitely be a challenge, because I have never house-trained an adult dog. Wish us luck!
We went to Myrtle Beach to visit the in-laws, then to Charleston to visit friends, and finally to Tuscaloosa to visit my family. It was a great trip, minus the 16-hour drive back. Ouch!
Now we are back and preparing for winter. Seriously, it has been oddly warm, but that will be changing this weekend. Today, I brought some plants and patio furniture inside. I figured it would be a good idea. I have never had my own plants or patio furniture, so I would like them to survive at least two seasons.
One big change in our household is our new canine addition, Millie. She is a six year old Boston Terrier that we adopted from my parents. She wasn't getting the attention she deserves (my parents had four dogs), and she gets tons of love from us. The biggest issue that she has brought is that she isn't really house-trained. My parents had a fenced-in yard, and she spent most her time outside. She thinks she can use the bathroom whenever, so we are crate-training her. It will definitely be a challenge, because I have never house-trained an adult dog. Wish us luck!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
debris
This was the scene after the demolition of the ceiling. It was about 1600 lbs worth. I know because we rented a truck and hauled it up to a construction dump site in North Philly. We had to pay by weight--this is how I know. Oh, and I helped get it all into the truck and slung it off the truck. My body knows how much it weighed. At least it is out of the house though. I wish I could say the same about the wallpaper.
Monday, September 25, 2006
this old house
Here we go!
We started on our living room project. We decided to pull down the ceiling tiles, hoping that it was a drop ceiling. Nope. It's a old rock plaster ceiling which is not in the best shape. Soooo, now we are looking at minor demolition--starting this Saturday.
We have also started tearing down the wallpaper. The vinyl top came off nicely in big sheets. Now, we have to scrape off the backing and glue. This is why wallpaper is evil, people!
All of the living room and dining room furniture has been moved upstairs. The contractor's plastic is on the floor and also covering the kitchen entry and the stairway. We got to keep out all this dust!
Ahhh, the joys of an old home.
We started on our living room project. We decided to pull down the ceiling tiles, hoping that it was a drop ceiling. Nope. It's a old rock plaster ceiling which is not in the best shape. Soooo, now we are looking at minor demolition--starting this Saturday.
We have also started tearing down the wallpaper. The vinyl top came off nicely in big sheets. Now, we have to scrape off the backing and glue. This is why wallpaper is evil, people!
All of the living room and dining room furniture has been moved upstairs. The contractor's plastic is on the floor and also covering the kitchen entry and the stairway. We got to keep out all this dust!
Ahhh, the joys of an old home.
Monday, September 18, 2006
fun weekend
We had a fun weekend. Well, it didn't start off fun. I wasn't feeling well Friday, so I went to bed early (8:30pm). Saturday, we woke up late but were still able to make it out to a salvage store in Port Richmond called Re-store. They had some really great pieces, but nothing that would work with our place. We will definitely be back though.
Saturday night, we decided to check out the new upstairs space at Johnny Brenda's. For those of you outside Philly, JB's is a great bar here in Fishtown. It has been around for a while, but the owners recently added an upstairs, which includes another bar and a stage for music acts. The Capitol Years were the main act on Saturday night. I really enjoyed the show, but had to leave early because it got too damn smoky. My eyes were really burning. Here are some pics (not taken by me) of the new venue on a different night. Here's more.
Sunday is usually our day for working on the house or going out for groceries. We did the grocery thing, but on our way back from dropping off the PhillyCarShare car in Northern Liberties, we stopped off at Azure for brunch and then to the new NL bowling alley, North Bowl. We bowled two games and shot two games of pool. Fun times.
Saturday night, we decided to check out the new upstairs space at Johnny Brenda's. For those of you outside Philly, JB's is a great bar here in Fishtown. It has been around for a while, but the owners recently added an upstairs, which includes another bar and a stage for music acts. The Capitol Years were the main act on Saturday night. I really enjoyed the show, but had to leave early because it got too damn smoky. My eyes were really burning. Here are some pics (not taken by me) of the new venue on a different night. Here's more.
Sunday is usually our day for working on the house or going out for groceries. We did the grocery thing, but on our way back from dropping off the PhillyCarShare car in Northern Liberties, we stopped off at Azure for brunch and then to the new NL bowling alley, North Bowl. We bowled two games and shot two games of pool. Fun times.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Philly Roller Girls
We finally got the opportunity to see one of the Philly Roller Girls' bouts last night. This was the championship bout between the Broad Street Butchers and the Philthy Britches. It was really fun to watch, even though it took us a while to figure out the rules. I think we know what's going on now, but the scoring is quite complicated.
Anyway, it was good fun and I recommend going to the roller derby in a city near you.
Oh, and for all the OU people out there, here is one of our own. I actually ran into her at the last Philadelphia Tattoo Convention. Small world.
Anyway, it was good fun and I recommend going to the roller derby in a city near you.
Oh, and for all the OU people out there, here is one of our own. I actually ran into her at the last Philadelphia Tattoo Convention. Small world.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
how philly are you?
You are 51% Philly!!
You have decent amount of Philly in your system. Not enough though, so why don't you go ishkabibbles!!
How Philly Are You?
Make a Quiz
Okay, so I have a little more to go. I don't think that is too bad, considering we have only been here 8 months.
Monday, September 04, 2006
looking good
Here's a recent photo of the living room. We haven't done a lot of work, but have purchased a few pieces that help.
We had a housewarming party this weekend and it was a pretty good turnout, considering that Ernesto blew through. I would guess about 30 people showed up. It stopped raining right before people starting arriving, and then only misted a little throughout the evening. This was a barbecue/patio party, so weather was important.
Many of the guests were from Fishtown. Let me say that we have met more people since we moved to Philadelphia (8 months) than the entire time we lived in NYC (6 years).
We had a housewarming party this weekend and it was a pretty good turnout, considering that Ernesto blew through. I would guess about 30 people showed up. It stopped raining right before people starting arriving, and then only misted a little throughout the evening. This was a barbecue/patio party, so weather was important.
Many of the guests were from Fishtown. Let me say that we have met more people since we moved to Philadelphia (8 months) than the entire time we lived in NYC (6 years).
Monday, August 07, 2006
No more carpet
Well, at least on the first floor. Yay!
Oh, the floor needs refinishing, but even as is, it looks much better. Check out some more of the latest photos.
We have so much more to do. I really want to get rid of the wallpaper, but am afraid that it will be a huge job. We also have to decide on what will replace it. Stay tuned.
Oh, the floor needs refinishing, but even as is, it looks much better. Check out some more of the latest photos.
We have so much more to do. I really want to get rid of the wallpaper, but am afraid that it will be a huge job. We also have to decide on what will replace it. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Yards Beer Fest
Here's a pic from the beer fest on the 16th. This will be my last post from Northern Liberties. Tomorrow is the closing on the new place in Fishtown.
We are packing right now and not looking forward to the hot, humid moving day tomorrow. Excited about the move, but nervous still.
Wish us luck!
We are packing right now and not looking forward to the hot, humid moving day tomorrow. Excited about the move, but nervous still.
Wish us luck!
Friday, July 14, 2006
More BEER!
This was taken back in March, but I was just thinking about what a good time I had at the Brewers' Plate 2006 at the Reading Terminal Market in Philly. Wow, I have really gotten into beer. Basically, the event was to raise money for sustainable agriculture. The White Dog Cafe Foundation is really the organization behind the event. Every brewery was paired up with a local restaurant. It was just a big beer/great food orgy. What more can I say?
The reason I was thinking about the past event, is that we will be attending another beer festival this Sunday at Yards Brewery in Kensington. This festival is the kick-off event for Buy Fresh, Buy Local Week here in Philly. If it is anything like the Brewers' Plate, we are going to have a REAL GOOD time.
On a side note, the FOODERY has finally opened!!!! Please see here to see why we are so excited. Who knew Philly was such a great beer town?
The reason I was thinking about the past event, is that we will be attending another beer festival this Sunday at Yards Brewery in Kensington. This festival is the kick-off event for Buy Fresh, Buy Local Week here in Philly. If it is anything like the Brewers' Plate, we are going to have a REAL GOOD time.
On a side note, the FOODERY has finally opened!!!! Please see here to see why we are so excited. Who knew Philly was such a great beer town?
Monday, July 10, 2006
Goodbye Northern Liberties!
http://www.turnhere.com/city/philadelphia/all/films/164.aspx
Little film about our current neighborhood.
We will be moving at the end of this month. Yay!
We are only moving about 10 blocks from Northern Liberties, so we won't be too far away.
Little film about our current neighborhood.
We will be moving at the end of this month. Yay!
We are only moving about 10 blocks from Northern Liberties, so we won't be too far away.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Monday, June 12, 2006
House-buying headaches
So, we have hit some bumps in the house-buying process. After the inspections, several issues have come up. I won't go into the details, but in the next week or so, there will be many negotiations. Hopefully, the seller will take care of most of the problems. The issues are serious, but not deal-breakers for us. We knew going in that old houses are going to have problems, and this old house is no exception. Will keep you updated.
On a lighter note, my parents just left from a nice weekend visit to Philly. We did a few touristy things, including lunch at City Tavern and a visit to Eastern State Penitentiary. I highly recommend a visit to this site. I have heard they hold an awesome Halloween Haunted House there, which I can only imagine. Micah took some great photos, and I will post some later on Flickr. Here is a virtual tour if you are interested, but it isn't the same as walking around on site.
I took the day off from work today, but ran some work-related errands. Boy, I can't stay away! I went to Fabric Row, and picked up some scraps of animal prints for Teen Summer Reading. Our theme is "Wild about Reading," so animal prints galore. I needed the fabric scraps to help decorate my room and my raffle box. The teens submit a raffle ticket for every book they read. I plan on having weekly drawings at my branch for smaller prizes and possibly have 3 drawings for bigger prizes, like an MP3 player. Last year, my branch did really poorly, so the bar has been set quite low.
Well, enough for now.
On a lighter note, my parents just left from a nice weekend visit to Philly. We did a few touristy things, including lunch at City Tavern and a visit to Eastern State Penitentiary. I highly recommend a visit to this site. I have heard they hold an awesome Halloween Haunted House there, which I can only imagine. Micah took some great photos, and I will post some later on Flickr. Here is a virtual tour if you are interested, but it isn't the same as walking around on site.
I took the day off from work today, but ran some work-related errands. Boy, I can't stay away! I went to Fabric Row, and picked up some scraps of animal prints for Teen Summer Reading. Our theme is "Wild about Reading," so animal prints galore. I needed the fabric scraps to help decorate my room and my raffle box. The teens submit a raffle ticket for every book they read. I plan on having weekly drawings at my branch for smaller prizes and possibly have 3 drawings for bigger prizes, like an MP3 player. Last year, my branch did really poorly, so the bar has been set quite low.
Well, enough for now.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Susquehanna front
It's ours!!!
Well, unless something weird happens. Closing should be at the end of July. Yipee! We get to move during the hottest part of the summer.
Fishtown, here we come.
Well, unless something weird happens. Closing should be at the end of July. Yipee! We get to move during the hottest part of the summer.
Fishtown, here we come.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Susquehanna backyard
This could be ours.
Sorry about not writing, but my mind has been occupied with the house-hunt. Wish us luck!
Sorry about not writing, but my mind has been occupied with the house-hunt. Wish us luck!
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Mail Expire
Has anyone used MailExpire yet?
It looks quite interesting, so I will probably start using it. It is a temporary email address that you give out when signing up for things like newsletters. If you start getting spammed you can just wait until the address expires (you set the expiration date.) I just wanted to know if anyone else had experiences with them.
It looks quite interesting, so I will probably start using it. It is a temporary email address that you give out when signing up for things like newsletters. If you start getting spammed you can just wait until the address expires (you set the expiration date.) I just wanted to know if anyone else had experiences with them.
Free Comic Book Day
I know this is a little early, but I figured that if I wait until closer to the date, I might forget.
Oh, I will be attending Wizard World in June. Yeah, I know, I am not that into comics/graphic novels, but many of my teen patrons are. I thought I would attend to get a better sense of what is out there and pick up some freebies. I will report back.
Monday, April 03, 2006
NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK
It's National Library Week. Go to your local library and check out a book! You don't have a library card? Then go get one.
Seriously, this is the week to get you library card. Many libraries will be giving away prizes for just showing up. Oh, and tomorrow is National Library Workers Day. If you already frequent the library, thank the person at the desk for all the hard work. Please!
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Academy Awards
Please don't call tonight. I won't be answering the phones after 8pm. The Oscars are like the Super Bowl for me. I have the chips, dips, and alcohol ready. I really don't know why I get so into it--I've only seen one of the movies nominated (Crash), which I know is pretty sad. We don't have a theater near our new place, so the only movies we watch are through Netflix. Most of the films nominated are not out on video yet.
Oh, and tonight will be special because of Jon Stewart. You can't miss that.
Oh, and tonight will be special because of Jon Stewart. You can't miss that.
Monday, February 13, 2006
our first snow in Philly
We stayed inside Saturday night, drinking cocoa and watching movies. Sunday around 1pm, when the snow finally stopped, we took Zero out to the playground across from our building and let him run to his heart's content.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Zero's famous!
Not really, but he may be in a documentary. Last week, we went to the Orianna Hill Dog Park and during our visit I noticed that one of the guys was filming with a large video camera. I didn't think anything of it until he walked up to me and asked my permission for Zero to be included. Zero loves any attention, so I agreed.
I found a post on northernliberties.org about a documentary being filmed dealing with dogs in Northern Liberties, so this must have been what the guy was working on at the dog park. Pretty neat.
phillydogfilm.com
I found a post on northernliberties.org about a documentary being filmed dealing with dogs in Northern Liberties, so this must have been what the guy was working on at the dog park. Pretty neat.
phillydogfilm.com
Thursday, January 12, 2006
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