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P h i l l y   E x p a t r i a t e






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I am an East Coast expatriate hiding out in the Midwest...

I am an urban gal living in the suburbs and occasionally hiding in the country

I am a yoga practitioner, fitness enthusiast, believer in the mind-body-spirit connection...

I am a mid-life "revert" to the Roman Catholic faith in which I was raised and which has become an enormous source of support, encouragement, inspiration, and joy in my life...

I am a mom, sister, daughter, and wife...

I am an explorer; adventurous and curious about the world and people around me...

I am educated in the formal sense but I gain insight through everyday living...

I created this blog at a time of great fear and apprehension in my life. I chose to sustain it because of the discoveries about myself and the world around me that it has revealed.



What you can expect to find here:
  • the documentation of a love-hate relationship with the greater Philadelphia area
  • reminiscing about the good-ole-days (the 80's!)
  • complaints about my various ailments and injuries, both real and imagined
  • pictures and stories of gardening, decorating, shopping, sewing
  • my love of irony
  • links to kooky news stories
  • way too much scatological musing for sane people


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    Pictures, I've got Pictures:

    My dogs

    My Rockin' Van


    "El Cabino"

    Me

    Some of my faves from the archives:

    Hustle 'n Flow

    Orange Crush

    The Sounds of Silence and Smell of Bum Wine

    The War of the Shmatte

    Pseudo

    Channel

    The Summer of '86


    East Coast Stylin' in Photos and Words:

    More Fun on Passyunk Avenue

    Me and the Girls

    Back In Town

    Pygmalion



    VIEW MY BACKYARD!


    Wanna chat? I'm on Yahoo IM:
    brandy1011969

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    Friday, October 01, 2004
    Go-Go boots save a life!

    I credit this blog entry to my friend and former drinking buddy, Mary.  Back in our early 20's, Mary and I moved from our cushy campus locations in the 'burbs to "the big city". As we were both music mavens, we tended to nurse our cheap beers at small smoky "hipster" bars - those off the beaten track, and usally in seedier neighborhoods, but graced by the likes of local musicians whose names I will not drop on this enty.

    Our favorite haunt was, at the time, in a rather dangerous 'hood for two gals in miniskirts to be strutting around. We would park as close to the bar as possible and litterally dash down Damen Avenue and into the confines of our favorite hideaway.

    Needless to say, that neighborhood is now uber-gentrified...and recently had a cheezy hollywood movie named for it.

    But we will always remember feeling invincible in our knee-high thrift-store go-go boots as we dodged the gangbangers!

    Apparently, this guy will have a soft spot in his heart for boots, as well!

    http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3049124#

    Posted at 10:58 am by brandy101
    Comments (5)  

    Thursday, September 30, 2004
    so glad I tuned in...

    I have to share this tidbit on the presidential debate:

    My 4 year old decided to watch with me. She pointed to "W." and asked, "Who is that?"

    I explained, "He is the president. He is President Bush."

    "Well who is that man?" she asked,referring to Kerry.

    "He is Senator Kerry," I replied. "He wants to be the president."

    She watched the debate for awhile and then noted, "So, that man is the president, and that man wants to be the president."

    "Yes, that's right."

    After a thoughtful pause she stated, "Well, I think Annie should be president!"

    Annie is our 7-year old spayed beagle, who was snoozing on the floor at the time of her "nomination."


    Sometimes kids' logic makes a heckuva lot of sense!

    Posted at 10:23 pm by brandy101
    Comments (4)  

    important note about retention of judges

    Per my last entry, please check out this info (which, granted, is provided by the Retention Judges of Cook County website)

    http://retentionjudges.com/FAQ/question7.htm

    If you vote NO to a judge up for retention, his/her replacement will be APPOINTED not voted into office. Thus, be sure that if you do vote a judge out of office, that you really have good reason for doing so, not just to "shake things up" so to speak.

    I also discovered that  here judges are not permitted to "campaign" per se or offer opnions on issues - but you can usually find their biogrpahies/career histories, which is important to me - I think its good to see the resume of someone you are going to "hire" for a very important (and lucrative!) job in the community.

    Posted at 04:38 pm by brandy101
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    sniffle...piffle

    *sniff*...still got that sinus thing BUT the good news is that I feel SO cruddy today, that I think it means its "breaking up" and draining (eeewwwww!) so hopefully with lots of soup, juice, tea, and vitamins I'll be out of this sinus funk thang. Yuk!

    Anyway...

    Tonight is the Presidential Debate...I am really getting cynical and irritated about this election - and watching a show on PBS last night about third party candidates and how hard it is for them to get on the ballot - well, that kinda made me feel even worse. However, I am glad that in my area of the country we have two good candidates whom I actually LIKE and RESPECT, for congressional and senate seats, so I feel like my vote will have an impact, at least in my little part of the world. 

    Not sure if I'll watch the debates or not; I do already know that I am voting but I am honestly one of those "undecided" independent voters that Bush and Kerry are clamoring to "win over." Yech. All I can say is I know I WILL NOT vote for one of the guys, and not sure if the other guy will get my vote or not - I have to research some of the third party possibilites, and also look into a possible write-in. I mean, the anti-Bush folks would be worried that I was essentially "giving my vote to Bush" but in IL that won't be the case because our US senate race is looking very favorable for Barak Obama - a democrat. The enthusiasm for him statewide will cause alot of straigh ticket pulls, thus I suspect IL is one state Kerry will have in his pocket if he plays it right.

    What that means for independent voters like me is that I do have something of an opportunity to "voice" my opnion about the lame "choices" we have had for the past few years in presidential races. The other thing I eally want to do is reseach judges who are on the ballot - no one ever knows anything about circuit court judicial canditates and for many folks they can make a HUGE impact on quality-of-life as well as more philosophical issues in your neck of the woods. So, watch the debates tonight if you want to ...but look into your local races for congress, senate, judge-ships and other positions - these make more of an impact on your life and community on a daily basis anyway.

    Posted at 02:14 pm by brandy101
    Comments (2)  

    Monday, September 27, 2004
    rain, rain...please let it rain!

    Its so darned dry here, my sinuses are going bananas (actually the whole family is miserable - I gotta run the humidifier...). It's been gorgeous 70-something degree days here for the past few weeks. But I just took a long walk at our local man-made lake with a nice walking train. One of my favorite things is crossing over these little wooden bridges that cross a small creek. There are usually birst and the occasional amphibian or reptile milling aound in the creek and I always enjoy that soothing "babbling" sound of the water over the smooth rocks. However, when I hit the forst bridge today, I was saddened to see that ...there was NO creek! Just a dry caked earth bed.

    Talk about uneven distribution - the east coast has been drenched from NY to FL all month and we are arid here.

    I am still trying to get hubby to get back into SOME kind of workout routine; its so nice he could still take a run around the aforementioned lake after work a few nights a week...of he can join a workout center in his office for a mere $10 a month (although he's wary of working out with coworkers, which I agree can be a bit ooky.)

    But I was amazed that I was able to make that 2-mile walk today as this sinus/allergy thing has been sapping my interest in all activity. Ugh. I have to "up the ante" and get my energy level up - and in my case I think more vigorous and frequent workouts are the key. Its just kinda hard to run 5k when you have to blow yer nose ever 10 minutes!!!

    Posted at 02:51 pm by brandy101
    Comments (4)  

    Saturday, September 25, 2004
    journalism

    Last night, I watched with fascination, a Wide Angle special on PBS about young journalists at a national newspaper in Iran.
    For whatever reason, although not a journalist myself, I have always been surrounded by them - and they are definately an "archetype" personality. What I found most interesting is that, although in a completely different culture than the US, operating under different rules, per strict government watchdogging, these reporters and editors reminded me SO MUCH of my journalist friends and colleagues in the US.

    On another note, an old friend of mine, himself a "watchdog" of sorts for the EPA, sent me a link to this speech given by Bill Moyers.  It is LONG so if you plan to read it, you may want to print it out first and take your time with it. Its pretty scathing... and in my opinion, Moyers is much more specific and lucid in making a point and uncovering the scuz in Washington than Michael Moore, or other such "investiagtors" who sometimes get so caught up in their own outrage that they don't take the time to , as Moyers states, "connect the dots" in a prisitne and irrefutable manner. Although I think in Moore's case he admits that he makes entertainment out of his own opinions rather than behaves like a true journalist/documentarian, and that's fine. But anyway, I am not writing to criticize Moore (hardly!)  - I am trying to express that I certainly hope that a "digger" like Bill Moyers comes to prominance sometime soon (Moyers is retiring) to replace some of the teleprompter zombies who give no insight - and worse - ask no questions - to the "powers that be".

    Posted at 12:14 am by brandy101
    Comments (1)  

    Thursday, September 23, 2004
    lazy...oh, and 100 things about me

    Instead of thinking of something thoughtful to blog about I present here a cut-and-paste special:  I was cleaning stuff off the pc and found this list from last year. I updated it and now here it is for my vanity and your amusement:

    100 Things about me…
    1. I am the oldest of 3 girls in my family
    2. I grew up in a south-west suburb of Philadelphia – near Swarthmore College. All of my biological family still resides on the East Coast.
    3. My family is mostly of Polish descent
    4. I attended a private, catholic girl's school run by nuns for 10 years, but graduated from a public high school
    5. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 22 years old
    6. I have lots of freckles
    7. I adore Atlantic City and the Island of Brigantine Beach, where my parents live part-time, and where I spent innumerable childhood summers
    8. I drink my coffee each morning from an enormous mug
    9. I love swimming and generally hanging out in and near bodies of water
    10. I have never been outside of North America, but I have traveled to 5 countries outside of the U.S.
    11. I have a great sense of direction – I also used to make maps for a living.
    12. My fave prayers are  "Hail Mary's"
    13. I used to be a strict vegetarian; now I am a high-protein/low carb eater.
    14. I do not own anything "khaki"
    15. I gave birth in a hospital, aided by a midwife, with no epidural! A nearly-9-pound baby!
    16. I used to be a college radio DJ and once hosted and produced a rap/hip hop show, as well as lots of "alternative" rock. I eventually became General Manager of the station, my senior year.
    17. I have been coloring my hair since I was 14 years old
    18. My favorite band in junior high was Adam & the Ants
    19. My favorite TV shows as a child were The Bugaloos and H.R. Puffinstuff
    20. I used to take tap dance lessons in preschool and horseback riding in graduate school
    21. I aspired to attend Northwestern University, largely because their catalogue pictured a student windsurfing on the lake in it!
    22. I studied Spanish for 8 years and used to be somewhat proficient
    23. I have a six-degrees-of-separation connection to the movie Pulp Fiction
    24. I love doing karaoke with my sister – we always perform either "Summer Breeze" or anything by The Carpenters
    25. The last good concerts I have seen were David Sylvian at the Park West in 2002, The Buzzcocks at the Metro in 2003 and Jet at The Vic in 2004.
    26. I have no tattoos or body piercings, but once dated a guy with many of each
    27. My musical tastes are eclectic, ranging from "oldies/dusties", top 40 pop/hip hop, to punk rock, so-called "alternative" rock, 60's garage bands, jazz, and classic rock.
    28. I had my gall bladder removed in 1999
    29. I am allergic to pork, shellfish and latex
    30. I am the daughter of a mechanical engineer
    31. I am the wife of an electrical engineer
    32. My first job, in high school, was working at a nursing home in the activities department
    33. My first job out of college was as an assistant in the public relations department of an international NGO/humanitarian organization
    34. I have a graduate degree in Urban Planning
    35. "Baby got back!" Well...not so much anymore (what with all the triathloning!) but I still got something left to hold up my jeans!
    36. I used to do costume and set design for theatrical productions in high school and college
    37. I went to college with a lot of bozos (and a few nice people) who are now famous TV stars
    38. I was once proud to consider myself as "new wave"
    39. I scored a perfect 800 on the logic portion of the GRE
    40. I had a run-in with A Flock of Seagulls in high school!
    41. My first real date was to see the movie Repo Man
    42. I used to be an avid skier
    43. I own 6 wigs
    44. Some of my writing has been published under a pseudonym
    45. I used to have braces but my teeth still look like Madonna's
    46. I still own more records than CDs
    47. My favorite all-girl band is The Pandoras. I aspired to look like Melanie and play guitar like Paula.
    48. I'm not a huge sports fan BUT I love college football
    49. I have a sizeable vintage clothing collection in my attic
    50. I used to sew and make my own clothes; these days I just do repairs, and small projects.
    51. I love to cook but I'm not so keen on baking
    52. My favorite houseplants have been sprouted from garbage waste (grapefruit seeds, avocado pit, and rotten potato)
    53. I despise people who don't wear seatbelts
    54. My dentist claims that my unusually small teeth are evidence that I am "highly evolved" (yeah, right!)
    55. My apartment was once robbed, and I have had 2 bikes, a set of hubcaps, and a cell phone stolen
    56. I have lost 2 pets to large, insane dogs
    57. I was booed offstage at the 1990 Chicago Rap Fest
    58. I am only ticklish on the soles of my feet
    59. My favorite casino game is craps, followed by computer-animated multi-line-win slots and video poker
    60. I took the LSAT but never went to Law School
    61. I wear size 8 ˝ medium shoes
    62. I do not have a middle name on my birth certificate
    63. I am a Taurus, born in 1969
    64. No matter how "hip" it is, I do not like sushi
    65. I once pulled an elaborate prank on an Evanston cable-access TV host, along with the aid of some friends.
    66. I suck at any game involving the use of a ball and any other sporting equipment
    67. I am left-handed
    68. I used to raise snails, frogs , and aquatic plants in an aquarium
    69. I love The Sopranos and Six Feet Under, although we do not subscribe to HBO
    70. The cassette currently residing in my car's tape player is Real Nighttime by Game Theory.
    71. Despite good grades and high SAT scores, none of my high school teachers thought I should have attended a 4-year university – they were all pushing for art school.
    72. I used to do decent work in pastels, chalk, and acrylic paint; I have not touched any such media since 1987.
    73. I never dropped acid, or took ecstasy – illegal manmade drugs are a huge turnoff for me.
    74. I'm not much of a drinker these days, although my favorite cocktail is Dewar's (scotch) and Soda with a lemon twist.
    75. I prefer red wine to white; my favorites are chianti, shiraz, and cabernet, although, again, I rarely drink.
    76. I did not start menstruating until I was almost 15 years old
    77. I breast-fed my child until she was 2 ˝ years old! (she didn't want to quit!)
    78. I enjoy power yoga, pilates and weight training and prefer to perform these at home
    79. Although slower than the rest of the pack, I completed my first triathlon in August 2003, and 3 more in 2004
    80. I once got caught in a revolving door with Richard Phelan – who was Cook County Board President at the time of the incident
    81. I lived alone an a cute garden apartment in the City of Chicago for 4 years in the early 90's
    82. I used to be a member of Facets multimedia…I was an independent cinema maven. Now I rely on the offerings of "Ken's Video" in Palatine. I enjoy most genres, except for Westerns.
    83. I was once shot at while riding my bike in Rogers Park
    84. I enjoy putting on makeup, although I don't wear much on a daily basis; I have been told I should be a make-up artist and/or beautician.
    85. Lately, I do most of my shopping at local thrift stores. I am addicted to the bargains!
    86. Despite my penchant for black clothes and heavy boots, my home décor is kind of Better Homes & Gardens-inspired country cottage/shabby chic or whatever the heck you want to call it…I love slipcovers, toile, and vintage floral prints
    87. I enjoy being outdoors – hiking, mountain biking, skiing – but I abhor sleeping in tents
    88. When I used to travel frequently for work, I carried an extra suitcase with my pillow in it, so that I could get to sleep at night
    89. I am a former "Android"
    90. My first time on an airplane was a chartered flight to Nassau, Bahamas, when I was 16 years old
    91. I dislike riding in limousines – I get too carsick!
    92. I once passed out cold on Michigan Avenue on my birthday from a food allergy after eating at Houston's Restaurant. It required a $25 cab ride to get me back to Evanston.
    93. I studied French for 2 quarters in college for an easy "A"
    94. I was once mistaken for a call girl (along with another friend) at the Coq D'or Lounge in the Drake Hotel. The Maitre'D kicked out the prospective "John" and apologized profusely to us.
    95. I used to shun sunlight but a friend from Norway converted me to become a (cautious) sun-worshipper
    96. My "signature" fragrance – when I used to wear perfume – was Molto Missoni, by Orlane, until it was discontinued
    97. I love goat cheese but avoid almost all other cheeses. I dislike brie and camembert immensely
    98. I love birdwatching and have really gotten into gardening and landscaping as a result of it.
    99. I have been told I look like the cartoon woman in the logo for the Redhead Piano Bar in Chicago; I consider it a fabulous compliment
    100. I have 3 cuddly middle-aged cats and one darling beagle doggie.

     

    Posted at 10:34 pm by brandy101
    Comments (6)  

    What's goin' on with Cat Stevens?!

    Ok, if you haven't heard the news, prominent British humanitarian and singer/songwriter, Yusaf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens), was deported from the US the other day. Or I should say, he was not allowed to enter the country. Thank GOODNESS he is being so incredibly classy and sensible about things (read quotes from him in the cited news reports). I think its cool that the British Government is also sticking up for him, as well.

    Clearly, its either that the Bush squad is p.o.'d about his protest-via-song (re-issue of "Peace Train") of the war in Iraq or we (U.S.) were pressured by Isreal to dis' him, as the Isreali Gov't refused him entry to that country in 2000, claiming he had somehow donated money to Hamas. As far as I know, for years he has raised money for humantiarian aid, mostly for children hurt or orphaned by war or natural disaster.

    Oh man, fer heaven's sakes its CAT STEVENS - the islamic version of St. Francis of Assisi or Mother Teresa!!!! He is the one Muslim activist - one who for years has worked to build bridges among peoples of different cultures and religions. He's a very public figure, not some creepy subversive spy. I think its pretty ironic that  he noted to the British press upon arriving in Heathrow, that before he was sent back, a number of the U.S. security officials who questioned him and sent him back, also asked for his autograph!

    Its like what happened to Jesus - he was too cool and "with it", did too much to help people think for themselves, love one another, so the a-holes in the Government had him executed.

    Oh, one interesting post script: It just came out in the Miami Herald that deceased Latin music legend Celia Cruz was removed from the U.S. Blacklist in 1965 after years of having to "prove" herself by supporting anti-Castro causes.

    Posted at 07:46 pm by brandy101
    Comments (1)  

    Wednesday, September 22, 2004
    Is that your final answer?Quiz answer REVEALED!

    Wow, lots of great guesses...

    But the answer to my little triva "quiz" was guessed by LYLY:

    All of the rather "randy" and sensual names are in fact names of 19th and 20th century prizewinning species of ROSES!!!

    Well, I guess it makes sense that they have those sorts of names, after all, flowers are the sex organs of plants - and in fact roses are "bisexual" in that they have reproductible stamen and pistils in each flower.  Thus, the trickiness of  hybridization (and the creation of unique features in sustainable plants), then is to harvest the "parts" before they self-pollinate and then literally make "test tube babies" (or more like petri dish seedlings), plant them and see if they take off.

    Thanks to everyone for their good answers!

    :)

    Posted at 08:44 pm by brandy101
    Comments (3)  

    Tuesday, September 21, 2004
    no answer yet...but finally an apt quiz!

    I'm still not revealing the answer to my little quiz yet (see previous entry) but browsing blogdrive tonight, I came across a number of entries posting "quiz results" - i.e. "What book are you " (ha! Nic and I came up with the same one! ) "what country are you" (I was told I was Vatican City! uh, not likely!) "What kind of goth are you" (I skipped that altogether...I'm too cheery to be goth! )...I was getting all quizzed out when I found a "What classic pinup are you?" quiz on Quizzila. I HAD to try it. I swear I didn't cheat and thought I'd end up with something lame like Farah Fawcett...but NO! This one was RIGHT ON THE MARK (especially the description):


    You are Bettie Page!
    You're Bettie Page!

    <  What Classic Pin-Up Are You?
    brought to you by Quizilla




     
    I Laughed aloud....you see some years ago, I actually won CASH and a t-shirt in a Bettie Page look-alike contest at a local watering hole...(of course, I was wearing a wig, knee-high boots, and , er, accessorized my outfit with a riding cop but that's back in "the good ole' days" hee hee!)

    Posted at 11:34 pm by brandy101
    Comments (3)  

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