Natural Disasters

Last week was super-exciting, natural disaster-wise.

Earthquake:

Yes, my apartment shook.  I was home for lunch and thought there was some huge obnoxious piece of building equipment outside on my street, as they've been rumbling things around, repairing the facade of the building across from me all summer.  Things rattled a little, but mainly it felt kind of like low blood sugar, when you get a little dizzy and nauseated.  All in all, the perfect earthquake: all the fun and none of the danger.

Cordie Cat gave no advance warning, so she's absolutely useless for extra-sensory disaster detecting.  But then, she is a special needs kitty.

The news was funny, all "Philly Rocked by Earthquake!" when actually it was more like, "Philly Thinks Landlord Has People Working on the Roof" or "Philly Slightly Nauseated for a Brief Moment."

Hurricane:

This was all panic.  Rachel and I taught a workshop north of Philly, in Bucks County the Friday before.  Both of us needed small grocery items (mozzarella, pizza dough, kiwis, eggs, mushrooms, ricotta) for our individual Friday night cooking agenda, so we took the opportunity of a car to stop at Trader Joe's.

It was insane.  Bread = gone.  Hummus = gone.  Lines = starting at the cheese cooler, at the very back of the store. We made it out alive, with all of our random items, so I was able to make my long-awaited (waiting since like Tuesday) Swiss chard ricotta hurricane quiche.

Saturday, went to yoga, paused at bakery, bought blueberries.  The rest of the day was wimpy grey skies and pitiful spitting rain.

The Apple Store half-heartedly protected their giant glass storefront with sandbags.

I didn't venture out.  Like I need a reason on a crappy day to stay in my house, take long naps, read books, eat hurricane quiche, and watch Jane Austen films?

Some part of Philly got loads of water, mainly the western outskirts and the 'burbs.  The Walk for Health along the Schuykill River Trail was quite flooded.

(All these photos are from the Philly Inquirer).

Macarons!

In the spirit of Bastille Day's liberté, égalité, and fraternité, I decided to try my hand at making French macarons.  Not bad for a first try!

Bastille Day

Every July the Eastern State Penitentiary hosts a Bastille Day festival, which includes a comic reenactment of the storming of the Bastille.  Eastern State is an excellent location for this, as the outer walls are quite imposing.

There is a French-themed street fair prior to the Storming.  Some French food, lots of can-can dancers, a drag queen Edith Piaf, wandering accordion players, mimes, etc.

Some friends and I, including our own personal Frenchie Friend, Marion, attended.  Pictured are Val, Marion, and Mia decked out in their revolutionary garb.  I made us all ribbon rosettes, and the flags and other pins were hand-outs.

Our French accessories, including a copy of La Marsellaise, which we all sang very badly at one point during the storming.  Marion, of course, knew it perfectly, and after the singing announced that the woman leading it had sung it "weird".

Val, me, Mia, and Marion.

Guillotine - for watermelon chopping only.

The Storming of the Bastille is led by a small group of Revolutionaries clustered around the guillotine.  They yell, the crowd yells, and eventually Marie Antoinette appears at the top of the battlements.

Marie Antoinette and her minions, including Darth Vader and some Imperial Storm Troopers.  Remember, this is a comedic reenactment.

The public demands bread and the queen says, "Let them eat Tastykake!" as the minions shovel hundreds of Tastykakes off of the Penitentiary walls and into the crowd.  We didn't get any, as the day was hot and the Tastykakes seemed a little gross.  After the Tastykakes, there is a trial and Marie Antoinette is condemned to death by guillotine.  This year, however, M.A.'s sentence of death was commuted, and she was sentenced to being Arnold Schwarzenegger's nanny.  She was not pleased, and stated that she's rather have her head cut off.

Fourth of July, Old-Fashioned

The Brockway Old Fashioned Fourth of July is a pretty complex event: when asked, I usually say, "My hometown does it up Norman-Rockwell style."  Which is pretty accurate.  Having experienced the glory of a Brockway July 4th two years before, Liang and Michael made the journey up

Highlights include the Tastee Freeze.  This is Liang's photo, and I think it's the best photo of the Tastee Freeze even taken.

Gun range.  Here, Quick-Draw Doc lines up her shot while the Lil'Bro and Michael look on.  Both Liang and Michael were very good shots, impressing both the Timmy and the Lil'Bro! 

The Timmy was delighted!  Bangs and booms and eager participants!  Such fun!

Fresh off her Pittsburgh Half-Marathon success, Liang joined in the 10K Firecracker Race while Michael and I cheered and acquired coffee for the post-finish line prize (Michael's photos below).

For more shooting, running, picnicking, and parading, check out Michael's blog.

Moms in Philly!

The Traveling Moms came to Philly in mid-June for a long weekend that involved eating, museums, and lots of walking.  Here they are on the steps of the Art Museum!  I was hostessing, so no photos from me (this one by Mary Ann).

Trying New Things: Tea

Number one tea: Tetley.

I buy like two 80-bag boxes of Tetley every three months or so, and it requires a special trip to a slightly more-inconvenient grocery story, because the number one Tetley Tea is the British Blend.  (My life is soooo hard!  First world problems - wah wah wah.)  The tea bags are round, have more tea in them, and are even better at brewing darker and are thusly more effective at staining your teeth.

The corner convenience grocery by my apartment doesn't have any form of Tetley, so the other day I decided to branch out, but cautiously, with PG Tips.  PG Tips has a ridiculously awesome name, and is apparently England's number one tea.  Truth - I have actually heard/read of real-life English people drinking it, though when I was in England it was Tetley for me every morning!

Anyway, the PG Tips is good.  It will be my number-two tea.  Emergency run-out-of-number-one-tea or take-to-work tea.

So imagine my surprise when I did a little internet tea-stalking and discovered that the people that make PG Tips are also responsible for Lipton!

Ugh - Lipton.  Why is America okay with Lipton?  So bland, so weak, so nasty.  The tea of conferences - offered by those who only drink coffee, usually with water heated in a coffee pot, so it come pre-sullied with a nasty burnt coffee flavor.  The only thing a cup of Lipton is good for is watering plants: it's so gross.  You might as well just steep a cup of random sticks and leaves that you found in the park.

Interesting side-note.  Tetley British Blend was easy to find in Ottawa.  Once British people get to Canada, they become 250% more British than they were back in the home country, so they need the British Blend to survive in North America, even after they've become Canadian citizens.

There was a second British tea that was all-over Ottawa: Ty-phoo.  I never purchased any Ty-phoo, because the name is too close to Ty-phoid, and it made me think that either a) the tea was only good if you were sick, or b) the tea would infect you.  I did drink some Ty-phoo, and it was okay.  I didn't get Ty-phoid, but then I think my vaccination for that is still good.

Disclaimer: this is all my opinion, clearly.  You might totally love Lipton.  Whatever.

Cordelia Cat

Happy One Year Arrival Anniversary, Cordie!