Holiday! Celebrate!

Christmas was nice.  I was annoyed that I had to work late X-mas Eve (without time-and-a-half!) but at least I got a day at home with the fam.  I had been working hard on my new ukulele for a Christmas sing-a-long.  This sing-a-long was meant to be a Christmas gift to my family though I'm not sure this was apparent when I "gave" it to them.  I'm also not sure that it was apparent that I actually practiced as often as I could since I wasn't as good as I had hoped.  I had planned to give everyone red and green Hawaiian Leis but I couldn't find leis and had to settle for Mardi Gras necklaces.  Still, I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time.  I had a great time playing and that's all that matters, right?  My friend Zo helped me put together the sing-a-long booklets and I was glad that she came home with me for Christmas.  We have a lot in common and my family really liked her.

With the holidays past, I now have two new vegan cookbooks, an awesome mix CD, a necklace, a purse, Toy Story 3, Planet Earth, socks, a book called Lizard, a gift card, money, and potatoes which came with a potato masher (I've been using bean cans to mash my potatoes for years).  With the gift card, I got a sketchbook and some quality pencils because I have been wanting to start drawing regularly.  With the money, I will pay bills, save, and get some rain boots, pants, and Gary Franicone books. 

Inside Amy's Studio

My answers to the Actor's Studios questions which come from Bernard Pivot, who borrowed them from Marcel Proust.

1. What is your favorite word?

"Sofa" for the sound and "empathy" for the meaning and the sound.

2. What is your least favorite word?

"Juxtaposition." The word makes me think of snobby film majors.

3. What turns you on?

Kindness.

4. What turns you off?

A condescending attitude.

5. What sound do you love?

The sound of an oscillating fan, a cat purring, and a teacup on a saucer.

6. What sound do you hate?

The sound lenticular pictures (like the ones on kids' notebooks) make when it is scratched against.  And people chewing sometimes. 

7. What is your favorite curse word?

"Bloody." I don't curse often, but this curse makes me think of Monty Python. Like most curses, I mostly only use it in my head.

8. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?

Writing or musicianing.

9. What profession would you not like to do?

Anything boring and meaningless that doesn't involve any creativity and doesn't improve the world in any way. For example, a cashier. :-(

10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

"Everyone you love made it too."

Can You Hear Me Now?

I try my best make all of my blog entries as short and digestible as possible. It is my hope that this keeps me from rambling. So, last week I wrote about my birthday and my new job and decided to put off writing my commercial work job until a less eventful week. So here it is.

Last Thursday, I was an extra for a Verizon commercial. I've already been an extra for the movie SAFE and since this experience, I have made an effort to keep checking the casting site. When I saw the commercial posting I sent an email to the agency and I got a call soon after.


The commercial took place at the Wells-Fargo Center (previously known as The Wachovia Center). The plot of the ad was the Philadelphia Flyers kept progessing in the season. We (The Extras) had to act progressively more excited.

I had a really fun time. Firstly, I met people that I really liked. Secondly, the director looked like David Bowie from a distance. Thirdly, I made a contact to possibly get a foot in the door job-wise. Finally, I got to cheer and act happy all day.


I wouldn't mind being an extra everyday.

Wood You Come to My Birthday?

Yesterday was my birthday.  I turned 24 and had a wonderful time in the process.

For one thing, I finally have a full-time job!  I now work at grocery 
store that is a 7-minute walk from my house.  Everyone I have worked with so far is very nice and I'm glad that I will at last be able to have some stability.  I even get paid every week instead of every other week.  When I first thought of working at South Square, I thought how the job would offend my vegan-self.  I still have these thoughts.  You should see me as I gingerly pick up the very tips of a cheese or meat package to scan it.  I also worry about how my paycheck is partially coming from animal exploitation.  It's not an ideal job for me in this respect but the way things have been for about a year now, I've barely been getting by.  I've been surviving more than living but this is more than I can say for the animals' whose body parts and products I slide across my scanner and announce the price of.  What would my thighs go for?  What about my life?

Sadly, the job that I was barely getting by with ended and I needed another job.  This was the first one that I could find that would pay my bills.  I will continue to look for better options for me but in looking at the situation as it is, I see an excellent opportunity to do some activism.  Here I am, being presented with pieces of people's lives.  I recently listened to a debate between Gary Francione and Erik Marcus and Gary mentioned he always starts the conversation by asking about people's pets.  At my job, I'm ringing up their cat and/or dog food.  What a perfect lead in!  I've ordered some free business cards for The Abolitionist Approach and as soon as I'm finished my training I'm going to start talking to people about veganism and giving them cards at the end of our conversations.  I'll probably get myself into some kind of trouble but as long as I'm not selling anything, I don't see what's so wrong about having a conversation made relevant by a person's pets.  So, I'll see.

For my birthday, I worked and then I went back to my apartment where my boyfriend was waiting for me.  He got me tasty vegan pizza and a delicious vegan dessert.  After eating, he gave me a present which was a ukulele!  How exciting!

Then, I dragged my roommates, friends, and boyfriend to Woody's, a wonderful, gay bar and I think that everyone had a good time.  I had a good time.  Sunday is 80's night meaning some drinks are 80 cents and there is lots of 80's music.  I love Woody's!  Everyone there is so full of joy and there's so much love in the room!  This sounds corny but I don't care.

Oh, and P.S. I got a popcorn maker as a birthday gift!  Hooray!  The lid turns into a bowl!

Sigh.

Feeling a bit like Sisyphus. 

The most notable thing I did this week was think.  Maybe I shouldn't think too much.  In this week's case, more than anything, I feel like a failure.

I've been a college graduate for nearly a year now and I don't feel any closer to my goals now than I was a year ago. 

Feeling a bit like Rob Gordon.  

More importantly to me, I've been vegan for almost one year (January 8th, 2010) and I haven't got even one person to go vegan.  Not one person!  Not my family, not my friends, and not any strangers.

I am hereby claiming responsibility for this year's failures.  I didn't get anyone to go vegan this year because I wasn't confident enough when I talked to people about it, if I was brave enough to talk to them at all.  I didn't want to offend anyone and I didn't want to seem like I was looking down on anyone.  As a result, I have not contributed at all to "the shift of the paradigm" as Gary Francione puts it.  I have also been lazy this year and this the biggest contributor to my unhappiness in the personal and professional sense as well as my lack in vegan conversions.  I need to seize every career opportunity.  I also need to grab every chance to talk to others about veganism because this kind of every day activism is the right thing to do.  Only by practicing every day does a person become an expert and if I could be an expert vegan activist, I would be happy.  Also, I need to make up my mind to be happy.  I need to do all of these things and I will.  

Dear Mr. President Obama,

I understand that our country is facing problems and it is my belief that you are trying you best to fix things.  Regardless of demanding critics, I do not blame you for all of our countries problems.  They are our problems and I think that we should all make contributions to fix them.  It is my hope that we all remain faithful that things will get better, that we think of ways to make improvements, and we all work hard to move towards these practical solutions. 

I am 23-years-old, and like many people age I am experiencing problems finding a job that is worth my college education which I must now pay back.  Also like many people my age, my ideas may go unnoticed but that doesn't mean that my ideas have to go completely unseen.

As a recent college graduate, the only jobs easily available to me are part-time jobs with limited hours, low pay, and zero benefits.  I would like to respectfully suggest that you offer businesses tax incentives to hire more people full-time.  It appears that without such encouragement, businesses hire many compromised people.  As a result, only the businesses' needs are being met and the workers are exploited.  I feel that it is better to hire a few people who can make a living than to hire several struggling people and force them to keep struggling.  I think that many of the problems the country faces could be fixed if more businesses shared my feelings.

Another idea I have is you could require colleges to meet a higher percentage of employment rate in the recently graduated alumni.  I have found that my college degree left me less than prepared for the "real world" and worse than that, my college has been useless in helping me to find a job.  With the right motivation, I believe colleges will work harder to make sure students are prepared as possible to face the work force.  As things are currently, colleges adhere to the "take the money and run" policy.   

I am proud to be part of a generation that brought you to office and I am proud to call you my president.  I am not proud however, to be working in dead-end retail jobs and having to borrow money to pay my bills.  I'm willing to work hard if businesses would give me that chance.  While I am not an expert or an official advisor, I am a hopeful American and I hope you will consider my suggestions.  

Sincerely,
Amy

A Fall Wedding

Two Fridays ago, I went to my old roommate's wedding in New York. I remember when she first texted me, "I'm engaged!"  When we got back from our break she told me she planned to have the wedding on November 5th, 2010. It seemed so far away!

Murphy's Law kept me being at the wedding on time. I sidled in as Ava Maria was being sung. I sat in the back so my heels wouldn't interrupt.

I sat watching my roommate's life changing and the moment felt so precious and special. Soon, she and her husband walked together down the aisle and everyone was smiling but most of all them.  I was so happy for her. The closer she got to me the more I teared up. She was so pretty and so happy and so deserving. It's hard to describe to someone who doesn't know her how much she deserves blissful happiness other to say that when I think of the description "good person" I always think of her.

As everyone exited the church they all hugged and congratulated Christina and Michael.  As I hugged her she said, "Amy! I can't believe you made it to the church! Thank you!"

Then finally, I met her family. I had heard so much about all of them already over the two years that she and I shared our cozy apartment. Her sisters, her brother, her aunts and uncles. I shook hands and hugged her Aunt Nina and her husband. They told me that they had heard a lot about me and I said the same. I told them, "My mom and dad met in India too!" because Christina had told me their story of meeting on a train there. Looking around at everyone happily chatting in a mixture of Italian and English I felt like I had been placed inside a painting. I had been imagining everyone from Christina's stories for so long and now they were all here and the moment was so perfect.

After a short wait at Christina's family's house, my boyfriend and I headed to the reception. Tables and tables of food were set out. The staff mentioned that there was going to be a cocktail hour but there was so much to eat I thought that this couldn't possibly count as cocktail hour. I dug in. It was 6 pm and I hadn't eaten yet. Eventually, I asked one of the staff members if this was just cocktail hour. She laughed and said, "Yeah." Oops.  Luckily, I can eat most people under the table.

At 7 pm music started to play in the next room, curtains opened up and everyone went inside. The room was beautiful and the centerpieces were lovely. I remember Christina talking to me about how important it was to her to have nice centerpieces.

I forgot my camera so you must adore this picture instead of one from the actual wedding. 

The rest of the night was full of music, dancing, and food. Despite my meal before dinner, I believe I was the only one at the table to finish my every course put in front of me. Everything I ate was delicious, vegan, and a welcome change from pasta and rice and beans. There were also a few speeches. Christina's twin sister talked about how shy Christina usually was around new people but when she first met Michael (9 years ago!) she would not shut up!

A good time was had by all. I was happy to see Christina so happy. People came from everywhere to see the wedding (California, Venezuela, and even Philly) and that is a testament to what good people Christina and Michael are.

On the drive back, my boyfriend and I sang very loudly with the car radio. It was quite a Journey.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

I asked people all day if they had ever seen this show and no one had. 

Last Wednesday I woke up at 4am so I could be an extra in a movie called SAFE.  The day was well worth the lack of sleep.  Once I got dressed and made up, I put an extra outfit in my bag with some heels and a book, and started walking towards Chinatown.  The other times I got up at this time this year were to go to New York City and to help my friends shoot a movie.  I really like the city at this time.  It's really beautiful and still.  It feels like it's waiting patiently for the day to start.

Once I got to Club Shampoo, I made my way to the basement where many other Asians were waiting in two lines.  One line was to check-in.  The other was to be checked by wardrobe.  In line, I chatted with someone who was an extra as a part-time job.  She was nice enough but she liked to talk in a baby voice and I found this unsettling and strange.  After I checked-in, I got in the second line.  When the woman from wardrobe checked my outfit out she seemed displeased.  I wore the shortest dress I had which was a fitting floral print dress that I bought from the store that I now work at.  I bought it because it reminded me of the 60's.  I wore my seamed stockings with it.  I showed the wardrobe woman what else I had.  I refer to this other dress as my "Conan" dress because the first time I wore it, it was to see Conan O'Brien on his tour.  I love him (and his new show starts tonight.  He could be shooting it right now!)  The wardrobe woman didn't like my Conan dress either.  She flipped through some dresses on the rack, holding a few up to decide.  She handed me a silver sequined dress to try on.  I would never wear the dress on my own but I wasn't self-conscience in it either.  She liked it and asked me to take off my stockings.  I resisted the urge to turn around and go, "But they're seamed!  Like Marylin Monroe in Some Like It Hot!"  I always think of her when I put them on.

Before going upstairs, a large man with a booming voice explained what was happening scene we would be shooting.  We were all dancing and having a good time at a club in China when the cops and the main character bust in.  A shootout goes down and chaos ensues.  The guy seemed nice but at the same time intimidating.  He had a Papa Bear-like quality.  I would also compare him to John Goodman.  Soon, I decided I would ask him how to get a job behind the scenes.

 As we go upstairs, I feel a sense of plainness.  Where I grew, there were hardly any other Asians, even within my own family.  Around other Asians I feel left out because of my distance from my culture.  I also feel less special.  To be around 150 other Asians I feel out of place and just a part of the crowd all at once.  As we are split up into sections and as I am asked to take off my glasses, I wonder if our looks have anything to do with our segregation.  I doubt it, but once the thought crossed my mind, I decide that I am average-looking and am mostly unbothered by this.

We start to rehearse our panic scene.  I look around at all the equipment and crew naming things and crew members in my head to reassure myself that my film degree and special feature watching hasn't gone completely to waste.

After an hour or so of arranging and rehearsing, the director decided that we're ready to roll.  Soon, I hear an authoritative accented-voice behind me.  The man asks, "Can I have a really loud action please?"  We do the scene a few times.  There are fake guns and some screams.  Everyone seems to be having a good time.  The crew thanks us and sends us back downstairs for awhile where we fill out some paperwork so we can get paid.  While this is going on, I approach the John Goodman-like guy and ask about getting a job.  His name is David and I wasn't wrong about him seeming nice.  He is helpful and inviting and tells me he will introduce me to Liam later in the day.

Content with this step in the right direction, I sit with the other extras.  The one who talks like a baby, two girls my age, and two older woman who are with their teenage sons are all casually chatting.  The question of age comes up  At this question, "Baby" pouts and looks down, whining, "Won't tell!"  To this, one of the older women says, "It's no big deal.  Guess how old I am!"  We all guess in the 30's and she states, "I'm 50-years-old!  See?  No big deal!"
"How do you look so young?"  One of the girls asks.
"Jesus Christ," she flatly answers. 
I reached for my Gene Wilder book at this point.  As I started reading, this woman starts to ask our table if we know about the savior Jesus Christ.  I am holding my in front face like a shield.  Gene's strawberry blond Jew-fro served me well.

We break for lunch and I choose my food carefully because it's hard for me to tell what may use butter or other non-vegan things.  I got some salad, grilled veggies, and fruit.

Soon, we go back upstairs to run back and forth.  By this time, many people seem disenchanted with being an extra because by this time they've been talking downstairs for a good hour and a half and would prefer to do that.  For me, I am convinced that I am not good at talking to new people but I could be good at doing these jobs around if I created the chance for myself.  For the first time in a long time, I feel reassured that I went to school for the right thing.

Hours go by, we scatter, stand, and wait.  We are sent downstairs and up again a few more times.  I made an effort to pay attention to what the crew was doing and talk to them when possible.  I am introduced to Liam who tells me to talk to him at the end of the day.  Jason Statham makes a few more appearances as he is needed and the girls around me gushed quietly to one another.  I don't see it.  Statham's no David Bowie.

We are sent downstairs a little before 7 pm and soon we are told that we can go home.  Just a 13-hour shoot.

I got dressed out of my slutty dress and into my street clothes.  I didn't care for asking for a job in club-wear.  I walked upstairs and waited to the side until it looked like Liam could be bothered.  As I waited, Jason Statham walked by, stretching his face in a way that I have been imitating to my friends since.  Liam gave me his number and told me to text him the following morning about getting a PA (Production Assistant) job.  Mission Accomplished.      

Conan's back!

Rally to Restore Sanity and Practice Patience

 A time line of Saturday's adventures:

6:45 - Woke up
7:30 - Picked up
7:50 - Picked up my sister and a friend
8:30 - Played with my friend's iPad
11:30 - Parked and started waiting in line for the subway
1:03 - Got on the subway
1:30 - Got off the subway and started walking towards the mall
2:00 - Sort of settled where we could see a TV, cool signs, and costumes
3:00 - Started to head back
4:00 - Back at the car
7:30 - Back where I started

In looking at the time line, it may seem like I waited around a lot which is true but it was good time regardless.  So many different people, the signs were clever, costumes were creative, and the weather was devine.  Just a perfect day standing around and moving a few feet every few minutes.  I brought food with me and I wore my red feather boa usually designated for Rocky Horror.  Money is tight and I can't go to the show but I still wanted to get one solid day of boa wearing in this year. 

At the rally, I couldn't see Colbert or Stewart but we could hear them with the help of the temperamental speakers.  My favorite things of the day were spending time with people I don't spend enough time with and the weather.  I also found the turn out encouraging in terms of people who are for sanity.  I also liked going to say that I went.

Another great part of the day was a thrift store I applied to called me back to setup an interview!  I hope I get the job because I genuinely love the store and I genuinely need a job.     

Last Day of Work

This past Friday was my last day working at the bookstore.  It was also the first day of our bi-yearly book sale.

When I put my two weeks notice in, I was happy that I was going to miss the book sale.  But, when my manager kindly asked for my help I couldn't say no.  All the reasons I don't like working on book sale days are the same reasons I didn't want to leave him one person short.

When I got to the store for my last day of work, all of the tables were already out on the sidewalk.  My first task of the day was to get the large sheets of plastic and tape them to the edges of the tables.  This was so if it rained, the plastic could be pulled over the books and also, so we could leave the books out overnight.

After my plastic job was finished, my coworkers and I started to load the large cart with boxes of books that had no chance at selling without this huge sale.  This means old, damaged books, books that are outdated, books that we have a lot copies, materials we tell people not to donate but they drop off anyway, things like that.  We loaded and unloaded the cart many times, put the boxes on top of the many tables.  After 30 minutes of this, we started unpacking the books and putting them on the tables.  It took about two hours to setup and by this time, lots of people were perusing our selection.  Also by this time, I was very cold and the wind was blowing boxes and various signs and papers around.

Throughout the day I talked to customers and it felt strange that my last day of work would be so different from the days before it.  Aside from the fact that the sale was going on, on my last day my manager asked me to go from the older location to our newer one so a lone-worker at the other store could go on break.

Before I left, I said bye to volunteers and workers.  I told them all I would stop by during the holidays which I meant, but I also didn't want to say good bye forever.  I said good bye to Marc, who always asked me lots of questions about my life and my thought process.  This made me feel interesting.  Like I was worth being a character study.  Marc was a character himself.  In a good way.

Then, I said good bye to my manager.  I thanked him for everything.  He said to call if I ever needed anything.

Finally, I had to say good bye to Dick.

Ninety percent of the time, Dick and I worked alone together.  Being as this was retail work, things aren't always as pleasant as you might wish them to be.  But Dick was always nice and I was always nice and we shared our annoyances as only co-workers can.  Dick has worked in the business of books for a long time and his knowledge of the literary world impressed me and I aspire to have a portion of that knowledge someday.

As I approached Dick, he was working hard unpacking books and I didn't know what to say to make my presence known.  I felt at a loss.  I have left a handful of jobs by now and I am just realizing at this moment, I have never felt so sad to say good bye to a co-worker.

"Hey Dick."  I finally said.

"Oh, hello."

"I'm leaving now.  I have to go to the other store so Curtis can take his break.  But I'll be sure to come back around the holidays and say 'Hi'!"

"I hope you do!"

We shared a big hug and I could see from his eyes that he was just as sad as I was.  Sometimes I wonder why people like me but misty eyes don't need to say why, just the fact that a person likes you that much is enough.

He said to me that he met my sister earlier that day (she came to work with me in the morning because she had spent to night so she could volunteer near by) and he had shared my nickname from work.  He said that she had never heard my nickname before and he worried, "It's your last day and I screwed it up."  I could tell from his face that it had been a worry on his mind.

I laughed and said, "Oh no, it's no problem!  She calls me worse things!"  Both things are true.

Dick laughed hard with relief and I made another joke that may maybe she would call me Bobo instead of her much ruder names.

I told Dick that I loved working with him and would miss working with him and he said that it was nice of me to say that.  I said good bye and walked away with watery eyes.  This wasn't what I imagined my last day to be like.

Neither Here Nor There

In short, New York didn't happen.  I could go into deeper details but I don't want to repeat mistakes from my past and have a bunch of people angry at me.  Least of all myself.  I want to learn from my mistakes.

For a week, I believed and acted like I was moving away.  My plans seemed so sudden and daringly incomplete.  Things seemed too good to be true and at the same time I had vexing mixed feelings.

I knew that I would miss numerous small things and more obviously ones like, friends, family, and roommates.  The place I have been trying to leave for over a year now isn't so bad after all.  It just feels the same.  And this gives me feelings of restless. Sigh...I'm such an INFP...


"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”
                                                                                 ~ Marcel Proust

Hail to the Chef

Guess who I saw yesterday?  If the guessed The President of the United States you are right!  If you guessed The Vice President of the United States you get vegan brownie points.  If you guessed The Roots maybe you were there too.

In the beginning minutes of yesterday, a friend of mine told me that Obama, Biden, and The Roots were going to be in Germantown for a rally.  I was invited to come along and I was pretty excited!  I got up around noon and got dressed up in a black dress that I had only wore once before.  I considered wearing jeans and such but as I thought, "It's the President of the United States!" I just couldn't go in my street clothes.  I even wore my fancy stockings!  As I clipped my stockings to my garter belt standing in front of my Marilyn Monroe poster I smiled to myself thinking of her signature song.  I used to have normal stockings but once I got into Rocky Horror, my stockings from my preteen years and before just couldn't compare.

So, my friend Jared and I hit the road at around 12:30 and we got to our destination at around 1 pm.  As we walked up and down some streets looking for the right entrance, one of my garter clips unsnapped and my stocking was sliding down slightly.  I was annoyed but my dress was knee-length and I thought maybe no one would notice. After being turned away from one entrance for not having tickets, Jared and I walked up a ways.  There were some high school aged kids sitting on a stoop joking around and as I walked by one mischievously called out, "Your stocking is falling down."  Fantastic.

As Jared and I turned on to the street we would wait on for a few hours, we met Stan.  He lived close by and was our age.  He was going to the rally too so we all waited together.  Stan told us about his travels to Japan and his studies in French, Russian, and Japanese.  Jared and he swapped stories about McDonald's in Hawaii and Japan.  Stan asked me questions about my heritage and was jokingly exasperated about how far removed I am from my Japanese roots.

When we were let into the park where the rally was held, we were about 75 feet away from where the podium was and slightly closer to the stand where The Roots would play.  At the time, I could see things pretty clearly and my feet were feeling fine in my heels.  The three of us waited longer, with Jared sharing news updates he got from his iPhone.  There was a DJ playing music and a bunch of speakers that everyone was angry to hear from.  There was a Temple student, Governor Ed Rendell, Mayor Michael Nutter, Joe Sestak, and some other people.  Whenever someone was introduced, everyone got very rowdy.  Everyone would yell, "Where's Obama?!"  After standing through various speeches about getting everyone to go out and vote, The Roots were introduced.  I was excited to see them mostly because of their connection to Jimmy Fallon.  I liked the songs they played although I had never heard them before.  I had a pretty good view of stage, despite the fact that a bunch of jerks had pushed their way to the front.  After The Roots played, Joe Biden came out and everyone was excited to see him.  I had a worse view of the podium now but I was glad that I had worn my heels.  Stan helped me find holes in the crowd so I could see.  Joe Biden talked for a little and then he introduced our President.  Obama came out and the crowd lost their mind.  It was unbelievable. Through the crowd, I caught a glimpse of him.  I smiled at the sight of him.  I couldn't believe I was actually seeing him.

He talked about stuff.  About how we (the voters) had defied the odds two years ago and how we could do it again.  Something about how change starts from the bottom up.  I thought of veganism.  At one point, some people held about some signs saying "STOP GLOBAL AIDS: What happened to the 50 million you promised?!" and started shouting.  People behind them start shouting louder, "Put those signs down, we can't see!"  People on either side of them shouted, "Yes we can!  Yes we can!"  The signs and shouting went on for about a minute and the people put them down.  Not long after, a girl in front of me got up on the shoulders of her boyfriend.  This resulted in her butt being right in my face.  There was an older woman standing next to me who immediately complained, "Oh no!  You're butt is in right in my face!  Get your butt outta my face!  Your ass is hanging out of your pants and everything!"  I was cracking up!  Here I was, I had waited for 3 hours to see the president, he was talking in front of me, and I was looking right at this girl's butt.  I found the situation genuinely hilarious.    

After about 30 minutes or so, Obama wrapped up.  He shook the hands of everyone in the front before leaving.  I wasn't close enough to feel it was worthwhile to stick around.  On our walk back, we exchanged contact info with Stan because we had all talked about wanting to go to Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert's Rally.  So maybe we'll wait together again.

Later that night the Phillies and the Eagles won.  I guess that's pretty cool.           

Something else I have to share is I had some amazing vegan shrimp two weeks ago!  Two weeks!  And I cannot stop thinking about it!  If anyone wants to give it a try check out Kingdom of Vegetarians at 129 North 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.  Hail to the Chef!

On another note, I'm moving to New York City on the 23rd.  I'll give more details later when I haven't see Barack Obama the day before.