RAVE: Dinner hosted by The Waxed Bean

After 8 months of working together, Wayles, Margaret and I finally found a date that worked for us and our significant others to get together for dinner. It really is unbelievable how long it took us to set this up. I do love him, but I'm going to blame Mike for the fact that this has taken so long...being gone Monday-Friday almost every week can make social gatherings a little challenging. But I guess that is neither here nor there.

After work, the three of us headed home with Wayles to start dinner. Being the spectacular host she is, we kicked things off with a bottle of champagne. That girl knows her priorities. After a quick toast it was time to get the cooking started (we were already 4 minutes behind schedule according to the planned timeline).



Margaret and I anxiously looked on as Wayles started pulling out ingredients to make a chocolate cake from scratch. From scratch. That means, no box. Who knew!?

Confession time: It wasn't until some time around age 15 that I realized cakes could be made any other way than from a box.

I thought that by reading the recipe out loud I had found a way to be helpful. But I soon realized it was a bit futile after observing that Wayles wasn't too big on measuring. Lucky for us she has great cooking instincts!

While she trusted her instincts, Margaret may, or may not, have trusted Wayles' ability to open the champagne safely...decide for yourself:

James (Wayles roommie & significant other) came home about an hour into our bottle of champagne. Mike arrived soon after and that proved to be too many people for us to stay in the kitchen. So it was off to the living room where Ashes took to Mike instantly, but who wouldn't? :)

Once Matt (Margaret's then significant other and now fiance!) arrived, Wayles served a lovely tomato-mozzarella-basil appetizer. I wish I had a better camera to truly capture them, but even so, aren't they pretty?

After lots of good conversation and Wayles slaving in the kitchen, dinner was ready. I kicked the meal off by falling backwards in my chair. Yes, you read that right. It was one of the moments that was just so funny, I had to distract myself for the next 10 minutes to not think about it or else I'd burst out laughing again. In fact, thinking about it still makes me laugh. Pretty sure it's one of those had-to-be-there moments though...

Our dinner was delicious. Chicken with mango salsa, cous-cous, asparagus (with butter of course), and salad with homemade dressing. Yum, yum, and yum! You should definitely head over to The Waxed Bean to read how Wayles made it all. It's definitely worth repeating.

Even though we were stuffed, nothing was going to stop us from eating that chocolate cake we watched get made from scratch just hours before. And it did not disappoint. So divine!

Amazing food and fabulous company made for a great night. And the Phillies won too...does it really get any better than that? I submit that it does not.

Thanks for hosting Waylesies!

RAVE: The Phillies

Last weekend, my Savoy group had the chance to sing the National Anthem at the Phillies game. So exciting! When we arrived we were escorted down to the locker room area where we quickly rehearsed and solidified our parts. Then we waited. And waited. And waited some more...

Mary and I in the locker room...waiting :)

When it was finally time to go, we quickly tried to assemble ourselves into two lines and were rushed out onto the field. The Phanatic kept us distracted from the heat while were on the field with his shenanigans. Luckily they set up the microphones quickly so we weren't standing there too long - it was over 100 degrees and the humidity was insane! And then before you knew it we were singing. I was surprised how nervous I was. Even in a group of 50, a 30,000 person stadium was quite intimidating. I can't even imagine singing it alone!

bonus points to anyone that can spot me in this pic

After singing the shortest rendition of the Star Spangled Banner ever composed, we were back in the locker room changing from our white dresses into our Phillies gear. Of course, we had the worst seats possible - the highest deck with no shade. Did I mention it was over 100 degrees?

Mike and I took bets on how long we'd last. He gave us to the 3rd inning. I was hoping for at least the 5th. Mike won. We were out of there at the end of the 3rd...the heat was unbearable and rain was coming. Our timing was perfect. It POURED in the 5th inning and they had an hour and a half rain delay. By then, we were enjoying chips and salsa (and ranch, or course!) at Chilis.

It was a good day.

p.s. You can watch a rough video of our performance here.

RAVE: NYC with My Favorite Mom

Goodness! I meant to blog about this ages ago. For my birthday this year, my mom and I decided to spend a weekend in NYC. Mom had a conference during the week, and I left work early on Thursday and took the train up to meet her to start our whirl-wind weekend of fun!

I normally would have taken the bus, but since I was going to be heading up there in rush hour, I wanted to take the more reliable train to make sure that I got there in time to catch our show - Jersey Boys!

[insert nerdy theater commentary] Jersey Boys was a good show. Not sure I would have voted for it to win a Tony for the Best Musical of the Year...but good none-the-less. The songs by the Four Seasons were cleverly strung together to tell the story of Frankie Valli, but I'm limited in my appreciation of a show with no original music. Thus the same reason I have for failing to love Mamma Mia. I'd say I knew about half of the songs and mom knew every one. She loved it.

We grabbed a late night dessert at a diner next to our hotel and then crashed because we had an early morning tour to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I wish I had a picture of our tour guide...or better yet a video! He was quite funny (not convinced he was trying to be) and started every sentence with "oh look" and then proceeded to tell us what place we had "stumbled upon" on our tour.

We couldn't go up to the statue's crown. Those tickets were sold out until the end of August. Let that be a lesson to anyone ever thinking of visiting New York in the summer, be sure to book your tickets for the Statue of Liberty a good 6 months in advance. We didn't feel like we missed out on much though.

view from the ferry

at the statue

Then it was off to Ellis Island to look up our relatives. Not sure any of them actually came through Ellis Island, but it was fun to search for them anyway. If they did come through, we were definitely lacking in info to find them...

After a long morning of being quality tourists, we found a cute cafe and had a delicious, and overpriced salad (have I mentioned EVERYTHING in NYC is overpriced? It is.), then crashed in our hotel room before heading out to the theater...again!

This time to see Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes in the revival of Promises, Promises!

[insert 2nd nerdy theater commentary] So the only reason this show had a prayer of being revived was because of the Mad Men craze. And I can't imagine it will last long after Kristin and Sean leave. Sean Hayes was amazing. I think he deserved his Tony nom. Kristin Chenoweth was good, but honestly, I was surprised she took this role. It really wasn't that challenging or interesting. The best part of the show was the first 2 scenes of the 2nd Act. A-MA-ZING. Katie Finneran stole the show and the tickets were well worth the cost of her two scenes alone. (Not that I paid for the tickets - thanks again Mom!)

My main goal after the show was to get pics with Sean & Kristin. Unfortunately, we waited at the stage door for an hour only to learn they don't DO pictures. Lame. And while I'm not a fan of getting things autographed, I thought I should have something to show for my long wait. Both Sean & Kristin were great to the fans. Kristin is unbelievably tiny. Seriously, she's SO tiny. And her one diva thing is that you can't use a flash on your cameras as she signs playbills. Her bodyguard will actually take your camera. Not cool. So, since I couldn't use a flash, this was the best shot my little point-and-shoot could muster:

We decided to conquer Central Park on our last day in NYC. We met a lovely pedi-cab driver from Istanbul named Charlie (I sensed he got tired of telling Americans how to pronounce his actual name and finally decided to just go with Charlie when asked). He was the best tour guide ever - so sweet and very thorough. As far as tourist-traps go in NYC, I definitely recommend the pedi-cab tour over the horse & carriage ride...much better value.

We had a blast together and are now brainstorming where we can go for our 30th & 60th birthdays...any recommendations!?

RAVE: Going "Home"

Mike and I had the chance to fly "home" to Minnesota for the 4th of July weekend. It was SO much fun to see all of our friends and family. As usual, the trip was too short and we weren't able to see everyone we'd hoped to! And, as usual, we hardly remembered to snap any pictures. To prove it...I'll show you all 3 of them!

Our first night in town we got together with our good friends Megan & Jared. You may remember we crashed their New Year's trip to NYC earlier this year. We had such a great time catching up that we closed down the bar! (We NEVER close down bars. We're usually those lame people that go to bed at 9pm on Friday nights at the ripe 'ol age of 27ish)

mystery shots!

We spent lots of time with the Siegel-crew on this trip because it was our official reunion. Our weekend was filled with lots of family gatherings with tasty food and delicious margaritas! We topped off our time together with a boat cruise on the Hudson (or maybe it was the St. Croix?) to watch fireworks. This pic of my favorite sister & brother-in-law is the only evidence I have of our 3 days together!

aw...

Like usual, we stayed at mom's house. Her new cat Sadie is the first of her cats to actually like Mike...she's pretty great!

so cute!

I wish I would have captured the fabulous time we had with Debbie, Mary & Leah, the Girls, Steve & Melissa, my CSP-crew, our families, and others. The trip was definitely too short but such a good time. We miss you all!

RANT: Missing Birthdays

It never seems to fail. Every year I am surprised by how fun my birthday is. I go into the day thinking that I'll hear from a few close friends, go out to lunch with co-workers, and go out to dinner with Mike. All-in-all, a pretty fun day if I do say so myself. But what makes it even better is hearing from all those people that I never expected to hear from! I'm always pleasantly surprised to get cards, emails, facebook messages from friends who I haven't connected with in forever. It's such a wonderful feeling to receive so many unexpected birthday wishes! And every year, I say to myself..."you should be one of these really cool people who make your friends' day on their birthday." And yet, I am still far from being one of those people. I even forget to send a card or a quick note to those really close to me...let alone my long-lost friends!

This month, two very special people's birthdays have passed me by...

Jenny, my Kindred teammate, was a bridesmaid in our wedding and is one of the funniest, kind-hearted, and all-around coolest person you will ever meet. I'm always telling her I thought she was too cool for me. She always laughs when I say this...as if it couldn't be true. But seriously people, she's SO cool. I hope you get the chance to meet her some day. You'll want to be her friend. She's one of those friends that calls you on your birthday every year without fail. Ok, to be completely honest, every year she first calls our other teammate Emily because she gets our birthdays mixed up. But now I always looking forward to the email or call on June 3rd where she says, "I can't believe I did it again!" I just love her and wished we lived closer.

Miss you Jenny - Happy (belated) Birthday!

Rachel, my spunky and beautiful cousin turned 25 this year! And she's handling the "quarter-life-crisis" like a champ! This girl is one of the most driven, kind, and generous people I know. She's finishing up her degree to become a Physician's Assistant and it's been so fun to watch her accomplish this goal and see her passion for what she's doing. I'm envious of her confidence, her strength, and her heart for others! I couldn't be any more proud to be her cousin.

Love you Rach -Happy (belated) Birthday!

RAVE: Visiting Best Friends

When Mike and I moved to Philadelphia and I left my job at Concordia, I knew there would be some tough times over this year. In particular, I suspected that not being able to attend the National Youth Gathering with the Concordia crew would be a sad part of my summer. So I started to think of what I could do instead at that time that might be even more fun. It didn't take much time to figure out that visiting Christa in California would be a perfect way to spend the time I would have been at the Gathering. Knowing that she was going to have an 8-week old at that point, I had a hunch she wouldn't be able to go to the Gathering either and might need some company since her husband was more than likely going to be attending.

While I was sad I wasn't able to see Dave this trip, I had a blast hanging out with Christa and finally getting to meet her son, NOAH! Isn't he cute!?

Here's a quick re-cap of the trip...
The first day we played hard at the beach and needed to stop at Starbucks to kill some time to wait out traffic before we treked back to Brentwood. Who would have guessed this cute face was going to have such a meltdown on the way home? :)

The next day we walked to the Farmer's market, watched chick flicks, and then headed to Noah's 1st musical - Guys & Dolls!

On Sunday we headed to church and then off to visit Kevin! It was so fun to see his new house and catch up. And I learned that if anyone is looking for a refurbished Kirby vacuum...he's your man. Kevin treated us to pizza at his favorite place and we even remembered to snap a picture of us all together....wish even more of the Irvine gang could have been there!


After an eventful few days, we decided to lay low on Monday...

It's no secret I'm not a fan of goodbyes, but this was one was particularly hard. Not only was I saying goodbye to Christa, but this guy had really grown on me too...

Who wouldn't have a tough time saying goodbye to that face?!?

RANDOM: Littlest Girl

Not many of you may know, but I was bit by the acting bug at quite a young age. My mom was always good at taking me to the theater. And she enrolled me in classes at our local children’s theater too. My favorite part was when we’d have staring contests with each other to practice our stage faces. To this day, I consider myself to be a Master of the Staring Contest.

Those classes even landed me a commercial! Not necessarily because I was particularly good at acting, but I was a blonde and about the right age for the part. I didn’t have any lines, but I was really good at sitting in my pretend mom’s lap and playing ‘sad.' I’d post the commercial for you, but I have no clue how to convert a VHS to anything viewable on the internet...

I continued joining the community theater classes for kids my age and shined on elementary gym stages all across the county! I still remember my favorite role... Abbott from “Who’s on First?”

After a brief hiatus in middle school I took up acting again in high school. Unfortunately, we did the best show my freshman year - Bye Bye Birdie. And as everyone knows, you can’t get a decent part until you’re at least a junior or senior. Oh well. The other shows throughout my high school years were okay and I had decent parts along the way, but nothing super memorable. Thus, the acting bug was a bit squashed.

I spent most of college performing in choir and stayed off the acting stage. After graduation I moved back home, and didn't do much theater, with the exception of a few roles in our church dramas. But those roles just didn't seem to stir the passion back...

So, that brings us to present day...my performance of Littlest Girl in Ruddigore.

As you may remember, until recently I had kind of forgotten that I had joined a theater group. And who could blame me? For the first few months of rehearsals we primarily had a choir rehearsal followed by happy hour. Once we started staging the show, I expected to be one of those chorus members who stands in the background and smiles as she sings. But no - I've been cast as Littlest Girl. Which means no smiling in the back for me - I’ve got to express BIG emotions so that it’s obvious I’m Littlest Girl. You’ll all be happy to know, I’ve busted out all of my previous acting experiences (including the staring contest skills) and believe to have created quite a believable, and dare-I-say, cutest Littlest Girl ever...

Would you agree?

RANDOM: But Call Me Kristin Chenoweth

So what’s with the long absence this time? Long story short...
I’ve been preparing for my theatrical debut.

Back in February I joined a theater group here in Philadelphia called the Savoy Company. The Savoy Company is the oldest amateur theater company in the world dedicated solely to the production of the 13 surviving operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. Each spring we perform one of the 13. This year we’re doing a show you’ve never heard of - Ruddigore. If I would have joined last year, you probably would have recognized the show - The Pirates of Penzance.

When I was considering joining the group, someone described them to me as “a drinking group with a singing problem.” I wanted to make friends in Philly so this seemed like as good an opportunity as any! It wasn’t until about a week ago that I remembered the reason we’ve been getting together every week has actually been to put together a show that will be performed for a live audience. That statement alone should tip you off that I don’t exactly have a lead. I’m part of the chorus, and surprise, surprise, I’ve been given the role of Littlest Girl. For those of you who don’t know, I’ve basically been type-cast as Littlest Girl my entire life - both onstage and off. I had hoped for a role that required me to stand in the background and smile as I sing, but as Littlest Girl I find myself in the front of the stage more often than not. Luckily my previous theater experiences have come flooding back and I’ve even surprised myself with my expressive oohs and ahs...

Kristin Chenoweth would be so proud.

So that’s where I’ve been. Opening night is this Friday! Want to come?!? You should, it's a very fun and clever show! Buy tickets here.

RAVE: My Water Cup

I just LOVE my new water cup and I think everyone else I know should buy one too. Here's why:

1. It has a straw.
I'm not sure about you, but I tend to drink way more water with a straw than without one. Drinking more water is always a good thing.

2. It's reusable.
So obviously, it's better for the environment than most alternatives. You know me, Ms. Super Green-and-all.

3. The lid screws on.
Which means it's fairly secure and mostly spill free (except when cats knock it on the floor and some dribbles out of the straw)

4. It has a built-in thermal holder (the brown thing in the middle).
This keeps my hand nice and warm even when my drink is super chilly. I don't have to touch condensation. And in general, I think it gives me a better grip so I'm less likely to drop my water.

5. It's BPA-free.
I didn't know this when I bought it. And I can't even tell you what BPA is. But my guess is it's a good thing that this cup is free of it.

6. It's dishwasher friendly.
So many special drink-holders these days need to be hand-washed. In my book, that's a reason not to buy something.

What more could you really ask? Buy yours here.

RANDOM: A Feast for Kings & Queens

After a fun weekend with mom, I fell a little behind on the usual upkeep of life. You know, the really fun stuff, like grocery shopping and laundry. Which isn't really that big of a deal...I definitely have enough clothes to last me a solid 3 weeks without doing laundry and I am more than willing to eat out (though I should probably get creative with the contents of my freezer).

But here's where the problem came in:

My cats ran out of food!!!

Now granted, they still had dry food, but their beloved meow-til-they're-blue-in-the-face-til-you-feed-them-some-wet-food was gone!

I was a bit perplexed on how to handle this. Do I trek out to the grocery store in rush hour? Do I put up with their incessant meowing and pathetic little faces? If you have cats, you know that the second one really wasn't an option. And then I had a brilliant idea! Having dragged us out to eat for every meal over the weekend just so we could eat outside produced A LOT of leftovers.

One of them being filet mignon!

That's right folks, my cats ate like a King & Queen tonight.

And for those of you who think I am beyond ridiculous for doing so should really come over and listen to these meows. You can almost hear them saying "I will hate you if you don't feed me NOW." After hearing those meows and taking a glimpse of their pathetic, sad little eyes, even you doubters would feed them hot-off-the grill filet mignon every night for the rest of their lives!

And for the record, I realize that pulling this kind of behavior with kids would make me an overindulgent (or really bad) parent.

But what can I say? I have a heart.

RAVE: Spring!

My mom visited this past weekend on probably one of the most beautiful weekends we've had in Philadelphia since we've moved here. Since we don't have an outdoor space to hang out in at our place, I spent the whole weekend taking her (and sometimes Mike) around town anywhere where we could be outside. While it wasn't always the most ideal conditions (thanks again all you cigar smokers) - I felt the need to soak it all in!

Once again, I've forgotten to take pics when my friends and family visit, so I have no pics to show from our time together. But, I do have a lovely pic of the daffodils that are sprouting up all around the city...

Spring- you've been missed and I'm happy you're finally here!

Stay as long as you want.

RANT: Growing OUT of my Fat Pants

Fat Pants.

We all have them.

They're supposed to be trustworthy.

They're supposed to fit loosely.

They're supposed to make you feel like the skinniest girl in the world.

Well, I got a little too comfortable in my fat pants. In fact, I bought a few pairs of them telling myself I'll get back to my "normal" pants after Christmas.

And now...

I've started to grow out of most of them!

I wish I could tell you it was the stress of the move or the lack of gym membership...but it's not. I've knowingly ate too much and exercised too little for way too long. So in an effort to get my butt into gear, I share with you my fat pants journey:

Left to Right: Notice the black pants still have their tags on. These are my "dream" pants, they've never actually been fat pants, but I still consider them part of "the journey." They're high quality lined-black pants from Banana Republic purchased over three years ago (for $20!). I was so close to actually being able to wear them at the time of purchase and thought buying them would give me the extra motivation. I guess it didn't work. The gray pants in the middle are my old fat pants. They used to be so loose they'd slide down my hips when I walked. I should have known something was up when they started to actually fit, and then when they started to give me the oh-so-hated muffin top. And now, the light gray pants have taken over the coveted fat-pants spot. Notice how the pockets are protruding and they are wrinkled in the thigh area? Ladies, for the record, that is the first sign your pants are too tight! Do something about it before it's too late and you have to add a 4th pair to your fat-pants story!

So, here's to growing out of the light gray pants (in the good kind of way), getting the dark-gray pants back to fat-pants status...and maybe one day just plain fitting into the black ones! I'll keep you posted.

p.s. I dare you to google image "fat pants." I would have loved to post it here but feared my blog would be shut down :) Instead, this one seemed safer...

RAVE: Lucky Dog

Tonight we went to the Lucky Dog Saloon & Grille for the first time. Cute, huh? As imagined, lots of ceramic and stuffed dogs were used to create their eclectic decor. It was a fun atmosphere with good people and good food. We'll definitely go back again!

I especially loved this sign they had hanging in the bar:

Hopefully we made them happy when we arrived, and not when we left!

RAVE: Jillian

If you're like me, you'd much rather be outside exercising than being cooped up inside doing a work-out DVD. Well, when you get home at o'dark thirty every night, it makes exercising outside a little challenging...and the cold and snow doesn't help either!

After trying a few DVDs, I have found a favorite! Jillian Michaels 30-Day shred. The DVD is broken into 3 levels of workouts 20-minutes each. I don't know about you, but it's a lot easier to convince myself to do a 20-minute workout than 45 minutes like most at-home workouts.

For those skeptics out there thinking, "Can a 20-minute work-out really be that effective?" I say, ABSOLUTELY! Now, it's not because I've seen the results (that would require consistency). Had I been a bit more faithful (and ate a few less brownies), I have no doubt that I would be looking like Jillian today. She kicks your butt.

But I must admit, as quick and effective as the workout is, the boredom factor is still there (thus the lack of consistency). But last week, I had a brilliant idea! I'll play the DVD on my laptop while watching whatever show on tv that will keep my mind off of my burning muscles and heavy breathing. It worked beautifully! I've been able to convince myself to work-out much more consistently. If you have a laptop - I highly recommend this method of exercise.

I'll keep you posted on the "results." And trust me, there's work to do. I'm starting to grow out of my fat-pants (more on that later!). But with Jillian's help, I'm sure I'll get there in no-time. She's crazy tough. She even freaks out Izzy!

RAVE: Whole Foods

I stepped foot in this store for the first time last Sunday (to buy the beets). Let me just say, it was BEAUTIFUL. Every fruit or vegetable I have ever looked for could be found here. And not only could it be found, but it looked healthy!


But what really got me was that it was the first mainstream grocery store to carry a fully ripe plaintain. I was in heaven. I went home and fried-me-up some plaintain. It had been way too long since I'd had some. So good...so, so, good.

(For those of you who haven't yet been introduced to the wonderful world of plaintains, the pic below shows you what it looks like before it's peeled, sliced, and fried...and the last pic is the final delicious product!)




The marketing team over at Whole Foods did a great job putting that store together. The entire experience got me and I can't WAIT to shop there again!

RAVE: Puppies!

Last year, my co-worker sent me one of the best links ever. It was of a group of puppies who had a constant camera on them. I think the story was so that the owners could keep an eye on them even when they were at work. Well, it took off like wild fire and soon more than just the owners were watching. Perhaps you even saw them? If not, no need to worry. There is a new litter!

How cute are they?

They're starting to look more like this...

Watch the puppies here.

I tend to keep the link open in a browser when I'm at work. When I feel myself getting a little stressed or frustrated, I look at the puppies and it makes me smile every time. Hope they do the same for you!

RAVE: Peppermint Tea

Have you tried peppermint tea before? If you haven't, you're missing out! It is fabulous. It's not quite as good as restaurant-brewed Original Good Earth tea...but it definitely beats brewed-at-home Original Good Earth tea.

I had been drinking peppermint tea for the last few years each time I went to the hair salon, but every time I asked what I was drinking they told me it was "special aveda" tea made from black licorice. I HATE black licorice, but I loved the tea.

Clearly, I should have prodded more, because I recently visited a new salon here in Philly and they offered me tea, and of the options given, I chose peppermint. Imagine my surprise when it tasted just like the "special aveda" tea! Which by the way, Aveda sells on their website for a hefty $14 for 20 tea bags.

You're not fooling me anymore. I'm sticking to my $2 grocery store peppermint tea that tastes just as delightul.

RANDOM: Signs in Work Bathrooms

Okay, so I should start this post by saying that when I started this blog, it was my plan to never write about ANYTHING involving my work. I've learned from fellow bloggers that have gone before me. Blogging about work = no good. But, hopefully this is a safe exception?



I could just claim that I stumbled upon this sign in any old bathroom. But, I didn't. It's in the bathroom at my work, and I LOVE it. I have no clue who put it up. But it's hilarious. What gets me about this sign isn't so much the overall message, but the obvious haste and frustration with which it was put up. And I should admit...I've been there, who hasn't? It's the worst sitting down on the seat and getting a surprise from the person who's been there before you. That would make anyone want to put up a sign. I fear I wouldn't have been nearly as clever as this person though... "Really, what else is there to say!"

What do you think, is it worth submitting to passiveaggressivenotes.com?

RANT: Snow in Philly

When we first moved to Philly, all of the "natives" explained how they never get any snow and it's practically 40 degrees all winter. Well, they've changed their story. Now that we've been hit with the 4th HUGE storm of the season, now they're are saying that this never happened before we got here. As it turns out, there is a small percentage of Philadelphians actually blaming these storms on us - ha!

Snow is quite debilitating to Philly. Schools shut down for weeks at time. Public transit completely shuts down. The governor declares snow emergencies and closes down ALL of the major freeways. They're just not set up for snow. Their roads are narrow and everyone parks on the street because they must have invented garages after most of this city was built. They dont' have enough plows, and the plows they have can't actually fit down 20% of the streets in Philadelphia - yikes!

Despite how difficult and frustrating it is to get around when it snows here, one thing that always brings a smile to my face is when I drive to work and see beat-up old chairs and stools sitting in shoveled-out spots on the side of the street. This is the system Philly has adopted, and it usually works. When it doesn't, it produces some pretty funny notes:

(Notes courtesy of passiveaggressivenotes.com)