Sixteen Candles
Mood:  lucky
Now Playing: "Lie In Our Graves" by the Dave Matthews Band
Once you’ve been tagged, you have to write a note with 16 random things, shortcomings, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end choose 16 people to be tagged, listing their names and why you chose them. You have to tag the person who tagged you.

1.    First of all, I have seen this floating around Facebook for awhile and never had the time nor the will to actually do it. However, with the fact that I am leaving sinking in combined with mentions from long-lost home slices Paul and Mare (WHOO HOO Commemorative Quarter!), I decided to give in and give it the old college try. I hate that saying.
2.    One must also note by deep and undying love (and need) for music. I titled this entry “Sixteen Candles” and read that Mare is going to Clarkesville. That left me unable to complete this list without downloading “Sixteen Candles” and “Last Train to Clarkesville.” So now, I must do that before I am able to continue. Back to the matter at hand, music. I’ll wrap up #2 with a message from Bob Marley (how typical of me). “The one good thing about music, is when it hits you, you feel no pain. So hit me with music.”
3.    I am elated. I am finally graduating. After six long years of disappointment, lackluster learnings, poor decisions, poorer guidance, and generally being screwed over at every turn, I am done. My college experience has left me an extremely bitter and angry person. I do not like it. I know I bitch about it all the time, but I paid for this bullshit out of my own pocket and now I’m way over my head in debt. I leave college feeling that I have been robbed. Come June, I will pay nearly $1000 a month to pay back loans, and yet I still feel absolutely inadequate in my chosen profession. My goal now is to find away to help kids who are in the position I was so that the same does not happen to other people.
4.    As this little note is bound to be reflective, I have to look at the past three years and how they forced me to grow up. The one issue I don’t need to get into, those who need to know already know about it. It was very difficult, but I handled it to the best of my ability. The hardest part of this time was the loss of Granddad and Grandpop. I can’t help but think of how proud they both would be right now, and it was thinking of that fact that kept me from quitting a year and a half ago. If I can be half the man that either of them were, or my father is, I will be a success beyond my wildest imagination.
5.    If you know me, you know I hate being Debbie Downer. So I have to point out the bright side of my college career, the best choice I ever made in college, the Walt Disney World College Program. Never had I worked so hard, and never had I so much fun. The energy was boundless and the people I met amazing. Most of my best friends I met while working for the mouse, and they have changed my life profoundly. My life has changed in so many ways, thanks largely to people like Kathryn, Tom, Abi, Debi, Millie, and Liz from ’03 and Courtney, CJ, Jim, Josh, Becca, Terry, Pete, and Penny from ’05.
6.    I really love chocolate chip cookies. They are so delicious. I was always a major supporter of Chips Ahoy, but have gradually turned to a Chips Deluxe fan in recent years. Those elves know their shit when it comes to cookies. My favorite, from that 2003 Disney experience to now, is definitely Nestle Tollhouse. I have a tub of it in the fridge and I think I’ll bake some more before visiting with the fam today. Yummo!
7.    Eighteen people got laid off at work last month. Kind of brought this whole economy thing close to home.
8.    I’m going to be filthy motherfucking rich. Or at least comfortable. My ultimate goal from here on out, is to make a decent living doing something I enjoy while sufficiently providing a comfortable existence for my family. I want my kids to be content, but not complacent. I want my wife to work because she wants to, not because she has to. The best part is, I think if I actually get off my ass, I can do this.
9.    I feel bad, this has been all me, me, me. How have you been? What’s new in your life? I feel terrible because I suck at keeping in touch with people. Give me a call, “facebook” me, get back in touch. We should totally hang out. You should DEFINITELY come to my Going Away party on the 20th. I’m going to miss you guys and gals.
10.     I am the luckiest guy in the world. If there are males of some form floating in the universe, I’m luckier than them too. My lovely girlfriend Abby has been and continues to be more than amazing on a daily basis. We go together remarkably well, and despite the distance that has often been between us this past year, our relationship gets stronger (and more fun) with each day that passes. I love that we can have the most serious of discussions one moment and laugh at a belch in the next. I love that I can call her, and she could be hard at work or sitting on the couch drinking beer and watching football. So for all of you who have often been amused by my search for the perfect woman for me, I did it.
11.     On that note, we’re about to take a big step. In January, I will move down south to live with Abby in Myrtle Beach, SC. We’ll be there until June, and from there we don’t know. While I am a bit nervous about this, which I think is normal, I am also confident we can handle anything that is put before us with style and class. It’s just how we do.
12.    I love the relationship I have with my parents right now. The events of the past several years have brought us closer together, and I am happy to say that I was blessed with an amazing mother and father who have given me an incredible example to follow. Everyday I look forward to making them proud.
13.     I love working out. I took a Weight Training course this semester and it was fantastic. I would love to start everyday in the weight room going through my routine. It is the best way to wake up, and the only draw back is that I always have a major craving for bacon and toast after it. With the semester nearing its end, I now need to get to a gym on my own and continue the progress I have made. No more laziness!
14.     I have an addiction. I am being 100% serious when I tell you this. I have tried repeatedly to stop, and I cannot. I don’t want to stop. I am hooked on pizza. I eat it way more than any normal person should and I need to stop.
15.     On that note, when I graduate, I will write three thank you cards. One is to Eddie’s Pizza for being the bright spot of so many dark days at Temple. The second is to that office in the one building that sells brand-name condoms for 10¢ each, for being the only office in either college I went to that actually helped me get my money’s worth. Third is the one professor without whom I would be getting a degree. It’s sad to think that after six years and two colleges, I can only come up with three thank yous that are needed.
16.     Why wasn’t the band Foghat called Froghat? That would’ve been a much better choice.

PEOPLE TIME

Abby: Of course I’m starting with Abby, deal with it. Having Abby as a part of my life has helped me see how successful I can be, pushed me to become a better and healthier person, and made me happy. Abby is an incredibly driven person, and with more on her plate than anyone I know, she handles it with a grace one cannot help but admire. As an educator, she has the right ideas of how children should be taught, and is one of the few teachers in the business for all of the right reasons. As I said before, I am a lucky guy.

Jake: Ah, Jacob Zetek. It took forever, but thanks to Jake, I have finally learned how sometimes it is best to just be Switzerland. Jake is without a doubt one of my two best (male) friends ever. Jake is quite possibly the best friend you could ask for, and I’m sure many would agree to that. Plus, he is 1/3 of a little group of people that are still destined to change this world for the better.

Courtney: Where do I begin with Courtney? Courtney is the reason for so many good things in my life. She forced me to stay in contact with not only her, but Josh, Jim, and Becca. Courtney saw what all of us brought to the table and refused to let us let these friendships slip away. Courtney, like Jake, is the one person, despite what else may go on between others, that keeps a group of once great friends from falling apart. The world needs more Courtneys and Jakes.

Bill: Bill is amazing. Unlike me, who bitched the whole way through, Bill quietly got himself through school amongst great adversity. There was a time when I thought I’d be quite content not seeing Bill after high school, but it senior year I gained a fair amount of respect for the man which has grown tremendously over time. Not to mention he is one funny mofo. I hope Bill gets mad loot.

Deb: Deb is a fucker. Sometimes you just want to punch her in the face, sometimes you just want to find a taco at 3am in Puerto Rico. Deb got me into the District Musical way back when, which led to me being the person you all know now. Deb is a strange character, but always a true friend. My family and I will never forget that when my Grandpop died, Deb and her parents made us food and brought it over to NJ at a time we couldn’t even comprehend things, let alone cook, and for that we are eternally grateful.

Mark: Mark I met through Deb. We worked Camp-In together for the last seven years. Mark is the shit. It’s a sad, sad thing that our conversations have been limited to the very few Camp-Ins we work together anymore. I hope Jess grants my wishes in scheduling Mark, Jay, Buddy, Candy, and Scott on my last night of Camp-In next month.

Kathryn: Kathryn is my homey. We worked together in Disney at a fast food restaurant and had a blast. Kathryn is also the only person to visit me while I was in Florida. I’m glad we have stayed in touch, and I’m super excited to be neighbors again, five years after the first time. The entire Koegel family is wonderful, and I’m looking forward to some fun times with them in 2009. I must, however, say that Kathryn talks entirely too much. For those of you who don’t know her, I guarantee that you do not know anyone who comes close to talking this much.

Buddy: Buddy is bald. Of course I had to say it. I’m so happy that Buddy is finally getting what he deserves: a girlfriend, a management position, and a Phillies World Championship. I’ll never forget that it was Buddy who was there with me when the Phils won the big one. I’ll also never forget that he once said that I was one of the people he looked up to in a way, a statement that equally frightened me and made me feel important.

Chelle: My little sister is going to be 18 in a few months. This is NOT okay. Chelle has always been astoundingly mature for her age, and I think all of my high school crowd would have benefited from having someone like her around. Watching Chelle grow up has been fun, and I’m very proud of my little sister. I hope that she continues to be wise and make good decisions as she chooses her college and makes other important decisions over the next few weeks, months, and years. Also, Chelle gave me the best Christmas present ever.

Ken: My little brother is a prodigy, and almost 16. Ken is quite the lady-killer, in fact I believe it was his 14th b-day bash when I walked into the basement to find Ken chilling with seven young ladies. Ken is a musical mastermind, for which I am both jealous and proud. He can shred the guitar like its nobody’s business and then lay out some snazzy jazz on the trumpet with ease. I hope Ken and Chelle are able to be wise and get through college quicker and easier than I did.

Candy: My entire life I always wanted that super-cool older sister to hang out with, get advice from, and occasionally annoy the hell out of. Candy Graham has been that person. I’ve learned a lot by working for and with Candy over the years and I hope that she is one of the people from the museum I keep in touch with after I leave. I am also super happy to see the recent change in relationship status, I hope it works out for the best.

Alyssa: Alyssa and I have lived in this apartment since May of 2007. This is the longest I’ve lived in one place since I graduated high school. It will be weird to leave, having gotten accustomed to this arrangement. I hope Alyssa finds a much better job and gets to nail Chase Utley.

CJ: CJ. Where does one start with CJ? I’ve never met anyone like her and likely never will. We did some crazy things, like our makeshift slip and slide, riding around in the trunk of her beetle, and the legendary trip to Miami. CJ is my buddy, and its been 3½ years since we’ve hung out. That just has to change. I think she should finally go for that photography internship, and if she does, I will do whatever I can to get down and visit.

Eric: Lou-Dawg. It’s amazing that your earliest memories of a person are his Airwalks kicking you in the shins and still want to hang out with him. Eric’s a great guy who seems to have his shit together. A house, truck, motorcycle, a job, it’s all good. My favorite thing about Eric recently is how pissed he gets when he sees his once straight-edge high school chums smoking weed. It’s hysterical.

Mare: Mare is the other aforementioned 1/3. I’m a little fuzzy on the details of the past few years, as she went from West Chester to taking Max Cherry’s job to mirroring my semester at Temple. We both worked our asses off through jobs and 20 credits to get the hell out of school. I was sad when Mare left the Dub-C, because I knew she could do it. Now I’m proud of her for getting it done. I hope that she catches that last train to Clarkesville, and I hope that her wedding is off the proverbial hook, along with every day that follows. Mare is destined for something big.

Paul: Pauuuulllllllll. I remember seeing Paul sitting in the hall at AP strumming away at his guitar and later hitting some asshole in the face with a microphone when Beau and I didn’t do our jobs as security. Paul says he remembers my BBQs, and it’s a bummer he missed the last one ever this past summer. But it’s all good, because when he does finally put out an album, I’ll buy it, but only is the hidden track is “Untitled (Pat’s Song).”

Brick Dance
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: "Nosebleed" by Illinois

Per request, I have returned with another journal entry. There's been quite a bit of activity since my return from the Carolinas. I'll do my best to hit the main points.

 First of all, I have to say how much I enjoyed the first three seasons of Weeds. That's actually where today's title and music are from. The show is hysterical. It has what I think could be one of the greatest television intros ever. The premise is somewhat bizare while remaining believable, and each episode never fails to crack me up. So, for that, I have to thank Abby and Ken for getting me into it.

The photo project has been going quite well. I feel like I hit my stride around day 35, and the majority of the photos since have been quite good. I can't wait to reach the end and look back on what has already been an interesting year. Check out what's happened so far. 

After returning from NC, there were only a few weeks of Discovery Camp left. I had another two weeks with 8&9 year-olds before spending the last week with the 10-13s. We had a lot of fun, and it was sad to say goodbye to some of the kids who have been there frequently over the past two summers on the last day. Several kids were wondering why I'm not returning next year and trying to convince me to change my mind. It was cute. As much fun as I had being a counselor, I'm glad that's done. Now, I'll be starting back on the floor at the museum on Wednesday and I am seriously dreading it. I'm only on the schedule three days out of the week, which I'm sure will drop to two as the semester rages on.

Speaking of which, school started. I love Weight Training. There is nothing better than a good work out first thing in the morning. I just really enjoy starting the day off right like that. I'm hoping to run a few laps before that class and maybe swimming a few after it when I can and get a nice, balanced workout. Along with that I have Anatomy and Physiology. That class will kick my ass. I dropped $300 on the book and lab manual. I hope I stay on top of things with studying and homework to get through unscathed in the end. Intro to Lit seems pretty cool. I've been enjoying some DH Lawrence and I have two more books to read this weekend. There are 6-8 readings per week, so that will keep me busy. As will International Cinema. I thought this class would focus on a variety of international films, but instead it focuses on surrealist films from Spain, Canada, Eastern Europe, and Japan. There's a short paper due for that class each week, so again, I'll be kept busy. I have two more classes that I have yet to attend, and I hope that the workload there is not as intense as the rest. I'd love to get through this semester with something above a 3.7, so I have a ton of work ahead of me.

Before the semester started, Abby came up for Labor Day weekend. It was wonderful. On Saturday, we drove out to Landenburg, which is near Kennet Square, to see Steve, Conny, and Linnea, who were visiting with Steve's parents there. It was great to see them again, and of course Linnea was beyond adorable. I need to post the videos from that day on YouTube soon. Following that, we drove to Lancaster to see some of Abby's mom's side of the family. It was her Uncle's 50th birthday surprise party. It was cool meeting a lot of the family that night and figuring out exactly how I'd like my 50th birthday to go.

The next day, we came back to Philadelphia for our date. We watched Saved and napped a bit. After that, we snazzed up and went to dinner at Positano Coast. As always, it was fantastic. After a delicious meal, we walked around Penn's Landing and Old City, finally settling on a park off of Chestnut where a violonist was playing. After enjoying the night and the music for awhile, we made our way to the Ritz East to see Hamlet 2. We got rocked by sexy Jesus and raped in the face and generally enjoyed the film, which was quite funny. I definitely recommend it.

It was a lovely date, as always, and just like last time we went to Positano, we followed the next day with a trip to Pat's. We shared a cheesesteak (Abby's first) and some cheese fries and just had a cheesy breakfast. While there, an IRA member from West Dublin shared his views with us on topics ranging from the NFL to politics. Only in Philadelphia.

This is where I'll leave today's entry. The Temple-UConn game begins in about twenty minutes, and I fully plan to spend all of today watching football. So on that note, have a snazzy day!

Peace

Pat 

Such Great Heights
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: A mini-mix

First things first. This is the mix I am currently thoroughly enjoying:

1. "Such Great Heights" by the Postal Service
2. "Red Rabbits" by the Shins
3. "The Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson
4. "Both Hands" by Ani DiFranco
5. "Sea Breeze" by Tyrone Wells

Now, with that out of the way, a general update on the life of Pat.

I'm not sure when my last update was, but I know it was before Abby came back from Germany. I can not even begin describe how amazing it was to see her walking towards me at the airport. I missed her so much and was very happy to see her again. We drove home from JFK that night to my place. The following day, we drove right back to Brooklyn to hang out with Kara, who was kind enough to let us crash at her place. The next morning, Abby had an interview that turned out not to be a real interview at all, and after that we made our way to Lancaster. We took Hanna to Cici's, and then I took a train back to Philly. It was quite a busy two-day span.

As mentioned above, the Brooklyn interview was not what was expected, and that trip also made me want to wait awhile before going there. I could use a year or so to save money and just get a break from city life. As it turns out, this weekend has a lot to do with all of these issues, but I'll get to that in a moment.

The weekend following Abby's return was quite swell. I had my swan song Glenolden Park picnic, and it was a blast. Abby, Ken, Chelle, Jake, Bill, Getty, Deb, Rachel, Matt, Kevin, Ryan, Meghan, Rob, Eric, and Jennine all made appearances throughout the day. We grilled, played on the playground, tossed a frisbee, kicked around a soccer ball, rolled down the hill, and generally had a snazzy time. I'd like to think that we went out on top.

The next day Abby and I joined my parents and siblings for yet another BBQ and some Wittwer weirdness. I could tell that my parents really like Abby, which is fantastic. She definitely has a major seal of approval from them, my siblings, and my Grandmom, and that is essentially all that matters in that sense. All that aside, we entertained ourselves by acting like complete dorks out front, and a good time was had by all.

After a shortened work week, I hopped the trusty old Lancaster train on Thursday and spent the evening at the Weiss household. During her last week in Germany, Abby was offered and accepted a job teaching Language Arts, Journalism, and Creative Writing at Myrtle Beach Middle School in South Carolina. Joined by Hanna, Mr. Weiss, and his colleague Steve, we drove down to the Carolinas to move Abby in. For now, she's staying at Steve's place in southern North Carolina, but by September she'll be living in Myrtle Beach, closer to the school. We had a great weekend, checking out the beach, the school, the new apartment, and the city. We also had dinner with the Koegels and some of their friends and watched a little bit of the Olympics. It was a busy Saturday. On Sunday, I once again said goodbye to my Abby, and as sad as that may be, I couldn't be happier for her. She has a job, a great place to live, a new culture to experience, and a new area to explore. Just like everything else she does, I know she'll make the most of her time down South.

Also with saying goodbyes came the trip home. I spent 12.5 hours in the car with her dad and sister. I was a little nervous about that, but nowhere near as nervous as I was about driving her father's car. I don't know about anyone else's experiences in this department, but my Grandpop and my Dad were very close and I never once saw Dad drive Grandpop's car. Though nervous I was, I really appreciated the vote of confidence and the trust, and it was quite the nice road trip. Mr. Weiss and I had plenty of good conversations along the way, and it's good to know we get along.

So, if you, my faithful reader(s), have not yet guessed, this is what is going to happen upon graduation in January: I am moving to Myrtle Beach. Abby is there, the Koegels say the job market is more promising than I thought (and are willing to help my job hunt), and living there is affordable. Therefore, I will try to save as much money as possible this semester, and I will work my ass off to make sure I get through school without a hitch.

Chances are I won't be much of a social butterfly this semester. With twenty credits plus a job somewhere, I'll be quite busy. But, if you ever are bored and feel that your life is lacking Patness, just give me a call and rescue me from the mounds of homework I'll have and we'll mutually entertain each other. Either that or order a pizza and shoot the proverbial shit. On that note, be good to each other and have a snazzy day.

Peace!

Pat 

Technical Difficulties
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: MLSNet's Technical Difficulties music

I fully intended to spend the next half an hour watching DC United take on the Houston Dynamo, but alas, it is not meant to be. This is my third attempt to watch this game. The first time was about a month ago, the game got postponed when the rain turned the pitch into a lake. Last night, RFK Stadium had power issues. Finally, tonight, the game was on, but now Direct Kick is having issues. I was just not meant to see this game. Instead, I'll call home and figure out tomorrow's plans. Or not. No set plans, just some meandering. This is good, I enjoy a good meander. I'm a pretty mean meanderer.

Before my attempt to watch DC United trounce the Dynamo (Dynamo? Really? Could you come up with a lamer name? Really?), I was involved in a lovely chat with my Abby that lasted four hours. I can't wait until Tuesday, when she gets back to the States. I just can't wait to hold her in my arms again. I know she's not looking forward to living in the US again, but hopefully there's some solace in the fact that it is temporary. I know that someday, we'll live in Europe. Or perhaps even Asia. Australia even. Who knows? I want to see the world with her.

As for current events in my life, I started a new art project. I was randomly exploring Flickr and found several people who embarked in what they called Project 365. This project requires them to post one self-portrait each day. I thought this would be a fascinating endeavor to undertake. I'm about to go through one hell of a semester, graduate, and more than likely move to a brand new city. I couldn't think of a better time to start documenting a year! Aside from that, I feel that this project could challenge my creativity to find new ways to photograph the same subject each day for an entire year. I have yet to take tonight's photo, which will be number seven of 365. I'm not sure how "artistic" I will get with these. For example, many people of various shapes and sizes have integrated a few nudes in there, I'm not so sure I want that on the internet, especially given the fact that my family checks out my page every now and then. I am looking forward to seeing what I come up with, and knowing that I can always look back on this year. You can check it out here if you like. 

The MLSNet thing keeps looping the same minute or two of generic rock music and it is getting old fast. I think I might have to give up on this game altogether.

On Saturday I'm taking a little trip out to Lancaster County. I'll have a nice, hour-long train ride out to the land of the Amish, during which I hope to read one of the shorter books I have for my Lit course. Mr. Weiss is going to pick me up and take me to Stevens. Once at the Weiss residence, I'll collect a few things for Abby, hop in her car, and drive off into the sunset, with one important stop for pizza, either at Cici's or Riv's. We shall see. Either way I'm pretty freaking excited for some delicious pizza, and it will be cool to see the Weiss clan again.

I just finished White Teeth by Zadie Smith. I definitely recommend this novel, mainly because I want to talk to other people who have read it. I think it's quite the literary accomplishment considering it is Ms. Smith's first novel. It was sort of strange to read a book for a class without having a specific assignment or theme in mind. I think I like it this way better. I'm going to try and read both Watchmen and the nutrition book Abby gave me before the weekend so I can get back to my class readings. I need to read more.

This week marked the beginning of serious second thoughts about Brooklyn.  My ultimate goal over the next couple of years is to save money, and unless I make some major dough next year, it's just not going to happen in Brooklyn. I'd love to go with Abby if she ends up in Myrtle Beach where living is very affordable, but I doubt there are many options for me in the job market there. I just really need to get in-depth with my research over the next couple of months. If I could have an idea of what my options are by Thanksgiving I will be happy. 

Unfortunately, I think my reel is absolute shit. Not that I have one made, but going with what footage I have, it does not look promising. I suppose I could've taken more time to work on other people's projects. Actually, I have done that. It's mostly uncredited work of me "helping" people in post-production. By helping, I mean actually doing half of the editing for people. Maybe I should try and score some of that footage to work with. I need to get in touch with Katja and see if she will have equipment access in the Fall so we can shoot this pilot. I am determined to get it done.

It is currently 9:26, I haven't had dinner, and I want to be in bed in an hour. Therefore, I am cutting this a tad short. Abby, I will try and add more after the weekend for your reading pleasure. To everyone else, see you at the picnic on August 2nd!

peace and love

Pat 

America
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: America by Simon & Garfunkel

If I am not mistaken, I didn't wait a month before updating here. Somewhere there's bells and whistles. Moving along...

I'm fairly sure I intended to write about other things, but after titling this entry after a song that is quite nice, I will shift focus for a bit. Now I'm not sure how to approach it. Egads. I've only left mainland US three times, I'll count Puerto Rico because it is different enough from most of the standard US states/cities I've been to. Each time, I felt a longing to stay and immerse myself in whatever new culture I was experiencing.

I envied my Uncle Chris' ability to sell his possessions and live in Paris for awhile. I remember walking around the streets of Paris wondering where he lived, what he painted, what he did, and all the time wishing that is what I was doing. I know that I just don't have it in me to do this. I'm fairly sure I could solve a few of my financial woes by parting with some of the things I've amassed, but I remain the packrat, unwilling to let go of some object that had some inkling of meaning to me at some point in time. Therefore I think it's safe to say this won't be something I end up doing.

After Paris we saw Madrid. I loved Madrid. This was seven years ago, and I have since forgotten many of the reasons I was so fond of the city. Nevertheless, I do remember enjoying every moment there, especially just walking around the city with no particular aim or destination. I also thought that Toledo, a nearby city, was the most beautiful place I had ever been. I don't know if it was then, or sometime after, but at one point in time I decided that after graduating college, I would move to Madrid. This, while a lofty goal, seems more likely then the Paris idea. For one, I'm fairly sure Madrid is more affordable. The apartment search hasn't turned up too many hits, as the majority of what I've found through the internet is just tourist-minded weekly rentals, none of which are affordable. The small amount of Spanish I spoke and understood has quickly faded from memory, which is another hinderance. Or maybe it isn't. I could just show up there with my extremely basic Spanish, and pick up as much as possible. I could make it work. It's something I am looking into.

 As for my visit to Puerto Rico, it wasn't all that spectacular, but seeing Deb as much of a part of that culture as one can get without being born into it, made me realize that if I wanted to, I could do the same.

All of these thoughts of living in another country have resurfaced with Abby's current residence in Germany and reluctance to leave. I spent a week there and didn't want to leave. Granted, a lot of that had to do with Abby, a lot of it had to do with something I'll touch on later, but a lot also had to do with the fact that I loved everything about being in another country, experiencing another culture. Being there with Abby gave me another perspective in that I could see her and me living together somewhere in Europe. I would love that. 

Also helping along these thoughts are the stories I hear from/about her cousin Steve. He has lived in several different countries on several different continents, and he has done this mostly on a whim. I admire his ability to make that decision to move somewhere foreign to him and do what it takes to make it there. It's impressive.

Another thing I loved about my visit in Germany was the end of the day. Abby and I would sit in the living room and talk with Steve, Conny, Dale, and Jim. We'd chat about all types of things and hear about all of their travels and experiences. It was wonderful. I'd love to find that with some of my friends. I'd love to talk about politics without a childish argument breaking out. I'd love to be around a group of friends without anyone feeling the need to have alcohol fuel the gathering. I'd love to have intellectual conversations with the same people I can have ridiculous conversations with. I'd also love for Abby and me to find some other couples to hang out with.

This all comes back to how I'm feeling right now, which according to the icon at the top of this entry, is "not sure." I am unsure about so many things right now. I'm very ready to be done with school but cannot picture myself in any type of profession. I think about this, and I worry about this, but lately I've wondered if my lack of a picture has to do with a lack of pictures to base it off of. When you go into medicine, you've been to a doctor, and you can picture yourself there. When you go into education, you've been to school, you can see yourself at the front of the classroom. With a degree in Film and Media Arts, I don't have any clear pictures to go from, or at least no pictures I can put myself in.

I suppose I have reached the point where  graduation is coming and I haven't the faintest idea what I am going to do with my professional life. It would truly be a dream come true to work on set with the Sesame Workshop in New York. Muppets, New York City, and education are all things I could really immerse myself in and devote time to. Yet the more I look into it, the more I realize I can't afford to live in the city and pay back loans at the same time. I don't really know anyone who lives there that I could live with. 

Maybe I'll go into January with the same attitude that got me back to Philadelphia and into Temple. I basically said "I don't care," threw away the plan for graduation from Rowan I had formulated, and just went for it. Granted, I made several bad decisions along the way both financially and otherwise, but it got me to this point, which, despite this current funk I'm in, is a fantastic point in my life.  Maybe that attitude is what I need, though. Maybe I just need to throw everything into getting that job and living in that city. The novelty and the job-enjoyment potential could coast me through a year or two. I can't imagine being far from Abby for that long, but at the same time, I know we could handle it well. There is also the possibility that Abby could end up in New York as well, but there is an equal possibility for any number of places in the world Abby could end up.

I suppose that after the whirlwind of the past few years I was just ready for some stability, but that is, for the most part, out of the cards. As unpredictable as the next 6-8 months will be, I know I still have things I can rely on: My incredible girlfriend and the love we have, my wonderful family and their support, and a few good friends to help me along the way. So, with all of that being said, I hope I get myself out of this "funk" soon, because I'm looking forward to enjoying this last summer as a student. As for you, whomever found the time to read this, I hope all is well with you.

Peace & Love

Pat 

A Wonderful Start to Summer
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: I Got A Woman by Ray Charles

Well, it certainly has been awhile since I've updated, a month in fact. I've kept busy in that time and have had some snazzy times. Once again, I'll do my best to  keep my thoughts in chronological order, but it doesn't always work out that way.

Memorial Day was uneventful, I'm pretty sure I worked. But either on that weekend or the one after it, I took a trip out to my Grandmom's to see Aunt Amy and Jackie. It's been 11 months since I've seen them so it was very good to hang out. They got me a few gifts as a thank you for letting them stay with me last year. They gave me three new pieces for my Coca Cola collection, as well as a stack of these sweet Muppet cups. Grandmom also ended up being in a giving mood, as she distributed several things of Grandpop's to us. I got a really cool Lionel trains pocetwatch that he never got around to using, and one of his old belt buckles. The belt buckle has a trolley on it, and I'm planning on mounting it on a piece of wood with a little platform anove it. On the platform I'll put a piece of track and put a HO scale trolley with a postcard above that. It'll be a cool project to work on later this summer.

The following weekend, my cousins and I went buffing. Eleven out of the fourteen of us went. It was Dan, Joe, Jeff, Ken, Chelle, Megan, Michael, Matt, Tim, Rachel,  and me on this particular trip and we had an amazing time. We met and Aunt Cathy and Uncle John's and walked down to Mitchell from there. We probably spent at least an hour at Mitchell, having a blast as usual. From there, we hiked up the hill on Morrell Ave to catch the 66 at Frankford. Septa recently brought back trackless trolleys, using brand new ones, on the 66 line, but we ended up on a regular bus. We took that to Burger King for lunch, and then walked over to the Gregg St Loop, where I was able to snap a few shots of everyone in front of a bus. We had another hike after that to Holy Family, where we waited for the 84 bus. While waiting there, the new trackless trolley went by a few times, and we got some good shots of that. Also while waiting there, Aunt Elaine was driving by and saw us, and she made a U-Turn in the middle of the street and blocked a lane of traffic to stop and talk to us. It was pretty funny. Once the 84 finally showed up, we took it to Franklin Mills and went to Dave & Buster's to celebrate the twins' 10th birthday with Grandmom, Mom, Dad, Uncle Matt, Aunt Joanne, and Aunt Eileen. It was a blast.

That actually reminded me that a couple of days before that was the Camp-In party, at the Dave and Buster's in Center City. There was a fajita buffet, need I say more? We had a cool time there, and I kicked some serious butt on the trivia game (as I also did with the family later that weekend).

After an agonizingly long week after those fun events, I tagged along with the Crowes to head up to Connecticut. Dave, the guy who lived at the Hive for a month or two a couple of summers ago, was marrying his longtime girlfriend Jess. It was an outdoor wedding and quite nice. It was a beautiful sunny day, and then as soon as everyone was inside for the reception, it began to pour like crazy. So timing worked out well.

I returned from that trip on Monday the 9th in the afternoon. I chatted with Abby for an hour as I finished up packing, and then Dad picked me up. I spent the night at my parents' place, and then left for the airport the next day. My plane left a bit late, but I still made good time once I arrived in London. After taking a Mercedes bus to terminal 5 (I landed at 4) I was pleased to find REAL FANTA!!!!!!! I freaked out and immediately bought a bottle and a bag (weird) of Pringles to go with it. It was flavoricious. It was at this point when my old thoughts of moving to Europe came flooding back.

Shortly thereafter, with Fanta in hand, I boarded my flight to Dusseldorf. I saved a bit of Fanta, thinking Germany wouldn't have it, so Abby could taste it. As fate would have it, Germany does indeed have real Fanta, and I drank about half of their supply. Anywho, I arrived in Dusseldorf super early. So I gathered my luggage, and waited. Being supremely impatient, and knowing just how early I was, I decided to look for the Sky Train, which is how Abby would be arriving. As I walked up to the Sky Train exit, who should be coming down the escalator but my lovely Abby. This is probably one of the happiest moments ever. It was wonderful to see her again. We walked around in circles for awhile before stowing my luggage and grabbing abite to eat at the airport. We then caught a train into downtown Dusseldorf and Abby found perhaps the coolest bar I had ever been to so we could enjoy an Alt Bier. After our bier, we wandered a bit, got lost, and then finally found the hauptbahnoff. We took a train and the Sky Train back to the flughafen, retrieved my luggage, got back on the Sky Train, and then caught a train to Bonn. During this ride, I fell asleep and drooled on Abby and myself, but this pales in comparison to the young ladies who drank too much and vomited all over the floor downstairs (it was a double-decker train).

After all of that (and a bus ride) we arrived at 42 Donatusstr, our final destination. I was greeted by Conny and Linnea, and then we got some Thai food take out. That's right, my first dinner in Germany was Thai. It was grand.  The next day (Thursday), Abby had to work where she was accosted by a freaky, purple-haired midget, and I got to spend the day with Linnea. At this point I also briefly met Abby's cousin Steve before he headed to work, as well as his good friend Dale and Dale's partner Jim. Dale and Jim both work at Virginia Tech and are super cool. We played with Linnea all day, it was great. She is absolutely adorable, and here is proof: Linnea talks on the phone.

The following day, Abby and I went into the center of Bonn for some culture and French German Fries. The Germans put mayo and ketchup on their fries and it is FANtastic. I can't begin to describe how badly I yearn for these fries everyday now. We wandered about in Bonn, enjoyed our fries, and eventually made our way home.

The next day we took a trip into Bad Godesberg, a town on the skirts of Bonn that has a lot of Middle Eastern flavor. It was great, you can't find places like this in the states. Here I tried my first Döner. It was fantastic. There is no way to describe it, so just go to Germany and get one. Now. We also picked up some goods for our Italian feast that we were to cook the next day.

By this time, most of the house had caught little Linnea's cold, and we were suffering a bit there. But, being the troopers that we are, later that day we took a trip to Köln (Cologne). It was a wise choice. We got to hang out with Steve, Dale, and Jim and see all kinds of sights. We went to the Kölner Dom (Cathedral) and climbed all 509 steps of the gargantuan South Tower. We saw the gay district and the greatest invention ever: Bier Bike. I wish such a thing were possible here. Steve, out of the kindess of his heart, treated us to a nice Italian dinner, and we eventually headed back home, via the Autobahn. I'm pretty sure it was on this night that Abby and I watched The Producers, which was hysterical.

As for Sunday, we laid low a little bit, as we were feeling the effects of the cold pretty good. Abby and I made some sauce from scratch with some pasta, bread, and salad. We're not sure if it was good, as our senses of smell and taste were virtually useless. Even as our condition worsened, Abby showed her tremendous dedication and made it into the UNU the next day for her (unpaid) job. I spent the day with everyone else, as we walked into Bad Godesberg to the Haribo facotry and store. Haribo are the originators of Gummi Bears, and they have a supermarket of candy. It was sweet. Get it? Sweet? I didn't even intend that, that pun just happened. How organic. After the candy, we took Linnea to the playground where the pebbles were more exciting than the playground equipment.

Tuesday was my last full day in Germany. Conny and Steve, being as great as they are, convinced Abby not to go into work as she was still a bit sick and it was my last day. We took the extra time to go back into Bonn. We got more fries, this time with fried onions on them. My mouth is watering at the thought of them.  We also enjoyed another döner. And Fanta, of course. We saw Beehtoven's house, and checked out the Münster Basilica. Abby was horrified to realize that we hadn't had any bier since the first day, so we promptly found an outdoor table and had two dunkel biers a piece. Oh the sweet, sweet nectar that is dunkel bier. If only I could have it everyday. It was amazing. And if you were wondering, the answer is yes, Abby's and my relationship revolves around food and drink. Speaking of food, Steve grilled some steaks that night, which were great. Conny made some potatoes and asparagus to go with it, which were also wonderful. Who would've ever thought I'd eat and enjoy asparagus?

After dinner, Abby and I went for a walk in the Rheinaue, where we took some wonderful photos and had a love-filled evening of being the cutest couple there is. I love how much fun Abby and I always have, it's great.

The next morning, we said our sad goodbyes at the bus stop. I took the bus into Bonn, from where I caught a train into Düsseldorf. After over 22 hours of being awake and travelling, I finally crashed in the spare room at my parents' house. 

The trip was amazing. I'd love to go back, and would love to live in Europe. It just seems like they do most things better over there. Granted, some bills would be higher, but I think it would be worth it. I can't wait to see more of the world with Abby. She is truly making the most of her time in Germany as in the next four weekends she'll travel to Stockholm, Berlin, Prague, and Dresden. After that, she'll be one week removed from coming home! I can't wait to hear about all of her trips and I can't wait to see her at JFK on July 29th.

Well, I suppose I ought to fix some dinner. I'm sure the next update will be chock full of Disco Camp and hopefully some news on my show. So keep on rocking on in the interim, and because I know you're reading this, Abby: I love you!

Peace & Love

 

Spare Time
Mood:  blue
Now Playing: An Awesome Playlist

As Abby pointed out, it's been awhile, so here is a journal update. Quite a bit has happened in the past few months. So I'll try to be chronological here, but seeing as my thoughts rarely happen in order, that may prove to be a tad difficult.

 So when we last left our heroes, they were on the verge of a trip to NYC which ended up being freaking sweet. I met Abby's best friend Kara who turned out to be pretty awesome. We hung out at her place in Brooklyn and then made our way into Manhattan. After checking out a cool book store, we had lunch at a restaurant that has a menu that consists almost entirely of chocolate. Believe it or not, I actually ordered one of the few non-chocolate items, but made up for it with dessert. Kara's boyfriend Kyle joined in at this point as well. We spent some time in Times Square and surrounding areas, getting some Belgian beer at a bar and checking out the MnMs, NBA, and World of Disney stores. After that, Kara and Kyle headed for home, and Abby and I went out for dinner at a little place called Ellen's. Phenomonal. They have a singing wait staff and that's all I need to say about that. Stringbean was our waiter and the highlight of the night was definitely his rendition of "I Wanna Be (500 Miles)" by the Proclaimers. We had a wonderful time and I can't wait to go back. You can check out our photos from the trip too, they're pretty snazzy.

Abby and I continued our trend of being weekenders, as Kara put it, up until March. Abby came down with mono and I went down south for Spring Break. The actual trip down to Tennessee was the worst travel experience I've ever had. My first flight was cancelled because the Columbus airport, where I was to have had a layover, was closed due to a snow storm. So several hours after I was supposed to depart, I was on a direct flight to Nashville that took off in the pouring rain and landed in a blizzard. WHOO HOO SPRING BREAK! After I landed and got my bags, I went to get my shuttle, which ended up being several hours late due to the snow. After all was said and done, I finally got to Courtney's house after about 20 hours of travel.

We had a good time though. I got to see the Chattanoog Choo Choo, Lookout Mountain, the Incline Railroad, and Desoto Falls, among other things. I also got to sing "Sweet Home Alabama" in the car while driving around in Alabama. I also got to do a little buffing and took some pretty cool photos. 

Finally, Abby started to recover a bit, and I was able to see her for my birthday weekend. It was wonderful. Abby took me to my first ever Flyers game, in which we beat the New York Rangers in a shootout. After being out of the hockey loop for the past two seasons, Abby reignited my passion for the Flyers and I watched the rest of the season and playoffs, which was fantastic. On a side note, it's ridiculously hot when Abby wears her Flyers jersey.

The next weekend, after watching a disappointing DC United season opener, we headed to Cape May Courthouse with Mom to see Aunt Maph, Uncle Schmike, Michael, and the newest addition to the Klein family, William Louis. This kid is adorable, as you can see here.  His older brother Michael has been a spitting image of me since he was born, so clearly he'll turn out alright. On a side note, I must mention that William is the loudest belcher and the smelliest farter ever.

The following weekend kept the coolness going as Abby and I made or way to DC to see DC United's home opener against Toronto FC. We met her sister and brother-in-law for lunch, and then checked out the Cherry Blossoms. Then it was time for the main event. We sat with the Screaming Eagles, and the guys around us were hysterical. The game ended up being the best DC United game of what has so far been a dismal season. Within the first five minutes, we were ahead 2-0, and went on to win 4-1. Beer-soaked and victorious, we caught the Metro back to VA and then drove back to Abby's house that night. The next day, we watched Hanna's soccer game and had some fun of our own on the pitch, and of course, there are photos. 

 The next weekend was a pretty big deal. It was my Grandmom's 70th birthday party, and Abby came along. It was a surprise party, and when my Grandmom came in, she acted surprised although I'm sure she wasn't. She was however surprised to see Fran and Laney there. After that, she made a bit of a big deal about meeting Abby, which was cool. We had a blast, and Abby met quite a large number of my family members that day. As always, photos.

A couple of weeks later, we went to see the musical at AP. It was basically staged and blocked the same exact way it was when I was in the same show (Cinderella) 8 years ago. But they did a good job. I worked a ton of Camp-In over the next few weeks, Abby graduated, and I had my Summer Kick-Off Party, which ended up being on a chilly day with only a handful of people there.

After that came the last Camp-In of the year on 16 May. I had a fantastic staff for the evening, which was good because Abby brought Hanna and Hanna's friend Elizabeth to the museum for the Camp-In experience. They had a blast, and so did all of the staff, as we usually do on the last Camp-In of the year. Abby had control of the camera for most of the night, and you can see that on my Facebook.

The next morning, after I was done working, we hit up the Sci-Store where Hanna and Elizabeth bought Windbreakers, this Gak-looking stuff that makes fart noises when you squeeze it. Classic. We made our way to my place for showers, and while Abby was getting ready, i took the girls to Pat's where they enjoyed their first cheesesteak and I enjoyed some fries. Following lunch, it was back to Lancaster County by way of an hour long drive full of animal names and fart sounds. Exhausted as we were, we managed to go all day without a nap. We snazzed up and went to Becca and Jeff's show of art and song at West Chester, which was pretty cool. 

From then until this morning, I was at the Weiss household spending as much time with my Abby as possible before her departure for Germany. As I write this, she is on a plane over the Atlantic, probably about an hour or two away from Heathrow Airport in London. Tomorrow at about 6:30am our time she'll land in Bonn, Germany and on Monday she starts work at the United Nations University there. It'll be so hard not being able to see her on the weekends or talk to her every night, but this is a great opportunity for her. I have a feeling school districts will be stumbling over each other trying to hire her. Student teaching was ridiculously difficult, and I'm so proud of her for how incredibly well she handled certain situations and how much she put into her work. I wish there were more teachers like Abby.

So after a couple of days of shopping, meeting more of her family, and air hockey, (AND CICI'S!!!!!!!!!) I got on a train this morning and said goodbye. These next couple of months will be hard, but we'll handle it. We're pretty legit like that. I truly love Abby, and can't wait to see what our future holds.

As for the near future, in just 18 days I'll be flying out to Germany to see her, and I can't freaking wait. I miss her like crazy already, and I haven't been to Europe since April of 2001.  We're going to have a great time. I'm hoping that the six weeks after I get home fly by with Doscovery Camp going on. My plan is to get in a solid routine. Wake up, stretch, maybe a couple of sit-ups and push-ups, video chat, breakfast, walk to work, camp all day, train ride home, video chat, jog, dinner, movie, bed.

Another thing to occupy my time will hopefully be the shooting of a pilot for either the Travel Channel or PBS. I have an idea, an outline, and a crew. We're having a meeting to discuss scheduling, equipment, and the script next Friday. I'm going to shop it around to those networks, and maybe a few others, and if it doesn't get picked up, no biggie, I'll have a worthwhile reel for my resume.

As for the far future, I will (hopefully) graduate in December. I sent in my transcripts from my Disney classes in hopes of transferring at least 3 of the 9 credits I took. As it stands, I have 100 credits. I need 126 to graduate. I'm taking three this summer and 17 this fall, leaving me six credits short. If they take six of my Disney credits, I'm set. If not, I'll either take another summer course or this one class that meets on two Saturdays out of the Fall Semester. I need to work my ass off, but I am determined to get it done, and with good reason.

In January, my lease is up, and I fully intend on moving in with Abby by then. We've looked at DC, Brooklyn, Myrtle Beach, St. Augustine, Tampa, Orlando, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Denver, and several other places as well. Myrtle Beach, DC, and Orlando are at the top of my list, although I would also love Brooklyn just for the chance to work for Sesame Street, which is where Kara works. Where ever we end up, I can't wait. 

On that note, I think I will cut off here as this is probably very long. I'm sure with the extra time on my hands these days, I'll update on a more frequent basis. I hope all is well with you, whomever you may be.

Peace & Love

Pat 

Sweetness
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: Baby Elephant Walk by henry Mancini

Snazzy times indeed! Things continue to get better and better despite my thinking that it is impossible for that to happen. Neverhteless, life is grand.

Abby came by last Friday for her birthday weekend. We kicked it off by me giving her a gift, which was a stuffed tiger holding a note, which led her through a scavenger hunt to her next gift, the official published copy of Abby & Pat: A Story of Friendship.

L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole

She loved the gifts, which was awesome. After that, looking all snazzy as we are prone to do, we headed out to Old City and had a FANTASTIC dinner at Positano Coast. Candlelit dinner with fabulous food and tasty wine, and some good dessert as well. How classy.

On Saturday we met up with Jeff and Katie and brought some Pat's Steaks and cheese fries back to my place for a hefty lunch. Awhile after they split, Fran and Deb showed up. After some pizza, more and more people began arriving for our party to welcome the new roomie, Amiekay.

The Bare Necessities by Harry Connick, Jr.

The party was the best one we've had yet. The new furniture was looking good and gave us so many more seating options. There was a snazzy vybe at this shindig, and everyone had a blast. It was awesome seeing Abby, Jake, Bill, Eric, Deb, Barb, Alyssa, Fran, Dan,Joe, and Mark all in one place. Abby, who originally intended to head home that afternoon, ended up satying for the party, which was sweet. At midnight, we did a shot to toast her and welcome in her 23rd.

The next day, Deb joined Abby and I as we had another kickass meal, this time at Chipotle in Bala Cynwyd. All in all, that weekend was one of the best ever.

Night Time Is the Right Time by Ray Charles

On Tuesday, Deb and I worked a Camp Fair in Malvern, and met up with Abby to see The Bucket List. The movie had funny and sad parts, and overall was pretty good. We picked Alyssa and Barb up from the train station and then made our way to Jitter's for Taco Tuesday. Becca was there, and Lickey ended up joining us later on. 'Twas snazzy.

Friday was a bit of a bummer. Nasty weather was kicking our asses, but it ended well. I cooked some dinner for when Abby arrived, and we enjoyed some grub and I gave her the painting she asked for. It's green. Nice.

On Saturday, my parents brought Ken and Chelle over for the weekend. We chatted for a bit before they split, and then we headed over to Acme to score some supplies for our Mexican Feast.

At Last by Etta James

After we got back to the apartment, the four of us housed a loaf of Italian bread and went to the Bourse where we saw Fran and he got us into see Juno. That movie was awesome. Ellen Page is one of my faovirte actresses these days. Following that, we headed back to 1719 and had an amazing Mexican meal. We're pretty legit like that. After our delicious meal, we popped in The Ringer, which Ken and Chelle got a kick out of. Megan and a very drunk Jena stopped by for a bit in the middle of that, and we all crashed after they left.

Let the Good Times Roll by Shirley & Lee

The next morning we had yet another fantastic meal (we do this a lot) of pancakes and eggs. We acted like total goofballs for awhile and I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures the sibs snapped as Abby and I made the nuthouse look sane. When we found out that our buffing plans fell through, we popped in Superbad. After that, Abby headed home and I took the sibs back to NJ.

As soon as we got in the car, both Ken and Chelle told me Abby was a keeper, and Chelle said that Abby and I remind her of Mom and Dad, which was interesting.

Sing, Sing, Sing by Benny Goodman and his Orchestra

When we got to NJ, Ken got down to business with his homework and Chelle and I hung with Mom and Dad for a bit. The whole time, Chelle was raving about how awesome Abby is and telling our parents all the same things she had said in the car. I'm glad they all got along, that was quite snazzy. I'm hoping to have the sibs over to hang more often, we all had a blast.

Next weekend, we're heading up to NYC for the day. We're going to drive into Brooklyn then take the sub all around and just do whatever we want. This is weather permitting, of course, as weather.com is calling for snow on Saturday. If we do make it up there, I hope to meet up with Jersey Jess at some point, since we haven't hung out since December of '03. That's just a bit ridiculous.

That'll be a lot of fun, and I'm also really looking forward to Valentine's Day. That shall be a snazzy day/weekend as well.

In less important news, school started and all of my classes have been pretty big let-downs, with the exception of one. But I just need to get motivated and get through this with some good grades and get closer to that degree.

Grazing in the Grass by Hugh Masekela

I'm hoping to have another party somewhat soon, maybe end of February or beginning of March. I'd like to try another Formal party, a whole cheese and wine type of deal.

Speaking of March, I'll be spending Spring Break with Courtney, and I get to add Ohio and Alabama to the list of states I've been to after this trip. I'm not sure what Courtney has in store for me once I get there, but I can't wait.

In other travel news, right after my last final Abby and I are off to Phoenix to hang with Josh and Taerra before Abby's internship in Germany begins. A month after that, I'm hoping to fly out to Germany and spend the week with her before Discovery Camp starts.

For Once In My Life by Harry Connick, Jr.

I haven't been to Europe since April of 2001, and I can't wait to get over there.

Life certainly has been increasing in snazziness over the past month. It's very different, but better than I could have ever imagined. I'm really looking forward to see what happens next. Good, good times.

Peace

-Pat 

Hello Diaryland
Mood:  lucky
Now Playing: Born To Run by Bruce Springsteen

Well, well, well. What a grand time it has been since my last entry here. I finished the semester, and with that finished a film and a script, both of which received A's. Most people who have seen the film really liked it, and some of the strange people I know actually enjoyed the script as well. I think both could use more work, but I look forward to finalizing them and working on new things. I actually may show this film a few places around the city as I am taking an Exhibition & Distribution course that I am quite excited and a little nervous about. But we'll see how it goes. I love doing this stuff, and I hope I find a decent job where I can make good money doing what I love.

 "The Passenger" by Iggy Pop

 In other news, I took the lovely and talented Miss Abby Weiss to the Franklin Institute Holiday Party. It was spectacular, spectacular, the words in a vernacular could not describe this great event, I was left dumb with wonderment. After having a splendid two days with Abby, and a few awesome encounters after that, we started going out on the 1st. I can't think of a better way to start of the year than that.

 Everything has been nothing short of amazing. I really feel like this is right, we go together well. It's actually a little scary how similar we are. But it's grand. I know that good things will come of this.

Prior to that, Courtney came up to visit! It was fantastic! I'm sure it would have been scrumtulescent had we not both been sick. But we still had a blast. Next time, we'll see more of the city and whatnot.

 "Baby elephant Walk" by Henry Mancini

But we still had a blast. We sang karaoke, ate cheesesteaks, watched awesome movies, danced a lot, had a slumber party, rang in the new year with Michael Goldman and Deb, and generally enjoyed each other's company. I'm looking forward to getting on that midnight train to Georgia for my Spring Break this year.

 In other travel news, after school is out the tentative plan is to take Abby out to Phoenix. Josh and Taerra have a new house that has a guest room complete with double doors. How cool is that? 

" What Is Life" by George Harrison

Quite cool. I love Arizona and can't wait to show Abby the Grand Canyon. Hopefully with the warmer weather we'll be able to climb about a bit more than last time.

Phoenix would be another city added to the list. On Wednesday, Abby took me to Washington D.C. and showed me around the city. I have to say, I fell in love with it. I've never really been off the beaten path there, and I really liked that city. I would love to move there, as it's a change of scenery, which I will need come next May, yet close enough to home if need be. And let the record show that Chipotle is amazing. 

After such a spectacular tour, I felt the need to return the favor. So, this Saturday, I showed Abby around the historical parts of Philly. We saw Christ Church, two old cemetaries, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and Franklin Court. We also perused South Street and ate at Maoz, which was pretty cool. 

"New Sensation" by INXS

In a couple of weeks, we're going to hit up NYC. This will be my first time seeing the city outside of just Times Square. I'm excited. One of these days I want to get up there and rush a show.

Going back to D.C. for a moment, I've decided to follow the MLS this year and support DC United. The home opener is April 5th, I can't wait to be there in that crazy crowd wearing red and black and screaming my bloody head off. It seems like my kind of place.  

In other sports news, the Flyers are f'n awesome. They are kicking ass and taking names and I like it. And I decided today that I will root for the Packers to win the NFC Championship and the Superbowl. Just as long as those dirty, stinkin Patriots don't win. I'd also like to point out that TO crying made me very, very happy.

"Kokomo" by the Beach Boys

Ha! This song gets me back on the travel bug. We kept finding all these great deals to travel places, and I am all about taking advantage of them. Bermuda was one of them, hence the comic aspect of this song. Big ones for me are Spain, which Abby hasn't seen and I think she will love, and then places I haven't seen that she has such as Ireland, Germany, and the parts of England that are outside of Heathrow.

So, financial issues at work and school aside, life is good and getting better every day. On that note, I'm going to go take down my Christmas tree, which I have been putting off for quite awhile now.

Peace and Love!

~Pat :o) 

Long, Long Time
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: Kokomo by the Beach Boys

First of all, I had no idea it had been so long since I updated! In my defense, a hell of a whole lot has happened in the interim. In an unrelated story, since my iPod is on shuffle, I will be keeping track as the song changes. Swell. Speaking of...

"Deb's Bitches" by Deb and Mark

Erm...no offense Deb, I'm skipping it.

 "Not Too Late" by Norah Jones

Now that's more like it. So then, where shall I begin?

I will begin with October of 2005. One Tuesday morning as I was about to hop in the car and drive to Rowan for classes, Mom comes up to me at breakfast and says "Pat White contacted me." I respond "Who?" Well, Pat White is what I can only describe as, for lack of a much worse term, my biological father. Let me clarify now that my Dad is MY DAD and NO ONE could ever even come close to holding a candle to him. But this guy who has not seen me since I was about 5 weeks old, decides to contact my family after 21 years. He claims, among other things, that he had been "searching" for me for "14 years." Horse shit. My Mom typed in her maiden name online and found our current address within 5 minutes. 

"Down on the Corner" by CCR

Anyway, I admit that I did have some questions for the guy, such as what nationality is the other half of me? Do I have more half-brothers and half-sisters out there? And, why ditch a perfectly good kid and 21 years later say "Hmm, maybe I should call?" Not that I had issues or anything (sarcasm). Well, I decided I would meet him when I was good and ready, and after Christmas. Because, you see, that summer we found out that my Granddad had cancer AGAIN. This is like the 3rd or 4th time. This time may be it. So I decide I'll meet the guy in a few months, and my Mom tells him that.

"Big Pimpin' (Unplugged)" Jay-Z and the Roots 

So he responds with threats and anger, including threatening to show up at our door on Christmas day. My inital response is to ask my parents for his address and punch that fucker in the face. How DARE he threaten my mother. NO ONE threatens my mother. We go to the local cops, who say they can't do anything. But I persisted, insisting that this guy has no right to contact me or my family at all and we got a restraining order keeping him from my parents' house and my mother. But I was angry. I can guarantee that most of you have never seen me this way, but I was furious. So I decide to meet the asshole face to face. We set up a meeting at the Cherry Hill mall in early December.

"Dear Mr. Fantasy" by Traffic

I love this song. Anywho, I meet the bastard, and listen to him lie and get random facts about me wrong. He gave me a gift. It was a wrestling DVD that he had already watched. Apparently it's good. I wouldn't know, it's been on my shelf ever since but I've never watched it. I find that he doesn't have any other kids, just step-kids. He brought his stepdaughter, although this was strictly supposed to be a one on one meeting. His stepdaughter had her toddler with her and they talked about me being "a part of the family" and all that horse shit. I ended up leaving without really getting angry, because as usual, I felt bad. I felt bad. What fucking reason do I have to feel bad? It took me two months of him emailing me after that to finally say "Never contact me again" and block him, and again, I felt bad. How in the hell is it fair that someone who fucked me over so bad can lay a guilt trip on me and it works? Fuck him. Thank God he ditched us because my Mom is amazing and my Dad is the best, and I'd be lost without them. I haven't heard from Mr. White since February of 2006, and I never got any of my questions answered either. It was all about him.

It felt good to get all of that out.

"What's Love Got To Do With It" by Tina Turner

So, as you can see with the last blog, things were looking good. I moved into North Philly with Deb and Meghan, who I was dating at the time. Around my birthday I started second-guessing the relationship with Meghan, which led to it's eventual end that summer. I wondered what would have happened if I asked Rachel out instead of Meghan the previous fall, and that's probably not the best thing to think about when you live with your girlfriend.

 After the musical, which was wonderful to be a part of, Dave moved in with us. He's a friend of Deb's who she met in Puerto Rico. Dave was a way cool roommate and it was cool having him around.

I'm pretty sure this was right before or during Dave's appearance, but 

"Jane Says" by Jane's Addiction

My Granddad died. It kind of felt like my entire world just collapsed. It's been well over a year and I still can't come to terms with it and I don't think I ever will. I was so messed up after this. I kind of retreated into myself, didn't want to talk about it, etc. Only once did I look for a shoulder to cry on, and that shoulder literally shrugged me off. I did a reading at the funeral and was a pallbearer. My God it was so hard to move that casket knowing that my Granddad was in there. I was so distraught over the whole thing and could not think straight or even maintain the few coherent thoughts I had. I was a total mess.  I just couldn't get it together and had no idea what to do.

"Deja Vu" by Peter Gunns & Lord Tariq

So two days after the funeral Meghan and I went out to dinner. Things had been pretty bad with us. We hardly even talked. Not a hostile thing, just ran out of things to talk about. It was actually scary. Six months before that I figured I was done with dating and this was it. Now I felt like I was living with a stranger. In April, I was at my parents' house for three weeks with some mystery illness that didn't let me move without having an asthma attack, which sucked. In that time, Meghan and I probably talked once or twice for all of ten minutes, which is mostly my fault.So we admit we need to talk, and we go out to this dinner. I was going to suggest not living together once the lease was up at the end of August, knowing we'd eventually break up. But I told Meghan to speak her piece first, and she ended up breaking up with me. I was cool with it. The first week or so was great. We actually went back to the way we were before we were together. But then, something just clicked for me and I was just mad. I thought "How could someone I am that close to break up with me two days after my Granddad's funeral?" It bothered me for a long time. I put it behind me. But in that time that it bothered me, I made some horrible decisions.

"Hold Up" by Girl Talk

First of all, there was the first week of July 2006. I drank excessively, and it's actually scary to look back on it. On the 3rd I went to AC with Megan G, Robyn, Kristen, and Nicole. I got so drunk that the next day at work I passed out in an exhibit. A visitor walking by woke me up and I claimed I was taking my break there (it was in the animation exhibit, actually a pretty good cover up). But apparently that wasn't enough because at a party in South Jersey that night I drank a quarter keg and a six pack in an hour and a half. I continued drinking mixed drinks and probably eventually straight liquor for several hours.

"Faith" by George Michael

At some point, barely able to stand, I made my way up the stairs to the bathroom. I got sick, and got scared because blood and black, skin-looking stuff was coming up. I found out the next day after searching online that I probably vomitted part of my stomach lining and damaged my esophagus.Still, I didn't stop. Two days later I came home from work and made a double margarita as a chaser as I drank 1/3 of a bottle of tequila.

"Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica

Amidst this nonsense which is basically alcoholism, I started dating the first girl who showed interest in me. She was the antithesis of everything that I am. Dull, mean, not funny, leaning to the right, and definitely some racism going on there. I did, however, realize that I needed to stop drinking, and I did. Soon after that, I started at Temple, having had left Rowan the previous December.

I started as a Film and Media Arts major at Temple. I did well in my first hands-on film class, but was quite cavalier with attendance (a problem I'm still working on). Finally, after a racist remark and bitchy actions I hadn't dealt with since the 9th grade, I broke up with the rebound girl and resolved to get my act together. If anyone is actually reading this and got this far, I apologize for being Debbie Downer. Good things are about to happen so thanks for caring and reading this far.

Christmas was wonderful, as usual. I had moved into my Granddad's house in August and held my annual Christmas party there. Only Meghan showed up. A little awkward, but very helpful. Any resentment I may have had been holding onto was gone after watching the Muppet Christmas Carol. Love that movie. While I feel bad for how things fizzled out, I'm glad Meghan and I are friends and that's how we should've stayed in the first place. Live and learn, right?

"More Human Than Human" by White Zombie

So after a wonderful Christmas I went on a trip. I met up with Courtney at the Nashville airport and from there we flew out to Phoenix to see Josh. Josh showed us all around Phoenix, brought us to the Grand Canyon, introduced us to his awesome family and cool friends, and we had a blast! We also drove to LA, stuck our feet in the Pacific Ocean, went to the Disney Studios, toured the archives with the head of the archives, and went to Disneyland. It was a fantastic time and I can't wait to do it again.

I can't remember anything spectacular between then and March, when I turned 23. (Except for hanging with Dan, Joe, and Jeff a lot, which was awesome) (oh, and I went to VA and the week before that got electrocuted. it was cool) I kind of freaked out knowing that my Dad was 23 when he met my Mom and my Mom was 22 when they got married. Here I was, single, living alone, and not even able to think of someone I could date, let alone marry lol

"Bad Jokes" by John C. Reilly & Woody Harrelson

So I had a birthday party for me at my Granddad's house. Dan, Joe, Barb, Megan F, and Ryan all showed up. The highlight, however, was that Suz was there. I love that no matter how long Suz and I go without hanging out or chatting that we can pick right up. I really appreciated that she made the effort to come out to NE Philly. Later in the night, Barb, Megan, and I had a long, tearful chat about cancer and losing family and such, which brought us all pretty close.

With summer approaching, it was almost time for Discovery Camp, but before that started, we had a sort of impromptu CP reunion which truly was an amazing time and really changed things for me. Gotta love those CP kids :-)

"I Don't Wanna Grow Up" by Tom Waits

Courtney was coming up to visit with Becca in West Chester. I hadn't seen Courtney since my going away party in Florida, and hadn't seen Becca since December of 2005. I expected that they would come into Philly, we'd hang out for a few hours, get a cheesesteak, and that would be it. But as soon as I saw them in the train station I knew that was not how it was going to go down. We walked forever that day, went to the Franklin Institute and the Art Museum and I showed them my cool little spot behind the Art Museum on the river. We rode the subway and went to Pat's for Courtney's first cheesesteak. She loved it.

"Don't Bring Me Down" by ELO

We had a blast! We hung at my apartment, went to South St. and got rained on, it was fantastic. Oh, and in May I moved to South Philly with coworkers Megan F and Alyssa. More on that later. Basically, we had a wonderful time and I decided to skip out on two days of work to hang out with them in West Chester. We also contacted Jim to see if he could make it.

And, in fact, he did. He showed up at my apartment around 2am, and after looking at photos and reminiscing about our wild parties and crazy antics, we crashed. The next day, we went up to West Chester to meet up with Courtney, Becca, and Becca's friend Abby. We had some fun in a park in WC, and after Abby joined us, met up with some of Becca's friends in New Hope. We hit up a bar that had karaoke, and Courtney and I did so well with "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" that we got free beer and quite the ovation. Becca and Jim also tore it up with their version of "Starlight."

"Learning To Fly" by Pink Floyd

We all had a blast. The next morning, we groggily made our way from Doylestown to a Flea Market, and then hung out at the Burrow residence for awhile. We eventually said our goodbyes with promises of hanging out more often. Becca told me I'm not allowed to fall out of touch this time. I haven't, for the record. It was amazing seeing Courtney, Becca, and Jim after being apart for so long. And it was quite cool meeting Abby as well.

Now, unfortunately, another downer. As I was packing up to move out of my Granddad's house, which broke my heart to leave, my Mom called. My Grandpop had been dealing with melanoma for years, and it was never a big problem. But it had spread, and the doctors gave him a year. I literally collapsed. I laid in the middle of the living room floor just staring at the wall for over an hour.

"Fool in the Rain" by Led Zeppelin

But after that, I stood up and made a promise to myself. I still haven't forgiven myself for not seeing my Granddad in the time between Christmas and his death. It's unexcusable. I resolved to spend as much time with my Grandpop as possible. Over the end of Spring and beginning of Summer, I'd call a lot, just to chat, see what was going on. We talked about what movies we should see when he got up to my parents' house, and how we'd go buffin and he could see the Girard Ave trolleys running again. My favorite phone conversation was when I called him after my Photo exam, letting him know that I got a 100 because I remembered what he taught me when he first gave me his camera. He was so glad he was able to help me and so proud of me for doing well.

Towards the end of Spring, my Grandmom and Grandpop moved into my parents' house from Florida. They would stay there until the addition they were having put on my uncle's house was done. I went over as much as possible to hang out, and things were good. I also flew to Florida with my Uncle Matt and Uncle Warren to pack up a truck with my grandparents' stuff and drive it back.

After that trip, Disco Camp started.

"Doin It" by LL Cool J

Disco Camp, for those who don't know, is short for Discovery Camp, the museum's day camp. It was my first year as a counselor and the last part of my department I hadn't worked in. It was a blast. The staff was great, and the kids were hysterical. In the movie Knocked Up, Paul Rudd's character says to Seth Rogen's character "My kids go apeshit over bubbles. I wished I loved anything as much as they love bubbles." I thought about that all the time because these kids were just so happy. They loved the museum, the counselors, the experiements, everything. I feel like we all fed off of their energy and it improved our work ethic. Some of the kids are there for the entire summer, and I admit that I would give them preferential treatment at times. I felt bad, they spend their entire summer in a classroom environment, often having to do the same projects over and over. So I would occassionally go out of my way to make sure they weren't bored and were still having fun as the summer wore on. I think that Disco Camp is about even with Camp-In as my favorite job in the museum.

"Veronica" by Elvis Costello

On July 6, 2007 at 7am, I was about to go to work when I got a phone call from my Dad. He told me that Grandpop was not doing well at all and I should come home immediately. Luckily, I had borrowed my Mom's car for the week. I freaked out. I paced back and forth from my room to my living room for about 15 minutes wondering what the hell to do. I tried calling Fran to let him know but couldn't get through. I eventually got in the car, and flew over to my parents' house. I have no idea how, but I got there in less than half an hour when it usually takes 45 minutes. All day, all six of my aunts and uncles and my cousins were at the house. It was so awkward and sad and just terrible.

"All These Things That I Have Done" by the Killers

The hospice nurse said that the other nurse may have been wrong, and that everyone could go home. Before going to sleep, I went up to my Grandpop, told him I loved him, and that I would see him tomorrow. After a few hours, I finally managed to fall asleep on the couch. I woke up to my Grandmom's voice. She was on the phone. I knew right then that he had died. She had called my Aunt Cathy and Uncle John's house, and my cousin Joe answered. He knew by the time of night that the call came in what had happened and he was distraught. What woke me up was my Grandmom crying out "oh no, Joe" and crying. It was so surreal and heartbreaking to run into my old room and see my Grandpop there in my old bed, and knowing that he wouldn't wake up. I still can't believe it. I still go to my phone to call him to ask about photography, or tell him about some train or bus story, and then remember that he's not here anymore. It's so hard.

"Your Time Is Gonna Come" by Led Zeppelin

I was a pallbearer again. And again, it was so sad to know what I was carrying. I was a mess at the funeral and I took a week off from work because I just couldn't pull it together. I remember last summer finding solace in the fact that even though my Dad lost his Dad, that my Grandpop would be around to help him through it. But after all my family had been through, there we were again. I still can not believe that my Granddad and my Grandpop aren't here. I always said I didn't know what I'd do if I lost my grandparents, but I never thought it would be this bad.

"Casey Jones" by the Grateful Dead

Again, sorry about all the downers. But thank god for my friends. This year, I knew I couldn't handle it on my own. I turned to them and they were such a great help in their own way. I can't imagine how Barb and Bill must feel, having lost one or both parents recently, and my heart goes out to them. I hope I can help them as much as everyone has helped me.

Although things around the apartment haven't going so well since then, everything else has. Alyssa and I get along great, and it's awesome to know that I have someone to live with. Megan doesn't really speak to us that much, and she's rarely here. I wonder if she'll even stay throughout the duration of the lease. In any case, sometime by April, we're going to need a new third roommate.

In other news, as I mentioned above, I stayed in touch with Becca.

"Rich Girl" by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes

It's been awesome. I joined Philly Car Share, and my first time with the Prius hybrid, I drove up to West Chester to spend a few hours with B~Styles. A few weeks ago, she came up to visit me. we hung out in town and at my place. Then, I went back down to the Dub-C last weekend for her birthday bash, which was a blast. On an unrelated note, that was a really short song.

"Jungle Boogie" by Kool and the Gang

Funky. So Becca's party was awesome. Got to hang out with Abby again, and I must say, she's awesome. The girl is funny, likes margaritas, has a good taste in music, watches football AND soccer, and is pretty easy on the eyes to cap it all off.

As for other cool things this summer:
-Went to AC with Megan G and Jena
-Took Grandmom to see Wicked
-Went to VA with Uncle Matt and crew
-Went to Busch Gardens and Water Country
-Saw DMB with Jeff, Linda, and other cool VA kids
-Cool VA kids visited Philly
-XPN festival with Dad, Deb, Candy, Jess, A-Train, Nate, Cody, and others

"Point Breeze" by Marah

So if anyone actually read this entire thing, I will cook you a nice pasta dinner. Love you all

-Pat