Put up a parking lot

A friend of mine and I were at the beach last weekend. It was Labor Day, so nearly everyone else in the Philadelphia region was at the beach with us. The weather was glorious, the water perfection. I couldn't wait to get to the boardwalk, though, to savor summer's last taste of my favorite confection: Kohr Brothers frozen peanut butter custard with chocolate sprinkles.

There's a Kohr Brothers on the Ocean City, NJ boardwalk at 10th Street. So we started looking for parking at around 6th. We drove all the way to 13th and back through to 2nd Street more than times than I care to admit, and everywhere we looked, someone else was pulling into a spot. But could we find one? Not on our custard-starved souls.

Finally, I pulled up behind one of the amusement park back entrances at 10th Street, put my flashers on, and we took turns running up to Kohrs while the other stayed with the car. It was surprisingly easy and went off without a hitch. We even got bold and drove up to 13th for Johnson's caramel corn. Again, easy as pie, very satisfying. And though part of me had hoped for a boardwalk stroll, our stealth maneuvers protected us from what could have been a chaotically annoying end to our lovely, serene day. The Ocean City boardwalk (especially on Labor Day weekend) is nothing short of a mob scene.

All of this struck me, several days later, as an apt metaphor for my life. I say I want the full experience -- chaos and all -- and I go about the chase of finding my place from which to launch the adventure, but I'm always one step behind everyone else. I watch the rest of the world secure their spots just before I get there, and there's nothing left over for me. Meanwhile, part of me feels like it's just as well, because somewhere in the back of my mind, all I really want is to grab an illicit, temporary spot from which to get the minimum, immediate satisfaction. Then I'm gone. No commitment to a lengthy stay required.

Dammit! I want to be ready to build a parking lot of my very own. A safe, secure place from which to launch any and all adventures life brings. A home base where my car will always have its spot. My tool belt is loaded with the appropriate stuff, and the bulldozer has leveled the ground. But it's a gravel pit until the right person comes along with the pavers to smooth the way.

Whitewater

My second adventure of the summer has officially come and gone today. Whitewater rafting in the Lehigh River Gorge. It was only about a class 3, and for the most part was pretty tame ... but there were definitely some thrilling moments on the water. My raftmates and I got stuck on a few rocks, and more than once we had a person overboard, but since no one got hurt, it just made the day that much more fun!

But the most important thing I learned all day is that whitewater rafting, on fairly calm rapids anyway, is much more about who can toss the most amount of water out of a bailing bucket onto another raft than it is about navigating the river. I spent as much time ducking so that my raftmates could douse the other rafts as I did paddling. It did little good, as I was drenched from the outset anyway... which was fine by me!

Nonetheless, my arms and shoulders got an intense workout. And the sun was brutal (note to self: wear a hat or bandanna next time), but thanks to the 30 SPF, I'm not nearly as burned as many of the others. My rear end feels like I've been on a horse all day, so that's a bit unpleasant. All small prices to pay for a gorgeous day on the water.

I took along a water-safe (disposable) camera, so as soon as the photos are processed, I'll post them on flickr.

Notes from July 16

Climbing was a total blast. Very empowering and fun. I did three totally vertical climbs on the first day. Woo!!!! I wasn't scared of the heights at all. In fact, I was sort of hanging out on the rock face with one hand a few times, just looking down and all around. It was fantastic.

Sadly, it poured rain on Sunday just as we were about to start climbing. We had ascended this MAJOR trail (this was no hike, it was truly an ascent, which is the main reason why I'm so damn sore), geared up with harnesses, helmets, ropes, etc., the guides did the lead climb to set up the anchor, and then the skies opened up. It was a total washout.

So we climbed down to a overhang to get out of the rain and hoped it would let up, but no dice. The descent was harder than the ascent because everything was so slippery. My legs ache so much!

After tossing the day, one of the other hikers and I went on a mellow walk along a pretty trail nearby. It was a nice and relaxing way to end the weekend.

I'd definitely climb again. But having done it even once gives me a huge sense of pride. Next adventure: whitewater rafting in August!

Notes from July 10

1. Made it to CT in 3 hours flat. A new record.

2. My friend's husband backed into my car this morning on his way to work, and cracked my rear bumper. It needs to be replaced, but it's really no biggie. They are in a state about it.

3. Am almost definitely going to Greece next June. Woo hoo! My Athenean friend Poly and I have agreed to make a serious plan since she just moved into her own apartment. The last time I was there, the city was a mess. Since then, they cleaned it up for the Olympics.

4. The match.com guy I met just before leaving officially wants to go out again. Trouble is, he has boundary issues. On our first date he revealed that his first wife accused him and his sister of incest and picked fist fights, his former fiance stole his Xanax and then cheated on him, and his most recent girlfriend has money/credit trouble. If I go out with him again, what does it say about me?? Does it show my open-mindedness, my non-judgmentalness? That I can refrain from assuming that this guy is just a bad relationship waiting to happen and that people can change their patterns? Or does it show that I, myself, am moving from one set of bad dating patterns to being open to a whole myriad of new bad dating patterns??

5. Thankfully, I have been corresponding with a new guy on match who seems great. He's a rock climber, so now that I'm about to embark on my first climb, we'll have something cool in common. But it sort of brings to mind that scene from "Singles" where the woman buys a bike and all kinds of gear to impress her cyclist first-date and nearly kills herself riding to meet him. He ends up with her roommate anyway.

6. I taught my friend's eight year old the word crap yesterday. Didn't mean to. Told him not to tell his mom, which he promptly did. Apparently she had previously instructed him to tell her anything anyone ever said to him that included the phrase, "don't tell your mother." That Aunt Ev is such a bad influence.

Checking in from MA

Well, I'm currently on #3 on my vacation destination list: Salisbury, MA visiting friends. It's gorgeous here. I'm bruised and sore from the rock climb, so today's R&R on the beach was exactly what the doctor ordered. I have so much to write about, but that will have to wait until I'm home and back to normal.

I feel so relaxed and am truly "on vacation" in the most traditional sense. No thoughts about work, completely off any routine, and truly going with the flow of no schedule. It's divinely refreshing. And I still have another week of freedom remaining!

Gone Climbing

Well, today's the day I set off on my vacation. I've taken two full weeks off of work—something I'm not sure I've ever done before! There will be four distinct parts to my time off, all of which I'm very much looking forward to:

1. Visiting my oldest friend and her family in CT
2. Rock climbing in NH
3. Exploring the MA coast with Philly friends whose parents live there
4. Volunteering for the WXPN music festival on the Camden, NJ waterfront

The rock climb is the nucleus of the whole thing, of course. I can't wait to test my endurance, push my fears, challenge my feet, meet new people and try something I've always been curious about. Bear Grylls on Man vs. Wild always makes it look so easy! I expect to have a new respect for his climbing skills after my comparatively tame experience.

I heart Kohr Bros

Ocean City was glorious today. Meghan and I covered all the bases. We stopped at the greatest store on earth, The Flying Carp on Asbury Ave first. I've been a devotee of that place for years and years. They have the most consistently wonderful collection of jewelry I've ever found. Many of my most treasured pieces came from there. And the people there are so friendly!

Afterward, we hit the beach with gusto, and proceeded to get properly sunburned. We also watched a huge seagull eat a leg off of an enormous star fish. And we spooked a couple of sizable sand crabs into their holes.

Then we hit the boards. First up: Mack & Manco's pizza. Cute cute cute boys behind the counter made the slices that much yummier! They're young, tan, polite and they make a great pie with a thin, crispy crust.

We stopped for salt water taffy at Shrivers, where I discovered the joys of three new flavors: coconut, peanut butter/chocolate, and bubble gum!

And to top it all off, Kohr Brothers custard. My oh my. They say it's "light" but you'd never know it. It's creamy and full of flavor. I always pick peanut butter with chocolate sprinkles and it's always better than I remembered from the last time. They always get it right.

This was a great day. Full of sun and calories. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Hitting the boards

It's a phrase not widely known, at least not in the context I mean. I guess it depends on where you're from. But it's a big part of the Philadelphia region vernacular. "Hitting the boards." It means going to the boardwalk in a beach town, window shopping, eating salt water taffy and water ice, getting a sunburn, riding the ferris wheel, stepping in gum, buying new sunglasses, wearing hemp bracelets, bumping into small children, tipping over your custard cone, getting sand in your hair, wearing halter tops, and lots and lots of people watching.

That pretty much covers it!

I'm headed to the Ocean City, NJ boardwalk for the day tomorrow, and all I can think about is getting a Kohr Brothers peanut butter custard cone with chocolate sprinkles.

Catching up

I swore I wouldn't let my blog postings lapse as they have been. Not because my deluded mind thinks I actually have fans ... but more just because this is a great place for me to unload my thoughts so my brain doesn't get too heavy carrying them around.

Anyway, here's a short recap of a few things that stood out over this past week, in no particular order:

1. I found out that Charlie dies BEFORE watching the finale of Lost. Bummer. But it's the price one pays for making other commitments on the night of a great TV show!

2. It felt especially great to throw pots this week. I made a bunch of stuff, mostly gifts for specific people, but also a mug and pitcher for myself. Hopefully they'll all turn out.

3. Because of the above, along with some other recent purchases, I have about a third of my Christmas shopping done already! What a nerd I am.

4. I can now say I'm a veteran of the Collingswood May Fair. Wow, it's a big event for our little town! Lots of booths (selling mostly junk), lots of food (some GREAT, some bad), lots of people (the people watching is unparalleled), and lots of fancy cars (everything from souped up dune buggies to vintage VW bugs to Ford Falcons and Caddys). Such fun to walk around with my neighborhood peeps too! I'm a true local.

5. Franklin Mills. Wow. I had somehow never been there until the other night. I didn't buy much, but the reason for going wasn't about me. My friend Alison needed a new wardrobe, and boy did she get it! So fun to see a friend try on clothes I picked out for her. Very gratifying. And she looks terrific in everything she bought.

6. The air conditioners in my place are officially on. The heat and humidity this morning got to me, and I broke down. The unit in my new apartment is loud, but it cranks. Yay! Of course, I say that now, but let's see how my next PSE&G bill looks.