2002-04-12 - 11:18 p.m.

On the internal soundtrack: A Carpenters song ... the name is not in the lyrics so I can't remember what it's called. The groupie song. Oh yeah, "Superstar".

"The vocal track that you hear on this album is the first time that Karen ever sang Superstar, reading the lyrics written on a napkin. Her

interpretation was so perfect, they decided to utilize this 'first take luck.'"

Nifty.

So, one good thing that not even work can ruin is my sheer wonder and glee at the fact that we live in Philadelphia now.

It certainly doesn't seem real. It's like a dream. Whenever I type in my address somewhere -- "Philadelphia, PA" -- it feels like I'm playing house or something.

Last night, Stacey and Brent came down for dinner.

Tonight, we're meeting my parents and brother in Princeton for dinner, for my brother's birthday.

On weeknights. I am visiting with my FAMILY on WEEKNIGHTS.

This is AMAZING! I've been talking about moving to Philadelphia for YEARS now, and it really HAPPENED! We're HERE!

Well, after I wrote that, my dad called to say that my brother was stuck in Manhattan (something about the trains not running) so we're going to do it next week.

We were, quite literally, all dressed up with no place to go. So we went to an Italian restaurant nearby that we will not be returning to again.

There was one amusing moment, however. Poindexter and I were asking the waiter about the menu options. The waiter was exceedingly unhelpful -- seemed to have no idea how the dishes were prepared. Finally Poindexter asked, thinking he'd get the waiter's personal opinion:

"Well, have you had either of these dishes?"

Remember, this is an Italian restaurant.

The waiter replied, "Well, I don't like pasta."

Poindexter looked at him incredulously for a moment, and then started laughing very loudly for a very long time.

Well, I've been going insane trying to find myself one of those little wire baskets on wheels that people cart groceries around in. Problem is, I don't see them very often on the street and haven't found someone to ask.

FINALLY, I managed to find the right set of keywords -- "portable shopping cart" -- and turned it up. I have to buy it at AN OLD PEOPLE STORE! One more reason why I'm 30 going on 80.

OK, once this project is over, the house is rented, and we can relax, here's what's on my list of things to do:

1. Start skating again.

2. Join the local skate club.

3. Visit the Eastern State Penitentiary. I like the modern ruins; Poindexter will like the history of violence.

4. Visit the Reading Terminal Market. Eat.

5. Visit the Italian Market. Eat.

6. Take Poindexter through the giant model heart (the right size for a 220-foot-tall person!) at the Franklin Institute.

Living here has been a really weird mix of the familiar and the totally new. I've been to the Franklin Institute several times (last time was when I was 18, I think), passed by the Reading Terminal many times, and my mom used to take me to the Italian Market when I was a kid. Certain areas of this city (most notably Chinatown and the area around the Wanamaker building) are very familiar to me.

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