Just a little more, to taste

Yet another nice image from ESP:

And Hans is doing really well, despite his current teething issues:

We are enjoying the apartment coming into its own:

And sometimes we have photoshoots just to document how young and lovely we will once have been:


In the meantime, things are going pretty well. The job at ESP is better than I was expecting, and to be honest, that's super. I am still a tour guide in training, and still have a lot of material to read and etc, but I am catching quickly. And besides the ESP being a part of the American Museum Association (meaning I get free or discounted entrance to almost every other museum in the ol' USoA), when I do choose to leave, I will have gained incredible skills as a tour guide, as well as made acquaintances with the AMA.

In other news, I start a job at a bakery this upcoming Thursday as well. It looks like I'll be working 6 days a week, with tons of free pastries and other baked goods for me and everyone I know. The job entails selling these items at farmers markets twice a week.

I may be a *little* lonely, but I am keeping busy, productive, and definitely on top of my life.

Flint (for the Unemployed and Underpaid): Sufjan Stevens

Friday night Victoria and her boyfriend came to visit. I had her all to myself Saturday, but then Hans had to steal the show.

We attempted to conquer the Mass Transit System, but it kicked out asses. We walked ALL over Philadelphia.

Hans has been... not wanting to use the litter box 100% of the time. We are working through it.


I am slowly getting all my shelves up and emptying the last of the boxes.


Tonight I went for a walk around Fishtown, got pretty far before I realized how far I was! Scoped out some great places for painting too, if I ever actually want to paint outside. Really, its good for you. Like broccoli. Yuck.

Found a nice flower shoppe and greenhouse that I will go to soon.

Also spotted some bars, grocery store, restaurants, and a laundromat.

I start work tomorrow at the Eastern State Penitentiary.


I am beginning to worry if I haven't thoroughly mourned the death of my college years. I am more or less blocking it out entirely, and that's not healthy either. I know that if I really stop to think about how completely alone I am now, I will not be able to make it. I miss everyone terribly. Terribly.

Eastern State Penitentiary

So I had a great interview at the Eastern State Penitentiary, so great, that I start Tuesday, as a tour guide.

I took the audio tour after the interview, and enjoyed Steve Buscemi's voice and the creepy history of this place. Here are some photos for your enjoyment as well:

friends, kitten, interview.

The kitchen and bedroom both painted, I was finally able to move some furniture around and unpack a few boxes.

Then I went to NJ where I saw Kolleen, Chad, Noah&Patrick, Kayla&family, Celestine&kitten. A very pleasant few days, ending with my adopting a kitten. Kayla and I brought him to her house to meet her parents, and cats.

the cats weren't too thrilled, but everyone else was:



But Kayla loves Falcon best


He is wonderful, isn't he?

Oh, and I'm training him to make the Spock face... or at least eyebrows.

Interview at the Eastern State Penitentiary as a tour guide today, wish me luck!

first days

Is today only my second day here? I suppose things still look ...disastrous, but in time, things will be painted and put away neatly. Still in the process of painting the bedroom, but I realize that I do need to vacuum the floor because its an inch thick of somebodys old cat. And I can't find the bamboo mats I was so set on lining the room with... so things are both fast and slow.

Several attempts led me directly to Target and the Trader Joes, so I can at least cook and shower tonight.

The most lovely surprise (aside from being able to use some lovely person's internet) is that my neighbors are having a cookout, and I was invited to meet everyone just as I got back from Trader Joes. I felt a bit like Snow White, bombarded with smiling and curious faces with names I'll never remember, not to mention 6 dogs!! They all seem very nice, and Robbie (Robert?) openly invited me to make full use of his rather shady backyard, so research on shade-loving vegetation will commence immediately after this post.

I will leave you with some images, of my apartment, as I have not gotten to go exploring without destination as of yet. Grandparents visiting tomorrow, and I have GOT to find a job.

after scrubbing most of the gook from the bottom of the fridge, was able to make it my own.

still needs painting...


no curtains in the bathroom called for some pushpins and a sheet from village thrift. Sally loves the privacy too!

I think the junk on the sill grows faster than the plants!

move in day

Moved in with the Uhaul yesterday. Much thanks to my incredible friends for all the help loading the truck. I drove it there all by myself and didn't crash. I had to find parking amongst all the crazed Fishtown Kinetic Sculpture Festival (sort of like Baltimore's Kinetic Sculpture Race, but sort of worse). I had two awesome guys help me move everything in about an hour. Andrew was there to help too but the two of us just sort of hung around. Overall a very successful move. Some photos of the Kinetic Sculpture Festival.

painting day

thought I might document the small amount of painting I accomplished on Wednesday. It's not a terribly small apartment, but there is not much room to shove things aside to paint the walls!


I did paint a little more after the camera battery died. Of course I couldn't get to the ceiling as I had no chairs or anything to stand on, and I didn't want to risk making a complete mess...
So, one and a half coats of the main room done.