In West Philadelphia, Born and Raised...

For you children of the 1980s, you may recognize the title of of my post. Whenever I think of Philadelphia, I can help but chant the Fresh Prince of Bel Air rap "...in West Philadelphia, born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of my days..."

So last week I traveled to Philadelphia for work, and needless to say, Will Smith and his über-cool 90s flat top was in my head for much of the trip. It was a whirlwind trip: we flew all day Thursday, trained on Friday, and flew home Saturday.

The National Girls Collaborative Project is bringing in new regions to help implement our project, so we trained them on the elements of the project and how to get started. We have been preparing for months, so the training was very gratifying and I felt a huge wave of relief after it was over. My coworkers are a lot of fun, so I enjoyed being in Philly with them, as well as sharing a couple nice dinners and free happy hour at the Embassy Suites.

I didn't do much sightseeing in town - but our event took place at the Franklin Institute, which had a nice view of the surrounding museums. Luckily the East Coast cold spell broke for a few days and Friday was actually quite warm and sunny in the City of Brotherly Love. And it was also fun to laugh to myself that less than a week earlier the Arizona Cardinals kicked some Philadelphia Eagles' butt... go NFC West!

My room was on the 27th floor of our hotel, so I had a great view of Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The other photos are from the roof of the Franklin Institute.

The Coolest Photomerge Ever

So you returning Seattle Swift readers have probably already seen some of my photomerge photos. Well the one below is the ultimate photomerge.

David Bergman merged 220 images of President Obama's January 20, 2009, inaugural address, creating a 1,474 megapixel image. I've included a screen shot below - but it's worth viewing in full at http://gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=15374.

You can zoom in to incredible detail. A coworker and I even found Denzel Washington standing among the crowd (he's in the front section standing in an aisle in a blue cap). You can practically read the sheet music of the musicians. Onlookers stand in the windows of the Rayburn building across the Capital. And the expression on Bush's face is priceless.

What an incredible photo (merge) to capture the event. And let me know if you find Oprah somewhere in the crowd!

Bad Car Karma

So I need to rant for approximately two minutes. Friday I was rear-ended on the freeway. Not much damage - just a huge hassle with insurance companies, claims estimates, accident reports, and all that jazz. Then today, I run out to my car to grab something I need for the office... and I notice that someone sometime over the weekend keyed my car. Yes, took their key and ran two giant gouges down the side of my car. Seriously, who does that?! Nothing I could have done deserved my car being keyed - believe me, I am so careful around other people's cars. Someone has some serious anger management issues. And I would like to say for the record: I have never rear-ended anyone and I have never keyed a car. So karma actually cannot be to blame. So is it just plain bad luck?

So aside from my stinking bad luck, the next few months have some exciting events coming up for me, including: a work trip to Philadelphia; a girls trip to La Push, Washington (where I've never been!); a weekend of skiing and relaxation at Sun Mountain Lodge in Eastern Washington; the Lion King at the Paramount with my mom; and Disneyland!!! So hopefully my bad car/life luck will cease and I can sit back and enjoy the next few months.

Exploring Eastlake and Beyond

This past weekend and Martin Luther King, Jr. day were absolutely gorgeous in Seattle. It was clear, sunny, and crisp outside - great for walking. So Saturday and Monday I ventured out for some neighborhood exploring. On Monday I walked for nearly two and a half hours, up to Volunteer Park, over to a record shop on 15th (Sonic Boom for a much-needed CD), back over 520, over to Portage Bay, then past the University Bridge and along Lake Union.

There are some incredible early-1900s mansions tucked away on Capitol Hill sides streets - houses you can really only appreciate on a walk. Some have incredible ornate windows, others have detailed brick chimneys and siding, some have turrets, others have solariums, and most are just plain gigantic. Not to mention I found two new parks - one of which is a public beachfront along Lake Union, and the other a minuscule, secluded green patch with a bench looking straight towards the Montlake Cut. Capitol Hill is such a fun neighborhood to explore. The photo above I took from East Boston Street back in October - a great view of Lake Union and beyond.

Thumbs Up, Obama!

Today was a monumental day for our nation - Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.

Though I've heard skeptics say "wait a minute, don't be excited yet, he hasn't done anything," I disagree - he and the American people who voted have already allowed our country to regain some respect worldwide. He has ignited passion and hope in millions of Americans that yes, we can make our country better. We can revamp our economy, build a working healthcare system, do our part to stop climate change, and help spread peace across nations and peoples. We will be better and we are ready. Isn't that something - something pretty incredible considering our state of pessimism and apathy for the past seven years?

So, Obama, you get a thumbs up from Seattle Swift! I am incredibly thankful I witnessed history today and took my part in voting for change.


And visit http://obamiconme.pastemagazine.com/ for some Obama poster fun!!

Crisis Situation

All I can say is, the pilot of the US Airways flight that emergency landed in the Hudson River today is the kind of guy you want around in a crisis situation. All 155 people on board were rescued, not a single person on land affected, and most passengers were even able to walk away unharmed thanks to the pilot's quick-thinking and skillful landing in the Hudson River. Any other action could have been disastrous.

And it's a good lesson to all of us who tend to zone out when the flight attendants run through safety measures for emergency water landings. My dad always said - if you "land" in water, there are probably not any safety measures you can take, but thankfully they do have such measures in place.

All 155 Escape Jet’s Plunge Into Hudson
New York Times - January 15, 2009

President of the Dangling Participle

Strunk and White could create an entire grammar lesson about the dangling participle, based entirely on Bushisms:

I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office. - June 26, 2008, during a Rose Garden news briefing.

I chanced upon Bushisms over the years while browsing Yahoo most popular news stories the other day (what can I say, I read news for entertainment). It's hard to believe that in just two short weeks we will no longer hear made up words like embetter or misunderestimate - or phrases like "more better" from him. January 20, 2009, may just be one of the best days in our nascent millennium - Bush will leave office for good and Obama will take his seat as president-elect. I can hardly contain my excitement.

Though I suppose, for entertainment's sake, I will miss hearing such delightful nuggets as:

Rarely is the question asked, is our children learning? - January 2000, during a campaign event in South Carolina.

Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. - Aug. 5, 2004, at the signing ceremony for a defense spending bill.

Thanks for the entertainment, Mr. Bush, if nothing else.