This Day in History

Back in 1979 on my mother's due date to have her second child (me!), Three Mile Island, the nuclear power plant in the town where my parents lived in Middletown, Pa, had some problems. My family was evacuated and we went to my Uncle Bill and Aunt Claire's house in Philadelphia. Luckily, I decided to wait out the excitement and was born 15 days later in a North Philadelphia hospital.

I cannot imagine my parent's panic at hearing the news about the power plant, which was visible from their house, was having a meltdown. They are brave ones, those two.

My childhood was peppered with stories of TMI. It helped to explain my red hair. It also allowed my father to attempt to testify at the state legislature about how the area had put individuals and their families in danger. I think that the guy who brought the goat as part of his testimony took up most of the congress people's time. Unfortunately, my father had only brought me as a prop.

My father often begrudged the fact that I was born in North Philly and was the only Caucasian baby in the hospital's nursery because that took away any chance that I was switched at birth. He was always looking for another funny excuse to pawn me off on some other family.

Happy Birthday, Three Mile Island! Thanks for making life exciting.

The Rules*

When we were growing up, my father had three simple rules for us:

1. Nothing with needles -- no tattoos, no drugs, no piercing.
2. If you do something bad or illegal, don't get caught.
3. Don't name your child Francis.

Well, Brian and I did okay on the first one (after college, I had a pierced nose for a bit) and we did really well on the second rule. But my brother just blew it on the third rule ...

Yes, Brian and Bridgette had a baby boy last week! While they didn't exactly name the baby Francis, that is the baby's middle name. For blogging security sake**, we are still going to call the baby Flicker. Flicker Francis. Has a nice ring to it, right? (And honestly, I’m probably going to break the third rule too because the name is too nice to pass up. Frances is my confirmation name, don’t ya know?)

He's totally beautiful -- long and thin like his parents. He and his parents are doing well, if not a little tired. We are so excited for all of them!

* Yeah, I'll admit it ... this may be one of those times when I happily mis-remember and simplify my childhood.
**If you want to see photos, email A-M or me. We will be more than happy to oblige.

Pop Quiz Time!

What is Pestobuda?

A. Italian night at the Buddhist monastery.
B. George W. Bush's nickname for the Dali Lama.
C. College-level geography student's answer to the question "Which city is divided by the Danube River into Pest and Buda?"

The correct answer: C

Grading geography exams is always entertaining.

For all the geographically impaired and Miss Teens from South Carolina, the city that has two sections called "Pest" and "Buda" is surprisingly Budapest.

And just to rub it in...

Backyard Beginnings

Hooray! We began the backyard transformation this weekend by purchasing a patio set and umbrella. Sure, the 9' diameter umbrella can't open fully because the yard is too small, but it's a start.

Next up: Building planters and changing the look of the cinder block walls!

Pretty things

Our house is full of flowers! Bamboo from Mike and Alexis, bulbs from Uncle Bill and Aunt Claire, a random plant from Trader Joes, flowers from Megan and Jude from last spring that have decided to grow again this spring (even though they were stored in a plastic bag in the basement all winter).

Not shown: All the pots full of seed from Kate and Neal, the tulips I couldn't resist, cut flowers from Kaitlin and Jerri (Joshua's co-workers). Needless to say, we are running out of surfaces to store all of these plants. And that's just fine by me!

Upcoming project: The backyard -- we are going to make it a haven for plants and people. I couldn't be more excited to get even more greenery into my life.


I love how old Philadelphia is and how often its age shows up in wonderful ways.

CCOP in the Newspaper

Crime in Camden: Before it gets to 911
(Philadelphia Inquirer, March 11, 2008, Editorial)

When a vacant house in their Cramer Hill neighborhood became a haven for drug users, community leaders organized a cleanup and enlisted help from the Camden Police Department.
With violence escalating in the beleaguered city, that type of partnership and spirit of cooperation needs to be be replicated in every neighborhood, with residents and police teaming up to fight crime.
Camden's new police chief, Edward Hargis, says he wants to do just that, which is a positive sign that the department is moving in the right direction.
Hopefully, Hargis can restore the trust that has been missing for a long time between the police and the community.
He has already met with State Police officials, who will provide community problem-solving training for Camden officers possibly as early as next month.
Everyone on the police force, from the chief down, will be taught how to take a more proactive approach to curbing crime.
Rather than waiting to be called to investigate crimes after they have occurred, police will be encouraged to intervene earlier, usually relying on tips from residents and business leaders.
That seems simple enough, and it's probably routine for many police departments. But it's a big step for Camden.
The city's poorly managed and overwhelmed Police Department is more inclined to be reactive, waiting to respond to 911 calls.
Camden Churches Organized for People, a coalition of 25 faith-based groups, organized the cleanup in Cramer Hill last year. It has pushed for more community interaction with police.
The group's chairman, the Rev. Willie Anderson, said church leaders wanted to help the police because "we have a whole city that's under siege."
Camden has had 16 homicides so far this year. Much of the violence is linked to rival drug gangs and an influx of guns.
Hargis, who took over the department in January, is trying to come up with a viable crime strategy. He should share his plan with residents concerned about their safety to get their input prior to its implementation.
Already, Hargis has assigned more officers to beats in the city's business district. The department is also pairing up more with federal and state law-enforcement agencies and has seized 64 illegal weapons in two months.
Some officers are being redeployed to target neighborhood crimes. Hargis also wants to strictly enforce a new curfew to get youths under age 18 off the streets by 10 p.m.
Camden's crime problems won't be solved overnight. But Hargis appears to be starting on the right track. He must use every available resource, especially Camden's residents, to make the city safer.

Shanti Turns 2 ... or 8!

Since we adopted Shanti from a shelter, we aren't sure of her birthday. Therefore, based on the vet's estimate of her age, we decided that March 2nd was her wonderfully made-up birthday. It works out well, because that is our dating anniversary. Moreover, it is so close to Valentine's Day and our 1/2 anniversary of marriage that we have an excuse to celebrate all of these almost-holidays into one real celebration.

As Shanti celebrated her 2nd fake birthday with new ball that includes "real bird noises!" when it rolls, we celebrated our 3rd dating anniversary by going to the Star Wars exhibit at the Franklin Institute of Science. It was really amazing -- we would highly recommend it! It included the spaceship models they used during filming, videos explaining how the movies were made and tons of costumes. It was neat to see Joshua's face light up when we walked into the room with all of the displays.

So happy birthday, Shanti, and happy couplehood, us!

When we first met Shanti, she had the flu and could only open one eye. Too cute!

When we first met each other, we had different ideas on how to make a monkey face. (At Monkey Face Rock, during our first climbing trip to Smith Rock, Oregon.)

Split Bed Springs

We have grown up to the next level of adulthood: we purchase a bed! No more hand-me-downs for us. Hooray. After using our dinning room to store the large box spring that wouldn't fit up our stairs for almost two months, we learned about the mysterious split box springs. This past weekend we rented yet another truck to make the trade. All of that headache of taking off the banister and attempting to force the full-size box spring up the stairs for nothing. Ha ha ha.

Looking back our childish ways of a month ago is always entertaining. Good thing we are adults now. Now that we have two beds, we were able to set up a proper guest bedroom. Boy, it is nice to have those painting/crown molding/wallpapering projects completed. Although I keep getting more ideas on how to make further improvements. Even though I promise Joshua that I don't do it to drive him crazy, I'm not sure he always believes me ... that's what makes us such a charming couple!