Lupus Loop

Once again, at the end of October we will be walking in the Lupus Loop to raise awareness and funds to fight lupus. If you would like to support us, please visit the fundraising page of our team, The Queen's Team by clicking here. Thanks!

Reason #212 Why We Miss South Philly

At Mass on Sunday, the first day of football season, we looked around our new parish in Bethlehem and did not find even ONE Eagles jersey, shirt or emblem.  In South Philly, it would have been at least half the attendees in full regalia.  We miss that sense of home team pride and community.

Saving Money, Saving Lives

The summer I was pregnant with Alma I worked as a Samuel S. Fels Intern with Project H.O.M.E., an amazing non-profit in Philadelphia that is dedicated to eliminating homelessness.  I was tasked with producing a report that argued for a change in funding for services for those who are chronically homeless.  This report has recently been finalized and published.  Hooray -- my first official publication!

Check it out! Saving Money, Saving Lives

Picnics

Living in South Philadelphia, we spent a lot of time in a local park with the baby and the dog.  Every night we would get everyone geared up, walk the half mile to the park and then hang out there on a blanket for an hour or so. 

Nowadays, the "park" is our backyard and we can easily visit it multiple times a day.  I know that we keep harping on this and it may sound like a little thing to most folks, but it seems revolutionary to us after we have been a full four years without a proper grassy spot to call our own. 

Here are some fun photos of Alma enjoying a picnic dinner on our back patio ...

Sartain Neighbors

Simply put, we are going to miss the great folks on our South Philly block.  They love Alma (or Allie as she is known around here) so very much.  We are hopeful that we can all stay in touch so they can watch our little darling grow up.

House Getting Married

When folks in our neighborhood get married, they decorate their house.  I love this tradition.

Auntie Kate and Uncle Neal

Kate and Neal visited us this weekend.  It is always so fun to see them.  Not only to they always feed us good food, but they also feed our souls with good energy and love.

We also got to see Matt and meet his lovely girlfriendl.  Alma decided (a.k.a. Aunt Kate decided for her) to lay in the middle of the table during brunch.  It actually worked out really well since Alma isn't fond of being held for too long.  This way, she could kick her legs, enjoy some "alone time" and still be the center of all of the action.

Kate encourages us to do lots of odd things ... here Joshua is carrying both Alma and me while we waited for the subway after we had dinner downtown at Lolita. 

Two weeks old

Our sweet Alma is two weeks old today.

This past week has been exciting with Joshua heading back to work (sure, this was supposed to be the week he worked from home, but in a relationship-focused occupation, he ended up in Camden most days), wrapping up last-minute preparations for Christmas since half of our gifts needed to be mailed cross-country, and the largest snowstorm since 1993 with 24 inches falling in Philadelphia.

Alma has been enjoying our daily walks with the dog. She isn't fond of the bundling process but then she immediately falls asleep as soon as we head out the door and sleeps soundly the entire trip.Yesterday since the snow was too deep to use the stroller, Joshua wrapped her in his jacket as we went to the grocery store for more baking supplies. It was fun to be out and see everyone shoveling. At our last doctor's visit, we learned that Alma is up to 8lbs 11 oz. This is up from her birth weight of 8 lbs 1 oz. Based on how hardily she eats, we are guessing that she is going to continue to grow quickly. They also told us that she is almost 19 inches, which surprised me because when she was born we were told that she was 21 inches. Ends up the hospital mis-measured and she was really 18 inches when born. Ha! Evidently, this happens often.

To make a birth announcement, Alma and I did our first photo shoot in her beautiful Christmas outfit, which was a gift from Alma's Nana Thompson. Not wanting to spoil the winning photo, here is one of the out-takes. She seems to enjoy saluting in photos, which I find endlessly humorous. She did the same thing in the hospital photos.

Here is a short video of our household that we took today. Enjoy!

Simon update

We haven't written about Simon recently, so I thought I would post a recent photo I took of him at "his park" (a.k.a. the local high school where we play fetch with him every day) and an update email to his foster mom, Heather. While he isn't perfect (just visit our home to see how excited/crazy he gets for visitors), we like him a lot and I'm very grateful for his companionship and love.

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Heather,
It has been about a year since we welcomed Simon into our home and I wanted to thank you again for encouraging us to adopt him. He has been such a great dog for our family -- he loves being outside as much as we do, he is a big ball of affection (especially for Joshua, with whom he is a little obsessed) and he even loves our cat a much as we do. While this past year has had its challenges with his desire to bark at everyone who passes by our house, dog training classes helped us all to find a way to communicate and his barking has subsided greatly.

We took Simon and Shanti (the cat) to the vet last week and the vet was excited by how healthy they both are for living in a small rowhome in South Philly. We have been blessed with Simon's ability to play in parks off-leash so we spend over an hour every evening playing fetch with him. He is quite the runner and is always getting comments on how fast he is. Most weekends we go for a longer hike along the Wissahickon Creek in Fairmount Park. Simon used to just wade in the water, but this summer he finally got the hang of the doggy-paddle and now it is all he wants to do! We have also been taking him camping. He is still getting the hang of sleeping in a tent -- it is hard to get him settled when there are so many noises in the woods -- but he is slowly learning.

Overall, we could not be happier with having Simon as part of our family. Thanks for helping us find him! Below are links to some videos of Simon and I've attached a few photos, too. Enjoy.

Hope you are well!
Laura and Joshua Chisholm

This past winter when we went snowshoeing with Simon

A month ago when Simon decided that swimming is the greatest thing ever

Some photos:

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Heather's reply:

Hi Laura -

Wow, what a great treat to hear from you guys! I've thought of Simon often and I can't believe it's been a year already. I will always think of him flying through the backyard with those ears just flopping. He will always be one of my favorite fosters ever!

I'm so glad to hear how happy all of you are as a family! I knew in my heart that you were exactly right for Simon and he knew it too! The pictures are wonderful (I LOVE the hat!!) and the videos really made us smile. Simon deserved a family that would encourage his vitality and incredible sense of wonder and joy and I will be forever grateful that he found just that!

We took a break from foster dogs to help a kitty in serious need - Pumpkin was almost euthanized at a "pound" in Montgomery. I pulled him and got him a cage at PetSmart to be adopted but he developed a serious upper respitatory virus that ended up in his eye, which he almost lost. Most vets would have just taken the eye but Del Val decided to do surgery and, with lots of prayer, TLC and medication, he has recovered and is ready for adoption! The problem is that after all that he went though I'm not willing to put him back in a cage at PetSmart. Getting kitties adopted is tough and especially from a foster home but I'm holding out for the best! I'm hoping he will be as lucky as Simon and find the perfect family!

Please, please give Simon a hug and kiss from us! You have no idea how happy you made me with this E-mail!!!!

Many Thanks,
Heather

Neighbors

We have been blessed to live on a street full of great people. The above picture, taken at one of our recent game nights shows (l-r) Erin, Randy, H, Dottie, Joshua and my belly. Sadly, our friends Dottie and H are moving at the end of the month.

When they moved onto the block a year ago, I was so excited to have another young couple within close proximity that I very quickly invited them to dinner. Thinking that we were the over-zealous, super-conservative, over-bearing, aggressively-neighborly types, they seemed a little hesitant to join us. However, when we had them over for dinner, along with our friends Robin and Bobby, who are a wonderfully welcoming couple who had just recently been married, Dottie and H seemed surprised. In the last year, we have had many great meals, watched a good number of sports games, and enjoyed their friendship immensely. While our schedules haven't always aligned, it has been great to have them around for neighborhood gossip, tips on how to train Simon and enthusiastic waves from our front porches. Just to know that they were down the street has always been reassuring. We will miss them. Although, I'm sure that we will continue to see them occasionally.

We are blessed to have made friends with H and Dottie and we wish them luck as they move back to Central Pennsylvania!

More Good News!

In other news, I was offered and accepted the Fels internship position with Project H.O.M.E., a local non-profit with an amazingly holistic approach to making long-term, sustainable changes in the city. The project I will be designing and implementing deals with a recent calculation of the cost of homelessness in Philadelphia which was done in order to show the cost-effectiveness of permanent supportive housing. Basically, in a similar fashion to Malcolm Gladwell's examination of "Million Dollar Murray", who cost Reno over a million dollars to not help him out, this new report from the University of Pennsylvania will be used to make an argument that transitional housing in neighborhoods not only increased the value of the housing but has tons of other secondary benefits as well. Not exactly sure which way the project will head, but I'm excited for the process!

Landing this position was a blessing. Being pregnant and looking for employment wasn't exactly the situation I wanted to be in when I graduated from my master's. I just hated the idea of starting a job and possibly being introduced as "that new girl who is already 4 months pregnant." There has been a position at The Reinvestment Fund which I have been eyeing for a while now (maps + economic policy = totally up my alley). However, I couldn't get over the fact that I would be applying for a full-time position knowing full well that I would not be willing to work there past November. Maybe a similar TRF position will be available once all the kids are reared!

But in the meantime, I'm excited to begin working with Project H.O.M.E. and to finally tell people more openly that I'm expecting. I was so worried that telling people would come around to bite me in the butt. Actually, during the interview, I told the Project H.O.M.E. interviewer that I was pregnant because she asked, "Why are you applying for an internship when you already graduated and could be applying for full-time positions?" After I told her, she said, "Whoa, that isn't something people usually share, but I understand because I have been in the same situation of applying for a job while pregnant." Then we talked about when I was due and other little things about pregnancy. She seemed totally supportive and understanding. But, more than anything, she seemed to appreciate my honesty. This seems to mean that I'll be going into a supportive environment, which makes me exceedingly happy. And maybe they will be able to hire me on a little longer for other projects after the Fels position ends ... at least until the baby comes. That would be ideal.

Plus, Project H.O.M.E.'s co-founder and Executive Director, Sister Mary Scullion, has just been named to TIME Magazine’s list of “The 100 Most Influential People.” Impressive.

Skin and Bones

Tattoos in the Life of the American Sailor
Exhibit at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia
April 24, 2009 – January 3, 2010

Skin & Bones - Tattoos in the Life of the American Sailor a provocative exhibit that delves into the beliefs, mysteries, traditions, and power of the tattoo in American maritime culture, premieres at Independence Seaport Museum April 24, 2009. Seaport members will preview the exhibit April 23 during an invitation-only cocktail reception. Skin & Bones, which runs through January 3, 2010, is free with general admission or membership and open during regular Museum hours.

This original exhibit, researched and created by Curator Craig Bruns and Seaport staff, will feature traditional and modern tattooing tools, flash (tattoo design samples) and other tattoo-related art, historic photographs and artifacts, a recreation of an old-time "tattoo parlor," and a mini-documentary of the recorded personal stories of tattooed sailors.

The History of Tattoos
The reputation of tattoos has evolved through the psyche of American culture from the sinister symbols of convicts, gang members, and bikers, looked up on by most with fear and disdain, into a generally accepted societal convention. Today tattoos are sported by everyone from sports and movie celebrities to teens and suburban moms and have spread beyond the body to fashion, décor, and art.

While tattooing is an ancient custom practiced by most cultures – famed naturalist Charles Darwin stated there was no nation on earth in which the people did not tattoo themselves – it is not well known that this custom of indelible body marking was introduced to this country in the late 18th century by seafarers.

So, if you have a tattoo today, thank a sailor.

The Exhibit
Skin & Bones traces the origins, functions, and significance of tattoos in American sailors' lives from the late 18th century onward and how merchant and naval seamen have kept this tradition unbroken and alive. It also connects current trends with historic tradition to enlighten tattooed and un-tattooed visitors alike about this often still misunderstood art form.

In early America, tattoos were synonymous with sailors, who learned the practice from their British seagoing brethren. While the tale of tattoos as souvenirs of wild shore leaves is a well-known chapter of nautical history, it is but one small facet of the story.

The true essence of the story, revealed in Skin & Bones, is that sailors have long held a deeply ingrained belief in the power of tattoos. They use their skin as a canvas for inked tattoos to permanently display their values and identifications, protect them against dangers at sea, pay homage to sailing traditions and the fraternity of seafarers, memorialize loved ones, and showcase mementos of significant experiences and exotic locales.

Skin & Bones features the "Who's Who" of the tattoo world – people like Samuel O'Reilly, who invented the electric tattoo machine in 1891; C.H. Fellowes, whose hand-drawn tattoo design books are among the earliest known American tattoo design books; Macy's founder Rowland Macy, whose star tattoo on his arm likely inspired his department store's famed logo; and colorful characters such as tattoo artists Sailor Jerry, Sailor Eddie, and Madame Chinchilla.
A highlight will be a specially created interactive featuring a life-size "tattoo artist" who will "talk" to customers as he "inks" one of four tattoos on their forearms. The "tattooing" will be done through a video projection system.

Skin & Bones Programming
Skin & Bones will be complemented by a stimulating series of public and educational programming, and the Museum Shop will be stocked with a fanciful array of tattoo-related items, including books, posters, temporary tattoos, clothing, and fun trinkets for children. Youngsters will also enjoy posing in the life-size cut-out of a classic tattooed merchant seaman stationed just outside the exhibit.

The Seaport will host two screenings of the cult film Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry, which chronicles the life of Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins, the father of modern American tattooing and himself a sailor. The film, which had a sold-out screening at the 2008 Philadelphia Film Festival and was an official selection at the New Orleans Film Festival, explores the impact and meaning of tattoos in the lives of American sailors. The May 12 screening will begin at 7 pm with a pre-film discussion by director and native Philadelphian Erich Weiss. A second screening will take place October 2 at 8 pm.

On October 22 at 7 pm, the Seaport will present Tattoo Scuttlebutt, a panel discussion with Hori Smoku director Weiss; local tattoo historian Nick Schoenberger, C.W. Eldridge, director of the Tattoo Archive, in Winston-Salem, NC, and U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Office Richard Sambenedetto Jr., whose tattooed feet are the iconic image of Skin & Bones.

A Thank You Letter from My Mother*

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Three Mile Island, here is an example of how my well-spoken mother has an eternally grateful spirit.

*I had to edit out a few details for privacy sake.

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March 23, 2009

Dear Dr. Schinfeld:

This letter is 30 years overdue. I am so happy to have found you on the internet, as it is intended for your father, as well, whose contact I have lost.

On March 30, 1979 my husband Frank, 22-month-old son Brian and I left our home in Middletown, PA, and drove to my brother’s and sister’s-in-law home in Melrose Park. It was the due date of my second child, and we were fleeing the accident at Three Mile Island. We could see the tops of the cooling towers from our front porch, three miles away.

At a PA Turnpike rest stop, my husband telephoned my obstetricians to tell them of our decision and to ask them to send my medical records to your father’s practice. The doctor reassured my husband that it was not necessary to leave, but we had already decided and were on our way. You see, my sister-in-law Claire, who was a patient in your father’s practice, had called his office and asked if they would accept me as a patient, under the circumstances. They said yes, without hesitation. To this day, I am amazed and overwhelmed by the compassion and generosity they offered a complete stranger.

At the time, my brother Bill and his wife lived in a five-bedroom home, did not have children of their own and worked full time during the day. They, too, welcomed us with open arms and hearts. Because I did not give birth for two weeks, I had the opportunity to meet the doctors, and they me — this Irish Catholic 28-year-old who grew up on Staten Island, NY. Around midnight April 11, after watching the 11 o’clock news and retiring to bed, labor began. Frank and I drove through empty, dark streets to Albert Einstein Hospital. It was the first night of Passover, and your father had just returned home from a Seder when he received the call. It was a peaceful birth, despite the events leading up to it. Your father stayed with me all night, occasionally resting on a cot in the next room. At 6:35 a.m. April 12, our beautiful daughter, Laura Elizabeth, was born.

Laura will celebrate her 30th birthday on Easter this year, four days after the first night of Passover. She is happily married to a community organizer in Camden, lives in South Philly and will earn her master’s degree in urban studies from Temple this May. She is a lovely woman with a good heart. I have enclosed her wedding photo. Brian lives in Glenside, PA, with his wife Bridgette and their son. Brian works full time and will receive his MBA from Villanova at the end of the year.

My husband and I moved to Carlisle, PA, in March 1981. It was horrible having to return to Middletown with a toddler and an infant, and after many anxious days and sleepless nights we left the area as soon as we could sell our home. God has been good to us. I hope the same is true for your father and you.

I can tell from reading your profile on your practice’s web site that you are among your father’s admirers, of whom there must be legions. How interesting that you are in a similar field. My brother and his wife are now awaiting their first grandchild, who is due in June. Although Bill and Claire moved to Rhode Island many years ago, their son, his wife and soon-to-be baby live in Drexel Hill.

I can hardly find the words to express my deepest appreciation to your father and his colleagues who rescued my family and me from an extraordinary, terrible event. Despite the inexcusable lateness of this letter, please know that I have held them in my heart and prayers all these years. May God bless and keep you all.

In humble gratitude,
(my mom)

While Joshua was in California for a work conference and his grandfather's funeral, I have had a busy week and a half.

Mid-work week I was able to go camping and kayaking on the Delaware River at the Delaware Water Gap. Since the company where I am interning (DVRPC) works on transportation and environmental projects in the area, they make an investment in staff development to do some field work (or, in this case, field enjoyment) in the counties where the mapping and analysis is performed. I had the opportunity to share a double kayak with Victoria, the undergraduate intern who has been teaching me everything she knows about cartography -- which is a lot! I would be lost without her and feel like I should be paying her tuition for all that she is teaching me. Good thing Victoria and I share a desk and I'm a quick learner because otherwise this internship might have been a bust. Anyway, the camping and kayaking trip was great and the scenery was beautiful.



On Saturday, I was able to attend the wedding of two close friends -- Robin and Bobby (known to us as Bobbin!). They used to live one floor below us when we were in an apartment on 4th Street in Philly. Greatest guys ever. Bobby has recently become my running partner and Robin often hooks us up with tickets to opera performances or tips regarding good theater events.

Their wedding was beautiful and I cried for most of the service. The reception was a delight -- they have TONS of physical theater actor friends who were the greatest/most interesting dancers. Too fun to watch. I had a difficult time dancing because I was laughing so hard. I felt very honored that we were invited to their wedding because it was evident that they attract really great people.

I love this picture of their cake-cutting! Side note: A few weeks ago, we had them over for dinner directly after they had their cake-tasting, so we had the opportunity to eat 10+ of the wedding cupcake's trial versions. Yum!


This week I also managed to make large flower boxes for the backyard. They are painted Superman blue to match with the orange wall. Awesome. (Photos coming soon....)

Tree coverage

Philadelphia is not an especially tree-filled city. Especially South Philadelphia. For a healthy city, the tree coverage should range around 40%. South Philly comes at less than 1%. Yup, that's pretty bad. But not anymore! We now have a tree in front of our house. We couldn't be more excited. Look how excited Shanti is!

"Creating Tomorrow Today"

This week (finals week, at that) I went on four interviews and eventually accepted a full time internship position at a very reputable non-profit-but-very-government-contact-focused agency.


The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) is a "interstate, intercounty and intercity agency that provides continuing, comprehensive and coordinated planning to shape a vision for the future growth of the Delaware Valley region." Basically they are the rock stars of planning in the larger metro area. My position will be mainly doing database work but they also said that I would have a chance to do some mapping, too.

I start on May 19th. Hooray!

At the Subway Station

Last Sunday after the Phillies baseball game, a uniformed female officer was talking sternly with a very intoxicated older gentleman who was holding a can of beer. It went something like this:

Officer: Sir, you must give me your beverage.
Man: Why?
Officer: Because it is illegal to have an open container.
Man: Ok, I'll throw it away over there.
Officer: No hand it to me.
Man: No offense ma'am, but you're on duty.

One would think that he made this last remark to be a smart alec. In reality, he said it like he really didn't want her to get in trouble.

People in Philly are just that nice. Really.

Walkin' the Talkin'

Yesterday we had a bunch of neighbors over for coffee and doughnuts so that we could say hello after a winter of hiding in our warm homes. Also, the row home right next to ours just sold to a young couple, Erin and Randy. It was a fun way for them to meet everyone.

Our block is really great and the people who showed up to say hello are especially wonderful. It's neat that such a diverse group -- all ages, educational levels, backgrounds, etc -- can have such a fun time together.

I am extremely hopeful that enough of these events will parlay into a block party this summer. Dave, who lives across the street, has a jam band that practices every Tuesday (they sound pretty good, believe us, we hear them every week!) + the new guy, Randy, dreams of getting a huge fryer and making 20 lbs of potatoes and two large turkeys to feed the block + I just want everyone to hang out together = it could happen!

Our church!

Finding a good church is always a challenge. Luckily, we found Ephiphany! While the readings are sometimes a little difficult to understand because we aren't fully fluent in the "South Philly mumble" yet, it's friendly and only three blocks from our house. Moreover, Father Pigeon is very animated and his sermons are more engaging than the typical "old man rants" we have heard at other churches.

Truth in Advertising

We live near Passyunk Ave, a main road in South Philly that has become a mix of old and new stores. Here's a shot of one of the older sections of the avenue -- the chocolatier and the Catholic school uniform shop, which is currently focusing on First Communion outfits.

The other day when Patrick was visiting and we were walking down the sidewalk, he pointed out an interesting aspect of the Catholic school uniform shop...
Why yes, that does say "CHUBBIES" as one of the possible sizes.