I rose early today to get my lazy ass to the gym. On my way out of the gym, at about 8 am, I was greeted by this sight.
Across from the gym is a large open field, part of the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The sun was just starting to warm the air and the fog by the trees was starting to burn off.
Camera: iPhone 6s Plus.
No filters, just some slight clarity adjustments in Adobe Lightroom
'Decide. Commit. Succeed.' | Daily Drawing #253
You'll never be successful if you don't decide what you really want. And no success ever comes without commitment.
Tools: The script was done with a Marvy LePlume II Brush Marker I received in this months Art Snacks (nice pen, funny name), then traced and touched up with my Staedler Pigment Liners.
Seeburg Jukebox detail.Molly's Books and Records, 9th Street Italian Market.
I captured this photo from a storefront on South Street. The window was full of these angry boy mannequins.
Camera: iPhone 4s / Processed with Snapseed desktop app.
The sign outside the Wishing Well on 9th Street. Hopefully it keeps the riff-raff out.
There's sugar (or it's evil cousin high fructose corn syrup) in just about everything you buy in a store. It's amazing how much sugar you see yourself taking in once you start to pay attention.
I've been trying hard to fight the sugar beast. I've (almost) completely cut out soda and have cut way back on drinks like store-bought iced tea. This wasn't difficult – I 've always loved drinking water, now I just drink more. The hard part is that sugar in my morning/late morning/early afternoon coffee. Even if I use just a half-teaspoon or less, it really adds up. Artificial sweeteners are a no-go.
So now I'm trying sugar replacements like Truvia and Agave in the Raw. Truvia (made form the Stevia plant) is a great substitute – but can get really pricey (I'd rather spend the extra bucks on some good K-cups!). A friend turned me on to Agave in the raw as a sugar substitute. It's thick, so you can use it in place of honey (great in hot tea) or syrup (on waffles). It's also great for baking. But I actually like it in coffee. I'm particularly found fo a darker roast, which can be bitter, and the Agave cuts right through it, almost mellows it out. The best part is you don't need a lot – just a real quick squirt from the bottle and you're good to go.
I haven't compared the calories, so I'm not sure if I'm cutting off my nose to spite my face, but hey, one thing at a time.
This giant creature you see here is our cat Swugs. His original name was 'Swuggles' picked by my then 2-year old son who couldn't say the word 'Snuggles' properly. Needless to say, we all just call him 'Swugs', or 'Mr. Swugs' (because it's his house, he just lets us live in it).
He's about 12. Still gets around pretty well, although he's become a real fat slob in the last few years. I'm guessing he's a happy cat, because he purrs loud enough to wake up the house. The funniest thing about this cat (and the reason for the photo) is that at around age nine, he suddenly realized that he could come to the table and beg for food while we ate. We didn't have a dog at the time, so I'm guessing he just figured it out. He'll nudge your arm, take his paw and tap you with a "Hey buddy, how 'bout some down here?". I generally don't oblige him, except when we have peas or eggs.
This cat loves him some peas.
Each year on New Year's Day, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts opens its doors to the public with an indoor New Years Celebration. One interesting thing they do is set up a 'Resolution Wall' near the entrance on the curved wall to the left. It's basically a huge dry erase board and they provide markers for you to go and add your own resolution. Below are a few that I captured.
Camera: iPhone 4S | Processed in Photoshop CS5
In my family we always had the traditional Pork and Sauerkraut on New Year's Day for good luck. The reason Pork is traditionally served on New Years is that the pork is rich in fat and symbolizes wealth and prosperity. Also, superstition states that you should serve Pork because the Pig always digs forward (as opposed to the Chicken, which scratches backward).
I'm sure my relatives weren't aware of the reasons, they just did it as part of our heritage. And they liked their Pork.
I was never big on the pork n' sauerkraut (unless you count a hotdog at a ballgame), until I discovered this recipe a few years ago and have been making a modified version of it on New Year's Day ever since. Above is a picture of the lil' beauty I made last night using a small pork loin.
Here's a simplified version of the recipe:
Ingredients:
- Take a bag of sauerkraut, drain and rinse it (this lowers the salt content – but don't rinse more than once or you'll begin to lose the flavor).
- Line a 9" x 12" (approx.) dish with the kraut, then add a cup of Apple Juice. Sprinkle some caraway seeds (optional).
- Lay the pork loin (or chops) on top of the sauerkraut.
- Add thinly sliced apples (about 1-2, any old apple will do, but Granny Smiths are best)
- Add a layer of thinly sliced onions. (Use a mandolin slicer if you have one – the thinner the better, since they'll crisp up at the end. Make sure you add onions to the top of the meat.)
- Sprinkle brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook at 350 degrees for about an hour or until the internal temp. is about 145 and the top layer of onions and apples are crisp to your liking.
- Remove the meat, let it rest for about 5 minutes.
- Slice, serve, enjoy, prosper.
It was a beauty of a day on Broad Street where we watched the 2012 Mummers Parade. The sun was out and it was a balmy 50-something degrees. It was also a great day for people watching – everyone was in 'fine form' due to weather and the fact that mostly everyone had off the next day.We stuck around until around 5pm. Finding a place to eat near Broad was next to impossible and as it got dark, the crowd started to change to a more drunken/aggressive variety.
Parade Watcher Pro-Tip: If you're watching the parade on Broad anywhere near Spruce, head to the Kimmel Center – they open their doors to the public and have live performances and plenty to eat. And lots of clean bathrooms, which are hard to find on parade day. You can also go upstairs and check out the parade from the second and third floors (great if the weather is bad or if you've got a kid or three in tow).
Camera: iPhone 4s | Processed with Snapseed App (top photo only) and iPhoto (remaining photos)
A brand new year. Another opportunity to fix things and to make things better.
An opportunity to change your life, your surroundings, your view.
Or, another opportunity to completely fuck things up.
Either way, the choice is yours.
Happy New Year!
Camera: iPhone 4s / Color corrected in Photoshop CS5
There's nothing better than a giant bowl of Pho on a cold day. This is from Pho Palace in Northeast Philadelphia. The Far Northeast is not known for its diverse food scene and up until recently there was no place to go in this area for food like this. Pho Palace and a few others that have just opened are thankfully filling that gap.
Camera: iPhone 4s / Post processing: Snapseed App
I was greeted by this error message at the parking kiosk at Headhouse Square in Philadelphia recently. Welcome to Philly!
Summertime always brings random thunderstorms and crazy, angry skies. I happened to see this in the sky as I walked out of a local store last week. Shot with an iPhone 3GS using the Camera+ app and the Clarity filter.
