how monday improved.

The weather today is perfect. Though I may try to describe it in other ways, no word can say it better than that.

The morning started off roughly, even for a Monday. Though the air was chilled and I was comfy in pants and a denim jacket, even though I got to ride my bike to the train station and make it on time, I sat down & paid for my ticket, only to realize moments later that I'd left my keys at home. Usually, this would be no big deal because hey, I didn't drive to work. But, since starting my new job at ADROP (don't judge even though there's campy muzak), I've gained five keys AND a new keychain in addition to my car keys, so I jangle around like a janitor, necessarily, so that I can get into my office building. My boss is at a conference in Mexico for two weeks beginning today of all days, which meant that without keys, I was not going to be able to get into the office.
Deep breath.
So I got off at the next station, and thankfully the kind SEPTA train conductor refunded me my money without me asking him to. Luckily my mom was free to come up and pick me up, so ten minutes later I was in the car driving to work. I showed up very late but got there in the end, keys and all.

I met up with my friend Kevin for lunch in Fairmount, an area of the city that I've yet to explore. It's most well-known for Philadelphia's biggest park and the Eastern State Penitentiary, a jail with an interesting history, spooky tours around Halloween, and a Bastille Day celebration complete with a Philadelphian version of Marie Antoinette shouting, "Let them eat Tastycake!" as she hurls handfuls of the calorific wonder down to crowds of plebeians waiting below. Though I saw Kevin on Saturday night at a (gulp) "college party"-- remember those?-- I was eager to get out of the office after sitting on the phone with Verizon for a couple of hours, frustrated that I had been left in charge of setting up an internet connection. We met up at Mugshots, which I was really happy to visit, as I'd heard so much about the place from various people & blogs. A skim latté and some hummus and pita bread later, I was feeling refreshed and ready to battle it out with Verizon once more.
All told, I had to set up an appointment with some technician and now have to be at the office on Wednesday, all day, because they'll be coming out at some point between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Would it be so hard to pick a more narrow window of time? Looks like I'll have ample time to maybe decorate my cavernous office and finish up Eat, Pray, Love (yes I'm a girl reading it and loving it).

In addition to catching up with college friends and my sister this weekend, I spent the day on Sunday wandering the city with my baby sister, who is, I must clarify, sixteen years of age. We drove in on a whim, I wore a leotard, and we had a delicious brunch at Sabrina's Café, a little place I've been dying to try for ages. It was delish!

But I had my motives for this trip to the city. For the longest time, I've been itching to get a little stud in my nose. With my sister in tow, I visited a piercing shop off South Street, prepared to hand over $40 and leave with a cute little piercing. I spoke with the girl at the desk, all the while trying to avoid looking at her studded face and armpit tattoos (I kid you not), but all of a sudden, as she was photocopying my driver's license and began filling out the paperwork, I yelped, "Stop!"

I chickened out.

I took my license back, stuffed my wallet into my handbag, and bolted out of the store, wearing my shame on my face. A few text messages and phone calls from various friends and one irate sisterly, "You're being so stupid just DO IT!" later, and with a belly full of huevos rancheros from Sabrina's, I wandered back in, and bit the bullet.
Megan has some pretty heinous photos of the actual process, complete with a photo of a giant space needle sticking out of my nostril, but I'll leave those for private viewing.

So there we are. Just me & a hole in my nose.
And I love it. Though it hurt a bit yesterday evening and I'm absolutely terrified of snagging it on a towel or letting it get infected, I'm so glad it happened. In a cheesy way, it sort of represents how this year has made me feel like I've become more like myself, and I like that. Sure, I may take it out sooner than I expect, but for now, I'm really happy with it.

Oh, and listen to Fleet Foxes. If you think there's any music more perfect for the approach of autumn, I'd like to know.