Summer of 2010 Performance Review

Belated happy 4th peeps. Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays. I love fireworks, I love bbqs, and I can always get down with a day that I know a ton of friends will be free on. One of these days I am going to post a ton of pictures from China and give a lengthy account of all that transpired there. Today is not that day.

This has been the most interesting/eventful summer I have ever had. There's been good, bad, and ugly. What there has not been is a dull moment. That's part of the reason da blog has been slacking so much. I've been gearing up for the conclusion of the summer program at Elwyn, which, at least in my mind, will mark the end of my childhood and the beginning of my career as a working adult. That's not a fun thought, so I decided to distract myself from it by sharing a few highlights of 2010's hottest months for me, as well as a few things I'm really looking forward to before my "freedom" ends.

Highlights:
1) The Chicago trip I took was as good as a vacation could possibly be. I watched a Flyers Stanley Cup Final game on the road, saw Wrigley field, met some great people, had some amazing eats, and throughout the entire time enjoy the company of a brother I was missing majorly. It started my summer off on the right foot.
2) Back to back Memorial Day parties. First the annual Ford family fiesta in H-town, which is always a favorite of everyone who attends. Then, the following day with coworkers, which in a way initiated me into the family of Elwyn employees. As I've mentioned before, people who work with special needs kids are crazy. It's pretty much a prerequisite to entering the field. But once you're close, you're really close. Anytime you hang out with work people outside work for the first time is really interesting, and this was certainly the case on Memorial Day.
3) Getting back from China. More on this to come in the China blog post. Let's just say after a loooong trip back, I was all sorts of high on being an American, which led to...
4) World Cup Fever and John Isner's win at Wimbledon. The US had a brief, yet incredibly captivating, time in Soccer's World Cup, which I got really into. Couple that with watching an American tennis player, Isner, win the longest tennis match in the history of the sport, and I had plenty to feed my pro-America inclinations when I got back from the People's Republic of Yucky.
5) Dave and Buster's River Deck. I got to hang out with work people and with Temple friends that I made last semester when I inexplicably decided to step out of my in-class shell that encased me for every previous term. It was a beautiful summer night, and we were on the river! You have to understand that any situation is instantly made 3 times better with a stoop, 4 times better with a front porch, 5 times better with a roof deck, and 6 times better with a waterfront deck.
6) Toy Story in 3D was pretty fantastic. I recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the original Toy Story, or to anyone who is made of money and would like a good flick to see on a date. It was hilarious seeing the reaction of the guys I was with when I started yelling "Yooo Red" to a girl I knew a few rows up from us. See I have a tendency to think I know someone wherever I go, so their fear that I was yelling at a compete stranger and making a seen was completely justified. Luckily for them, it was her, and all embarrassment was avoided, and we ended up watching a movie that was unanimously enjoyed by us all.
7) Golf tourney in Newtown Sqaure was an experience, and I must say that being that close to Tiger Woods, as big of a scumbag as the guy is, it was still a pretty surreal experience. Definitely not a scene that I had been a part of prior to this past weekend.

Coming Events:
1) Phillies game on the hottest night of the summer. I got tickets for tomorrow's game. Tomorrow will be over the century mark farenheit. I am the world's biggest sweater. Should be interesting.
2) Union game with Pete. I haven't seen Pete in a hot minute and I am pumped to watch soccer with him in the new stadium in Chester. If I don't die of heat exhaustion tomorrow, I will most likely die Saturday in Chester.
3) Jamming again on the mic July 16th at Peabody's. My voice has been crap for so long, so it's been months since I've played a tune plugged in. I have a Jackson 5 cover that I'm really excited about playing, and I'll definitely do the usuals, like some Ben Harper, Jack and some Cit Cope. Speaking of Cope...
4) Citizen Cope Concert with the boys on the 24th at Festival Pier will be a great time. I've gone to less and less shows in recent years, so the ones I do go to have high expectations attached. And I've never seen Cope live, which makes this super cool.
5) Late July and August birthday-filled stretch. A ton of people have bdays and there's always alot going on. Never a dull moment. Hooray.
6) Actually posting the China blog. I have a lot of pictures to show, and I'm excited to get them up. Hopefully I can make it happen. Only time will tell.

Ok, I'm out. As usual, holla atch boi while da summa's hot.
Peace.