Powen Shiah - the space between

Brunch at Carman's Country Kitchen

Way back in June (June 22nd, 2008 to be precise), Val was in town visiting from San Francisco, and I'd been itching to have brunch at Carman's, whose awesomeness I had only heard about.

Carman's is at 11th & Wharton in South Philly... specifically at 1301 S 11th Street if you're looking for it on Google Maps or whatever. It's a really small place and generally busy on the weekend, so call ahead (215-339-9613) to see make sure it's open and to see when Carman will have room for you. She answers the phone herself, so... From the various reviews I've read on the web though, if you don't show up at the time you work out with her, she'll seat someone else (and probably be disappointed with you).

It's a pretty simple menu: there's a board with the daily specials on it, and you basically have to choose one of them (there were four when we were there). Supposedly Carman makes up the menu depending on what's available seasonally/locally, and there can sometimes be some pretty adventurous combinations, so it's not for the picky. The server we had was really nice, asked our names, and explained the menu in detail to us.

Thank God You're a Man?

I haven't posted in a while, so here's something inane, a little funny, and a little sexist. I do like to drink beer, but also other stuff. I haven't gone so far yet as to coordinate my outfit with my drink of choice. I can barely make sure my shoes are grossly inappropriate for whatever I'm wearing.

Moral of the story is, "women" have more fun drink choices!

Falling For New York

Wednesday night I took the Chinatown bus to New York to meet with Matthias from Jimdo, Malte from iliketotallyloveit.com, and hang out with Charles (who needs to update his photoblog). Over the course of the weekend, I also got to see David and Adrien, friends from when I went to high school at Lincoln in Portland. It's almost been 10 years since I've seen David...


The last few times I've been to New York, it's made me really thankful that I live in Philadelphia. There's so much going on, the crowds of people, the running around, and the sheer enormity of it all (not to mention the time spent on the subway getting from one place to another)... well, let's just say I would breathe a sigh of relief as I stepped off the bus in Philly.


This trip was different. For one, I stayed from Wednesday to Sunday with Charles, who moved about six months ago to a place by himself in Harlem around 145th St. That meant I had a lot more time to just wander around (hello Central Park on a sunny Thursday afternoon!), explore, and just enjoy everything.

The weather also made a difference. Fall is hands-down my favorite season. New York in the sweltering summer is sweaty, stinky, and smelly. It's all much more pleasant when the air is crisp and breeze is brisk.

David, Charles, and I embarked on a tour of Flushing street food, inspired by an article in the New York Times this summer on Chinese food in Queens. We had dumplings (the soupy & the fried kind), grilled meat on a skewer, scallion pancakes fresh off the skillet, and of course bubble tea. There's a handy map + food PDF that we printed out and used to guide us in our explorations. I'd definitely recommend it if you have some time in New York, and in case you're not up for taking the 7 all the way out to Flushing, there are some shuttles from Chinatown in Manhattan for something like $2.

Entry from July 11, 2008

The Journal of Falling Dream

It's as if I'm dissociating, that little tiny pieces are going outward. But thinking about them brings them back in.

Like being held by a thousand strings of glitter.

Dissolving

Unraveling

disastrously gloriating disappating...

[link] The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget

So this guy Kent Nerburn used to be a cab driver... here's a story about one of his passengers:

Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living.

It was a cowboy's life, a life for someone who wanted no boss.

What I didn't realize was that it was also a ministry.

Because I drove the night shift, my cab became a moving confessional. Passengers climbed in, sat behind me in total anonymity, and told me about their lives. I encountered people whose lives amazed me, ennobled me, and made me laugh and weep.

The Meaning of Profit

(a story about my boss and the company where I work)
Hal Taussig, who founded Untours, the company I work for, went to the studio of Philadelphia's public radio affiliate (WHYY), where Dick Gordon interviewed him for The Story, a program by North Carolina Public Radio . 

There's an interesting spin on the story in light of all the questions about "executive compensation" that have come to light in the past few days connected with the proposed US Treasury (taxpayer) bailout of major Wall Street institutions.

http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_612_The_Meaning_of_Profit.mp3/view 

Hal Taussig believes that CEOs have a responsibility to do more than earn wealth for themselves. He created a successful travel company called Untours. The company has a budget in the millions and maintains a healthy profit margin - but Hal does not keep any of the profits. He donates them to charity.

Hal talks to Dick Gordon about the spontaneous moment that led him to this alternative business lifestyle. The result swims against the tide of the profit motive: Hal actually finds that having an empty bank account is exhilarating.