Cargo Shorts & The Graffiti Pier

My head said "Yes" but my gut said "No".

I knew it wouldn't be easy finding the Graffiti Pier in Port Richmond, that there'd be hiking involved and only one street to get us close to where we wanted to be.

But Beach Street was impossible to find and the area was not what I expected.

I expected some sand, maybe a boardwalk, possibly remnants of an amusement park and a low concrete structure covered with colorful marks made by street artists... all the makings of a pleasant outing.

I hadn't realized we'd be searching for an abandoned spot along the Delaware River where ships once docked and carried coal, not an ocean or former resort.

Instead we found a remote region surrounded by litter and broken glass, without a river or pier in sight... Beach Street... the start of our destination.

But now I was hesitant about leaving the car... it parked and me from its protective metal exterior.

I worried about being mugged, having our car (a rental) stolen or vandalized... jacked on all fours, its tires, battery and radio gone, with the words... "Welcome To Philadelphia" spray-painted in neon across the hood.

An active mind perhaps, but also determined.

With the car behind us and this ominous sign in front of us, we made our way past the gate, hoping to sidestep trash, puddles, predators and police waiting to arrest us for trespassing.

Eventually we hit concrete... Coal Pier 18, the Graffiti Pier, in Port Richmond.

And these...

 Some rooms within the pier and my husband Michael...

The exterior of a room, and the skyline of Philadelphia from the edge of the pier... 

  

And our rental car... exactly as we left it.

For some harmless graffiti fun go here and here.

Pedal Pushers & Automobiles

I'm sitting, waiting...

inside our Chevy Van named 'Handsome Bruce', a.k.a. Bruce or H.B. for short, after the Scottish King, 'Robert the Bruce', portrayed in the award winning movie 'Braveheart', who led his men into battle with his passionate cry... "You've bled with Wallace; now bleed with me."

Thankfully, in the seventeen years we've owned Bruce, no battles were fought, or blood shed, though he was wounded, when a pumpkin hurled at him last October, slightly dented his hood, making him now distinctive and handsome.

More handsome than our previous vehicles named Bruce:

a Chevy Nova Hatchback purchased used in '75, whose teeth-like grille and hood when opened resembled the mechanical shark in the summer blockbuster film 'Jaws', nicknamed Bruce by the crew after Steven Spielberg's lawyer, Bruce Ramer.

and a brand new metallic red-orange '84 Chevy Van, similar in color to the Nova, calling this newer in'car'nate, Bruce 2.

Three automobiles in thirty-nine years: all Chevrolets, all named Bruce. There must be some truth to GM's slogan, "Built to Last," but in actuality, it's my husband's work ethic and high quality standards that have kept our automobiles on the road for so long.

So now I'm sitting, waiting, relaxing...

inside our van, while my husband Michael is inside Giant, our local supermarket, picking up a 4-pack of muffins... probably a double chocolate chip, lemon poppy, blueberry, and either cranberry-orange, cinnamon, or plain chocolate chip. I don't usually like surprises, but with breakfast pastries, I don't mind.

I also don't mind: sitting, waiting, relaxing, and now watching...

people: locking and unlocking car doors, walking towards the market, and others exiting the store pushing carts, or carrying plastic bags filled with groceries, a few shopping solo, most with children, spouses or friends. No one is hurrying, while many seem distracted, even attracted to something up ahead...

to a car with a flowering tree sticking out of its trunk.

But now I see the flowering tree is artificial and not protruding from the trunk at all, but stuck to the roof of the car as a permanent fixture.

Curious! Who would do such a thing?

Perhaps someone like me, who names their vehicles and believes inanimate objects have personalities all their own, or just someone with a good sense of humor and a vanity plate that reads... "Deir Me".

"Everybody's a walking museum of where they've been," said Colson Whitehead in his book, The Noble Hustle: Poker, Beef Jerky, and Death, and who may have taken car decorating a step further when during his college days, he and two friends, traveled out west to Las Vegas collecting souvenirs from places along the way, and epoxying them to the hood of their 'jalopy'.

"Two Sears Towers sticking up over the engine, a row of turquoise stones on the roof above the windshield, toy buffalo stampeding across the great brown plain over the engine. Bull's horns from Arizona, in case we needed to gorge someone at ramming speed, you never know, and four refrigerator magnets with Elvis's face in the front grille to repel ghosts... and dozens of plastic slot machines in pink, red and lime-green"...

Possibly looking like this had they traveled a bit longer.

Photo by Yewco Kootnikoff of Canadian Poet Susan Musgrave's car

Well here comes the 'muffin man'.

Let me see... peeking into the plastic grocery bag he's holding marked: "Recycle This Bag For a Better Tomorrow." And today's mystery muffin is... plain chocolate chip!

Wait! There's more... some Stonyfield Organic Yogurt: blueberry and strawberry banana, and two bottles of Gold Peak Tea: sweetened and unsweetened.

Who goes into a supermarket and comes out with only one thing?... apparently, not my husband.

With the key in the ignition and the pedal to the metal, it's... "Home Bruce!"

For Handsome Bruce's namesake, watch the ending of 'Braveheart' here.

For more decorated vehicles, watch Houston's Art Car Parade here. 

Summer Shorts & Sums

'Sum Times' by Aakash Nihalani

'Sum Times' detail by Aakash Nihalini

My mother, irate over a discrepancy on her credit card statement, phoned me.

Seems she was hit with a hefty auto repair bill, and 'outraged' by the amount, managed to convince her mechanic to cut her a break.

But instead of crediting her account $25.00, he added that sum to the total, overcharging her $50.00, so she said.

"Fifty dollars?... I thought he owed you twenty-five."

"He did!"... but by the time she finished venting, even with a calculator, I couldn't get her numbers to add up.

The more confused I got, the more frustrated she became, until exasperated, she blurted out... "Forget it!... You were never any good with math." And added... "Do you remember the time your father and I hired a tutor to help you with Algebra? You didn't get Algebra. Come to think of it, you didn't get Geometry either."

Or basic math apparently, but 'sum' times we don't need 'sum' one to remind us of our inadequacies. 'Sum' things are easily recounted all on their own.

'Exit' by Aakash Nihalani

View Street Artist Aakash Nihalani's latest work here, his video here, and an interview here.

Summer Shorts & Tee(n)s

I stood waiting...

for the 10:54 AM train out of Ardsley to Center City Philadelphia.

I noticed...

two girls (age sixteen or seventeen) seated, waiting for the train.

Teen A:  wore hot pink sneakers, denim shorts, hot pink tee and short blonde hair.

Teen B: wore black sneakers / blue laces, denim shorts, light blue tee,  a matching cell phone case, and long, dark brown hair.

I overheard...

A:  Did you get a new bra?

B:  Yeah.

A:  You're not 'boob'raging. (meaning...?)

     Are you wearing make-up?

B:  I am. I'm wearing it all day.

     Did you shave your legs?

A:  I have to every day. 

     I always miss this part (pointing behind her knee).

     I don't know why.

     I forget everything.

     Are you going to college?

B:  Haven't decided yet.

A:  Maybe I'll go to Montco (Community College) and then a good college.

B:  Yeah. I want to go to Montco too.

A:  I want to be a surgeon.

B:  Me too. I want to go into medicine.

     Not a surgeon, maybe a doctor.

A:  Oh, maybe you can be my assistant.

I thought...

"Heaven help us"... as we boarded the 10:54.  

Social Media: Can & Do

Those that can, do. Those that can't, I suppose... tweet, pin, like, listen, or watch others do stuff... apparently with donuts.

Before you get your knickers in a twist, or try 'hashtagging' me with irate messages, know where I'm coming from, with a few additional interrogatives thrown in to explain the whys and wherefores of my cynicism.

"I keep six honest serving-men:

(They taught me all I knew)

Their names are What and Where and When

And How and Why and Who."

~Rudyard Kipling, from "The Elephant's Child"

WHO: Inquiring minds want to know.

WHAT: How to use Social Media.

WHERE: At a University, which shall remain nameless, in Philadelphia, PA.

WHEN: Saturday, May 17, 2014, 10 AM - 4 PM.

WHY: to promote a book, skill, brand, company, increase sales, or attract viewers to websites and blogs... all reasons given by people for attending the workshop, with the exception of one woman, who never said why she was there except to say that she has two sons, one who works for Apple and the other Google. Her purpose? Bragging rights I suppose. Me? "Excuse me... my cell phone's ringing"... that would be my 'not-so-smart' Motorola RAZR V3 black flip-phone with text messaging disabled. I was there to leap into the 21st century.

So now you know my phone is just a phone... not a map, book, itunes' player, album or camera, at least one you'd want to use, but it functions perfectly, is cost efficient, compact, aesthetic, and not something I'm willing to trade in just yet, for the sake of owning something new.

And while I'm also not ready to devote endless hours friending those on Facebook, tweeting opinions on Twitter, pinning my favs on Pinterest, or uploading every life's moment on Flickr, YouTube, or Vimeo, though I might in the future, I still want and need to be enlightened on how today's technology works. 

HOW: to actually use Social Media, unfortunately, was never discussed. Instead, this five-hour 'Power Pointy' presentation was only about 'why' Social Media is used, something I already understood from reading Jonah Berger's book, Contagious: Why Things Catch On. 

Besides the science of Social Media, Berger's book explains why things go viral with strategies for marketing and interesting stories like... how a household blender 'took off', increasing sales by 700% after posting on YouTube... or Steve Jobs' big dilemma on whether to place his Apple logo on laptops right-side up facing its user, or right-side up when viewed by those in close proximity. The next time you're in a public space or on a MacBook see what Jobs and his team decided. Hint... 

It's based on one of Jonah Berger's six "STEPPS" (an acronym). 'P' for Public (visibility)... When we see others doing something, we're more likely to imitate it. "If it's built to show, it's built to grow."

Having grown weary from the day's long lecture, I was ready to head home, but remembered...

WHAT: "CANstruction Philadelphia 2014", a sculpture exhibition.

WHERE: The Rotunda @ The Shops at Liberty Place, 16th and Chestnut.

WHEN: May 10- May 18, 2014.

WHO: Sponsored by AIA (American Institute of Architects) with sculptures built by local architects and engineers.

HOW: Obviously one 'can' at a time in accordance with these rules:

Structures cannot exceed 8'L X 8'W X 8'H and must be structurally self-supporting.

Materials permissible but preferred not to be seen: 1/4" cardboard, masonite, plywood, plexiglass, used for the purpose of leveling or balancing materials but not as load bearing. No props, or permanent adhesives. Also allowed: clear and double stick tape, Velcro, nylon tie-backs, nylon string, wire and high tension rubber bands.

All cans must be full, unopened with labels intact and legible. Labels may not be covered, stripped off or altered in any way. Junk food and expired food items are not permitted. Boxes and bags are discouraged, as the name of the competition is CANstruction.

Teams: Only 5 team members can build their structure at one time. Members can be swapped out and are allowed a maximum of 15 minutes for the transition. One extra member may be used to un-box cans. Teams are responsible for obtaining their own supply of canned food, provide an inventory of all cans, name each food product, the quantity of each food product, the total # of cans used, and the cost of food items purchased or donated.

Phew! With all those restrictions, it's amazing anything got built, let alone creatively!

Here are a few 'aCANemy' award winners and their statements:

Juror's Favorite: KING CAN

Jacobs Global Building Design

"From Skull Island to Manhattan, King Kong decided to look for the most magnificent skyscraper to climb. He found himself in Philadelphia to find just what he was looking for - the iconic Bell Atlantic Tower. We opened up our imaginations as well as our cupboards to show you his journey to his next conquest.

In "KING CAN," stacks of crab meat and "Can"nelli white kidney beans create the building's bold form, with the stripes of their labels suggesting the vertical nature of the building's distinctive columns of windows. The can colors represent the bold brick tone of the structure whose building design is representative of the historic use of brick in the city of Philadelphia, distinguishing the building amongst all others on the city skyline. The giant gorilla is made of small cans of black olives, which are able to express his organic shape as he "Can"tilevers from the rigid form of the building. He still looks pretty ferocious climbing up the structure, but hopefully being stuffed with olives will cut down his appetite for airplanes... or maybe not!"

Photo Source: Bloomfield and Associates... "POP!" Front View

"POP!" Back View

1st Runner Up and People's Choice award: POP!

Wallace Roberts & Todd / Bloomfield and Associates Architects / Olaya Studio

It's BONK!ers that there are almost a million people in the Delaware Valley who face hunger every day. This fact makes our heads go KA-BOOM! We are CANstructing in support of Philabundance's POW!erful mission to ZAP! hunger. When Roy Lichtenstein's 1996 "POP!" cover of Newsweek Magazine SNAP!ped into our minds, we knew it would put the perfect exclamation onto our point!"

2nd Runner Up: EWE CAN End Hunger!

Studioview360

"When asked about our design, forgive us if we sound a little... sheepish. It's not that we expect to be lamb-basted for our work; we're actually quite proud of what we've accomplished through shear determination  (and a wee bit of flock)! While we could have been vegging like couch potatoes, instead we designed something fun, some may say "corny", to help out a great organization, Philabundance. It's been challenging, but we think ewe'll agree it was wool worth it!"

Congrats to the following teams who also won awards and to all those who participated.

Best Meal: One Small Step for Can, One Giant Leap for CANkind, JKR Partners

Best Use of Labels:  The Yellow CANmarine, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Structural Ingenuity: Help Fight Hunger, HDR

Most Cans: Hauling Off Hunger, ASCE Philadelphia YMF

Here are a few more CANstructions...

"Eliminate HungARGHH Share Your Booty!" (Lego Pirate)  / Jacobs / Wyper Architects

"Stick It" to Hunger" (Elmer's Glue Bottle)  / Kitchen & Associates

"The Yellow CANmarine"  / Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

"CAN on, get happy!" (Minions) / Stantec

Among the 16 participating teams in this year's 'CANstruction Philadelphia', over 57,000 cans of food were donated to Philabundance. Marshall McLuhan once said, "The medium is the message" and the message here is... "CANstruct a World Without Hunger: One CAN make a Difference."

McLuhan also said, "If it works, it's obsolete," which means by the time I get around to figuring out all this Social Media stuff, something new and hot will have taken its place. 

Time for a donut and a hot coffee.

Do you have a favorite canned food item? If so, what would be your preferred method for communicating about it?

Here are a few links you might find interesting:

Rudyard Kipling's, "The Elephant Child" with the entire poem located at the bottom of the short story here.

A not so flashy, but informative video on: "Why Things Catch On" with Jonah Berger here.

Blendtec videos: "Will It Blend" glow sticks? here, "Will It Blend" an iphone? here.

Watch "LUV CAN" a CANstruction being built by GBBN Architects in Ohio here.

Marshall McLuhan: Communication Theorist here.

Doughnut: The Official Story here and one dozen donut facts here.

Celebrated every year on the first Friday in June.

National Doughnut Day

Friday June 6, 2014

Free Donuts! Check your local donut shop for details.

Spread The Word!