The Streets of

Philadelphia, PA.

Yesterday... After a brief visit to the Natural Sciences museum to view a few dinosaur bones, I decided to see how far I could get from the city center walking out along the Schuylkill River through Fairmount Park. After about two miles I began to wilt in the 85 degrees F (in the shade) heat. Phew, what a scorcher!


I'm sure that if I'd continued further then eventually I would have escaped the sound of the nearby freeway that follows the river from the heart of the city. It was a hot and noisy experience, oh for some shade and the peace and quiet of nature.


In the evening I went to see the new David Cronenberg movie, Eastern Promises. Cronenberg delivers this London based Russian mafia drama with a matter of factness, a detached non-flashy style. The London portrayed in the film is pretty grim and could easily be mistaken for old Soviet Eastern Europe. Initially I found the accents funny to listen to, including that of Naomi Watt's English nurse, but as you are drawn into the seedy gangster world you soon get used to them. Viggo Mortenson is great as the Russian gang's driver/Mr Fixit; Want to dispose of a body? He's your man. Viggo, as intense as ever, sure shows some acting balls in this role! I don't think I'll be visiting a Finsbury Bath House anytime soon! Eastern Promises is a good film but are all Russians really as nuts as this?

Today I'm chilling out in a Java Café off of South Street. Dudes sit here all day, taking advantage of the Café's free web access. They are coding their websites whilst slurping iced coffee. Not a bad way to work. No office rental either.

Tonight it's Magic tour show #2. I'm not expecting any changes from the 1st show but it'll be a blast.
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Update #1: I forgot to mention that it's Larry Fine's birthday today. This evening, to mark the occasion, I stuffed myself with a delicious 'Three Stooges' burger at the restaurant that now stands on the his site of birth.

Update #2: Concert review