This is no fribulous gimmick.

What a gorgeous weekend that was! Perfect, perfect, perfect fall weather.

Harvested the last bit of basil, and made pesto, which I then froze in little cubes to use over the next few months.

Neil and I took the train into Philadelphia to see a show, Rock of Ages, which was a huge dud. In fact, we left before intermission. I had high hopes for the show -- I thought it would be a bunch of tribute bands from the 80s -- but it was just horrible. Apparently they couldn't get permission for many of the great rock songs from that era, so they composed new stuff for the show, and it wasn't very good. The jokes were not funny, the story was boring . . .  we wanted very much to like it, but eventually had to admit to ourselves that we were wasting our time. We weren't the only ones who walked out early.

However, the afternoon was not a total loss. We ate falafel at Reading Terminal Market. We stopped by a store called the Flying Monkey.

We visited Occupy Philadelphia.

I noticed a couple of new tents, one Jewish and one Quaker.

I looked up from the makeshift tents and signs to admire the skyscrapers.

And I saw a very mysterious sign, apparently written by someone who finds significance in every frame of the Wizard of Oz.

All the characters mean something, even the old apple tree? ??????

Occupy Wharton

Occupy Philadelphia took a brief break from Dilworth Plaza in front of City Hall on Friday, to march down to the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania to protest a planned speech by Eric Cantor.

Cantor was going to speak in Huntsman Hall.

The protestors were gathered in a walkway behind the building.

Many of them looked very Ivy League - I think that several were probably professors.

Penn students seemed excited and happy. I heard many saying things like, "Omigod! Take my picture! My dad will freak."

Like the Occupy Philadelphia crowd at Dilworth Plaza, this group had something of a party atmosphere. People really didn't seem angry - they seemed to be having a good time.

The Metro has reported that the Occupy Philadelphia folks are, in fact, advertising their group as a kind of fun social network. They had a "Goofy Sunday Mystery Fun Action" event, and an 80s-themed prom dance party.

As it turned out, Eric Cantor canceled his speech. But he probably received more publicity for it because of the Occupy Philadelphia action than if they had not showed up, so he may not think that this is a bad thing.

The Wharton School of Business, by the way, looks like a big brick silo with lots of windows.

Occupy Philadelphia signage, part 2

I really like the photo below. Such a diverse group - someone dressed like a soldier carrying a Communist flag, American flags flying over the Wells Fargo bank across the street, an actual worker cleaning the street, and the iconic Philadelphia clothespin sculpture. (Meet me at the clothespin!)

This photo seems very American.

Occupy Philadelphia signage

A miscellany.

Occupy Philadelphia

I took the subway to City Hall on my lunch hour today to see what's going on with Occupy Philadelphia.

As you approach, it's a little hard to see much going on in Dilworth Plaza. You mostly see that magnificent, sprawling building - which looks to me like a big, fancy wedding cake.

But when you cross the street, there is a lot going on. There are news reporters.

Not every protester is dressed like a hippy.

Lots of signs, mostly lying on the pavement.

There are plenty of tents.

Some rather makeshift.

There are medics on hand.

It seemed a lot like the street fairs and shopping booths they have in Dilworth Plaza every so often, except a bit messier and more home-made. Everyone seemed to be having a pretty good time. There was a break dancer, in front of a wall of Jesus graffiti.

And there were activities for children (marching children).

There was a tent for nursing mothers.

And a sort of "children's alley" among the tents.

The guy in the photo below has gotten a lot of press, most of it rather unfortunate. It seems that he is a vegetarian Buddhist who has vowed to go on a 30-day hunger strike to support a variety of causes. According to local news reports, for the next 30 days he will sit in Dilworth Plaza and ingest only water and tobacco smoke.

This is a kind of hunger strike that I don't understand. It's not as though someone could do something that would make him stop, or could meet any demands. It's not as though anyone really cares, much, or even understands what his demands are. I'm pretty sure that legalization of marijuana is one of them, and I know that it's not going to happen in the next 30 days. He is against big corporations, and Big Tobacco would be one of them - so it might be a more useful protest to quit smoking.

Looking a little more closely at his sign, I think he may have decided to drink orange juice during this fast. Good idea.

The signs were interesting. I'll post a few tomorrow.