Chad Diehl
After an exhausting week of working overtime and trying to catch up on chores, I finally had a day to just relax, so of course I still went out to do things. I let myself sleep in and made myself a vegan breakfast bagel using fake sausage, fake cheese, and a fake egg patty with sriracha and agave, and a cup of coffee in a mug made by local ceramics artist Stanley Chester & Albert. It was just a quiet morning binging BoJack Horseman.
At around noon, I FaceTimed with my partner, Belinda, before she went to bed. She has been visiting her family in Chennai, India for the last three weeks. She finally comes home on Tuesday, and I cannot wait. I have a gift, and a handmade card, and some plans (which I will not go into detail here just in case she reads this before I see her) for when I finally see her. Even with the 10.5-hour time difference, we’ve still be communicating all day, and FaceTiming at least twice a day to keep up with everything, and our love keeps growing every day.
After our call, I bundled up to head out on this chilly day with these heavy winds. Waiting for the trolley near the Woodlands Cemetery, a small snow squall came through before the trolley pulled up with a broken fare meter, so I got a free ride to Center City!
Following the recommendation of my partner, I decided to try out Middle Child on 11th St., which was quite busy, but I was able to snag a seat at the bar. I tried out their Phoagie, which is a vegan Pho-style sandwich, with some hot honey potato chips and a root beer. It was all delicious, and I really liked the atmosphere of the space with the open kitchen.
When I finished my lunch, I headed over to one of my favorite shops, Philly AIDS Thrift over on 5th St. to see if anything would catch my interest. I wanted to find some accessories for my sister’s tattoo shop, The Aviary, that she recently opened over in Ardmore. I couldn’t find anything good, but I still sent her pictures of weird bird things to make her laugh.
I didn’t find anything interesting to pick up, and I didn’t feel like doing anything else, so I decided to catch a bus and head home. Spent the rest of the afternoon lounging with some snacks (chocolate cookies and eggnog), cuddling with my cat Zelda, playing video games, and watching the finale of Marvel’s Echo.
Zelda is a West Philly cat; found her back in 2016 hiding behind my neighbor’s trash, alone, near Clark Park when she was only 3 months old. My roommate lured her inside, and we raised her alongside the older cats in the house. She ‘s all by herself now, and she is spoiled and chonky.
Finished my night with some paratha and Indian side dishes that I got at the Indian Grocery Store at Walnut & 42nd, served in the kinnam that my partner got me for my birthday. Overall, this was a good Sunday. Now to turn in for the night, and get ready for another long week, and get ready for my partner’s triumphant return on Tuesday!
Chad grew up in the Poconos, and moved to Philly in 2011. He worked in the food service industry for almost 12 years before breaking free to work in the medical field You can find him on Instagram at @phillypizzacatdad.
