Steven
5:30am - woke up to go to the bathroom and then had trouble falling back asleep. My mind was too active, thinking about what I would write about today for this diary entry and thinking about work and what I needed to do today. I eventually did fall back asleep I think.
6:30am - woken up again, this time by my cat and this time I wasn’t able to quiet my thoughts enough to fall back asleep.
7:15am - I lay awake up until minutes before my 7:20 alarm was supposed to go off and then I abandoned the idea of getting more sleep and just got out of bed and started my day
8:10am - After showering and getting ready I head out the door to bike to work
8:35am - Arrive at work. Always feels great to ride in the sunlight. Feels like spring is coming.
11:30am - Finished my morning block of calls/meetings. Me and my friend Liz spend some time caring for all the houseplants around the office. Here's a picture of some of them:
12:15 - on my lunch break now. It looks like spring outside and is sunny so I go for a walk. My building is attached to 30th street station so to get to the street I can walk through the main hall waiting area which I always like although I’ll always miss the old clickty clackty board. It’s sunny and 50 degrees out but because it was so chilly just yesterday, no one is quite sure how to dress. Walking around I saw people in down filled puffy coats zipped all the way up and people wearing shorts and T-shirts all strolling around in their own comfort zones.
12:50 - I buy falafel over rice from a halal cart and head back to the office. There are two carts parked next to each other, and for no particular reason, if I am getting halal cart I always go to the same one. Today that cart had a longer line than the other one and I had lingered too long on my walk and was now running late on getting back from my lunch break so I went to the cart I’ve never gone to. It was equally good, nicely fried falafel, creamy well seasoned chickpeas as an extra add on because why not? And they offer green sauce, which if I’m being honest gets lost in the mix of white and red and I really couldn’t tell you what it specifically tastes like, but visually the three colors are very nice and you do eat with your eyes first. I forgot to grab a photo, sorry reader.
The afternoon is partially spent preparing for being out of work for the rest of the week. My partner Marissa’s short film is playing in a film festival in NYC tomorrow night and we’re going to travel up tomorrow together and stay a night there and do festival stuff so I took off from work. Goal is going to be to attempt to unplug from work and not check messages while I take off.
5:10pm - Time to leave work. Unfortunately the rain my weather app said would start at 6, has already started coming down.
5:30pm - Arrive home soaking wet so I change my clothes.
6pm - It's only lightly drizzling so I walk to my usual bar, Fountain Porter. I come here a couple times a week after work to read for a bit before dinner. I am excited for Daylight Savings Time to start soon and for the days to get longer because once the sun sets, it becomes too dark in the bar to read unless I am sitting near the neon sign in the window. Depending on the font and contrast of the book I am reading that typically means needing to sit no further than the 3rd or 4th stool in. I was lucky today and was able to get the third seat in. I chat with one of the bartenders and a couple other early evening regulars for a minute and learn of P. Diddy’s recent legal issues before opening my book and zoning out the sound around me and focusing in. I’m currently reading a book about the urban planner Ed Logue and his mixed legacy.
7:10pm - I consume two beers and decide to walk home
7:58pm - Where did the last hour go??? I got home and pulled out some frozen salmon to thaw in a tub of water and then was on my phone a bit before my friend Gina came by to grab keys so she could stop by tomorrow and feed our cats while we’re away. I fed the cats then I scrolled a bit more.
8:24pm - Time keeps slippppping away. Was talking to Marissa about tomorrow and texting my sister about plans to hang out and cook a big meal together to celebrate our birthdays which coincide in the same week (next week). The salmon is almost thawed now so I start some rice.
8:45pm - Salmon is thawed so I cook it and me and Marissa eat bowls of rice topped with salmon, salted cucumbers, avocado and soy sauce. I also added some pickled chilis to mine. We talk about tomorrow and watch basketball. The Celtics beat the Sixers which always sucks.
10:10pm - Clean up the kitchen and bring the compost out for pickup.
10:28pm - Bedtime. Goodnight reader.
Steven has a bunch of disparate creative practices and hobbies so struggles with writing these sort of bios and defining themself succinctly. You can find them around south philadelphia or at the internet handle @fogazi on instagram.
