by Tanya Tucker (1972)

The Southern Gothic tale of Delta Dawn is a sad one, and even sadder as it was based on a real lady. Once stood up my a suitor, she became obsessed with his return to her and aimlessly walked the town growing more and more mentally ill. Doesn’t make it any less catchy and engaging as an old timey country hit though in the hands of Miss Tanya Tucker. It calls to mind the memorable Faulkner short story A Rose for Emily.
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Italian Actor

Aside from Camelot, which I only have the vaguest recollections of as a child, I don’t believe I’ve seen a single frame of any Franco Nero film, but one look at his steely heart stopping gaze has made me a gigantic fan. I might even stoop to watch some old westerns to get an eye full. Aside from his Italian acting career, he has been married to the lovely Vanessa Redgrave not once but twice.

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1237 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA

In all my trips to Philadelphia, it seemed lazy that I’d never bothered to stand in line for one of the city’s first and most famous cheese steaks, Pat’s King of Steaks. Situated catty corner to the big rival, Geno’s, I picked Pat’s because they chop their meat, which I assumed would be a consistency I’d prefer over strips. Plus, I wanted to get out for the day while the weather held (because, otherwise, while pregnant I tend to sink into lethargy and naps if I don’t get myself up and at them in the morning) and how fun and low brow decadent is it to hop in the car for a Philly cheese steak in Philly?

The line was as long as I expected, winding through already seated diners and around the small building (it only got longer as the day progressed) but it moved surprisingly quickly. The speed of the food from grill, to bun, to hand has a lot to do with the efficiency. The sandwich is great, with onion and cheez whiz, exactly as it should be. Next time I’d maybe go for double cheese and my only complaint was a couple small bits of fattiness. Still, a classic for sure, and one worth the lines and crowds to sample yourself. Lemonade and fries are also good but not as noteworthy.

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at the Metropolitan Pavilion

I hadn’t been to Manhattan Vintage in years, but am glad I made it to this months event if not to gawk at amazing gowns, jewelry, and hats, then to be surrounded by sometimes fellow lovers of vintage (sometimes kind of famous ones at that). The place is certainly not for bargain hunters (which I am, I admit) but the selections from an array of dealers are not bargain bin either. You will find well curated clothing and accessories that after a couple hours will make you spin with want.

I’d recommend it for lovers to browse, designers to find inspiration, the very wealthy, or those looking for a special something for an occasion where they don’t mind spending a little extra for a one of a kind piece. Of course, I could hardly leave empty handed and with my own special ability, managed to root out an beautiful Egyptian inspired necklace that was sold for about a third of the price most booths averaged. It came from Fool’s Gold and I love it dearly.

I also dearly love my good friend Stacy and her shop Exquisite Costume, which boasted an impressive spot full of incredible pieces.

While this season’s show is at an end as I speak this, the next one will be October 8-9. Then you can see for yourself as I neglected/was too scared of the vendors to take photos.

1100 South 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA

The Mummers Parade is an institution that is alive in Philadelphia if not exactly well. The South Philly Mummer’s Museum dedicated to the decades old tradition screams from posters on many walls “Save the Mummers Museum!” and the unkempt, slightly decaying exhibits give the visitor a Mrs. Havisham-esque experience of walking down magnificence past. Unusually quiet, with only a few volunteers and one other couple present, the museum is as eerie as it is fascinating. Not to say that even with the fading of social clubs as a backbone of communities that the Mummer Museum holds nothing but memories. The first set up of terminator meets He-Man like costumes are from the winners of a recent parade and videos show the costumes in action during the New Years Celebration that still takes place every year. The intricacy of ritual and the costumes themselves make me want to attend the next one and the crumbling but stunning building itself (which calls to mind the images of Kubrick) do indeed make me want to take up the cause of saving the mummers. So why do you all start by taking a visit there? It’s only $3.50 and more than worth it!

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aired in 2000

I’d be excited about anything Rob Brydon and Julia Davis were a part of, so Human Remains, wherein they play six different married couples, was at the top of my list of BBC shows to seek out while at Amoeba in LA (sadly, they didn’t have it, so i broke down and got it from Amazon UK). It’s a treat, but a very strange treat that you may not want to share with everyone – kind of like salted licorice or such.

It’s funny… but not exactly funny. Like so many British comedies, it’s as dark and sad as it is humorous – though no where near as pitch black dark as Davis went on to do in Brix Pick, Nighty Night. From aristocratic twits to swinging goofballs, from paranoid Christians to wacky musicians, all of their character portraits are well developed and intriguing even as they mostly deal with depression, betrayal, and death.

by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel

Yes, it’s true: Jim and I have a little one on the way!! Safely past my first trimester, we are excited to find out if it’s a boy or a girl in the next couple months. The classic What to Expect When You’re Expecting was our first purchase when we discovered we were pregnant. It answers so many of the questions mommies-to-be have, plus some you (or at least I) had never thought of.

Of course, all that information can also get one worried, so I put the book back on the shelf for weeks at a time. The new edition cover features a strange Photoshop-illustrated, photograph hybrid woman, but don’t be concerned, the information inside is still the same as it’s always been (with modern updates of course).

Callan’s Men

This week’s TV pick, Callan is packed with British manliness and Edward Woodward and Patrick Mower are among the most dashing examples. Woodward might be more familiar to you from the show The Equalizer which, I have to admit, I’ve never actually seen.

Mower is less well known having made a career in Britain as television spies or detectives with his squished in nose (a feature that always drives me wild – see Noel Fielding or Joaquin Phoenix).

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